Tougher standards for county managers outlined

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2001 | 10:01 a.m.

More stringent performance standards for Clark County department heads are expected to curb managerial improprieties such as those outlined in an audit of the county's public defender's office.

The internal audit, previously reported in the Sun, was officially released Monday. It says a soda machine was operated illegally in the building's lobby -- a misdemeanor -- and lawyers did personal favors for former Public Defender Morgan Harris on county time.

County Manager Thom Reilly said department leaders will soon enter performance contracts, and division chiefs, managers and supervisors will be subjected to thorough "360 degree" reviews.

"If we hold department heads accountable, they hold managers and managers' supervisors accountable," Reilly said. "If things don't look like they're up to par, you have to develop standards to address them."

Reilly said the performance contracts will include similar criteria as those placed on Marcus Cooper, who last week was chosen to lead the troubled public defenders' office after Harris' retirement.

The contracts will outline criteria that includes fiscal and operational responsibilities, human resource management, community and organizational relations, employee relations and service delivery.

The "360" review will not only measure a department head's performance but also will include interviews with employees lower in the organization to determine their perception of leadership.

Reilly's plans coincided with the release of an internal audit that showed the public defender's office never kept overtime and compensation records, employees did favors for Harris and that the public defender kept an illegal soda machine in the building for more than a decade.

Harris could face a misdemeanor charge if Metro Police investigators choose to probe the former public defender's placement of his own soda machine in the public lobby of his office.

The Sun reported in August -- the same month the audit was ordered -- that the soda machine violated a decades-old state law that requires vending machine owners who do business in public buildings to contract with the state Bureau of Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired.

In his response to the audit, Harris said the soda machine was not a money-making venture and profits were invested in parties and activities planned for public defender employees.

But the assessment of auditors in Jeremiah Carroll's office was different.

"We believe that placement of the vending machine in a public area made this a profit seeking enterprise and thus a city business permit should have been requested for the vending machine," the audit says. "Such a permit was never obtained."

The auditors said poor records made it difficult to determine how much money was collected from the machine that sat in the lobby for 12 years. Harris received a total of $467 in five transactions between May 1999 and August 2001, the report says.

Attorneys were charged with shopping for bulk soda and refilling the machines while on county time, the audit says.

The report also shows Harris routinely submitted reimbursement claims that did not match luncheon receipts. For example, one receipt submitted to the county in 1997 was handwritten and showed a total of $275; the cash register receipt showed a total of $210.

The audit says lunch buffets at the Golden Nugget were no more than $7.50 through 2000, but Harris often claimed each meal was $10.

Attorneys were also asked to pitch in for Secretary Day luncheons. Even when money was collected from employees, reimbursement forms were submitted or the amount collected exceeded the bill.

"We cannot verify either the amount collected or what happened to any funds that may have remained after payment of lunches for support staff," the audit says.

Before auditors finished their investigation into the receipts and claims, Harris reimbursed the county $495.

Harris, in his response, said he reimbursed the county because even though the money was spent on volunteers -- and therefore was a valid use -- the request for funds was for a lunch for secretaries and clerks.

The county's investigation also showed that Harris had attorneys do personal work at his home on county time or had his employees shuttle him around in county vehicles.

Some allegations against Harris, who retired earlier this month after 29 years in office, closely resemble ethics claims filed against former facilities chief Bill Barrett.

The Nevada State Ethics Commission ruled that Barrett, also a longtime county supervisor who has retired, violated an ethics law because he used his position to pressure employees to work on political campaigns.

Clark County Commission chairman Dario Herrera said Monday he believes Reilly's proposed performance standards will put an end to such behavior before they reach the point of an ethics hearing.

"The county needs to be more proactive about putting certain accountability measures in place," Herrera said. "We're looking for the county manager to change the culture of the county to ensure greater accountability so that taxpayers are assured we're doing the best we can with their money."

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