By John Kiesewetter
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LIBERTY TWP. - Unable to find a clear precedent, the state auditor's office wants the Ohio Ethics Commission to rule whether Liberty Township Trustee Christine Matacic can receive a second township paycheck as acting administrator.

Auditors had concerns after reading an Enquirer report last week that Matacic, 52, was being compensated $26.50 an hour for supervising the township, in addition to her $18,654 salary, said Chris Slagle, spokesman for Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery.

On May 11, the township paid her $16,955.23 for the first four months of this year.

"Based on your story, we had a question of the validity of the township being able to compensate the elected official as an administrator," Slagle said.

In 19 years of Ethics Commission opinions, "there is nothing that speaks (directly) to this issue," Slagle said.

The auditor's office decision was a reversal from February when the Butler County Prosecutor's Office first asked if Matacic could be paid as acting administrator.

Roger Gates, assistant county prosecutor and Liberty Township legal adviser, said he was told then by the auditor that the situation was unprecedented and "it was up to (the county) to issue an opinion."

The auditor's office also said it "would generally abide by an opinion from the county prosecutor's office" in the absence of court decisions or attorney general opinions, Gates said.

So on March 1, Gates ruled that state law required that Matacic "must be compensated for performing" as acting administrator, providing she kept detailed logs of her hours. He cited state law saying the trustees' president or a designee "shall act as township administrator" during a vacancy.

Matacic questioned why the state wanted to reopen the issue. Slagle said the auditor wanted a ruling now, instead of waiting until the township audit next year.

"I did everything according to what I was told to do," Matacic said. "I don't know how many people would be expected to work a full-time job and not be compensated."

Matacic has worked 60 to 70 hours a week as trustee and acting administrator for the county's fastest-growing township.

Nobody on the office staff - four zoning employees and a part-time clerk - could have stepped in to supervise the fire and road departments, zoning, building permits, economic development and other growth issues in the booming township, she said.

"If you don't have the staff to appoint someone, how do you get the job done?" she said.

E-mail jkiesewetter@enquirer.com