Land official resigns after pay dispute

A top official and land-use expert for the Utah Association of Counties has left the organization under less than amicable circumstances.

Associate Director Mark Walsh resigned Nov. 12, after questions were raised by Executive Director Brent Gardner and UAC's executive committee about money he was paid for unused sick and vacation time. Walsh, however, said that the questions were simply an excuse to push him out because of long-standing disputes between him and Gardner. UAC officials are remaining silent about the matter.

The primary question is actually an interpretation of policy, Walsh said. During his 26 years of employment, the policy had always been that employees could cash in their unused sick or vacation time at any time, which he did this summer. It was only after he received the money that he was informed of a new policy that only allowed the time to be exchanged at the end of the year, and not until mid-October that he was told that there might be some problem with the fact that he took the money.

The money, he said, was written on checks he did not have access to and required signatures from two of three people authorized to sign the check, which included him, Gardner and a third employee, nor did he receive money for time he had not accrued. If anything, the problem should have been addressed "in-house," not taken to the executive committee seeking stiffer penalties, he said.

"This issue isn't whether you're cashing out sick time or vacation that you haven't earned," he said. "It was that there was a policy change. This is grabbing at straws."

Walsh worked for UAC for 26 years, during which time he focused his efforts on land use issues, especially in rural counties. At times, UAC has come under fire from urban counties that saw the group as too supportive of rural interests, even if they had negative impacts on the metropolitan areas.

Generally, Walsh said that he handled the "rural agenda" while Gardner worked with the "urban agenda." Because of those sometimes competing interests, "over the years, that conflict has created tensions between us."

Gardner declined to discuss details of Walsh's departure, simply saying that "it was a mutual decision, and a private employment matter which we're keeping that way."