PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Oakland County officials say four Information Technology employees will be internally disciplined in connection with a controversial contract that was the subject of a 7 News Detroit investigation.
The Courts and Law Enforcement Information System (CLEMIS) computer network is an essential tool used to help fight crime. The County’s Information Technology department has been in charge of CLEMIS for years, and it’s a CLEMIS staffing contract that county officials say violated state law when it was awarded to a current county employee back in June. Some have even called for a criminal investigation related to the contract.
PREVIOUS STORY: Oakland County leaders call for criminal investigation into controversial IT contract
Now, county officials are announcing internal discipline for four employees with roles in awarding the contract. Officials also say two of the employees will be resigning from the county in the coming weeks.
They say the discipline is as follows:
- A CLEMIS manager, who will be resigning from the county – suspension without pay for four weeks
- The employee who owns ZaydLogix, who will be resigning from the county – suspension without pay for four weeks
- The department director – suspension without pay for three days
- The evaluator who reviewed and approved the ZaydLogix bid – suspension without pay for two days
“Oakland County strives to serve the public with the utmost ethics and transparency,” Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said in a news release. “In the ZaydLogix matter, that didn’t happen. The actions of some employees fell short of that standard, and they will now face the full consequences of their actions.
“While I’m grateful that the independent investigation into this matter found no evidence of any intent to defraud the county or improper financial gain, failure to follow county policies and its Standards of Conduct is unacceptable and must be appropriately disciplined. I support the effort of law enforcement to investigate this matter as they deem proper, and I remain committed to accountability in this and all matters where there has been a violation of public trust and the principles to which we hold ourselves.”
The county has also taken additional measures to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future, including:
- Ensuring that the county’s Purchasing Division leads the evaluation process for all bids received in response to County Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
- Requiring all county employees to review and sign the county’s Standards of Conduct annually
- Mandating additional training regarding Oakland County procurement policies and procedures for all IT Department employees, supervisors, and managers
After a whistleblower sent an email to county leadership last summer alleging “government employees were using their position for personal gain,” county officials spent $17,836 on an outside law firm, Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, to investigate.
The contract was cancelled before any money was paid, but Miller Canfield found that awarding the contract to a current county employee broke state law and violated county rules.
County Executive David Coulter’s legal team has only released a summary of the Miller Canfield report; they have so far refused to release the actual investigation to both the public and to County Commissioners.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Investigation: Oakland Co. contract with employee’s private company violated state law
