Linn feud remains very fluid

Linn County Auditor Joel Miller carried a big bottle of blue Gatorade to the lectern Monday as he faced question time from the Board of Supervisors.

But I don't think he actually broke a sweat. No loss of electrolytes, that I could tell.

Hopes for high civic drama, a clash of the titans, perhaps, were dashed during what amounted to an edgy-but-civil exchange of queries and answers. Supervisors wanted to know more about Miller's request to have $109,000 added to his current year budget. He showed up to tell them.

'OK, so I'm here to answer your questions,” Miller said.

Not exactly 'Let's get ready to rumble!”

After listening to the supervisors roundly criticize Miller in absentia at last Wednesday's board meeting, I wasn't sure what to expect. But, clearly, nobody was itching for an ugly public airing of grievances Monday.

'I'm not trying to do a combative back and forth,” Supervisor Ben Rogers told Miller on Monday.

Supervisors don't like Miller's use of temp agencies and passed a resolution last week barring such hires without their permission. Miller says he needs temps for payroll, real estate work and other functions. Supervisors questioned his need for overtime pay. Miller pointed out his department's share is a small fraction of the $2 million the county spends on overtime annually. He says they cut his budget, causing these problems. They say they reduced his budget request but added more than $60,000 just last fall.

'You cut my budget,” Miller said. 'Now we're short. Big surprise.” Supervisors fired off emails after the meeting challenging that zinger.

They have insisted they don't want to micromanage the auditor. But when an $8,873 request to train a temp who will be filling in for a worker on leave becomes an issue, it feels very micro.

Still, it could have been worse. That does not, however, mean that love is in the air.

Trust has left the building and is not taking calls. What Miller sees as his sworn duty to provide stringent oversight over county government, the supervisors see as a rogue official pursuing needless inquires that have alienated other county officials. Middle ground? None to be found.

I'm hearing from both sides. But they don't need a columnist. They need a tough marriage counselor, or Jimmy Carter or maybe a company of U.N. blue helmets. And if the supervisors decide to yank away more employees from Miller's office, they're going to need lawyers. We're headed back to court.

I admit, I tend to sympathize with rattlers of government cages, even if I wish Miller were a far, far more discerning chooser of battles. And I'd have more sympathy for supervisors if they hadn't watched Miller win re-election easily in a rout and then swiftly hand his facilities management duties, and 32 employees, to the same guy the auditor just defeated.

It's one thing to clash with the auditor over budgets and turf and meeting minutes, but appearing to disregard the results of an election upped the ante. And with that, the already poisoned well became a Superfund site. Don't drink the water.

Luckily, we've still got Gatorade.

l Comments: (319) 398-8452; todd.dorman@thegazette.com