County Commissioner Tim Boyd on Wednesday expressed interest in having District Attorney Neal Pinkston come before the Commission to answer questions about particular line items in his yearly budget and if county funds are being used to discreetly pay relatives.
“It’s my understanding that the county submits these funds we’ve approved to the state, and the state disperses to his employees at his discretion,” Commissioner Boyd said. “and that our funds are supplementing the pay of his relatives in his department.”
He added, “DA Pinkston will be making the same request this year, and one of his relatives' full pay will be asked to be transferred from state funding to county funding. We have approved his budget and supplemental pay for people in his budget. We have an option to amend the budget to remove any of those people we want to, and put a cap on how much we pay.”
Chairman Chip Baker said he thought it would be agreeable to have DA Pinkston come in to answer a few questions, saying “I want him to be open and honest with us. It’s just a question and answer session, and I am looking forward to clarifying with us.”
Commissioner Boyd also said that until the district attorney makes the request to the state about how many people are going to be supplemented with the line item, he cannot know how many people are being supplemented.
“I do not know who else got the supplemental pay. How did this county money end up supplementing the salary” asked Commissioner Boyd. “I want to hear it from the horse’s mouth.”
Commissioner Boyd previously raised concerns about DA Pinkston hiring family members and giving raises to those family members.
Commissioner Boyd, who was earlier prosecuted by DA Pinkston on an extortion charge, later said the question came after he received an email just before the budget session supposedly from a member of the DA's staff.
The email said DA Pinkston married former TV personality Melydia Clewell and then hired her brother.
DA Pinkston said the fact that he prosecuted Commissioner Boyd brought on the numerous budget questions.