Sheriff Doolen files suit against county

Hardeman County Sheriff John Doolen has filed suit against the county, with Mayor Jimmy Sain as the respondent for the county, stating the county illegally reduced the salaries of some of the employees at the sheriff’s department without the approval of the sheriff. The county, on the other hand, said there have been no salaries reduced and no positions cut and the suit is a request for a raise for some employees at the sheriff’s department that was previously denied by the budget committee and county commission.
The Writ of Mandamus, filed by Doolen’s attorney Mark Donahoe of Hardee, Martin, Donahoe, Owens and Wright law firm in Jackson, is requesting three specific things:
“That this court direct the Respondents (county/Sain) to modify the budget and replace the salaries of the employees of the Sheriff’s Department who have been illegally decreased as the result of the action of the County Commission, that the cost of this action be taxed to the Respondents, that the attorney’s fees of the Petitioners be granted against the Respondents,” reads the Writ. It further states, “the county, in 2014, approved a budget submitted by the sheriff which was approved by the budget committee and the county. At the recent county commission meeting, the budget committee passed a 2015 budget which the commission approved. This 2015 budget provided for reductions of salaries as to some of the employees in the sheriff’s department. Sheriff Doolen did not approve the reduction in salaries and no notice was given to the sheriff that the salaries would be reduced by the county commission.”
The county, in their required response to the Writ, said since the Writ does not specify which positions were decreased or which salaries were cut, “therefore, the defendants are left to speculate that the Sheriff is complaining solely about the salaries of his three secretaries who, in fact, received an increase in salary in the 2015-2016 budget over the 2014-2015 budget.” (according to the response)
Donahoe, which as of Friday’s interview with The Bulletin-Times, said he had not received or seen the answer filed by the county, agrees the issue is over the salary of the secretaries.
“The sheriff insists upon paying his three secretaries $30,000 each. Secretaries are not necessities to the efficient operation of the Sheriff’s Department. The sheriff, in his written request to the Budget Committee for fiscal year 2014-2015, did not request salaries of $30,000 each for his three secretaries. The sheriff did, in his written request to the Budget Committee for fiscal year 2015-2016, request salaries of $92,700 for his three secretaries, which was not approved,” reads the Answer to the Writ, filed by Hardeman County Attorney Charles ‘Chip’ Cary.

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