Sen. Harding: Environmental Agency Must do a Better Job Managing Taxpayer $$$

Audit: DEEP overpaid about $109k to conservation officer who faced criminal charges

Report also found environmental officers vehicles’ GPS did not match hours they claimed they worked

Hearst Media
Aug 29, 2024

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection overpaid a conservation officer about $109,000 while the officer was on leave over a pending criminal charge for alleged threatening, according to a new state audit.

The officer, who was not named in the audit report released Wednesday, was placed on administrative leave with pay while the charge was pending, but the duration of that leave lasted 19 months, far exceeding the 30-day limit allowed under state regulations. More details on the allegations were not included in the audit report. The charge was eventually nollied — which means it was dropped by the prosecutor — and the officer returned to work.

“The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection should comply with requirements concerning employees placed on paid leave,” auditors said in their report which examined the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.

In a response included with the audit, DEEP said the employee was allowed to remain on administrative leave because “this happened during the COVID19 pandemic when courts were hearing cases at an extraordinarily slow rate. This led to the employee remaining on leave for an extended period as management felt it inappropriate and possibly unsafe to allow the employee to return to work pending charges.”

Will Healey, a spokesman for DEEP, said administrative leave is used to make sure an investigation proceeds and regular work is not interrupted.

“Administrative leave is a tool that agencies use in consultation with the Office of Labor Relations (OLR) to ensure the conduct of investigations and regular operations can occur appropriately while investigations are underway,” Healey said. “Each case is unique, and investigations must be thorough and fair to ensure due process. Every case needs this element to be successful.”

State Sen. Stephen Harding, a Brookfield resident and Republican minority leader, said DEEP must do a better job managing taxpayer dollars.

“The auditors’ findings clearly show a need for better management of taxpayer dollars on a variety of fronts,” Harding said. “The audit also pointed to the need for stronger internal controls with regard to employees’ timesheets and notifications of irregular handling of taxpayer funds. As Ranking Senator on the environment committee, I will be closely monitoring the steps DEEP takes to better protect and manage state taxpayers’ dollars.”

As one of the state’s largest departments, DEEP has jurisdiction over all matters relating to the preservation and protection of the state’s air, water and other natural resources. It also includes the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, which oversees electric and gas companies and sets rates consumers pay.

https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/ct-deep-overpaid-officer-criminal-charge-audit-19728476.php