County planner dismissed

Alleghany County Planner Kathy Murphy was officially dismissed as a county employee last Wednesday (April 8). Murphy was sent a letter officially informing her of the decision by County Manager Don Adams.

Adams commented, "Alleghany County has a personnel policy and all procedures in the personnel policy were followed."

He declined to further discuss the matter or the reason for Murphy's termination.

"This is a personnel matter and I can't get into any of the details," he said.

Murphy said she was first relieved of her duties on March 27 after being sent home without pay until further notice. Adams confirmed that her status first changed on that date, which was considered a suspension without pay.

Meanwhile, Murphy noted she was told that she was to attend a pre-dismissal meeting on April 3, at which time she had the opportunity to speak with Adams about the issues surrounding her dismissal.

"Last Friday (April 3), he stated he had three days to make a final decision," Murphy said in an interview on April 10. "He sent out a letter on Wednesday stating I was terminated. I worked as hard as I could and I always tried to do a good and honest job for my supervisor, the planning board and the residents of the county," she said.

Murphy said she plans to file a grievance with the county commissioners sometime this week. From the time she was officially terminated, she said she has eight days to file the grievance. She said she understands that the policy requires that she receive an answer back from the commissioners within five days of filing the grievance.

Murphy said she sent a letter to the county manager expressing her opinion on the matter. She said, "I felt devastated, disbelief and betrayed. I thought we had a good working relationship. I felt that I was serving all the citizens of the county and treating them fairly."

Under county personnel policy, the county manager has the authority to hire and fire county employees without the direct approval of the board. However, the commissioners have the authority to uphold or overturn any decision made by the manager through the grievance policy. The commissioners' next regularly scheduled meeting is set for April 20 at 3:30 p.m. on the lower level of the County Administration Building at 348 S. Main St. in Sparta.