Former Island Transit chief getting $106,000 payout

Reports by the Washington State Auditors Office puts blame for financial problems at Island Transit squarely at the feet of its five-member board of directors.

But the real bombshell concerns Martha Rose, the former director, who took vacation without deducting it from her vacation balance. She will receive $106,000 in a severance package, including $88,000 in unused vacation.

Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley, whos back on the board, said the vacation payout amounts to theft and hes seeking an injunction to prevent Rose from being paid.

A team from the state Auditors Office announced three official findings in the exit conference Friday morning largely attributable to lack to oversight. No misappropriation of public funds were identified, they emphasized.

Cause of the current financial crisis, which led to service cuts and layoff, was poor monitoring of finances by the the board, one report states.

The audits identified $100,000 in questionable costs associated with a federal grant including the construction of gazebos which could have financial consequences.

Noncompliance with the grant requirements may require the transit authority to return all or a portion of this money to the grantor, audit supervisor Jenny Lofton said.

The accountability audit largely focused on Rose. She received regular raises without board approval; her performance wasnt reviewed since 1996; she took vacation without deducting it; and she claimed to go on two-week conferences when flight records show she was only gone for four or five days, according to a draft audit report.

The board approved a severance agreement with Rose following an executive session Oct. 17. She will get two months salary about $18,0000 plus $88,000 for unused vacation, per her contract, said Bob Clay, chairman of the transit board and Coupeville councilman.

Clay said problems concerning Rose were the result of poor record keeping, but nothing nefarious.

Go here to read the rest:
Former Island Transit chief getting $106,000 payout