Investigation underway at Parks & Rec
County Manager Jamie McCord confirms two employees were put on administrative leave.
Two employees at the Rome Floyd Parks and Recreation Department are on administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of an investigation.
The report comes on the heels of the resignation of Kevin Cowling, the department’s executive director, which was announced Monday.
County Manager Jamie McCord said Tuesday that he could provide few details while the investigation is still ongoing but would release the findings when it is complete. He declined to describe the potential transgression that led the county to take the action.
“It’s been going on for several weeks and it’s still going on,” he said. “You can’t release things in bits and pieces.”
McCord confirmed the suspensions but said he wasn’t ready to identify the two employees at this
time. He also did not make a direct connection between Cowling’s resignation and the investigation.
“It’s a personnel issue,” he said. “Kevin resigned per the terms of his contract. And we are doing an investigation. That’s all I can tell you right now.”
After 3 1/2 years in the position, Cowling submitted a letter of resignation Monday, thanking McCord for his “first opportunity to be a director.” He said he wanted to pursue other professional options but he and his family, “have loved our time here and Floyd County will always hold a special place in our hearts.”
Cowling was Parks & Rec’s first director as it changed from an independent authority — governed by an appointed citizen board — into a county department subject to its personnel policies.
Todd Wofford, the department’s longtime parks superintendent, was named interim director Monday.