Walton County attorney Lynn Hoshihara announced Tuesday that she will take a voluntary leave of absence while lawyers review a land deal that has been questioned.
County officials signed a contract Sept. 21, 2010, to buy a parcel of land on the south side of Chat Holley Road near the south end of the Clyde B. Wells Bridge for $354,000 from 331 Bayside Properties, a company formed by developer Lloyd Blue.
The county bought the 33-foot-wide strip of land to upgrade the intersection of Chat Holley and U.S. Highway 331.
Read the legal history of the property »
However, questions have arisen over whether Bayside Properties owned the property when the county approved the contract and whether the county actually owned part of the parcel.
“The county did not own the purchased property as of October 2010,” Greg Kisela, county administrator, told county commissioners Tuesday. “We know we owned it in 1917. In 1927 or 1930, a tax deed appears to transfer ownership to private property. That property was transferred to Mr. Holley. We now have additional information that we didn’t have before.
“The county did not own any property when it was purchased. We may need to look to bring in special counsel to look into this further.”
Commissioner Sara Comander recommended that Hoshihara and any other county employees involved in the purchase be placed on paid administrative leave while the case is being investigated.
“We need to go forward and hire outside help to look at the purchase so the public knows we are being completely transparent,” Comander said. “This is not a disciplinary action, but we have rules and we need to follow them.”
Comander and Commissioner Scott Brannon voted in favor of the recommendation. However, Larry Jones, Cecilia Jones and Kenneth Pridgen voted no.
Last week, Hoshihara terminated attorney George Ralph Miller’s contract with county. Miller, who had been on retainer for two years, oversaw the land purchase.
“We reacted rather than acting wisely,” Comander said. “We’ve got too many questions and no facts.”
Speculation about the purchase came up nearly a year ago, Comander told fellow commissioners. However, Suzanne Harris, a Walton resident, said an investigation did not begin until she raised questions to the board.
“Ya’ll didn’t even have a contract when you gave them the money,” Harris said. “How did we let it happen that we signed something from someone who didn’t have a right to even sell the property?”
Comander again raised the recommendation to put Hoshihara on administrative leave, but could not get enough votes.
“I’m not placing blame here, but everyone involved should not be involved while we investigate,” Comander said. “We need clarity with this. I don’t think this will take a long time. I just think everyone involved needs to take a step back.”
Commissioners voted to hire outside counsel to investigate the deal.
Hoshihara also offered to take 30 days leave using her vacation time while the purchase is investigated. Clay Adkinson, a contracted attorney, will oversee her duties in her absence.
“She is going to voluntarily step aside, but will give us a few days for Mr. Adkinson (before leaving),” Comander said. “By the end of the week he should be in. I don’t think the investigation will take more than 30 days to clear up.
“We’ve known about this for a while,” she added. “This is not about friendships … It’s about business. It’s hard sometimes but that’s our job.”
Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/document-43937-walton-land.html#ixzz1ZFRYWTM2
County officials signed a contract Sept. 21, 2010, to buy a parcel of land on the south side of Chat Holley Road near the south end of the Clyde B. Wells Bridge for $354,000 from 331 Bayside Properties, a company formed by developer Lloyd Blue.
The county bought the 33-foot-wide strip of land to upgrade the intersection of Chat Holley and U.S. Highway 331.
Read the legal history of the property »
However, questions have arisen over whether Bayside Properties owned the property when the county approved the contract and whether the county actually owned part of the parcel.
“The county did not own the purchased property as of October 2010,” Greg Kisela, county administrator, told county commissioners Tuesday. “We know we owned it in 1917. In 1927 or 1930, a tax deed appears to transfer ownership to private property. That property was transferred to Mr. Holley. We now have additional information that we didn’t have before.
“The county did not own any property when it was purchased. We may need to look to bring in special counsel to look into this further.”
Commissioner Sara Comander recommended that Hoshihara and any other county employees involved in the purchase be placed on paid administrative leave while the case is being investigated.
“We need to go forward and hire outside help to look at the purchase so the public knows we are being completely transparent,” Comander said. “This is not a disciplinary action, but we have rules and we need to follow them.”
Comander and Commissioner Scott Brannon voted in favor of the recommendation. However, Larry Jones, Cecilia Jones and Kenneth Pridgen voted no.
Last week, Hoshihara terminated attorney George Ralph Miller’s contract with county. Miller, who had been on retainer for two years, oversaw the land purchase.
“We reacted rather than acting wisely,” Comander said. “We’ve got too many questions and no facts.”
Speculation about the purchase came up nearly a year ago, Comander told fellow commissioners. However, Suzanne Harris, a Walton resident, said an investigation did not begin until she raised questions to the board.
“Ya’ll didn’t even have a contract when you gave them the money,” Harris said. “How did we let it happen that we signed something from someone who didn’t have a right to even sell the property?”
Comander again raised the recommendation to put Hoshihara on administrative leave, but could not get enough votes.
“I’m not placing blame here, but everyone involved should not be involved while we investigate,” Comander said. “We need clarity with this. I don’t think this will take a long time. I just think everyone involved needs to take a step back.”
Commissioners voted to hire outside counsel to investigate the deal.
Hoshihara also offered to take 30 days leave using her vacation time while the purchase is investigated. Clay Adkinson, a contracted attorney, will oversee her duties in her absence.
“She is going to voluntarily step aside, but will give us a few days for Mr. Adkinson (before leaving),” Comander said. “By the end of the week he should be in. I don’t think the investigation will take more than 30 days to clear up.
“We’ve known about this for a while,” she added. “This is not about friendships … It’s about business. It’s hard sometimes but that’s our job.”
Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/document-43937-walton-land.html#ixzz1ZFRYWTM2