One of several Atlanta Department of Watershed Management employees awarded a five-figure raise has been placed on administrative leave for not paying thousands in state toll fees.
Yafet Bekele, the department’s head of safety and security, owes the State Road and Tollway Authority approximately $5,600 in fees incurred while driving his city vehicle, city spokesman Carlos Campos confirmed.
“We are working with SRTA to understand how these fees went unpaid,” Campos said in an emailed statement.
The city placed Bekele on administrative leave after SRTA notified the city of the debt, and is investigating whether Bekele broke city policies. It’s unclear whether City Hall is on the hook for the payments, Campos said.
SRTA communications director Malika Reed Wilkins said the department doesn’t comment on individual cases, but that violations can occur in a number of ways, such as for failure to pay toll fees or inappropriately entering HOT lanes.
She added that when a violation occurs, the notice is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. Bekele drives a vehicle issued by the City of Atlanta. Attempts to reach Bekele at several phone numbers were unsuccessful Thursday.
Bekele is one of five Watershed executives awarded pay raises between $15,000 and $25,000 in January, a decision Mayor Kasim Reed reversed last week following a media inquiry.
Watershed Commissioner Jo Ann Macrina gave Bekele a $15,000 raise for an annual salary of $125,000. Both he and Macrina are former employees of the DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management.
Macrina told the Atlanta City Council the raises were necessary to retain top talent. The embattled agency has an attrition rate near 40 percent, she said.
Reed’s administration has said while the raises were within the bounds of the law, the increases were ill-timed.
The department is under investigation by Reed’s office, city auditor Leslie Ward, the Atlanta Police Department and the council after repeated reports of mismanagement and theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment.
Several members of the city council also criticized the collective $95,000 in raises amid the investigation.
In addition to Bekele, Macrina awarded $15,000 to Ben Kuku, head of Office of Customer and Business Services, and Watershed manager Crystal Crawford. Until Reed’s reversal, each employee earned $125,000 annually.
Macrina also approved $25,000 raises to Deputy Commissioner Frank Stephens and the agency’s spokeswoman, Scheree Rawles. Stephens earned $150,000 and Rawles $125,000 before the increases were revoked.
Interim Chief Operating Officer Michael Geisler, who joined Reed’s administration from Watershed in January, agreed this week to halt salary adjustments for top employees while the department is under investigation.
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