Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Mt. Sterling council: Questions arise about private use of village phones

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 16:26:22 -0500

Mt. Sterling council: Questions arise about private use of village phones

JIM BOGGAN
Press Staff Writer
Published January 14, 2003 10:52 AM CST

Under new leadership on Monday night Mt. Sterling
village council took a second look at a phone contract
which may allow private users to benefit.

Councilwoman Sherrie Cooper was elected council
president pro-tem on a nomination by Mary Lou
Stiverson, replacing Stiverson.

Committee assignments were made also, amid discussion
of who best to serve where.

But the bulk of the meeting was taken up with charges of
private individuals included on the proposed village phone
contract.

Questions arose during consideration of a resolution to
enter into a contract with Nextel for cell phone service for
village employees when councilwoman Cindy Rolfe said
she had noticed names on the list of those who would be
using village phones who were not village employees.

Mayor Robert Roy told her that in each case of a phone
being used by someone other than a village employee,
users were signing releases so that they could be billed at
their home addresses.

Rolfe replied that she was concerned also with the fact
that private individuals would be using phones which were
in the name of the village and said she did not think that
was a proper use of tax money.

During an interview Tuesday morning, Rolfe emphasized
that she had not wanted to attack anyone about the issue.

"It's not personal," she said. "It's just right and wrong."

She said her other concern was village liability for bills
which may be unpaid by private individuals listed on the
village account.

Rolfe had said, during the meeting, that seven of the 24
names on the list were of private individuals.

Roy went down the list and noted that several were wives
of employees.

Rolfe challenged the list, claiming that at least one was a
former secretary who had no current job with the village.

She said Tuesday that the person in question was a former
secretary of the village solicitor.

Roy told council that the contract would save the village
money over the previous contract, while providing more
features for greater efficiency. One of these, he said, was
a "walkie-talkie" feature by which one user could contact
all the others and talk with them at the same time.

After the meeting, Roy said that, during an emergency,
that feature alone could enable a spouse to notify an
employee who was not carrying a phone but was nearby
of the emergency.

He said also that he did not believe there were any on the
list with no connection to the village.

"We saved a ton of money," he said, by ordering more
phones.

Asked during the meeting by Roy about the matter, village
solicitor Mark Pitstick said he did not have the contract "in
front of me," but that questions were being considered.

"It arose when Dusty (Parker, village administrator), was
on vacation," Pitstick said. "We didn't have all of the
information. He's back now. We'll get the information and
talk with Nextel."

In answer to questions by Rolfe, Pitstick said she was
correct in believing that if individuals did not pay their bills,
the village would be liable.

"That goes against our credit," she said.

"How was this not brought before council?"

Roy explained that Parker had the authority to spend up
to $15,000 without asking council.

She asked if all users had signed the waiver, and was told
by clerk-treasurer Pam Chambers that some had not.

"I thought they had," Roy said.

Rolfe expressed concern about village liability for the
cancellation fees, should they not do so.

In the end, council voted to bring forward the money
necessary to pay for the contract with the intention of
getting the questions answered before initiating the deal.

Stiverson said those who had not signed waivers should
do so "by Friday."

Reviewing Roy's list of committee assignments, Rolfe said
some council members were assigned to far more
committees than others and asked why. Roy replied that
some of the committees in question did not meet as often.

During some shuffling of assignments, Rolfe and
councilwoman Bonnie Bricker asked whether it was
proper for councilwoman Diane Bower to have a seat on
the finance committee, since a family member is suing the
village regarding a job offer with the police and therefore
can only abstain during most votes related to the police.

Roy replied that he had checked it out with Pitstick and
that the appointment was proper.

Though Roy has the authority to make committee
appointments, council members approved them, with
changes, by voice vote.

Roy is asking also for eighth- through 12th-grade
Madison-Plains students to volunteer to fill an advisory
committee which will meet once per month in town hall to
provide the village with input into matters concerning them.

Parker will be attending a summit of the Ohio Bureau of
Workers' Compensation which will save the village half
the annual payment. That fluctuates from year to year, but
it could come to about $5,000 saved.

In other action:

* Stiverson provided council members with a summary list
of the accomplishments of council under her leadership,
including legislation passed;

* council suspended emergency rules requiring reading of
legislation during three different meetings prior to passage
in order to approve an application by the village for a
grant to pay for police overtime; and

* the finance committee will meet at 4:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, Jan. 15 in town hall.

Jim Boggan can be reached at (740) 852-1616,
1-800-282-3838 or by e-mail at
[email-masked]
http://www.madison-press.com/NF/omf/madison/news_story.html?[rkey=0013964+[cr=gdn

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/