October 5, 2009 City Looking to Bones Seivers with Tennessee Municipal League Bond Fund for Help with Debt

In addition to the KIA building/community center that received little support and TDEC's potential fines of $175,000/$15M of sewer corrections, another item that came up at the October 1 Morristown Finance Committee meeting was debt.

I arrived a little after the 3:30 start time for the meeting and missed the first part of the presentation, but apparently Charles "Bones" Seivers of the Tennessee Municipal Bond League Fund (TMLBF) is putting together a loan package of around $7.8 million dollars for the City. Councilmembers said the figure could go up or down.

Several councilmembers commented that Bones was full of energy and spoke/delivered his presentation with the passion of a preacher.

For a couple of fairly recent statewide articles on Bones Seivers, click here and here. Or just "google" Charles "Bones" Seivers. 

There is also an article here that states that Bones' TMLBF overcharged some cities for fees that were not due. According to the article, one of the cities that was overcharged was Morristown. The article names two other cities that were overcharged: (1) Nashville and (2) Murfreesboro, former Morristown City Administrator Jim Crumley's new employer!.

It's a small world.

October 3, 2009 City Plans

In addition to the discussion about the KIA Property and Sewer/Wastewater problems, there was one other discussion at Thursday's City Finance Committee meeting that deserves mention.

Councilmember Kay Senter suggested that council meet to discuss where the city wants to be five years from now.

Gene Brooks responded: "Out of debt."

October 2, 2009 Crumley and Wastewater Head Bryan Fowler Apparently Kept Sewer Problems and Repair Costs from the Mayor and Council

At yesterday's regular meeting of Morristown City Council's Finance Committee, several councilmembers grilled Wastewater Head Bryan Fowler about potential fines of up to $175,000 that have been levied against the City by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Division of Water Pollution Control.

Fowler provided the council with copies of the TDEC Commissioner's Order. The Order cites and alleges numerous violations by the City of the Water Quality Control Act (T.C.A. 69-3-101 et seq) which, among other requirements, limits the volume or strength of wastes discharged into waters of the state.

The Order apparently stems from a December 17, 2008, Compliance Evaluation Inspection at the Morristown Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Here are some excerpts from the Order:

Self-reported violations showed "numerous" overflows of the collection system.

During the monitoring period of January 1, 2008-February 28, 2009, the City reported violations of its wastewater permit, "including 56 self-reported overflow events. The overflows constitute unpermitted discharges of untreated wastewater."

In addition, the City reported that the influent flow meter was "out of service" during that entire period. "Failure to have an operational flow meter is a violation of the permit."

The City provided explanations for the discharge violations citing "mechanical failures, blockages in the lines, and grease as the primary causes of the dry weather overflows. Inflow and infiltration of storm water... (were) cited as the primary causes of wet weather overflows."

"To date the (inflow) meter is still not functioning."

Fowler stated that some of the findings were not accurate and would be appealed. Fowler said that the $175,000 in fines can be avoided if the City spends a lot of money to address the list of problems and comes into compliance in a timely manner.

Councilmember Bob Garrett commented: "They don't fine you $175,000 if you're doing a good job."

 Fowler said that he needs more manpower and equipment in his budget.
Councilmember Kay Senter said that council doesn't control his budget and that rates (revenues) are supposed to be set to cover costs (expenditures).
Fowler said that he presents a budget but sometimes things get cut.
Senter said that we (council) don't cut anything and asked who made cuts.
Fowler said "People over me."

Who was "over" Fowler? Former City Administrator Jim Crumley. 

When were sewer rates and the sewer budget set? In June 2009 after a cost and rate study and presentation by Lamar Dunn & Associates of Knoxville. Click here. That rate study provided for a 3-year rate increase. Now the question is whether rates will have to go up even more. 

Frank McGuffin and Bob Garrett asked that City Attorney Dick Jessee work with Lamar Dunn in handling the appeal of the TDEC Order. McGuffin and Garrett also want Dunn to look at the TDEC Order, estimate the cost of rehabbing the system to come into compliance, and then inform the council about any additional rate increase that might be needed--over and above the rate increases that passed less than four months ago.

Some Councilmembers then peppered Fowler with variations of the famous two-part Watergate question: What did you know and when did you know it?

Fowler said that "we" had been anticipating this Order. No doubt this anticipation stemmed from the fact that Fowler and his boss Crumley knew of the self-reported violations from January 1, 2008, through February 28, 2009, and they knew about the deterioration of the sewer system downtown and on the west end with  aging and crumbling concrete and clay pipe. 

Why were problems cited in the TDEC Order not reported to council in a timely manner? Fowler said he was following the directions of the lawyers. Kay asked, what attorneys? City attorney Dick Jessee? Fowler said "we" have several lawyers due to lawsuits.

Crumley's legacy of keeping information from the Mayor and Council is gradually being exposed. Those who worked under Crumley and kept information from council have no cover. Hopefully, the new council will continue to be assertive, ask for information and reports on a regular basis, and watch out for the ratepayers who are the victims of this mess.

The recent (June 2009) three-year sewer increases were hard to take. If yesterday's predictions by councilmembers are accurate, it looks like even higher sewer fees are just around the corner as the real condition of the sewer system and its operations are revealed.

October 2, 2009 Purchase of KIA Property for Morristown Community Center Gets No Traction

At yesterday's meeting of the City Finance Committee, councilmember Kay Senter turned the presentation over to Realtor/County Commissioner Paul Lebel.

Lebel noted that a community center has been a topic of discussion in Morristown for a long time. He stated that the KIA property on West Andrew Johnson Highway is in foreclosure and this presents an opportunity to purchase the property at a reasonable price and develop it into a community center with good planning.

Lebel estimated that the purchase might be made for $2 or $2.5 Million dollars. He said that the City is the only entity that could do this, and if the community center project fell through, the city could remarket and sell the property.

Bob Garrett said that we don't need to take the property off the tax rolls by buying it out from under a private purchaser.

Doc Rooney said he didn't mind taking it away from private individuals, but he didn't think the location was a proper place for a community center.

Kay Senter said that it's not good for athletics at this time and that we're not in a position to buy it outright. During the discussion, Kay also mentioned the Encore Theatre, Theatre Guild, Chamber of Commerce, an Antique Car Museum, and weddings. She said she had talked to some private individuals who might be interested in a public-private partnership.

Gene Brooks said: Where's the money?

Interim Administrator Buddy Fielder mentioned annual operating costs of around $500,000-$600,000 if fully staffed and operational.

Lebel commented that if this is not done now, "I bet everyone in this room will be dead before it's done."

Frank McGuffin told Kay that if there is someone interested in a public-private partnership, we can revisit this then.

No recommendation was made. The property is scheduled for foreclosure sale on October 8, 2009.

September 30, 2009 City Finance Committee Meeting and the Tennessee Open Meetings Act

The regular meetings of the Morristown City Council are on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. The Finance Committee of City Council meets regularly on Thursdays prior to Tuesday council meetings.

Yesterday (Tuesday) there was a special called meeting of the Finance Committee. There was an announcement of yesterday's Finance meeting in the Tribune on Sunday (9/27) and Monday (9/28).  The announcement said the meeting would take place at 4:00 in the City Chambers, the usual meeting place of the full Council. There was no information as to why a special Finance Committee meeting was being called and no information as to what would be discussed.

I called the interim Administrator's office around 4:00 pm on Monday afternoon to find out why there was a special Finance Committee meeting on a Tuesday and what was on the agenda for discussion or action. The administrative assistant, Nellie, said that she had been on vacation and that she had only found out about the special meeting by reading the notice in the paper just like I did. Nellie didn't know what was on the agenda and didn't know if any packets or information had been given to the Finance Committee members. Interim Administrator Buddy Fielder was not there and did not have voicemail to get messages.

I went to City Hall yesterday and walked over to the City Chambers to attend the meeting but found that the council meeting room was closed. It turned out that the meeting had been moved without announcement to the "mayor's conference room" near the Mayor's and Interim City Administrator's offices. Just before 4:00 pm, the new Finance Committee chair Frank McGuffin passed out a lengthy agenda. Click on the image above to see a copy of the agenda.

The first item on the agenda was the KIA property next to the Golden Corral on the West A.J. Hwy. It is my understanding that Councilwoman Kay Senter, various city officials, Chamber officials, Tribune publisher Jack Fishman, and "others" have already met in groups and have toured the KIA building. The KIA property is in foreclosure, and apparently some people have been discussing a public-private partnership to purchase the building for a future community center and other uses.

As it turned out yesterday, there was very little discussion about the KIA property or any other item on the agenda.

There are laws in Tennessee covering Open Meetings, and these were enacted to ensure openness and transparency in the governmental process at every step of the way.  I talked to Finance Committee Chair Frank McGuffin privately right before the meeting about the Open Meetings Act.  Since this meeting was not a regular previously scheduled Thursday meeting, it appears to fall under the notice requirements for special called meetings.

I showed Frank an unpublished opinion of the Tennessee Court of Appeals which also cites a published opinion regarding notice requirements for special called meetings.  The main requirement for special called meetings is notice to the public of what is to be discussed, so the public can decide if this special matter concerns something in which they are interested.

Frank was polite but did not want to re-schedule the meeting. Instead, he chose to call the meeting to order and proceeded to announce the first item on the agenda (KIA property).

I then asked and was allowed to present to the full Finance Committee and other city council members in attendance the questions that I had initially raised privately with Frank. As concisely as possible, I explained that special called meetings are called to deal with specific items--most often items that can't wait for a regular meeting--and that these items should be announced in advance so that the public can decide whether the special issues to be discussed or considered are such that they wish to attend. 

Although Kay Senter clearly wanted to continue with the meeting, she did acknowledge that typically special called meetings do have a specific agenda and the council can only discuss what is on the agenda for the special meeting.  The agenda for yesterday's meeting was drawn up at the last minute and was only handed out to council and those in attendance right before the 4:00 meeting time. Neither the public nor the full council knew the topics that were to be discussed and considered at this special meeting in advance of the meeting.

Of course, the Clintonesque excuses were then bandied about. Mayor Barile said the meeting was to be primarily about the KIA property, but she had added several items at the last minute. Mayor Barile said that the document that had just been passed out-- the one entitled "Finance Committee Agenda"--wasn't exactly an agenda. It was mostly just her thoughts. 

Frank McGuffin and the others admitted that regular Finance Committee meetings take place on Thursdays, but Interim City Administrator Buddy Fielder argued that this Tuesday meeting wasn't a "special called" Finance Committee meeting, it was just an "additional" meeting of the Finance Committee.  Some wondered aloud, if no votes are taken at the meeting then that that would take care of any Open Meetings Act problems.

When the Clintonesque talk begins at any public meeting, you cringe. 

This is not a regular previously announced Thursday Finance Committee meeting, but it's not a special meeting either. [OK, so what is it? A semi-regular or semi-special meeting?] 

Even though this document that we just passed out says "Finance Committee Agenda" and lists what we are going to discuss and in what order,  it's not really an agenda, it's mostly just some "thoughts." [OK, so if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and even says it's a duck, it's not really a duck?]

If we don't take a vote, do we still have to worry about whether it's a meeting or a special meeting with additional notice requirements to the public per case law. [If there is discussion and deliberation of an item of public business or an item that will come before the governing body, then it is a meeting and adequate public notice applies. If the meeting takes place on a day/date (Tuesday) other than the day/date previously announced (Thursday), it requires a real stretch to say that it is somehow not a special called meeting and thus does not fall within the more specific notice requirements for called meetings.]

MTAS, upon whom the city frequently relies for legal opinions, has provided guidance on special called meetings and has included a reference to the unpublished opinion [Englewood Citizens] that I discussed with Frank and mentioned in my comments to the Finance Committee and other councilmembers. Click here to see the MTAS opinion.

There was notice of the Finance Committee meeting. Under the three-prong Englewood test cited by MTAS, there would be a question as to whether two-days notice was adequate public notice. In the case of a special called meeting, there would be a serious question as to whether the public was adequately informed of the public business to be discussed or deliberated upon at the special meeting.  In fact, since the "agenda" was only passed out to Finance Committee members at the meeting, there is a serious question as to whether the Finance Committee itself was provided with adequate notice of items to be discussed or considered at the special meeting.

NOTE 1: The city's website never provided notice of yesterday's Finance Committee meeting. As of several days ago and today, the city's website provides notice of the council meeting on 9/15; the Solid Waste Board meeting on 9/18; and the regular Finance Committee meeting on October 1 at 3:30. No website mention was ever provided of the 9/29 special Finance Committee meeting.

NOTE 2: It is my understanding that the items on the 9/29/09 agenda (shown above) will be considered at tomorrow's (10/1/09) regular Finance Committee meeting. Tomorrow's meeting, however, will start at Thursday's regularly scheduled time of 3:30 pm!
  

September 26, 2009 Crumley May Be on His Way To Murfreesboro

Newly "retired" former Morristown City Administrator Jim Crumley appears to be headed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to take the number two position there. Click here for more details.

Hopefully, as the 'Boro's #2 man, Crumley won't lead Murfreesboro into horrendous debt as quickly as he did Morristown. 

Hopefully, as the 'Boro's #2 man, Crumley won't have the power to shift large sums of money around without any accountability to the council as he did in Morristown.

Hopefully, as the 'Boro's #2 man, Crumley will entice a few more of his Morristown group to join him in beautiful Murfreesboro!

Prior posts on Crumley's departure here and here or scroll down the right side of this blog and click on the entry label "Jim Crumley."

September 19, 2009 Hamblen County Website To Get An Update (Finally!!)

I have publicly asked county commission several times to update the county website and to make it easier to access information about county government. Here and here.

Commissioner Nancy Phillips and I pushed for a county website from the moment we took office in 2002.  A website was established with limited information provided at the start and the addition of a few features later.  Even though I did not run again in 2006, I have continued to attend commission meetings and I have continued to prod commissioners to enhance the website.

Finally, there is a response to my voice and to the voices of others who have asked for more information and online services on the website.

Yes, it looks like a more informative county government website is coming. See the current Hamblen County Government website here.

The one county official who has already made the most with her "section" of the website is County Clerk Linda Wilder. She has scanned in county commission minutes and has provided some online services.

One feature that would enhance the usefulness of the clerk's section and of the entire county website would be a key-word search feature. I have proposed this and county attorney Rusty Cantwell has previously agreed that this would be helpful not only to the public but to him in researching prior actions of county commission.

With a key-word feature, a word or words (e.g. "county budget") is entered in a search box and then the site provides a list where that word appears in the website, such as in Planning Commission documents, county commission minutes, agendas, etc.  A key-word feature is common on many websites. See the Knox County government website here with its key-word or search feature near the top of the page.

The improved Hamblen County government website will be updated with current information instead of letting old and inaccurate  information remain on the website for months after changes occur. Links to state government and local legislators as well as U.S. Senators and Congressmen will be included. A community calendar of events will apparently be added--with information about non-governmental happenings such as Mountain Makins, plays, etc. The website will continue to have links to job opportunities with the county--but frankly these are few and far between and many are filled by officials or department heads without any posting at all.

The newspaper reports that beginning in October, the Hamblen County website will post committee agendas AFTER THE COMMITTEES HAVE MET.  Posting agendas after the meeting has already taken place is of zero use to the public or to interested citizens who might attend if they could see an agenda and decide if a topic of interest to them is to be discussed.  Posting an agenda after the meeting is about as helpful as locking the barn door after the cow has escaped.

I haven't received an answer to the obvious question about the committee agendas. Why won't the committee agendas be uploaded and posted (or scanned) on the website BEFORE the committee meetings? The agendas are prepared, printed, and provided to commissioners several days BEFORE the committee meetings. Why can't those agendas be uploaded and posted (or scanned) on the website at the same time? The City of Morristown posts agendas on its website before council meetings. Surely, the county can do the same.

Also missing in the planned update of the website is posting the minutes of committee meetings. The minutes of committee meetings are prepared just a few days after the committee meetings take place and are put in commissioners' packet several days before the full commission meeting. Why can't the committee minutes be uploaded and posted (or scanned) onto the website at the same time they are prepared, printed off, and provided to commissioners?

A government website should absolutely include committee agendas, committee minutes, as well as times, actual dates, and places of all government meetings. I would think that both a community calendar and full governmental information could be posted on the county government website. But IF for some reason there is not time or a willingness to do both, I hope the Mayor will choose to place county government information, including agendas and minutes, on the county government website first and add a community calendar at a later date.

A government website is a wonderful means of providing governmental information to a large segment of the public. Let's hope that Mayor Purkey and his assistant Amber Shelton decide to provide full and timely information about meetings, agendas, and minutes.  Agendas should be posted on the website before the meetings. Minutes should be posted after the meeting just as soon as they are prepared.  The final approved county budget should be posted within 30-60 days of its passage.  And a key-word feature should be added so that citizens and taxpayers are not searching for an "information needle" in a "website haystack."
 
Next would be making the information and packets that are provided to committees and commissioners and the press available online to the TAXPAYERS!  Now there's an idea.

September 14, 2009 Hamblen County Website. Are Changes Coming?

As one who was directly involved in pushing for and implementing a Hamblen County Government website when I served on the county commission, I asked then and I have continued to ask that the site be better utilized to provide much more information than is currently available.

If you go to the current Hamblen County Government website (http://www.hamblencountygovernment.us/), you will find that agendas and minutes of committee meetings were posted in January 2007. Minutes then ceased to be posted. Agendas were posted from January 2007 through August 2008 and then they, too, ceased to be posted. I spoke publicly to county commission around January 2007 about the lack of agendas and minutes. The response from the Mayor's Office was the one posting of minutes and several months of posting agendas and then it all stopped.

I guess you have to keep going back month after month to remind the Mayor and County Commission to provide public information, notice about meetings, and minutes.

One county official, County Clerk Linda Wilder, has actively utilized the county website to provide information and services. She posts minutes of the meetings of the full commission, and she also provides several online services. [If Wilder were in charge of committee agendas and minutes, she would probably post both, but these, unfortunately, are taken care of, or not taken care of, in the Mayor's Office.]

I believe that this serious underutilization of the website is about to change, and it's long overdue.

The capability to post committee agendas and minutes and commission agendas has always been there. However, the desire to serve the public and to provide this and other information has not always been present in all county offices.

I am hopeful that the time has now arrived when our elected and appointed officials recognize that they have held back on providing information to citizens and taxpayers in an easily accessible format long enough.

Another quick addition to the website should be showing the times of meetings and listing the actual meeting dates for each month. For most people, trying to remember when the Hamblen County Commission meets just creates confusion. The Commission meets on the Thursday after the third Monday of each month. I am sure that there is or was a reason for this schedule at some point in time, but today it just creates unneeded confusion.

Hopefully, more and more county offices are coming around to actively using the county's website and are abandoning the standard government knee-jerk reaction of holding back information. Voluntarily providing information to the public, voters, and taxpayers. Now that's a novel idea.

Perhaps, the Mayor is finally ready to post the 09-10 county budget that was adopted months ago! Maybe the Mayor is even ready to post committee agendas and minutes again and commission agendas! That would be special, and I've only been asking for that for 6-7 years.

September 13, 2009 Saving Taxpayer Money: Use Current County Vehicles to Provide a Vehicle Pool for Work-Related Use but Not for Commuting To Work

At tomorrow's Hamblen County Finance Committee meeting, commissioners will conside the cost of purchasing three more county vehicles to be used as "pool" vehicles for county officials or employees who need to check out a car for work-related travel. The cost study was prepared by Sharee Long in the Hamblen County Mayor's Office.

The cost study report may be viewed by clicking on the document (above) entitled "Car Purchase and Costs Associated." [An earlier post today discusses unauthorized car allowances that have been provided by Hamblen County as well as Hamblen County Mayor David Purkey's "car allowance." Scroll down or click here to go to the car allowance post.]

The other document (above) shows the list of NINE take-home vehicles that Hamblen County already has and the value of each as a non-fringe benefit. Three take-home vehicles are driven by courthouse/justice center maintenance workers. One take-home vehicle is driven by an employee of the Garbage Department. One take-home vehicle is driven by the Hamblen County Road Superintendent. Three take-home vehicles are driven by employees of the Road Department.

And one take-home vehicle is driven by Frank Parker, the former Director of Cherokee Park who admitted to theft of money from an individual who was staying in a camper at the Park. Parker was "demoted" after the theft but was allowed to remain as a county employee. Parker, who had a county vehicle as Park Director, apparently still has a county vehicle despite his demotion, despite his currently being on probation for the theft after diversion was granted in mid-2008, and despite his apparent abuse of his position with excessive overtime.

Click here, here, here, and here for posts on Frank Parker's theft and public misconduct charges, his admission to lying to the TBI, and his abuse of overtime privileges. Despite Parker's actions, he is a good friend of Mayor David Purkey and thus he is still working for the county with a taxpayer-provided take-home vehicle.

No more taxpayer money needs to be used to buy more vehicles. There are already nine take-home vehicles. Pull these vehicles---or at least 5-6 of them---and make those vehicles Hamblen County "pool" vehicles to be used by the Road Department, maintenance department, and others on an as-needed basis.

With regard to Road Department vehicles, the county commission could at least ask that two of these vehicles be parked at the Road Department and used as Road Dept. "pool" vehicles for use on work assignments instead of being used for commuting to work, too.

With regard to the county maintenance vehicle, one of these could be put in a county maintenance "pool" to be used for work-related travel instead of being used for commuting to work, too.

With regard to Cherokee Park, that vehicle could be the Cherokee Park "pool" vehicle for work-related travel instead of being used for commuting to work, too.

The taxpayers have already paid for those nine vehicles, and the taxpayers already pay for gas and insurance on these vehicles. Taxpayers do not need to provide a vehicle, gas, and insurance for officials or employees to drive to and from their county job.

Government at all levels needs to wake up to the reality of the working world. Most working people have to drive their own car to and from work. Once they get to work, working people are usually paid mileage if they drive their own car on work-related assignments, or they are provided with a company vehicle to drive on work-related assignments during the workday. There are commissioners who will tell you that they had to drive their own vehicle to work.

With 4, 5, or 6 or even all 9 of the current take-home vehicles in some variation of a county vehicle "pool," officials or employees can check out a vehicle when they have a specific work-related need for a vehicle or they can charge mileage as the county policy provides IF one of the pool vehicles is not available.

They don't need to have a vehicle available to drive to and from work and available 24-hours a day. For the occasional emergency call before 8 am or after 5 pm, the official/employee can drive his own vehicle and collect mileage.

September 13, 2009 The Facts on Hamblen County's Payment of Unauthorized Car Allowances--Yes, Including Mayor David Purkey's Car Allowance

On August 20, 2009, Hamblen County Commission finally voted to come into compliance with long-standing state law and ceased paying car allowances to three individuals: Assessor Keith Ely, Marsha Hopkins, and Danny Young.

State law does not allow Hamblen County to pay car allowances. Click here to read the state attorney general's opinion 09-60 listing which three counties can provide car allowances (Knox, Bedford, and Dyer). See Page 2, Paragraph 3, and Page 3, Paragraph 3, stating that only Knox, Bedford, and Dyer can provide car allowances.

Despite the law and the attorney general's opinion, there is one individual in Hamblen County who still receives a "car allowance." That individual is County Mayor David Purkey.

Why, in the face of state law prohibiting car allowances in Hamblen County, does Mayor Purkey's "car allowance" continue to be paid? Because the mayor and the county attorney say that the mayor's car allowance is actually NOT a car allowance at all.

In a variation of the Clinton syndrome--the mayor and his attorney say that it all depends on what the meaning of "car allowance" is. What is unique about this word game is that the OFFICIAL WRITTEN PUBLIC DOCUMENTS (above) and the MAYOR'S OWN WORDS point out that the Mayor requested and received $600/month for a "car allowance."

(1) The Mayor's own letter and words (above) request a "car allowance" and then ask that the "car allowance" be paid through a salary increase;

(2) The Finance Committee minutes (above) that were prepared in the Mayor's office by the Mayor's staff show that a "car allowance" was voted on and approved; and

(3) The budget amendment (above) that was prepared in the Mayor's office by the Finance Director and approved by the county commission says that the $600/month is for a "car allowance" to be paid through a salary increase.

Purkey requested a "car allowance." [Click on page 1 and 2 of his letter of request above]. Purkey came to the Finance Committee and asked for and received a "car allowance." [Click on the Finance Committee minutes above].

Purkey's request for a "car allowance" was approved through a budget amendment prepared in his office by Finance Director Nicole Epps-Buchanan and later passed by Hamblen County Commission . [Click on the Budget Amendment for a "car allowance" above].

There will be further discussion of this matter on September 14, 2009, during the Finance Committee meeting that begins at 11:30 am in the conference room at the Hamblen County Health Department. [The Health Department is located next to the M-H Library on Main Street.]

Of course, the 11:30 am meeting time tomorrow makes it virtually impossible for most working people/taxpayers to attend without risking loss of job or income. Most commissioners, however, do not have to worry about work as most are retired, do not have a full-time job, or own their own business and do not have to ask for permission to leave work during the middle of the day with a loss of wages. See my previous post HERE that included discussion of meeting times.

It is my understanding that 12 of the 14 commissioners fall into one or more of the above categories: Larry Baker, Herbert Harville, Stancil Ford, Guy Collins, Paul Lebel, Nancy Phillips, Louis "Doe" Jarvis, Doyle Fullington, Dana Wampler, Reece Sexton, Joe Spoone, and Dennis Alvis.

In addition to excluding the working person/taxpayer, the 11:30 am meetings conclude with a taxpayer-provided lunch and drink for the commissioners. At the conclusion of previous committee meetings, some of the commissioners and county employees have even taken an extra (taxpayer-provided) lunchbox home for the spouse or family.

The old saying that there's no such thing as a free lunch, like so many old adages, obviously doesn't apply to government officials and employees!

There's nothing like scheduling meetings at times that for all practical purposes exclude the working/taxpaying public and then getting a free lunch out of it plus a free meal or two for the family.

Click here and here and here for previous posts on county car allowances.

Click here for a previous post where I publicly requested that meeting times be moved to a more taxpayer-friendly time.

September 5, 2009 County Commission Stops Unauthorized Car Allowances in Order to (Finally) Comply with State Law

At its August 20 meeting of the full commission, the Hamblen County Commission voted 12-1 to stop three of the four car allowances that have been paid for several years in violation of state law. [Commissioner Tommy Massey was absent.]

This was a total reversal of what the Finance Committee had recommended on August 10. See my post on the August 10 Finance Committee meeting here.

At the August 10 Finance Committee meeting, I had asked the committee to stop payment of unauthorized car allowances. The Committee refused to stop these unauthorized payments and, instead, voted to study the issue again in September. The payments were going to continue despite state law that does not allow Hamblen County to pay car allowances, despite an April 2009 state attorney general's opinion on county car allowances, and despite the county attorney's May 2009 opinion (which was just a review of the state attorney general's opinion noting that Hamblen County is not among those counties authorized to provide car allowances).

After years of paying unauthorized car allowances and with the prospect of these payments continuing for still more months, I spoke to the full commission during the public comments forum on August 20 and, as I had done on August 10, I again asked that these unauthorized car allowances stop now and that Hamblen County come into compliance with state law now. Why continue to violate state law and pay out thousands of taxpayer dollars on unauthorized car allowances?

Despite state law and my request that the commission comply with state law immediately, Finance Chairman Joe Spoone made a motion to postpone any decision and to "study" the car allowance situation in September. Thankfully, one commissioner was listening and had the courage to question what was going on and to stand up for the taxpayers.

Commissioner Dana Wampler noted that Hamblen County is out of compliance---as I had stated---and Wampler then amended Spoone's resolution to stop three of the car allowances now (Ely, Hopkins, Young) and to pay mileage to those individuals if they use their car on county business. The situation is still set for review in September, but unauthorized car allowances will stop.

During discussion of the amendment, Wampler turned to county attorney Rusty Cantwell and asked about the unauthorized car allowances and when the county should come into compliance. Rusty said that there are three car allowances (the fourth car allowance is that of the County Mayor but Rusty doesn't think that the Mayor's $600/month car allowance is really a car allowance). As far as when the county should come into compliance with state law, Rusty said that was "up to you (the commission)." That response from the county attorney was a bit of a surprise.

Thankfully, Commissioner Wampler stuck to his guns and decided that the county should come into compliance with state law right away. The motion to stop unauthorized car allowances passed 12-1. Guy Collins voted no. I'm not sure if Collins' "no" vote meant that he wanted to keep paying unauthorized car allowances or if he just didn't understand what was going on. Tommy Massey was absent.

I appreciate Commissioner Wampler for doing the right thing. I'm guessing that he took some flak for that after the meeting. Stancil Ford doesn't really like for the public to have any input. He doesn't like a lot of discussion by commissioners at the full commission meetings, and he doesn't like to have changes from the original script.

When you watch the tape of the meeting, Ford turns to County Mayor David Purkey and to County Attorney Rusty Cantwell. Ford is not really happy with the question and comments and amendment by Commissioner Wampler, but in the end he can't stop the amendment and he himself votes for the amendment. Why? Because the amendment brings Hamblen County into compliance with state law and saves taxpayer money, too. How could you oppose that?

The real question is, why did it take four months to get a vote on coming into compliance with state law on the floor at a county commission meeting? Many thanks to Commissioner Wampler for doing "the right thing." Commissioner Wampler showed that one commissioner can make a difference when he or she just does "the right thing" and puts it out for a vote.

Joe Powell tapes the meetings for the county and they are shown on Charter Ch 7 (goverment/education channel) at 9:00 PM on Tuesday? and Saturday nights. [I watch on Saturdays, and I think Tuesday is the other day that the tape is shown.] You can call the county mayor's office (586-1931) to find out what other day the tape is aired.

September 3, 2009 More from City Council's Meeting on 9/1/09

Other happenings at City Council on 9/1/09 and what the Trib is likely to report and what the Trib is likely to leave out.

The Trib may report today or tomorrow on the lengthy city council discussion on the Farmer's Market at the corner of S. Henry and W. Morris Boulevard. Mayor Barile did not want to discuss this on Tuesday, but councilman Gene Brooks managed to get the discussion going anyway.

Lots of ideas were thrown out---build a canopy over the area so it doesn't look, as one individual put it, like a "tent city"; sell it (proposals were sought from interested buyers about two years ago, but that's as far as it went); enforce the regulations for the market and perhaps clarify the current regulations regarding who can set up a booth and what can be sold; try to collect sales taxes (This was said to be virtually impossible since the city and state essentially rely on the honesty of the vendor to report sales and forward sales tax to the appropriate entity. It was also pointed out that farmers who are truly selling produce that they grew on their own farm are exempt from sales tax. One person said that he was pretty certain that pineapples being sold at the farmer's market were NOT grown by a local farmer).

What the Trib's Bobby Moore probably won't report is that Charles Cook asked the Mayor and Council to move their meetings to a later time--perhaps 6:00 pm--so more working members of the public could attend if they wanted to.

Cook made an excellent point---city government meetings should be held after normal work hours so the working person can attend.

I have publicly asked a number of times that County Commission move its 11:30 AM committee meetings to 5:00 PM or later for the same reasons as stated by Mr. Cook.

Government meetings should be held at times that are most convenient for the public. Having 11:30 am meetings (county commission committees) and 4:00 pm meetings (city council) shows disregard for the taxpaying public and interested citizens.

There are numerous other "public" meetings of government committees and groups that take place at 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, 3:00 pm, and other times when the public for all practical purposes is excluded. LAMPTO (Lakeway Area Metropolitan Planning Transportation Organization), Morristown Regional Planning Commission, Morristown Utility Systems, and the Solid Waste Board are a few examples.

Another item that the Trib's Bobby Moore probably won't report is that after Mr. Cook suggested having later meeting times, I asked that the Mayor and City Council tape their meetings and air them on the MUS FiberNet government/education Channel 7. Over 18 Million dollars has been spent on the FiberNet/cable/phone system operated by the City.

County Commission meetings are shown or are supposed to be shown on MUS Ch. 7 (govt/ed channel) on Tuesday and Saturday nights at 9:00 pm. [I get Charter cable, so I'm not certain if MUS is still showing county commission meetings at the same time as Charter does. I do know that MUS is supposed to air county commission meetings.]

With the millions invested in MUS FiberNet, why in the world won't the City tape and air its own meetings on MUS Ch. 7? In addition to airing the tapes, the City could allow easy internet access to the tapes of these meetings at the city's website.

If the City really cares about giving more than lip service to open government, its meetings should be held late in the evening, meetings should be taped and aired on cable Channel 7, AND the meetings should be accessible at any time on the city's website at http://www.mymorristown.com/.

I believe Mayor Barile will place the matter of meeting times on the agenda for discussion at a future work session. She was very hesitant, however, to give the same consideration to taping and airing council meetings.

UPDATE: Well, the Trib's Bobby Moore finally got around to reporting the Farmer's Market discussion (see above) in yesterday's Trib---and that was only three days after the discussion/news took place! Bobby's front-page article was under the headline Farmers Market debate resurfaces. And if you read to the end of Bobby's "Farmers Market" article, you would find a short paragraph about Mr. Cook's request that council hold meetings later in the day (see above) and my request that council televise their meetings (see above). Impressive reporting.

September 2, 2009 Jefferson County Land Purchase? Mayor Barile Did Not Talk To the Industrial Board

For all who believed "Morristown" Mayor Barile when she said that she would contact the "Morristown" Industrial Board to find out what was going on about the "Morristown" Industrial Board contacting landowners in Jefferson County about selling their land to "Morristown/Morristown Industrial Board," she didn't do it.

On August 18, she and the council were asked if they knew about contacts with Jefferson County landowners made by or on behalf of "Morristown" or the "Morristown" Industrial Board to purchase land in Jefferson County.

On August 18, Barile publicly stated that she would contact the Industrial Board and find out. Click here for what was asked on August 18 and for the Mayor's reply.

Yesterday, she was asked if she had in fact contacted the board as she said she would.

Barile replied that she had not contacted the Industrial Board.

Doing what you said you would do and finding out what the "Morristown" Industrial Board is doing are apparently not high on the list of priorities of the Mayor of "Morristown."

August 27, 2009 Crumley's Departure and Information That the Trib Doesn't Report

Sometimes, there is so much going on at home and at work that posts get postponed. [I like puns. If you don't, just give that last one the obligatory groan.]

Here's a quick catch-up post on the City Council meeting on August 18 with some interesting information that the Trib didn't report!

City Administrator Jim Crumley was "honored" at a reception at the City Center on August 18. At the council meeting that followed, Mayor Barile, Crumley's most ardent supporter, gave him a plaque and Crumley then gave his farewell speech to the assembled council and public. It was a whopper! He thanked the council and the staff for accepting his leadership and then said that there are issues of leadership in the current council.

Crumley added: "I forgive you all for the mistakes in judgment that you have made." He also offered his two bits (pun intended) of advice on the process for hiring a new city administrator. "You all have to find a leader...somebody who ends this 4-3 environment...You have got to stop the fear in your professional staff...You have got professional employees who are right now afraid to give you honest, professional recommendations because they are in fear of their jobs... I wish the City of Morristown the very best...This is not the time to hunker down. This is the time for our city to be moving." Not one person clapped.

The Trib reported Crumley's farewell speech.

What Bobby Moore, the Trib's city council reporter, did NOT report were some very interesting public comments made at the meeting.

One citizen stood up and said he was offended by the use of the term "railroad" job in reference to the firing of Crumley. [That was a term used by Mayor Barile to express her disgust at the firing/resignation that she then voted for.] The gentleman thanked the four who had removed Crumley and expressed his displeasure at Mayor Barile's removal of Kay Senter as chairman of the Finance Committee. He added that the local paper's reporting was so one-sided that it was like watching "MSNBC."

Steve Sublett also addressed council. He asked council if they knew that the Industrial Board was harassing his neighbors, wanting to buy their property. He also wanted to know if council has approached Jefferson County to let them know that Morristown is interested in property in Jefferson County. In an apparent reference to the East Tennessee Progress Center, Sublett reminded the council that "you've got 500-600 acres out there. I don't believe you need to harass people who aren't interested in selling."

He then mentioned another "pretty good rumor" that the city is interested in a new Exit 9, one mile past the current Exit 8. He asked, but received no response to his question: "Why would the city need an exit another mile up the interstate?"

Sublett added that the Industrial Board is interested in an Exit 6 as well. He mentioned that the city owns no property there. Why is an exit needed there? Most of the property being looked at is in Jefferson County. Sublett closed by saying that he'd like to know if the council "has a clue" about what is going on at the Industrial Board. No one responded, but after a long silence, Mayor Barile said: "The Industrial Board is always looking to bring in new jobs."

Sublett replied: "You already have 600 acres out there. The City is already 77 Million in debt. How are you going to buy more property? Who's going to fund that?"

No member of the council spoke. If they knew anything about discussions about purchasing property in Jefferson County and two next exits, councilmembers and the Mayor were not talking. Finally, Barile thanked Mr. Sublett and said: "I will talk with the Industrial Board and see what is happening."

She may do it, but I would suggest that no one holds his or her breath while waiting for Barile to find out and actually report to the council and to the public about what is going on at the Industrial Board in regard to purchasing property in Jefferson County or pushing for two new exits on I-81.

Hopefully, Mayor Barile has not signed any "confidentiality" agreement with the Industrial Board or others--like Jefferson County Mayor Alan Palmieri did--where she has agreed to keep public business a secret from the public. [Jefferson Countians found out that their Mayor, Alan Palmieri, and two county commissioners signed confidentiality agreements with Norfolk-Southern railroad and thus agreed to keep information about public business a secret. Word got out in Jefferson County, but only after word leaked out that discussion and conduct of public business was taking place behind closed doors. Someone needs to get an understanding of what the meaning of "public business" is and what the Tennessee Open Meetings Act is about. Of course, Hamblen County has its own problems abiding with the Open Meetings Act. Here and here.]

The Jefferson situation has been reported extensively in the Knox News-Sentinel. Here. Here. Here. Here. The comments that follow each article in the News-Sentinel are usually worthy of reading regardless of your personal position on the issue at hand.

Only if you were at the city council meeting would you know about the praise for the four councilmembers who pushed for Crumley's departure. Only if you were at the meeting would you know about the intriguing public comments by Mr. Sublett. Bob Moore of the Trib never mentioned the comments of either of these individuals.

Of course, Bob is the powers-that-be personal, if unofficial, press agent. Bob works for the only major newspaper in town and its owner is Jack Fishman--leader of the City's Industrial Board. Bob, if he wanted to be a reporter checking out leads, could have walked into Fishman's office on the day following the meeting and asked his boss if Mr. Sublett's information is correct. Of course, Bob may have already known about this whole deal. We'll soon see if Bob knew or followed up on this situation. When will Bob, the investigative reporter, confirm or quash the report that the city/industrial board is or is not trying to buy property in Jefferson County despite still having hundreds of acres of undeveloped land in the East Tennessee Progress Center?

Maybe that article is still to come?

August 11, 2009 Taxpayers Will Have To Continue To Pay for Unauthorized Car Allowances

Hamblen County is not authorized to pay car allowances to county officials. But Hamblen County pays them anyway.

Hamblen County is not authorized to provide a car or vehicle for full-time use of salaried county officials. But Hamblen County provides vehicles anyway.

And yesterday, despite state law and an attorney general's opinion, the county commission took no action to stop the unauthorized payment of car allowances and/or the unauthorized provision of vehicles for the full-time use of salaried county officials.

Instead, Hamblen County Commissioners voted to continue using taxpayer dollars to make car allowance payments while they "study" the issue.

State law regarding cars and car allowances has been on the books for years. The attorney general's opinion on cars and car allowances was made public in April 2009. The county attorney gave his opinion on cars and car allowances in May 2009. But in June 2009, the county budget was passed----WITH UNAUTHORIZED CAR ALLOWANCE PAYMENTS.

In July 2009, I asked the commission to stop the unauthorized payments. They did not do so. They sent the issue back to the August Finance Committee.

Yesterday the Finance Committee met and did not resolve the issue. Unauthorized taxpayer dollars continue to be spent while commission "studies" the situation. How long does it take to stop unauthorized payments? How many taxpayer dollars will be wasted while a study is made?

Who gets car allowances? Well, according to the county attorney, only three people get a car allowance: Assessor of Property Keith Ely ($169.32/month); Marsha Hopkins, an employee in Ely's office ($224.36/month); and Planning Director Danny Young ($350.00/month).

In the opinion of the county attorney, County Mayor David Purkey's $600/month "car allowance" is not really a car allowance. Why? Because when the Mayor requested a "car allowance," the "car allowance" was paid as a salary increase. So, in the county attorney's opinion, if someone requests a "car allowance" and if you make the "car allowance"/car expenses payment as a salary increase, suddenly it is not a "car allowance" at all.

Of course, to accept this line of reasoning, you have to totally ignore all the documents that say the $600/month is a "car allowance." The county attorney would even ignore the budget amendment-- prepared in the Mayor's office--that says "budget amendment for salary adjustment for car allowance at $600 per month."

UPDATE: See Post for September 5, 2009, for county commission's August 20 vote to stop unauthorized "car allowances" in order to come into compliance with state law.

Yep, in today's world of government entitlement and perks, in Hamblen County it all depends on what the meaning of car allowance is. It's a crying shame that a man making $83,000/year who rarely shows up in his office is so greedy that he demands an extra $7,200 taxpayer dollars so he can buy a car for himself, increase his retirement take, and make over $90,000/year plus insurance and other benefits.

Why can't the Mayor drive himself to work---like most workers do---and then check out a county car if he has county business to attend to? Or why can't he drive himself to work and then charge the county for mileage---like many county employees do---when he uses his own car for county business? Or, instead of giving the Mayor a $600/month car allowance, why doesn't the county use that $600/month ($7,200/year) to buy the county another car that can be checked out by the Mayor or others as needed?

And through it all Stancil Ford, the protector, runs interference for the County Mayor. Stancil and many other commissioners just don't understand what the average person in Hamblen County faces every day. The commission blithely gives $7,200/year of taxpayer dollars as a car allowance to a County Mayor who is already making $83,000/year so he can top off at $90,000/year and boost his already cushy state retirement.

There is never a thought to the fact that part of the Mayor's car allowance and salary comes from the widow living on a fixed income of $550/month ($6,600/year) in social security benefits, from the recently laid-off worker, from the individual who has no health insurance, and from the family that scrimps and saves to get by while the government throws more money and more perks at the richest government officials and employees.

In October 2006, only one person on the commission opposed giving the Mayor an extra $7,200/year. That person was Ricky Bruce. Ricky and I have disagreed and still disagree on many spending issues, but this is one where Ricky clearly got it right.

When the county commission said "no" to raises for county employees this year, they said "yes" once again to giving the Mayor $7,200 for a car allowance. IF that money is to be spent at all, take away the car allowance and buy the county a car instead of giving the Mayor money to buy himself a car at taxpayer expense.

Oh, and the county attorney added that the Mayor and others who get a car allowance don't even have to drive their own car on county business. They can take the car allowance and do what they want with it and then check out a county car and drive it on official business. That's one heck of a deal. The Mayor gets a car allowance salary increase but he can still use county cars or have others--like Eric Carpenter in his big new county Ford Expedition--drive him to Nashville and other destinations unknown.

August 11, 2009 Barking Dogs Get Commission's Attention Again...Another Meeting Is on the Way

At yesterday's meeting of the Public Services Committee of the Hamblen County Commission, there was lengthy discussion and many public comments about barking dogs, bark collars, coon dogs, an allegedly weak and/or unenforced nuisance ordinance, limitations on the number of animals per acre, and all things dog-related.

The Sheriff, a current Animal Control Officer, the former head of animal control for the City of Morristown (Gene Honeycutt), and several individuals who voiced complaints about constant barking in their neighborhoods were at the meeting.

The problem is easily stated. Crafting a solution that satisfies everyone will be impossible.

At the end of the meeting, it was decided to have another meeting.

August 10, 2009 Two Enter Democrat Primary for Hamblen County Sheriff

The field is getting more crowded in the race for Hamblen County Sheriff in 2010.

Democrat Ernie Burzell's recent announcement that he would be running for sheriff in 2010 was quickly followed by Democrat Freddie Kimbrough's announcement that he would be running for sheriff in 2010 as well.

Two Republicans, Sheriff Esco Jarnigan and Brett Kilgore, have already announced that they will be battling it out in the Republican primary in 2010.

August 10, 2009 Last-minute Addition to Today's Hamblen County Committee Agenda?

There is a strong rumor from several sources that a last-minute addition will be made to a Hamblen County Commission Committee agenda today. [Maybe Finance Committee?]

It seems that a few officials and maybe a commissioner or two have been involved and have been "in the know" about the availability of some money for school capital improvements. Today, the rest of the commissioners may be let in on the information.

This looks like it may be one of those rush-rush deals that is thrown at commissioners with the dire warning that this must be done right away. You always wonder how decisions involving millions can be made on the spur-of-the-moment.

But, then again, our Congress passes bills involving billions and trillions without reading them, so why shouldn't our local county commissioners approve loans and refinancings and appropriate millions on the spur-of-the-moment?

[Post meeting update: Tennessee is to receive millions in stimulus funds and school districts across the state can apply for construction loans. The Hamblen County School Board is going to apply for about $13 Million in school construction loans. As it was presented, the loan has to be paid back but with no interest. The deadline for the application to be submitted in Nashville is around August 21. I believe it was mentioned that 1/10 of the funds received have to be spent within six months. You can bet your bottom dollar that school districts will be slapping loan applications together to get at all the money floating around.]

August 10, 2009 Tribune: Double Stories, Double Pictures, and a Front Page Headline Problem

If you were reading the Tribune yesterday, August 9th, you may have done a double "double-take"!

The Trib put the same exact article in two different sections of yesterday's paper. Tommy Bible, general manager of the Jefferson-Cocke County Utility District, received the Tennessee Gas Association's Silver Flame Award. The Trib decided to let you read about Bible's honor on page C-8 under the headline Tommy Bible winner of TGA Silver Flame Award or, if you missed it there, you could read it again on page D-2 under the headline Bible earns TGA Award. Same story, same wording, same report from an unidentified source. [Congratulations, Mr. Bible. Congratulations, Mr. Bible.]

And a picture on page A-3 of yesterday's Trib of two lovely father-daughter duos buying dance tickets might have made you think "Wait, didn't I see a picture of these same people buying dance tickets in the Trib on August 7th." Relax. You aren't going crazy. The same people, in a slightly different pose, did appear in the August 7th and the August 9th Tribune.

The article that accompanied each picture was similar but with one major difference. On August 7th, the article written by Mike Williams said that the individuals were buying tickets for a father-daughter dance at All Saints' Episcopal Church as a fundraiser for Stepping Out Ministries. On August 9th, the article "from Staff Reports" said that the individuals were buying tickets for a father-daughter dance at All Saints' Episcopal Church as a fundraiser for the Imagination Library book program.

Both pictures included the same people: Melissa Carson of Stepping Out Ministries with the father-daughter duos of Bob and Maggie Vick and Landon and Alyssa Gibson.

Finally, expect a correction on yesterday's front-page headline that read: West announces candidacy for county clerk. Teresa West is not running for county clerk, a position currently held by Linda Wilder. West is running for Circuit Court Clerk, a position currently held by Kathy Mullins who is not seeking re-election in 2010. The article "from Staff Reports" had the right information but the headline, well, it was a mess.

By the way, if you have ever wondered why so many Trib articles don't name the local reporter, it is my understanding that the Trib will not put the name of the same reporter as a by-line for two articles on the same page. Bobbie Young may write two front-page stories, but the Trib will only put her name/by-line on one of her stories and her second story will show "staff reports" as the by-line. Of course, some "news" articles are just press releases or info that has been sent in by city or county government or the school board and these, too, may have a "staff reports" or "contributed reports" by-line.

[UPDATE: The Trib's correction on the Teresa West article appeared in little print on page 2 today. The paper apologized for the error and said that West is running for Circuit Court Clerk.]

August 5, 2009 Drugs, Planning Commission, Koch Foods Sewer Bill, Interim City Administrator, City Audit, Sheriff's Race in 2010

Drugs: Mexico to Morristown (via Atlanta). The Knoxville News-Sentinel report is here. [Here's the Trib link. Catch it while you can---- the Trib disables its links quickly.]

John Cahill recently resigned from the Morristown Regional Planning Commission. He was appointed to the post by former Mayor John Johnson. Mayor Sami Barile appointed Katy Tindall to replace Cahill.

Koch Foods is contesting its huge sewer bill. According to the Trib, the Koch Foods administrative hearing will take place on August 28 (no time or place was mentioned). This involves a dispute over months and months of unpaid sewer bills for the Koch Foods chicken processing plant in the East Tennessee Progress Center. Apparently, Koch Foods is disputing the city's calculation of charges. Koch claims that it is being billed for all wastewater coming out of the East Tennessee Progress Center near I-81 and all wastewater coming from businesses at Exit 8 near I-81.

Buddy Fielder was recently appointed as interim City Administrator by departing City Administrator Jim Crumley. Fielder will serve until a new permanent city administrator is named.

The City, after considering switching audit firms, has decided to stay with Craine, Thompson & Jones. CTJ will be paid $36,000 for the annual audit and promises to get the fiscal year 09 (FY 09) audit in on time if MUS turns in its numbers by December 1, 2009. Several months ago, Crumley blamed the auditors for the lateness of the FY 08 audit that was not available until June 2009. CTJ in turn blamed MUS. It is my opinion that auditors should be switched about every 3-5 years as a matter of policy. See my May 12 and April 29 posts.

On top of the $36,000 direct cost of the CTJ audit, CPA Joe Swann will again be paid to help city staff "close the books" at the end of the fiscal year. Swann was reportedly paid $10,000 last year for helping city budget staff close the books. It looks like the more fancy accounting software and gadgets you get, the more help you need in using them.

With its budget and financial staff, why does the city have to hire and pay Joe Swann or anyone else $10,000 to "close the books" at the end of the accounting year? If city personnel don't know how to close the books, the city should ask for help from the software supplier (MUNIS) or pay for the training that would enable the staff to "close the books" and save the city taxpayers $10,000 per year.

And Ernie Burzell has announced that he will be a candidate for Sheriff in 2010 in the Democrat primary.