After weeks of public battles with county legislators, Cayuga County Manager Wayne Allen is on administrative leave, county officials announced at a meeting with department heads Monday.

The announcement comes after an emergency meeting of the county Legislature held Thursday night, at which members discussed an unspecified personnel matter in a closed executive session.

County Attorney Fred Westphal confirmed Monday that Allen has been put on administrative leave, but declined to say when - or if - the manager would return to work.

Both Westphal and Allen would not elaborate on the future status of Allen's employment with the county until a formal decision is made by the Legislature. Allen's leave is not disciplinary, Westphal said, and as of Monday, Allen had not resigned as county manager.

“I really enjoyed my time here working for the county,” Allen said from his Auburn residence on Monday. “Coming here and meeting the challenge - day-to-day - I took great pride in that.”

Allen did not come to work Friday or Monday, and was not expected the rest of the week, said his secretary Andrea Seamans. She declined to comment when asked if the manager still worked at the County Office Building.

Most county legislators, including Chairman Peter Tortorici, either declined to comment on Allen's status or did not return phone calls.

Legislature Ways and Means Committee Chairman Francis Mitchell said he was not certain exactly what had happened with Allen's job, but that he did not expect him to return to work, something Mitchell is not pleased to see happen.

“I think we've thrown away one of our tools,” Mitchell said.

“I don't think this is a progressive step,” said Mitchell, who initially opposed the creation of a county manager position, but has since changed his mind. “I don't look for smooth operation in the future.”

The county manager is an integral player in putting together the county budget, Mitchell said. Without a manager, the budget, which is due at the end of the year, will be left to the chairman of the legislature and a small budget committee, he said.

Allen's position was created in 2006, after much debate among legislators about the county's need for a manager to oversee the daily operation of the county. His four-year contract expires Oct. 2010.

For months, the manager has had a tumultuous relationship with the Legislature.

In June, Allen told all legislators and department heads in an e-mail that he felt out of the loop. He has spared with individual legislators at committee meetings and declined to participate in the county's economic development forum in July because he said he had not been invited.

At Monday's department head meeting, Westphal and Chairman of the Legislature Peter Tortorici divulged few details about the manager's leave.

Department heads were told to send any communication they would normally send to the county manager, to whom they report directly, to the chairman of the Legislature, said Gary Duckett, Director of Parks and Trails, who attended the meeting. But no time frame was given, he said, to suggest how long the manager will be out of the office.

Staff writer Sarah Gantz can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or sarah.gantz@lee.net