On July 21, 2021, I reported here about an Employee Referral Program that Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler and his HR lady Lysette Aviles announced in an email.

On Thursday July 22, I sent three questions to Kimberly Glenn the Public Information Officer.

On Sunday July 25, when I asked Glenn about the questions, she said she passed them to the Sheriff on July 22, she is off for several days. A couple of deaths had occurred including Knox County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Tim Laycock. Glenn wrote, “If he chooses to respond, it most likely wouldn’t be until all the various services concluded.”

The Sheriff was not at the Knox County Commission meeting on Monday July 26, he sent Hugh Holt, former Knox County Purchasing and Procurement Director.

So the transparency that Sheriff Spangler talks about is very lacking. The questions I have about the Employee Referral Program are:

 1) how is the employee referral program effective on 7/1/2021 when it was announced on 7/21/2021?

2) has this new employee referral incentive program been approved by the County Commission?

3) what budget line item/funding is the employee referral program being funded through?