State investigators are examining spending and hiring practices at the West Virginia Water Development Authority, while a separate probe is targeting water agency employees suspected of leaking documents to the news media.
The Legislature's Commission on Special Investigations recently sent a two-page letter to the water authority, requesting numerous documents about temporary workers, board members, current employees and purchases dating back to 2013, according to state officials familiar with the inquiry.
The Gazette-Mail has reported that the water authority has hired temporary workers and provided them with perks such as paid holidays, sick-leave and the use of state-owned vehicles.
Meanwhile, the state's insurance carrier is leading an investigation into whether someone stole financial records and employee information from the agency's computer system. Several weeks ago, the state Division of Protective Services confiscated employees' laptops. The government has hired a private firm to conduct a forensic scan of employees' computer files.
Chris Jarrett, the water authority's executive director, requested the search. He was tight-lipped Tuesday about both investigations.
"I'm not supposed to have any communications with you while this is being officially investigated," Jarrett said. "I've been advised not to talk to any media."
The documents requested by state investigators include payments to a Belle company that refinishes furniture.
In 2013, the Water Development Authority paid $1,700 to touch up furniture scratched and dented during the agency's move to its new building on Bullitt Street, in Charleston.
"The day we moved, the elevator wasn't working," Jarrett said. "Everything we moved had to be brought up the stairs."
In previous interviews, Jarrett has acknowledged that he stored his personal office furniture at the state agency. Jarrett said he intended to use his personal furniture at the agency but later decided against doing so.
Asked Tuesday if the contractor cleaned up his own furniture, Jarrett said, "If they did, they may have touched up a piece here and there as part of the whole thing, but that's when I was going to use it. That was the [state-owned] office furniture, primarily."
For months, the state Ethics Commission has been investigating a complaint alleging that Jarrett stored his personal furniture at the water agency building while charging another state agency, the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council, to lease the same space.
Jarrett had the furniture removed after the Gazette-Mail reported on the ethics complaint. The agency's GIS coordinator, Mike Dominiak, filed the complaint against Jarrett.
Earlier this year, Jarrett ordered a wiretapping sweep of the Water Development Authority office amid allegations of secret recordings. Charleston police conducted the search for hidden listening devices at the agency's building near Fazio's Italian Restaurant. No wiretaps were found, according to agency employees.
The Water Development Authority issues bonds that fund water and sewer projects across West Virginia.
Reach Eric Eyre at ericeyre@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4869 or follow @ericeyre on Twitter.