SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — Gov. Kristi Noem signed an executive order Monday where all state employees and supervisors to complete a training program, covering legal and ethical standards. The South Dakota State Employee Organization (SDSEO) gave their thoughts on how this will effect state employees.
Along with the executive order, Noem said she’s calling for enhancements to current policies and systems to safeguard taxpayer dollars, increase resources to the State Board of Internal Control and support a legislative package for clearer and stronger accountability measures.
“We are taking enhanced measures to strengthen the fortitude of our financial infrastructure and make sure that we are taking care of taxpayer dollars. And we will guarantee that state employees are responsible stewards for the people that they serve,” Noem said in a news release.
Eric Ollila, SDSEO Executive Director, said he wishes the SDSEO was more involved in the process.
“For the SDSEO, as far as we’re concerned, as long as it helps state and government employees do their job better it’s a good thing to have,” Ollila said. “Regular state employees don’t have any input into it or any advice. We haven’t been asked for any, what employees need in that regard so it would be nice to be included on the front side.”
Ollila said the governor’s executive action is something she feels she has to do in order to get the system back into alignment, adding that it’s admirable for her to do that.
He added he still had several questions regarding the order.
“Is this just for executive branch employees, does it extend to legislative branch employees, does it extend to judicial system employees, and if not what are they doing?” Ollila asked. “What employees need is recourses given to them by the governor and by the legislature. They need full funding they need full complements of FTE (Full Time Equivalent).”
An FTE is equal to the number of hours a full-time employee works for an organization. The concept is used to count “hours worked” rather than the number of employees.
Ollila said if you are creating new jobs and not funds to hire state employees for those new jobs it leads to problems.
“That’s probably what has led to some of this malfeasance because you remove the checks and balances necessary when you don’t have the employees that you need to get the job done,” Ollila said. “If a state agency reduces employees, the legislature should ask why are you doing that, where are they going, and what is happening and they just don’t.”
One ongoing investigation that involves state employee malfeasance is the investigation of former Department of Social Services employee Lonna Carroll who has pleaded not guilty to charges that she had stolen more than $1.7 million.
Ollila said a lack of checks and balances leads to things like the DSS investigation happening.
“The only reason the employee was able to do that was because the checks and balances system in the bureaucracy is gone,” Ollila said. “They didn’t exist, something happened and is an ethics program going to solve that solution not being there, probably not.”
Ollila said he hopes the governor, lawmakers and other state officials can tackle this problem in the upcoming session.
“At the same time, we have the other branch which is the legislative branch and they can’t make executive orders, but they do lawmaking and that’s coming up here and the Attorney General said he has some law-making packages, individual legislators probably have some things also that they are looking at,” Ollila said.
Noem will deliver her annual budget address next week and the annual legislative session will begin in January. Noem is also expected to be formally nominated as President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of Homeland Security in January.
