During a telephone interview on Friday, August 18, City of Alexander Treasurer JoAn Churchill said Mayor Crystal Herrmann removed her from the administrative level of the city's online accounting system CenterPoint. This lack of access keeps her from producing monthly reports, which she is required to provide for each regular council meeting.
"I cannot do a financial report because she has taken away my ability to get to my reports," Churchill said. "Now she sends me an email telling me that I can get any report I need out of there, but I cannot."
According to Churchill, city hall's newest employee Jennifer Hill has been assigned administrator of the CenterPoint system.
"And I told her (Herrmann), I think more than one person can be administrator," Churchill continued. "And she (Herrmann) asked me if I posted on it, and I said, yes, I do. And that's my job. And I also do corrections, but I don't do corrections if the bookkeeper is there and can do it."
Ironically, Hill holds the elected position of Recorder/Treasurer for the City of Haskell. Churchill says she's been told by attorneys with the Arkansas Municipal League (AML) there is no state law restricting an elected official of one city to work for another.
"I hope she (Hill) does a good job because the mayor's not," Churchill said. "[T]he mayor doesn't know what she's doing."
"So I need the administrator level back," Churchill concluded. "And I told them (Herrmann and Hill) on advice from council that I needed that restored."
"I sent them, Jennifer and Crystal and the city attorney, an E-mail saying I needed that restored and this was a two-day warning that if it wasn't done on (or) by Wednesday," Churchill said. "I sent it on Monday (August 14) and if it wasn't done by Wednesday (August 16) at four o 'clock, by four o 'clock, that I would go to a higher authority and I have done that and because it was not restored."
"[A]n attorney told Juanita (Wilson) yesterday (Thursday, August 17) from the Municipal League that Crystal has an exclusive right to fulfill her duties," Churchill said. "But I'm elected as city treasurer and I also have an exclusive right to fulfill my duties. I can't interfere with her job and she cannot interfere with mine."
"And
yet she has taken over payroll, which is an accounting effort or
accounting duty," Churchill continued. "And she has taken
over everything in accounting. And the last thing she has done is
either instructed or allowed Jennifer (Hill) to replace me as
administrator on the accounting, the official accounting
system."
"And that hinders me from getting to
the financial analysis," Churchill concluded. "And I need
that one. It's what I've always worked with and that's how I do my
job. And right now I have to go through FOIA (Freedom of Information
Act) to get it. And there's no promise that I'll get it then. They
may just say it's not available."
Churchill says while she may be responsible for the budget, no one is following the budget. That includes Mayor Herrmann; who Churchill says is over-paying herself, is hiring new employees at the top wage instead of the starting level, hired her boyfriend as a street department employee at the same pay scale as the street department superintendent, and is not enforcing the 90-day trial period. It isn't lost on Churchill that Herrmann ran her election campaign peppered with non-stop accusations of fiscal irresponsibility against her opponent, then-Mayor Paul Mitchell who was running for re-election.
"She has assigned her boyfriend to the street department," Churchill said. "He's listed as the first payroll this month he made $30 an hour and it's the same as David Durham who is the supervisor over the street department makes $30 an hour, too. And he's budgeted for 28 (dollars)."
Churchill says the Street Tech position is budgeted for $15 per hour.
"And that's the law," Churchill said. "You have to go by the budget. You have to go by the state law on everything."
According to Churchill, earlier this year she, with Council Member Juanita Wilson present, advised Herrmann she was reaching the maximum budgeted amount for the mayor's pay and she needed to cut back to make it last the rest of the year. Churchill said Herrmann threw a fit and screamed, "You will not take my money."
Churchill said the mayor's pay in the 2023 budget is set at $21,320.00 for the entire year. As of August 11, Churchill says Mayor Herrmann has over-paid herself $3,790.00. At this same rate, by August 25 she will be over-paid the amount of $5,410.00.
Churchill explained that while former Mayor Mitchell was being paid more, he had been mayor for 10 out of the last 12 years. He started out at the same amount and the annual salary was slowly increased. Herrmann was new so it was decided to put the salary back to the starting amount.
"They (council in December 2022) approved her for twenty one thousand three hundred and twenty dollars a year," Churchill said. "And she insisted on receiving what we were paying Paul Mitchell. She has no experience and we'd never heard of her. So when the council gave me the direction on what to do (for the 2023 budget) they said make it the lowest amount on the scale."
Churchill noted that the annual state audit of 2022 has begun and some of 2023 will be included. Herrmann's term as mayor began January 1, 2023.
The Alexandrian contacted Herrmann by E-mail asking for comments to these accusations and to explain her actions. As of this posting she has not responded.
It is expected this will be a topic of discussion at the next council meeting whether it's on the agenda or not. The next meeting of the Alexander City Council is this Monday (August 21) at 6:00PM. Meetings are held in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex (City Hall). The public is invited to attend.