- December 16, 2025
Supervisor of Elections: ‘I gave retroactive pay raises,’ not bonuses.
The county’s latest budget session came to a screeching halt Monday, Aug. 22, when Kim Weeks, supervisor of elections, was brought back before the board to discuss her department’s 2012 budget proposal, which shows a $43,268, or 6.91%, increase.
When Weeks first presented her budget June 13, commissioners questioned whether she had ever disbursed bonuses to her employees instead of returning excess funds to the county. She said, “No,” explaining that the jump is due to having to conduct two elections the coming fiscal year, including the presidential preference primary.
Then, her budgeted ballot allotment went up $12,700; salary allotment went up $32,988.
In the follow-up session, Aug. 22, Weeks said she made agreements with her employees to work at a lower pay rate to ensure her budget would hold. After it did, she told them, the workers would be reimbursed retroactively with a lump sum to account for the would-be pay increase.
“So the answer is you did give bonuses?” Commissioner Milissa Holland asked.
“I did not exceed the amount of the budget,” Weeks responded. “I lived within my budget and I gave you a big portion of that budget back.”
Weeks said she has the power to move monies around as she sees fit, as long as her budget holds. The board didn’t agree.
“It’s not appropriate budgeting,” Holland said.
“This is a bonus,” said Commissioner Nate McLaughlin. “In these times, when we have taxpayers in here begging us to (lighten their loads) … We don’t have that leeway.”
“An agreement is an agreement,” Weeks said. “If you want to talk about fair,” she continued, listing county employees whom she said have recently received pay raises, “let’s be fair and compare.”
(County Communications Manager Carl Laundrie, whom Weeks named in her list of raise-receivers, denied in a follow-up interview that any of the employees she named have seen raises.)
McLaughlin read a transcript from Weeks’ first budget session. “Ms. Revels,” he read, “‘Have you given any pay increases or bonuses to your employees?’ Ms. Weeks: ‘No, ma’am … My salaries remain the same.’”
“I did not give bonuses, I gave retroactive pay raises,” Weeks replied. “I lived within my budget … and I do have (that) right.”
“I’m not questioning that,” McLaughlin said.
“Why are you talking over me and being so rude?” she asked. “… These people work hard, and they deserve every penny they make.”
Commissioner George Hanns stepped in.
“This is very unproductive and very unprofessional,” he said.
“It’s very important to maintain the voters’ confidence in what we do,” Weeks said. “I can’t conduct accurate, fair, honest elections when the ballot box is controlled by the budget.”
By consensus, the board supported a flat elections budget. No vote was held.
“I’m still disturbed at the amount of bonuses and the lack of good will,” McLaughlin said. “I feel a little bit obligated here … We’re responsible for this budget.”
County Administrator Craig Coffey will obtain salary and raise information from Weeks and present the budget Sept. 8.
