By Marcy Stamper
Okanogan County Public Utility District (PUD) General Manager John Grubich will be on paid administrative leave at least until the PUD’s next board meeting, at which time the board will meet with Grubich in executive session “to discuss potential personnel action,” said commissioner Steve Houston in the motion he made at the Sept. 11 commission meeting.
This was the second time the board has voted to extend Grubich’s leave. The board approved the extension unanimously and without any discussion. Grubich was initially placed on leave starting Aug. 4; the latest extension runs through Sept. 25.
The board has not provided any details about their reasons for placing Grubich on leave. At their meeting two weeks ago, board president Scott Vejraska read a statement into the record saying the commissioners had received information regarding Grubich’s conduct that caused them “significant concern.”
Extending the leave would give the board additional time “to gather the complete facts so that we can make a decision regarding the next steps in the best interests of the Okanogan Public Utility District,” said Vejraska at the Aug. 21 meeting.
Vejraska said in an interview this week that facts are still being gathering. “Hopefully by [the next meeting] we’ll be able to come up with a solution,” he said. Don Coppock, the PUD’s director of accounting, finance and administration, has been acting as interim general manager.
