Barrow CFO suspended for lying

The chief financial officer of Barrow County’s government was suspended Monday morning for twice being “untruthful” to the board of commissioners. Beth Horacek, who has been the CFO since 2005, was suspended without pay for 40 hours, according to the notice of suspension that the Barrow Journal obtained under the state open-records act.

According to the notice, Horacek gave an “untruthful answer” when asked at two board meetings why the increase in the county’s insurance premiums had not been budgeted for fiscal year 2009.

Horacek responded that $250,000 cost hike was due to the unanticipated coverage of additional dependents by the county plan.

"Both times you gave an untruthful answer, and particularly omitted the fact that you failed to budget for the increase in insurance premiums," the notice states.

Privately, Horacek told commissioners that the increase wasn’t budgeted because her former bosses – chief administrator Keith Lee and BOC chairman Doug Garrison – instructed her not to do so.

The notice states that she is not being disciplined for the failure to appropriately budget the item, but for the "misrepresentations made to the Board on an issue of paramount importance to the County."