Santa Rosa County Administrator Dan Schebler, after being questioned by a commissioner, during today’s board meeting announced that an internal investigation into issues related to the administration of the Waste Pro contract was triggered by a third-party inquiry into allegations first made in April by county staff.
Santa Rosa County hired Michelle Anchors of the AnchorsGordon firm to investigate an April 29 complaint by a county employee to the County’s Human Resources Director, alleging an “improper business relationship” between staff in the county’s environmental department and the waste hauler franchise.
Anchors’ report found “no evidence” of the allegations; however, she did discover “other areas of concern” relating to the administration of the contract terms, and those matters are now being investigated internally, according to county administration.
District 3 Commissioner James Calkins today demanded to review Anchors’ findings. “I demand that report be issued to me by the end of the day,” he said.
Calkins said he was informed that County Administrator Dan Schebler had been provided a copy of Anchors’ report and that as an elected commissioner he wanted to review it.
Interim County Attorney Greg Stewart of Nabors Giblin said the report will not be finalized until the investigation is completed. “We’re not disclosing piecemeal documentation,” Stewart said. “We’re moving expeditiously to finalize that. We hope it will be very soon.”
Immediately following the board meeting, Schebler issued a statement through the county public information office.
“The findings of the report will be addressed, and we are committed to upholding the terms of the contract with our franchise hauler,” stated Schebler, who said county administration is focused on ensuring the board-approved contract terms are appropriately enforced.
