Sloane replaced as secretary of county prison board
April Sloane, Washington County’s controller, was removed as secretary of the county’s prison board Tuesday.
According to Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan, who also chairs the seven-member panel that oversees the county jail, “We have experienced a great number of issues,” including meeting minutes that contained several errors and an agenda that was not posted 24 hours before the prison board meeting that had been scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 17. Because it did not fall within the 24-hour time frame, as required under the state’s Sunshine Act, the meeting was rescheduled to Tuesday as a result.
Sloane will remain on the prison board, as required under state law. Her duties were shifted to John DiSalle, Washington County’s president judge. The plan was approved in a 6-1 vote, with Irey Vaughan and fellow Commissioners Larry Maggi and Nick Sherman approving it, along with DiSalle, Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh and the county’s sheriff, Anthony Andronas. Sloane was the sole dissenting vote.
Irey Vaughan pointed out that the board had to approve three months of meeting minutes at one time that the commissioners’ staff had to correct after inaccuracies were found. Tuesday’s meeting also had to be advertised again because it was moved from its previously scheduled date.
Sloane said the decision “actually helps my office. We are super busy.”
She said her office is handling the county’s upcoming audit and an array of other duties. Sloane also said her office was “gutted” when she took it over, and there has been a “learning curve” in handling the county accounts.