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No wonder Pia continuously rambles on and on about how much he dislikes Sheriff Nash. I believe that several years ago he was a Dorchester County deputy working for Sheriff Nash and was fired for insubordination!! Since Knight has already been "cleaning house" to make room for his "good ole' boys", Pia will probably be brought back in as a deputy! Is he the type of person Dorchester County residents want as a deputy??

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Pia may not care for Nash, but again the taxpayers take it in the shorts with this guy running a $13 million dollar dept. with no oversight and some councilmen who shirk their responsibility. Chris Murphy has stood up to Nash while others played possum. I can't wait until January.

Posted by: Samuel

Press Room 20 December | 2007 Sheriff's Office audit outlined By Bo Petersen The suspicion of "sophisticated, long term embezzlement by a high-ranking deputy" was discovered by an auditor probing canceled checks with a magnifying glass. That was among the findings that drove Dorchester County Council to expand its audit of the Sheriff's Office. Among the preliminary findings made by the independent auditors hired by council are: --Nearly $200,000 in "fees or commissions" was paid over two years to the Dorchester County Detention Center by a telephone company that handled inmate collect calls. --Nearly $50,000 of $88,000 in checks written at the jail commissary was not deposited to the detention center account. --"Several thousand dollars" from a bank account that handles fees charged to inmates for services such as haircuts went to a detention center employee Christmas party and more than $9,000 to Wal-Mart gift cards as Christmas bonuses. Those findings in an audit report by [Rachlin] convinced council in a unanimous vote to pay as much as $60,000 for an audit originally billed at $35,000. The Post and Courier received the documents Wednesday after filing Freedom of Information Act requests with county officials. County Council hired the auditor in August to look into the last two years of office and detention center records to find out why Sheriff Ray Nash has been going over budget. It expanded the audit this month after auditors discovered tens of thousands of dollars missing from the jail fund. Nash blamed his former jail chief, Capt. Arnold Pastor. State Law Enforcement Division officers are investigating. The auditors are assisting. No charges have been filed. Council wants to know how much money was generated by charges and fees at the jail and how much money allegedly has been stolen. It also wants better answers to questions about the money paid to vendors that the auditors found the Sheriff's Office had close ties to. The amount of money involved and the allegations of criminal mishandling have re-stoked a long controversy over money the office collects and disburses independent of its county budget, as Nash readies to run again for the office next year. The issue haunted the campaign four years ago. "It's apparent to me why we've been having problems. There is no fiscal management. There is no fiscal responsibility," Councilman Chris Murphy said Wednesday. "Whatever money is being generated by that jail, that money should be going into the general fund. It shouldn't be going into a slush fund to be divvied up to whomever the sheriff sees fit." Nash said Wednesday he also had just received his copy of the preliminary audit findings. He agreed the office should have had better internal controls. "We need to account for our funds at a higher level than in the past," Nash said. "We take responsibility for it. I take responsibility for it. I've said that so many times I've lost count. We have taken steps to rectify it. We are rectifying it. If we erred, we erred in putting too much trust in one person," he said. "It is public money, there's no question about that," Nash said. But it's not tax revenue money. Collecting fees and maintaining separate accounts for them is common detention center practice across the country, he said. The office accounts were audited by the county every year, he said. It took an auditor using a magnifying glass to dig deep enough to find the alleged embezzlement. "We always got a clean bill of health, so we thought everything was fine. We need to tighten up procedures. We hope to regain public trust." The audit could end up costing even more. Jose I. Marrero, a partner with [Rachlin], noted in a letter to the county that there could be additional charges if auditors are asked for services such as preparing or giving expert testimony in court.

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I appreciate your response to concerned local and wish many more council members would respond to these important issues.. Mr Feltner, as detail by the articles below this is an issue that has come up to county council many times in the past..This issue has been given responses by Ray Nash also in the past...And I am sure Mr Nash will have some nice story to tell council on his expenditures.....The taxpayer will eventually be footing this bill because of(at the very least) imcompetant leadership that should have been corrected by county council....Just like concerned citizen said' There is no justification why Sheriff Nash's 13 million dollar Budget shouldn't have been monitored by County Council or the Treasurer,especially after what has occurred in the past.....I will say this again IF there are any illegalities discovered in this latest episode of the Nash Regime call the FEDS and have them arrested.The taxpayers deserve your Honesty and Commitment...Once again,I do appreciate yourresponding to this important issue.

Posted by: ChrisPia

This was and is an ongoing issue with Sheriff Nash along with some embezzlement.How can the County Council give him a 13 million dollar budget without oversight?.....You have to stop this nonsense as a county council person..For years many council members have remained silent. Some spoke up.....But it's still the same old nonsense...Have the taxpayers pay for another fake audit.

Posted by: Concerned Citizen

It was the first I had heard of the sheriff not responding to the latest concerns about the overtime budget. I would like to give the sheriff or any other department head the opportunity to respond to questions about their budgets. It is important for them to respond to council. It's the council, that is ultimately responsible to the taxpayers. I look forward to the sheriffs response so we can ensure funding will be available for the remainder of the budget cycle.

Posted by: Jamie

“Whether he’s an outgoing sheriff, incumbent; there needs to be communication, especially with taxpayer funds,” Feltner said. “I don’t know what to do with an outgoing sheriff who doesn’t communicate.” He said during the committee meeting was the first he time he had heard about the issue.

Posted by: Concerned local

Now How am I Bringing this man down. By looking at facts. What is Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong...My Personal feelings towards Ray Nash are Just that personal. I want him held accountable for his actions.These overtime expenditures are a pattern of abuses that have gone on for years and have been known for years by County Council.(like many other illegal firings that were not addressed and should have been.)

Posted by: ChrisPia

Were all of those long pointless posts necessary?? We get it you have a personal vendatta against Nash and will do anything to bring the man down. Now please move on. What a waste of time. Don't you have anything better to do???

Posted by:

Enforcing Character Published on 04/12/04 BY NITA BIRMINGHAM AND BO PETERSEN Of The Post and Courier Staff PHOTO:Dorchester County Sheriff Ray Nash works in his office as his mother, Doris Nash, pays a visit last month. AH:Dorchester County sheriff lauds benefits of required training program Dorchester County Sheriff Ray Nash knew when he introduced character training to his department on his first day as sheriff that "we were probably looked upon as being oddball." Seven years later and facing re-election, Nash says character education at his agency has improved morale, reduced citizen complaints, produced fewer internal affairs investigations and led to a drop in crime. Statistics on seven major crimes tracked by the State Law Enforcement Division show the per capita crime rate in Dorchester County has dropped from a high of 30 per 1,000 residents in 1996, the year before Nash took office, to 21.7 per 1,000 residents in 2002, the latest year for which figures are available. Nash said the department doesn't keep statistics on complaints and internal investigations, but he's convinced there are fewer of both. Mandatory character training in law enforcement "is a little unconventional, but anything that is going to make a department more honest, more ethical (with) higher morale ... I think no one is going to complain, and everyone is going to be behind that," said Geoffrey Alpert, chairman of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina. If Nash has a happy department, "he's going to be a very popular sheriff," Alpert said. Nash's popularity will be gauged in the June 8 primary election. His opponent, L.C. Knight, plans to make the department's character training an issue and offer a change in management style. Knight, a former SLED agent and son of a former Dorchester County sheriff, said character instruction beyond standard law enforcement training sessions, such as ethics, is a waste of resources. "I don't know that there's anything wrong with character training," he said. But he doesn't think a course can make significant differences in the character of an adult. "I plan to implement procedures like background checks to hire people with character, and if they don't have character, they won't be there long," Knight said. Nash, 43, said he's happy to put his character initiative under scrutiny. "I think that is what distinguishes us from other agencies and past administrations. It needs to be THE issue," he said. Dorchester County Sheriff's Office employees, civilians and deputies are required to attend character briefings, at which they receive educational booklets and talk about one of 49 character qualities. The qualities, such as deference, faith and obedience, are part of the "Character First!" program created by the Character Training Institute in Oklahoma City, Okla. Nash tailored the "Character First!" training for law enforcement and founded the Police Dynamics Institute, which has an office in Summerville. Nash and the CTI teamed up in 2002 to videotape the sheriff presenting a "Police Dynamics" seminar in Oklahoma. Nash and the CTI are the only distributors of the videos. The 10 videotapes are divided into two series that tout "character-based principles for effective law enforcement." Topics in the first series are the dynamics of coactivity (a word Nash says he created), character, authority, restoration, strongholds and relationships. The second series is the dynamics of discretion, compliance, jurisdiction and expectations. In a brief introduction at the beginning of the first tape in the series, Nash, sitting on the edge of a table with an American flag as a backdrop, says why he founded the Police Dynamics Institute. "When one of my own shot and killed his girlfriend and then took his own life, I began to wonder if something was missing. Were there principles being violated that led to the destruction of lives and the undermining of the public's trust and the ineffectiveness of traditional police practices?" Nash describes "Police Dynamics" as a program with character-based principles designed to give law enforcement the "power to fight crime and protect our officers from the destructive influences of this lifestyle." Nash tells stories, many humorous, about his own law enforcement experiences and even his family life as he talks about character. In one analogy, he says law enforcement is the one wheel that makes a car move forward. When the car gets stuck or the road gets rough, "we're just spinning our wheels," he says. It takes four-wheel drive, or all aspects of the community, to pull the car forward, he says. Nash recites maxims and enumerates goals and strategies as he paces in front of an audience. He emphasizes his words with hand gestures and repeats phrases such as, "If all you do is lock people up for violating the law ... you will never solve the problem of crime." Nash supplements his annual income of about $68,000 by selling the videotapes and conducting live seminars nationally and internationally. The "Police Dynamics" video series sells for $1,190. The CTI said about 65 law enforcement agencies have purchased the series. The Dorchester County sheriff's office did not buy the video series, Nash said. The series and the live training, provided by Nash, were free. Nash said it would be inappropriate for him to receive compensation from his sheriff's office for the "Police Dynamics" instruction. Nash said his seminar fee runs $1,500-$2,000 plus expenses. He said he spends 20-30 days annually conducting seminars. He compares this to part-time jobs other officers hold. On Wednesday, Nash was conducting a seminar in Washington state. "I'm careful to maintain the balance that I'm not neglecting my duties here," Nash said. The "Police Dynamics" program is a one-time presentation. The "Character First!" training is ongoing. Dorchester County sheriff's employees have character training 11 months of the year, taking December off. It takes years to go through the series of 49 "Character First!" qualities. Forty eight of the character qualities are like the "Commands of Christ" promoted by Bill Gothard, founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a Christian evangelical organization headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Oakbrook, Ill. The Command of Christ listed as "love" in Gothard's material is called "benevolence" in the "Character First!" literature. There is another difference between the two lists. Each of the 49 Commands of Christ includes a reference to scripture. That was not included on the list of "Character First!" character qualities. The "Police Dynamics" material also does not include religious references. Nash said his programs "have some stuff that was inspired by Bill Gothard. It is not Bill Gothard's material. I'm not a member of Bill Gothard's organization." Gothard "has a lot of good material. He's done a lot of good work, particularly working with juvenile offenders," Nash said. "He's a controversial figure, there's no doubt about that. He's faith-based, but he's had a lot of great successes. You can always find somebody who's going to be negative and critical about something new and innovative, particularly when it works." Because of the Nash program's link to Gothard, some officers in other Lowcountry departments have suspected it might have its own religious overtones. One running joke among some of the area's more skeptical cops is, "If you go, don't drink the Kool-Aid," a reference to the cult of the Rev. Jim Jones' followers who in 1978 committed mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. Nash has met Gothard a few times at seminars they both attended, and he has spoken at one of Gothard's seminars, he said. The institute covered Nash's expenses for a seminar five years ago in Romania, Nash said. In an interview with The Post and Courier, Gothard said he's impressed by the response Nash has received. "We don't have members," Gothard said about the institute. "People take what they're able to from the seminars and apply it. What they don't, they leave." Gothard described his teachings as being rooted in the premise that "Life is based on cause and effect relationship, and if we understand proper principles and make wise decisions, we'll have good results. If we don't, we'll have conflicts." Nash, too, talks about cause and effect in his first video. Gothard teaches "a very, very conservative theological seminar," said Prof. Darrell Bock, of the Dallas Theological Seminary, a conservative evangelical school. "(The institute) is known and known about. I don't know that they're well regarded. There's a lot of helpful stuff in the material, and there's probably some stuff that's ... ideological." Nash arranged interviews about the "Character First!" program for The Post and Courier with two veteran and two newer deputies. He also encouraged a reporter who attended a character briefing to talk to employees about the program. None complained about Nash's emphasis on character or the mandatory briefings, even though it meant they gave up several hours on days off. Deputies Randy Botten and James O'Dell, who have worked for other law enforcement agencies, said the character training enhanced their own moral standards. Botten considers it a bulwark against the decay of society. He said some of his law enforcement buddies mistakenly thought Nash was holding monthly prayer meetings, but the character briefings only begin with a prayer if the chaplain leads the session. Botten said he believes the briefings have been unfairly labeled as prayer meetings because Nash is a Christian. "I think the people outside the agency, their biggest gripe is they have a Christian in office," Botten said. O'Dell said he wouldn't care if prayer were a regular part of the briefings. "Who cares if the sheriff wants to sing Kumbayah?" asked O'Dell. Nash said deputies respond positively to the sessions. "I don't think anybody here feels forced. If they did, I don't think they'd be here," Nash said. Alpert said he doesn't think Nash's program would work in diverse departments in cities the size of New York or Miami. "It may work in homogenous departments of small sizes," he said. As sheriff, Nash can "pretty much hand pick people" who share his philosophy. "I doubt if he has very many atheists." Two veteran local police officers familiar with the program said it has created an inner circle of deputies to whom Nash is loyal, and other deputies feel they must go along to keep their jobs. The two officers asked not to be named for fear it would affect their standing with the Sheriff's office. Gary Eastlake, a former deputy who retired after Nash was elected, said he thought some deputies were run off. "(Nash) was a likeable guy. I just couldn't work for him," Eastlake said. Nash said he had a turnover rate of about 50 percent his first year in office. The agency since then has gone through a 14-month period with no turnover, which is unheard of in law enforcement, Nash said. Nash broke his officers into four groups when describing their receptiveness to the program: people who "turn and go," people who go along but disdain it, people who buy into it, and people who find it confirms their beliefs. Deputies who try to just go along may find themselves in trouble but not because they don't really buy into the program, according to Nash. "Bad character or a bad attitude, sooner or later that person is going to expose himself in some way, and disciplinary action is going to have to be taken," Nash said. Though no deputy has ever refused to participate, anyone who might object would be counseled. If that didn't persuade them, disciplinary action might be taken, including firing, Nash said. Nash believes in his program. "It is catching on like wildfire." Goose Creek Police Chief Harvey Becker, who introduced his officers to the character program in June 1997, said it helps build trust between police officers and the community. "If someone witnesses a crime and they don't trust the police ... crime is going to flourish or go unchecked. If the citizens trust and have confidence in their police, then they're going to call all the time about anything and everything," Becker said. That kind of a relationship can have an effect on crime, Alpert said. Nash points to the reduction in crime as an indication the emphasis on character works. Several deputies acknowledged it's difficult to draw a direct correlation between the two but said the training impacts the way they interact with people on the street. Deputy Trey Wade, a former St. George police officer, said the positive attitude encouraged by character training can improve the morale of the people in the community. "Just because I have a good attitude doesn't mean it's going to stop that dude from selling dope," Wade said, "but he's not going to feel comfortable living here." A FEW OF RAY NASH'S 49 CHARACTER QUALITIES 1. Alertness vs. carelessness: Being aware of what is taking place around me so I can have the right responses. 2. Boldness vs. fearfulness: Confidence that what I have to say or do is true, right and just. 3. Faith vs. presumption: Confidence that actions rooted in good character will yield the best outcome, even when I cannot see how. 4. Gentleness vs. harshness: Showing consideration and personal concern for others. 5. Justice vs. corruption: Taking personal responsibility to uphold what is pure, right and true. 6. Obedience vs. willfulness: Quickly and cheerfully carrying out the direction of those who are responsible for me. 7. Self-control vs. self-indulgence: Rejecting wrong desires and doing what is right. 8. Wisdom vs. foolishness: Seeing and responding to life situations from a perspective that transcends my current circumstances. Source: Character First! A FEW OF BILL GOTHARD'S 49 COMMANDS OF CHRIST 1. ALERTNESS: Beware of False Prophets-Matthew 7:15 2. BOLDNESS: Fear Not-Matthew 10:26 3. FAITH: Practice Secret Disciplines-Matthew 6:1-18 4. GENTLENESS: Love Your Neighbor-Matthew 22:39 5. JUSTICE: Go To Offenders-Matthew 18:15 6. OBEDIENCE: Take My Yoke-Matthew 11:29 7. SELF-CONTROL: Do Not Commit Adultery-Matthew 5:29-30 8. WISDOM: Be Wise as Serpents-Matthew 10:16 Source: billgothard.com

Posted by: ChrisPia

Dorchester panel to look at OT, personnel practices Published on 09/21/05 BY DAVE MUNDAY Of The Post and Courier Staff SUMMERVILLE—A Dorchester County Council committee will investigate whether managers spent too much on overtime last year and whether workers' complaints of unfair hiring and promotion practices are valid. Larry Hargett, chairman of council's governmental affairs committee, read a statement to council Monday outlining complaints he said he has received from county workers. The complaints include the allegation that overtime is "out of control and being abused." The county spent $1.6 million on overtime last year, Hargett said in his statement. He did not specify how much of that amount was already budgeted. The sheriff's office and emergency medical services include overtime in their budgets. "I don't know," Hargett said Tuesday. "That's what I intend to find out. I've been getting complaints from across the spectrum." The county employs the equivalent of 618 full-time workers, and last year's payroll, including salaries and benefits, was $21.6 million, County Administrator Jason Ward said. "Overtime is necessary, especially for public safety," Ward said. "It's not simply an issue of overtime as much as it is an issue of coverage. We are still losing employees to other counties that pay more in fields such as EMS. When you have more vacancies, you have to work the employees more hours." Emergency Medical Services Director Doug Warren said he hasn't heard any complaints about overtime. His workers typically put in 56 hours a week, and labor laws require overtime pay for more than 40 hours a week, he said. But the regular hourly rate is low enough to make up for the difference, he said. Sheriff Ray Nash also said he had not heard any complaints about overtime spending. Much of the annual overtime comes from his department because he doesn't have enough deputies to handle the county's growing population, he said. But he doesn't spend more money than budgeted, Nash said. Hargett also said county workers have been complaining that their annual reviews are meaningless; promotions and pay raises are based on personal favoritism instead of merit; and that jobs are being filled without properly advertising them. The complaints stem from changes Ward made about a year ago. He replaced the longtime step system that relies mainly on seniority for promotions and raises with the corporate model of pay for performance, which relies on reviews based on lists of measurable goals and accomplishments. Council endorsed the change, hoping the new program would reward efficiency, initiative and creativity, but that's not the way things turned out, Hargett said. "The pay-for-performance program is not being administered in a straightforward manner with integrity and fairness," Hargett said in his statement. "There is also more than a hint of an obvious and calculated plan to reward employees based on bias, personal likes and dislikes in lieu of an actual objective merit level and performance by some senior managers in the county, in my opinion." Not many governments use the performance model, and it's been hard for some workers and managers to adjust to the new system, Ward said. The goal is for supervisors to be objective, he said. "I think it's a mixed bag," Ward said. "I've had department heads who have told me it's an excellent program and others who don't like it." Ward said he also heard some workers complaining that their supervisors aren't being objective. But the new system is a move in the right direction, he said. Hargett said he's unsure how many of the complaints are valid but hopes the investigation will shed some light. "My goal is to see the county come back together and work as a team," Hargett said. "There are a lot of factions. I don't know what the problem is."

Posted by: ChrisPia

Dorchester County to audit sheriff's office Published on 06/20/07 BY DAVE MUNDAY The Post and Courier ST. GEORGE — Dorchester County will hire an auditor to find out why the sheriff's office spends so much money. Council voted for the audit Monday night after receiving a request to give Sheriff Ray Nash an extra $61,000 for nurses at the jail and for housing juvenile inmates. Nash said the extra nurses were needed because of an increase in the jail population, and the Department of Juvenile Justice raised its costs for housing juveniles. Council didn't disagree that Nash needed that extra money. But Councilman Chris Murphy took the opportunity to question why the sheriff's office is $200,000 over budget this year, mainly because of overtime spending. It's a trend that's been happening the last several years, Murphy said. "My job is not a policeman," Murphy said. "My job is fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers of Dorchester County. I'm concerned about the fiscal spending in the sheriff's office." A lot of residents also want a closer look at how the department has been spending drug money, said Councilman Richard Rosebrock, who seconded Murphy's motion to audit the sheriff's office. "I think there are some questions we would like to have answered," Rosebrock said. But some said they were concerned that the action comes as Nash's re-election campaign is taking shape. He's up for re-election next year. "I'm a little concerned that before we get all the information, we're going to throw the sheriff under the bus," said Councilman Mike Murphree, who abstained from the vote on the audit. Murphree said it's possible that Nash is over budget because the personnel department didn't include the cost of benefits in the projections. If so, the county's accountants could straighten that out without hiring an auditor. Jamie Feltner also abstained from the vote for the audit. The measure passed 5-0. "It almost insinuates that there may be a problem," Feltner said. "I don't know if the county should be spending money for another audit." An independent audit of the last two years would cost between $15,000 and $20,000, Council Chairman Larry Hargett said. The audit would be finished in four or five months, he said. "I'm a big supporter of Ray Nash," Hargett said. "But the bottom line is it's public money. I have no qualms about making every one of our departments account for every penny they spend." Nash said he was surprised by the call for an audit but doesn't expect any surprises to come out of it. "I welcome the scrutiny," Nash said. "We have nothing to hide." The audit may show that council has not been giving him enough money, he said. "We have a county that's been growing by leaps and bounds," Nash said. "We don't have the staff to meet the demands. I've been saying that for years." This year's proposed county budget gives Nash another five deputies and six more detention workers and replaces 28 patrol cars. Reach Dave Munday at 745-5862 or dmunday@postand courier.com.

Posted by: ChrisPia

Nash gets $120,000 to cover shortfall Published on 04/20/04 BY STEVE REEVES Of The Post and Courier Staff AH:Dorchester sheriff to reduce expenses ST. GEORGE—Dorchester County Council on Monday night approved giving the sheriff's office an additional $120,000 to cover overtime pay for deputies and other expenses through the end of June. It was the third year in a row council has covered a shortfall in the sheriff's office budget. The office needs $351,950 to pay operating expenses through June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Overtime for deputies and detention officers represents $176,500 of the shortfall. The rest is fuel, medical costs and a victims advocate position. To cover part of the shortfall, Sheriff Ray Nash will cut overtime for his deputies, put off filling 11 new positions and cut back on non-critical programs. Councilmen voted 6-1 to approve the additional $120,000 Nash said was still needed. The money will come from the general fund. Councilman Richard Rosebrock opposed the move and said the sheriff should cut back on services if he is having budget problems. "We all have to live within our budgets," Rosebrock said. Councilman Larry Hargett reluctantly voted in favor of Nash's request. "The money's already been spent. ... We can't give it back," he said. But Hargett said he would make the sheriff's budget his priority for the coming year. Nash was not at Monday's meeting. The sheriff's budget, and over time pay for deputies in particular, has been a point of contention between Nash and the council in past years. Last year, council set aside $285,430 from county funds to pay deputies' overtime. The year before, the office spent $403,641 in overtime while council had budgeted only $131,423. Councilman Chris Murphy said the sheriff's budget has been a problem for years. "I don't want to be here next year with the same concern," Murphy said. "It's just something we need to put behind us once and for all."

Posted by: ChrisPia

Sheriff Nashs OT account busting budget Published on 05/21/02 BY BOBBIE YOUNG Of The Post and Courier Staff AH:Dorchester County Council examines possible legal limits to overtime expenses SUMMERVILLE—Dorchester County councilmen got a look Monday at what promises to be a no-tax-increase budget, but what concerned them most was Sheriff Ray Nashs "budget-busting" ways. Nash has overspent his overtime account by more than 150 percent. As of the end of April, he had spent more than $313,000 in overtime, although he had only $131,000 in that account. Two months remain in the fiscal year. Despite repeated pleas from council and County Administrator Colin Martin, Nash has continued assigning overtime. He previously has said his officers need to work overtime because the department is seriously understaffed. In addition, he has had numerous absences. The sheriff did not return calls seeking comment Monday. "We have to get some control over this budget-busting," Martin told councilmen at a budget retreat. "He has a total disregard for the budget process," Council Chairman Randy Scott said. Martin said council needs to find out if it can legally limit how much overtime the sheriff can assign. Once the overtime is worked, the county has to pay it, he said. "Hes already told me, Neither you nor council is going to tell me how to run my department, " Martin said. Under county ordinance, if an elected official exceeds his overtime budget, council may start paying his employees under a flextime system, rather than time-and-a-half. That results in employees being paid less per hour the more hours of overtime they work. The county has been able to cover the extra overtime with excess funds in the personnel budget due to vacancies, Martin said. The county ordinance on overtime puts aside an amount equal to 5 percent of the budgeted salaries. Nash, in his budget request to Martin, did not ask for that percentage to be increased. Under Martins recommended budget for 2002-03, the salaries for the sheriffs department total more than $2.8 million. That would give Nash an overtime account of about $140,000. Nash did ask for 18 more officers, at a cost of about $462,000 in salaries. Martin is recommending to council that six employees be added to the sheriffs office, at a cost of about $154,000. Employee benefits would add about $30,000 to that figure. That includes one sergeant, two corporals and three deputies. If council approves those six, the department will need six new patrol cars at a cost of $150,000. Martin also recommends that council replace 10 existing patrol cars with high mileage at a cost of $250,000, buy a new jail van at $24,000 and replace an existing sports utility vehicle used by the sheriffs department at a cost of $28,000. Martin presented a general fund budget of $26 million to council Monday, an increase of 5.23 percent over last years $24.8 million. The general fund is used to pay the operations of the county, including salaries, which are more than $16 million. He also gave council a capital budget of about $1.5 million. The capital budget pays for such items as vehicles, computers, furnishings and heavy equipment. Martin said the countys economic growth should cover the additional spending with no tax increase for property owners. Council gave first reading approval to the budget Monday. Two public hearings are scheduled, one in St. George on June 3 and one in Summerville on June 17.

Posted by: ChrisPia

Let Me know when Nash is actually found GUILTY of something.

Posted by:

This crap is really not worth the time taken to discuss it......

Posted by:

You are all new hires...Dummy

Posted by:

First: It doesn't cost the taxpayers a dime. The 25 dollars for the background check is paid by the applicant for the new position. This is common nationwide. Second: Nash has Hired many people with questionable backgrounds including convicted felons. If You want some names I can give you a few that I know of. Third: Read what I have Written. I did not assume guilt on the recent expenditures. I Used the word "IF".My point was this has been going on for years with overtime expenditures. All you would have to do is research this. This is not a surprise in the Nash Regime.It should have been expected and monitored more efficiently after the Audit Findings. the taxpayers lose again.

Posted by: Chris Pia

If you were a person of any character you would have signed your name.....But I'll Bite. I Might be working for Dorchester County Sheriffs office in the near Future. I Might not.. I have many opportunities available to me in the public,private and Federal sector that I must decide on. My Health is also an issue..If I were to take a position with Dorchester County Sheriffs office I will be a loyal asset to the DC residents...I have been and will continue to do .

Posted by: ChrisPia

Yes..Chris does have the right to question...but he does not have the right to assume guilt when none has been proven.......ok, you want to talk about Nash wasting taxpayers money....lets talk about Knight REQUIRING background checks on every employee.....even if they have worked for the dept for years.....I can understand it for a new hire....but for current employees, it is a waste of money....they were checked out when hired.. and if they had not kept their selves out of trouble it would be public knowledge.....

Posted by:

i can't wait to see how much better the good ole' boys handle the budget. i wonder how many pie jobs are being offered to knight's buddies? will he hire chris pia? i hope council looks into knight's hirings & budget expenses like they did with nash. they might not need to be too tough on him since he wont be more than a one term sheriff. no way he wins re-election in 2012.

Posted by:

Nash is really not doing the honorable thing by overspending our taxpayers money while he is in his last 45 days of office. This is not what I expected of a trusted elected official. Chris Pia has every right to question this practice.

Posted by: Sears Billings

BOATRIGHT IN 2012!!!

Posted by:

I find it interesting that you make that statement but forget to leave your name. My Information which was provided to many agencies upon request always has my name attached to it. I know my facts are accurate.This might take some time but I have been promised this will not be swept under the rug...

Posted by: ChrisPia

The Audit revealed that Ray Nash company made money off of Dorchester County residents....I recall the figure of 4K that was documented..Then there was over 80k that was given to a computer expert friend of one of his supervisors. This bill stated nothing on it but other. Would You care to look at this. I will be glad to show you...As far as my opinion below: My Point was why should Council be concerned now. This was obvious for 12 years of Character training.approx 200k per year in Overtime was taken out of this budget when it could have been used for more important issues. Such as Reducing Crime....Find out where the money went and if there is illegalities justlike there were in the audit. Lock them up .

Posted by: Chris Pia

So Pia was a Scott supporter?....That explains alot!

Posted by:

Nice to see Pia is still on his "get Nash" crusade. This was the same person that said we needed to wait for all the facts to come out before we judged Randy Scott. My seems to me somebody has changed their mind. I guess it all depends on who is in the cross hairs. Selective memory is a wonderful thing

Posted by: x

The anti Nash crowd are amazing instead of giving him the same thing that they would ask for: The benefit of the doubt, they start right up with the accusations. Maybe, just maybe, the detention center is understaff and new officers cannot be hired, so the only way to maintain officers on duty is to pay the existing officers overtime. There could be several reasons.....but it is so much easier to accuse and blame then to wait for the facts.....

Posted by:

Well Chris, when all is said and done, and it has been shown that Sheriff Nash has done nothing wrong are you going to come back and admit you where wrong? If so, get ready......your day will come. It is so easy to rant about someone when there ARE NO FACTS supporting any type of guilt on Nash's part.

Posted by:

Find out where the money was spent and if there were illegalities. If so, lock him up... You have absolutely no accountability in what has been spent by Mr Nash in the past ..So what makes you think that as an outgoing sheriff he will change.The Feds will be looking into Mr Nash if they haven't started already. Dorchester County Residents deserve better. Change will be there soon just home there is some change left.

Posted by: Chris Pia