A group of residents filed a lawsuit in district court, alleging the Elbert County Board of Commissioners gave two senior county employees hefty employment contracts outside the public’s view.

The legal action, filed on Sept. 19, listed the county board and Commissioners Chris Richardson, Dallas Schroeder and Grant Thayer as defendants in their official capacities and sought to compel them to reimburse the county for any funds they voted to commit Elbert County to pay that were not previously authorized in a public fashion.

The lawsuit stemmed from weeks of back-and-forth and heated public meetings, where residents expressed outrage over hefty pay bumps and benefit packages awarded to County Manager Shawn Fletcher and County Attorney Bart Greer.

Fletcher, who had been on the job for less than 18 months at the time of his contract extension, saw a pay bump of $80,000 over his 2023 agreement, bringing his annual salary to $220,000. Additionally, he was given a county-owned or leased vehicle, a monthly housing allowance of $1,500, and an extra two weeks (eight days) of vacation leave above his current accrual rate.

Greer, who has represented the county for seven years, also received an annual salary of $220,000 and the use of a county vehicle. A previous contract signed by Greer in January 2023 put his annual salary at $145,500.

The residents alleged that the contracts were approved behind closed doors. County officials argued the issue is a personnel matter and falls under their purview to do so.

Commissioners called the lawsuit “premature” and said they had hoped the issue could have been resolved outside of the court.

In October, the county sought to dismiss the case. It is still pending in Elbert County Court.