Criticism over extravagant "incentive" pay to four top leaders of the Unified Fire Authority has spurred not one audit, but two.
Citing complaints alleging improper compensation and "other potential misuse of public funds," the Utah state auditor launched an investigation of Unified Fire Authority compensation, credit cards and fuel cards last week.
But Tuesday, after a special closed-door meeting, the Unified board called for its own audit, similar to yet separate from the state investigation. What's more, the board also tasked the authority's Governance Committee to meet with Chief Michael Jensen in a closed session this Friday to discuss the future of his contract. ... In addition to all Unified credit card and fuel statements since 2012, the state auditor is specifically investigating compensation for Jensen, who also serves as a Salt Lake County councilman, former Deputy Chief Gaylord Scott, legal counsel Karl Hendrickson and former Chief Financial Officer Shirley Perkins.
Those four officials have all been the subject of public scrutiny for collectively receiving more than $400,000 in bonuses over the past five years.