The Uintah Transportation Special Service District board met on Wednesday night as practices by the board over the years is being reviewed. On Monday, September 11th, UTSSD Executive Director Adam Massey was placed on paid administrative leave as an audit of the district by the State Auditor’s Office began. During Wednesday’s meeting, Uintah County Commissioner Bill Stringer addressed the board during public comment, stating that his comment is made as a citizen and called into question the previous board’s creation and approval of the Executive Director’s employment agreement which includes a 1 percent commission on grant acquisition. His conclusion was that there “is a nexus between the Agreement and the funding responsibilities of the County…” When asked later, Commissioner Stringer clarified to KVEL that his public comment was not questioning Massey’s actions as the Executive Director but rather the board’s actions in creating the agreement. Uintah County Commissioner Duane Shepherd, who served on the previous board, issued a statement to the press regarding last week’s board meeting and actions going on in the transportation district stating that, “the contract was prepared by attorneys that are well versed in contract law.” In addressing the commission that Massey has secured through grant acquisition, Shepherd said the rate is within what is normal and expected in the industry and said the board could not have predicted that it was possible for Massey to “go out and get so many grants.” He also stated that Massey is the “right person for the job he holds” and “any questions concerning integrity or legality should be laid to rest.” The timeline for completing the audit has not been announced.
