Butler County has altered its process to handle nonunion employee grievances.

The county commissioners on Wednesday voted 2 to 1 to switch from a three-person Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel to a single arbitrator.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein dissented, saying the entire process is flawed.

“This is lawsuit heaven for the bar association,” he said.

Eckstein cited the county losing a case against a former Children and Youth Services caseworker Laurie Kubli, who was fired in 2013 and rehired early this year.

However, Kubli was a union worker. Her case was handled through a union grievance.

Kubli, who was represented by the Service Employees International Union, was fired in August 2013 for allegedly using poor judgment during an incident earlier that month.

Following an arbitration hearing through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s Bureau of Mediation, the county was forced to rehire Kubli earlier this year. She later quit her post.

What the former ADR panel did handle was the case of former Area Agency on Aging worker Jo Donaldson, who was subsequently fired.

Donaldson, who was a nonunion supervisor, investigated claims of unsafe environments for seniors.

After one case in which she petitioned Butler County Court to grant an emergency guardianship for a person suffering from dementia, the primary caretaker threatened litigation.

Donaldson, who maintained she followed proper protocol, was subsequently fired.

The panel backed the county’s decision to fire Donaldson. She is suing the county for wrongful termination.

The former ARD panel on Feb. 20 upheld the firing. The lawsuit alleges the panel disregarded evidence in rendering its ruling.

The panel members later resigned, citing the work to be too time-consuming.

According to county officials, the panel ended up working six eight-hour days to consider Donaldson’s appeal of her firing.

Lori Altman, director of county human resources, said in an interview the state requirement for who is eligible to serve on such panels is very restrictive, so it’s difficult to find people who are permitted to serve.

The county has not decided on how to select the new arbitrator.

Eckstein claimed the panel did not make the right decision because they weren’t the right people.

He said his colleagues will again pick someone they know to fill the arbitrator post.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said Eckstein’s comments were inaccurate.

McCarrier pointed out he never met two of the three panelists.

The panel was formed because the county switched from civil service hiring to an internal merit-based system.

Carmine Scotece, director of county human services, did not comment on specific disciplinary cases, but did defend any action that was taken in the past.

Scotece said longtime workers are held to a higher standard.

“We have higher expectations for them,” he said.

Scotece said most human services employees do an “excellent” job, but problems arise occasionally.

“As any business, we have personnel issues we need to address,” he said.