Two fired Macon-Bibb employees may each get 12 months’ salary in settlement

Macon-Bibb County and two landfill employees fired in 2015 appear to be close to reaching a settlement.

The County Commission is scheduled to vote Tuesday on an agreement that would pay each of the two former employees 12 months of salary. The employees, former Assistant Solid Waste Director Larry Dunning and landfill supervisor Lee Stringer, would not get their jobs back as part of the settlement.

Dunning and Stinger were fired in June 2015 due to managerial issues related to two failed landfill inspections. Another landfill employee was also fired at the time, but he was given his job back later while Dunning and Stringer appealed their terminations.

An administrative judge ruled in 2016 that Stringer and Dunning should have been suspended six months instead of being fired. The judge stated there was not enough evidence from the county that the two were at fault for the failed inspections when there were other issues involved, such as heavy rain and a lack of resources.

Macon-Bibb appealed that ruling and the case went before a Bibb County Superior Court judge this summer.

“The parties enter into this agreement solely for the purpose of compromising disputed claims and avoid the time, expense and uncertainty of litigation, and to buy their peace,” the settlement agreement says.

The county was unable to provide the amount of back pay Monday that the two former employees would receive as part of the settlement. Dunning’s retirement benefits also will be brought up to date in one lump sum, while Stringer gets one year’s worth of credit toward his retirement.

Under the agreement, Macon-Bibb County does not admit to any wrongdoing.

Attorney Lars Anderson, who represents Dunning and Stringer, said they have the facts in the case on their side, but there was doubt about how the appeal would fare.

“The settlement came about, quite frankly, because the policy for the appeals process for the county employees is not as strong as many county employees are led to believe,” Anderson said.

Macon-Bibb has dedicated $20 million in special purpose sales tax proceeds to resolve its landfill issues, including closing the main Walker Road landfill and an inert landfill.

This story was originally published September 18, 2017 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Two fired Macon-Bibb employees may each get 12 months’ salary in settlement."