Officials in Michigan will return $65,000 bonuses they gave themselves with COVID aid

[DonViejo]

Officials in Michigan will return $65,000 bonuses they gave themselves with COVID aid

Shiawassee County commissioners voted to award themselves 'hazard pay.'

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CORUNNA, Mich. — Elected officials in a conservative Michigan county who gave themselves bonuses of $65,000 with federal COVID-19 relief aid said they will return the money following days of criticism.

Shiawassee County commissioners acted after the prosecutor said the payments were illegal, The Argus-Press reported.

The Michigan Constitution bars additional compensation for elected officials “after services had already been rendered,” prosecutor Scott Koerner said Friday.

The commissioners, all Republicans, voted on July 15 to award themselves $65,000 as part of a plan to give $557,000 to 250 county employees as “hazard pay” for dealing with the pandemic.

more
https://www.pressherald.com/2021/07/25/officials-in-michigan-county-will-return-virus-bonuses/

[SWBTATTReg]

1. I say throw them all out of office, for basically stealing the money (which is what they

literally did, under the guise of hazard pay)...I wonder how many of these thugs actually did anything hazardous?

[gratuitous]

2. "(We) deeply regret that this gesture has been misinterpreted"

Oh, it was just a misinterpretation! They weren't really looting the fund for actual pandemic victims, they just misinterpreted what it was for. They're giving the money back, shouldn't that count for something? They didn't do nothin' wrong, they were entitled to that money, but they're giving it back because you lot misinterpreted their gesture! It's really all YOUR fault!

I guess since the commissioners went to all the trouble of having a meeting and voting unanimously to loot the money, they figured they were free and clear.

[Diamond_Dog]

3. "We deeply regret we got caught!"