Julianne Fries, the head of Teton Countyâs human resources department, is resigning.
But the human resources director who served amid public calls for the departmentâs review and low employee morale is slotted to stay on Teton Countyâs payroll as a consultant.
Per a Teton County Board of County Commissioners-approved contract, Fries will continue working on a retainer that will pay her $10,877 a month. Thatâs roughly $1,000 more than her most recent monthly pay reported in the countyâs state-mandated list of full time employees and salaries, which is attached to the online version of this article along with the contract at JHNewsAndGuide.com. County Administrator Alyssa Watkins said the extra cash is the total of Friesâ monthly salary and single rate for COBRA, a federal insurance offered to employees who lose their employer-provided health insurance.
Teton County has passed a resolution affirming the âvalues of diversity, equity and inclusionâ and declaring the county as a whole a âhate free zone.â
âThis is a very important statement of our ideals and our values,â Commissioner Mark Newcomb said during the Teton County Board of County Commissionersâ meeting Tuesday. âIt is a statement, it is a first step, and I look forward to continuing to follow through both in action, word and deed.â
The resolution came about after members of the public showed up at a December town and county meeting to raise questions about former library director Oscar Gittemeierâs unexplained departure. Gittemeier is transgender and, without an explanation from county officials, people wondered whether heâd been fired and whether his gender identity was a factor.