After nearly 16 months of unpaid work for services to the
district attorney’s office and family support services, San Benito
County marshal and sheriff candidate Robert Scattini filed a claim
against the county last month for $27,685.
After nearly 16 months of unpaid work for services to the district attorney’s office and family support services, San Benito County marshal and sheriff candidate Robert Scattini filed a claim against the county last month for $27,685.
Scattini said it stems from nearly 850 services that went unpaid since January 2009. The claim, filed April 20, alleges Scattini was not paid for issuing district attorney and family support services subpoenas, documents show.
Scattini is claiming the county owes him $16,290 for district attorney subpoenas fees, $10,105 for family support services and $1,290 in waiver services.
“Somebody is going to pay me because I have to get paid to pay my bills,” he said.
For more than 20 years before that, Scattini and his predecessors earned “99 percent” of their money from charging government agencies for their services, he said.
“Our pay was predicated on the services that we do,” he said.
The marshal receives a flat salary of $28,756 per year and makes on average about $20,000 per year in services he charges to the county, Scattini said.
After the board of supervisors found that one government agency couldn’t charge another government agency to do its services last year, the board agreed to stop allowing the marshal’s office to do so, Scattini said.
“That appears to be the case,” board chairman Reb Monaco said. “Past boards have allowed it, but it’s not legal.”
Supervisors didn’t determine a way to pay Scattini’s office. Instead, officials kept delaying the decision, Scattini said.
“We’ve been talking about this for at least eight months,” he said. “I kept asking, ‘What’s happening?’ And they kept saying, ‘We’ll get to it.'”
Two weeks ago, with direction from Monaco, Supervisor Anthony Botelho and the county counsel, Scattini was told to file a claim to get paid his owed money, the board chairman said.
“The county is not denying that we owe him the money,” Monaco said. “We made a decision to pay what we did owe him.”
With Scattini filing a claim, it allows the county to expedite the process, Monaco said.
“I think the board has given direction to fix the issue,” he said.
Botelho declined to comment because the issue was moved to closed session as Scattini and the board decide how to pay the marshal’s office for the duration of the year.
“At this point in time, we have not settled this case,” said County Administrative Officer Susan Thompson, who declined to comment further.
But she did say the claim should be settled soon.
The claim comes months before the election and seven months before the county plans to close the marshal’s office.
The marshal’s duties are expected to transfer to the sheriff’s office in December.
Until then, Scattini wants to be paid for the work he has done.
“They know I did the work and they know I need to get paid,” he said.
