Wright County administrator placed on indefinite leave but circumstances unclear

Wright County Administrator Lee R. Kelly is on paid administrative leave indefinitely, but it is not immediately clear what led the County Board to take the action during a Tuesday meeting.

“There is no pending investigation,” said County Board Chairman Darek Vetsch in an e-mail to the Star Tribune. “The County Board is not at liberty to comment on personnel matters.”

The action item was not included on Tuesday’s published agenda but was added to the meeting after Commissioner Jeanne Holland introduced a motion to hold a closed session to review Kelly’s performance. Commissioners voted 4-1 to meet in private.

Commissioners returned to council chambers after about 20 minutes and voted 4-1 to approve the action.

“The Board of Commissioners has identified circumstances necessitating placing the County Administrator on a paid administrative leave,” part of the resolution read aloud said. “Pending further review, the Board hereby places Lee R. Kelly on paid administrative leave and suspends all duties and responsibilities associated with his position during this period.”

Lee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Vetsch was appointed to oversee the leave process, notify Kelly of the action, determine the length of leave and “any associated items,” the resolution said.

The resolution also directed Vetsch to report back in 21 days on whether the leave should be continued or modified.

Lee’s leave began upon the board’s adoption of the resolution.

Lee, whose salary is $184,995, has served as county administrator since January 2019, according to county officials. He joined Wright County in 2009 as a special projects administrator and later worked as a county coordinator until the county switched to an administrator model in 2019.

Wright County, with a population of about 148,000, is located between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. The county seat is Buffalo.