RENO, Nev. (AP) — Washoe County has established a legal assistance fund for county employees who've been unfairly attacked or harassed in public as tempers increasingly flare during hostile confrontations over election procedures and other controversies.
The legal and personal services approved this week will be available to county workers, but not elected officials, The Reno Gazette Journal reported.
“What we’re trying to do is make sure that the rights of our employees are protected,” County Manager Eric Brown said.
“We’ve seen situations where the public discourse has gotten increasingly hostile,” he said.
The county commission voted 3-1 on Tuesday to authorize the county manager to spend a total of up to $150,000 per fiscal year on such efforts. The $150,000 cap applies to the entire fund, not each individual who would be eligible to draw from it.
Any expenditures beyond the $150,000 would require specific approval from the commission.
Brown said the county has a responsibility as an employer to make sure it’s supporting its employees.
“We have had situations where county employees – not elected officials – have received death threats, have received malicious and fictitious claims made against them," he said. "Some of this has been extremely hurtful to their families.”
The assistance would be available to employees who are “unfairly publicly attacked, harassed, or disparaged by members of the public or political organizations,” according to the language approved by the...
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