The Coahoma County Board of Supervisors have voted 4-1 to suspend its county administrator and a payroll clerk following discrepancies in how the county administrator was paid.
County Administrator Ann Hoskins, and payroll clerk Felicia Elmore have been placed on Administrative leave with pay, as the county and auditors sift through records.
Allegations are that Hoskins was overpaid as her salary rose and when the county switched from being paid weekly to every other week.
Hoskins was being paid $70,000 as comptroller in Dec. 2020 and when the board terminated former Administrator Morgan Wood Hoskins saw her pay increase to $80,000 as interim administrator. Her pay rose to $100,000 when she was named County Administrator and Comptroller in July 2021. Supervisors gave her a merit raise to $120,000 in Oct. 2021.
The county’s annual audit turned up no problems and an independent audit sought by some supervisors also turned up no findings.
But Courthouse politics saw elected officials push the issue. Three auditors were in town last week and met with the board, Hoskins and Elmore.
Fletcher Freeman, spokesman with the State Audit Department said the audit department neither “confirms or denies” it is investigating any county or individual.
Freeman said investigations that result in charges are made public at the time a demand for funds or an arrest is made. He said if the audit department finds no reason to levy charges the case is simply closed without a public report.
Board of Supervisors President Johnny Newson grinned when he said he had no comment on the situation. Board of Supervisors Attorney Tom Ross said he does not comment on personnel matters. Former County Administrator Daniel Vassel has been hired as a consultant and will put together next year’s budget.
