Lane County Statement on Liane Richardson Compensation Controversy

This is the prepared statement sent out by Lane County in regard to the controversy over Liane Richardson’s compensation that was brought to light by a county employee:

County Administrator Liane Richardson Voluntarily on Leave While Investigation into Issues Regarding Compensation

EUGENE – Lane County Administrator Liane Richardson has voluntarily placed herself on administrative leave after issues regarding compensation were brought to the attention of the Board of Commissioners, County Counsel and Human Resources.

“The Board takes this matter very seriously and staff will be overseeing an investigation into the matter,” said County Board Chair Sid Leiken.  “When any employee sees something out of the ordinary, we encourage them to speak up.”

Richardson’s leave comes after an employee brought up issues surrounding Richardson’s compensation on Monday.  Richardson is voluntarily on administrative leave while County staff oversees an outside and independent investigation into the matter.

Leiken released the following statement on behalf of the Board of Commissioners:

On Monday, issues regarding the compensation of County Administrator Liane Richardson were brought to the attention of the Board, the County Counsel, and the Human Resources Manager.  Following this, Richardson voluntarily went on administrative leave. The Board had an executive session on Wednesday.  County Counsel will oversee an outside investigation into the matters brought forth. The Board will, as appropriate, take the necessary steps to address issues that come out of the investigation.

We encourage employees to speak up when they see something out of the ordinary, and we will protect the employee’s rights to bring matters of concern to our attention without any retribution.  We understand the gravity of the situation and we ask for patience from the public as we gather all of the facts.

Lane County Government will work to create a prosperous community by providing collaborative leadership, fair and inclusive decision-making and excellent sustainable local governmental services to our residents and guests.