The Derby Board of Aldermen took no action on a proposed “employment separation agreement” involving an employee who was escorted out of Derby City Hall June 25.
The elected officials are still not saying precisely why the employee — Katherine Kulhawik — was escorted from the building.
The Aldermen met for about 70 minutes in a closed-door session Monday to discuss the separation agreement which was offered to the Aldermen by Kulhawik’s lawyer, Don Walsh, according to Derby Corporation Counsel Joseph Coppola.
Several sources told the Valley Indy the city has been probing whether funds are missing from the tax collector’s office.
Staffieri seemed to confirm that immediately after Monday’s closed-door session.
“It’s not big. It’s not a big amount of money or nothing like that,” Staffieri said.
“Does it involve money?” a reporter from the Connecticut Post asked.
“There’s some money, but it’s, you know, because it’s legal …” the mayor replied, before referring further questions to Coppola.
Coppola said Kulhawik, a full-time employee, has been suspended since June 25..
Coppola repeatedly said he would not comment as to why Kulhawik was suspended, then said: “It’s about record keeping.”
“I wouldn’t even say money’s missing,” Coppola said. “I would say the record keeping — there is a question,” he said.
“It’s due to record keeping,” Staffieri repeated.
Coppola said the city Tuesday would be releasing documents requested by the Valley Indy through the state’s Freedom of Information Act. Last week the Valley Indy asked for documents pertaining to the investigation Coppola undertook in connection to Kulhawik.
He said his investigation involved making sure that people who paid their taxes received credit for paying their taxes.
“We have records for everyone who paid. Everyone who paid, they got credited. That was my investigation, to make sure that everyone paid, the system recorded it,” Coppola said.
Coppola said he was hesitant to talk to the press about the matter Monday night because he wanted to inform Kulhawik’s lawyer of what transpired at the end of Monday night’s closed-door meeting.
The next steps in the process are unclear. Kulhawik is a union member.
“She was an employee who was suspended. She may have rights. He (her attorney) is going to do whatever he feels is right,” Coppola said.
The Derby police are not investigating the matter.
“They were informed,” Coppola said. “They were informed, but that doesn’t mean a complaint was filed.”
