Anderson County Attorney, Elizabeth Oliver, says she was not awarded a 6% cost of living increase this year, along with other county employees – not because she’s not affected by inflated living costs like other staff – but because county commissioners take issue with how she runs her office. A copy of a January 11, 2024, email from Anderson County Clerk, Julie Wettstein, whose office handles county payroll, says the reason commissioners withheld Oliver’s COLA as being over the hours her office had been closed or unattended. That notice followed a pointed December email from Anderson County Sheriff Vern Valentine to Oliver Wettstein and County Counselor James Campbell about the office being vacant during regular work days. Valentine’s email focused on the office being closed and he made it clear that the public, law enforcement or other offices which depended on interaction with the county attorney’s office, were being served by the office being closed.
Commissioners told the Anderson County Review they did take issue with Oliver’s office hours, and that withholding Oliver’s COLA was a move to exert that pressure.
