|
 |
Records request questions travel, other practices
|
| By: Mark J. Crawford, Editor |
September 18, 2009 |
|
In a move that apparently ruffled a few feathers, a Starke businessman approached the city commission last week with a request for records detailing what the commissioners are spending on travel, how much the businesses that officials are affiliated with pay for utilities, and more.
First on Lee Sparks' list was a request for all travel expense reports since October 2008. That would include receipts for air travel, hotels, gas, food, car rentals, entertainment and anything else that might have been charged to city government, he said.
Sparks asked outright if the city had paid for Commissioner Carolyn Spooner to go to Washington, D.C., in January where she attended the presidential inauguration. Spooner said the city did pay for the trip, and when Sparks asked the purpose of the trip, she said that she met with Rep. Cliff Stearns in addition to attending the inauguration ceremony.
Sparks said simple economics was the reason for his question, not politics or anything else. He said at a time when the city is cutting recreation programs, cannot afford to pay its fire fighters more or hire additional police officers, it was not the right time for the city to be paying for such a trip.
"It was a historic event. I think you had every right to be there. I don't think the city of Starke should have paid for it," Sparks said.
Spooner said he appreciated that point of view, but her trip was not unique. The city has paid for commissioners to travel to Washington, Tallahassee and elsewhere to meet with legislators and leaders of other cities, she said.
Asked by Sparks if such trips were justified when legislators have local offices or can be contacted via telephone, Spooner said absolutely.
Sparks didn't stop there. He also said he wanted copies of the utility bills generated for the commissioners, operations manager, police chief and city clerk. The request covered businesses they are affiliated with as well, including the clerk's salon and Laundromat, the operations manager's restaurant and the mayor's wife's title company.
He also wanted copies of the electric bills sent to the city attorney's law firm.
Mayor Wilbur Waters shot back that he would get Sparks copies of check stubs if he came to his wife's office the next morning.
"I don't know what you're getting at, but that's fine," Waters said.
Sparks responded to Waters becoming defensive by saying he wasn't actually accusing anyone of anything by simply making the request.
"It kind of looks like it to me," Waters said.
A common refrain from city commissioners when utility customers complain about electric costs is that they pay the same rates. Essentially, Sparks has asked them to prove it.
"All I'm trying to do is make sure everyone's on the same playing field," Sparks said, adding he paid almost $3,000 in utilities at his theater over the last two months. To that Waters said, "Everybody's paying."
Sparks also requested copies of the last two city financial audits, the most recent of which questioned the role of recreation board and its expenditure of funds as well as arcane and incorrect accounting methods in the finance office.
Next on the list were copies of the last six actuarial reports. The city has been paying more and more for its retirement system, but repeat requests for information on the city's alternatives-and even a poll asking employees if they would like additional information-resulted in no action.
In addition, Sparks requested electric line loss reports for the last 12 months. Every system loses electricity through transmission, but the city's voltage and line enhancement project last year was supposed to reduce line loss and save customers money.
He has also asked for utility cutoff requests the clerk has sent to the meter department over the last 12 months and a list of customers who did not pay a fuel adjustment charge for two months last year. Sparks said he understood that the county did not pay fuel adjustment charges for a period of time last year.
City Clerk Linda Johns said a billing error resulted in the county not being charged for fuel adjustment for two months, but the county was billed again and has paid the difference.
Finally, Sparks requested a form describing how the fuel adjustment charge on utility bills is calculated each month.
While Sparks will receive the records, Johns scoffed at being asked to provide them in two week's time. Both she and Waters said that was impossible. Johns said her employees are overloaded now and the request would have to be completed "in spurts" when she had someone available to work on it.
Both sides agreed to see how much progress had been made in a month's time.
Sparks will be charged for the time it takes to put the records together.
Roberts discusses consolidation committee
Scott Roberts, who has headed up a committee that looked into improvements to the electric utility, approached the commission for a blessing to take a look at consolidating the city police department with the county sheriff's office. Roberts said he and his volunteer committee would gather information on what would be involved in consolidation.
As a committee, the members would have no power other than exploring the issue and reporting back to the commission. Any action taken based on that information would be up to the commission.
At the same time, Roberts said he didn't want to "push a wagon up the hill" if the commission was not in favor of this exploratory process.
Waters talked about setting a workshop once the commissioners had a chance to consider the issue. Commissioner Tommy Chastain approved of the suggested list of committee members as well as the idea of looking at issues like duplication of services and how the city could save money for its residents.
Spooner said she had no desire to give up the city police department or fire department, but she was open to the possibility that there were areas such as drug enforcement where city and county agencies could work more closely together.
Commissioner Travis Woods said his position hasn't changed. He doesn't feel need for a committee to look into consolidation. He said it was the commission's job to explore and make these decisions. That doesn't mean he's opposed to consolidation. Woods said if the city can enjoy the same services and save money, he would be one of the first commissioners to jump in and try to make it work.
Waters said a workshop date would be set at the next board meeting.
In other business:
* The commission voted to use impact fee revenue to pave Wall/Sapp Street, Butler Street, Covington Street and East Crum Street for at total of nearly $64,752.
* The commission completed the rezoning of the Collier Ferrell property to accommodate replacement of an older mobile home. Spooner restated her objection to rezoning the parcel to the mobile home subdivision category.
* The commission also began the process of rezoning the Daniel Griffis property on U.S. 301 South with the first reading of two required ordinances. Griffis voluntarily annexed the property into the city limits so city water and sewer could serve the car wash he plans to build there.
On the other hand, the commission postponed approving Griffis' site plan, which had several conditional notes from the city engineer and at least one additional requirement-a sidewalk-that the engineer had not addressed. Spooner also noted the lack of anyone present to speak on behalf of the site plan, so the matter was tabled until the next board meeting.
|
|
©Bradford County Telegraph 2009
|
|
|
