Dupre Out As HR Director

Hernando Today

BROOKSVILLE - Hernando County will have to shop around for a new human resources director.

One day after a Tampa law firm lambasted the professionalism and job skills of current director Barbara Dupre, the 10-year employee signed a "waiver and release" form and agreed to resign.

But she is leaving her job with a three-month severance package worth $24,900. She also gets any accrued sick leave, vacation leave and paid time off days coming to her.

In exchange, Dupre has agreed not to sue the county.

County Administrator David Hamilton said Dupre's was a special case, which is why he offered a severance package to an employee who resigns. The "waiver and release" agreement is a tool Hamilton said he's used before as a county administrator.

Hamilton said Dupre acted professional during the roughly two-hour meeting Thursday and did not raise her voice. At the end of the meeting, he said he shook her hand, wished her well, and she was escorted out of the courthouse.

Officially, Dupre's last day was yesterday. She is now on unpaid administrative leave but will be allowed to use her accumulated paid sick leave until April 30.

By signing the agreement, Dupre admitted that future employment with Hernando County would be impracticable and waived any right to re-employment for five years.

"It was in both parties' best interests to move on," Hamilton said.

On Wednesday, a Tampa law firm hired to investigate recent allegations of racial harassment in the utilities department, found that there were deep-rooted institutional problems within the county's HR department.

The report said Dupre failed to perform her essential job duties and has fostered an atmosphere of widespread dissatisfaction among county employees.

The legal report contained accounts from several department managers who say Dupre tried to get her friends jobs, bypassed standard operating procedures and didn't conduct proper federal and state diversity training classes.

In addition, the report placed much of the blame for the racial harassment problem in the utilities department on Dupre.

Dupre defended her record Wednesday by saying none of her evaluations from past county administrators indicated any of the problems outlined by the report.

Hamilton acknowledged that fact.

"For whatever reasons, other administrators did not address these issues," he said.

Dupre could not be reached for comment.

County Commissioner Rose Rocco said the severance package eliminates the possibility of a lawsuit that could have cost taxpayers even more money.

"To just terminate without compensation could have been a legal problem for the county," Rocco said.

Rocco said the county's hands were tied because past administrators did not document any of the deficiencies spelled out in the report.

"Lots of people may feel this wasn't severe enough," she said. "But I feel it was in the best interests of the county. Let's just cut our losses and move on."

County Commissioner David Russell said the $25,000 severance package sounds reasonable given Dupre's 10-year tenure with the county. He applauded Hamilton's handling of the situation.

"I think it became apparent that a change needed to be made, and I think Barbara reached that conclusion," Russell said. "We have a new administrator and he's reshaping, not only policy, but also the staff that works under him."

Hamilton said the county will begin discussions today about replacing Dupre, who was hired in 1998 for a base salary of $45,182.

In 2000, she took advantage of the county's tuition reimbursement program to earn a master's degree. Her current salary was $92,487.