I Would Like Gila County to Cut Cell Phone Expenses Now.

I have to pay for my own cellphone, whch I use a great deal in my work. So, I expect no different for our "public servants," than I do myself.

#25: Guest - Re: Re: Cell Phones

Say Whaaaaaaaat? Who did you bite in the county today? Ok, you wrote on this discussion board, guess what, that's great! Your passion and anger tells us your not just listening, your hearing what we are saying. Today I debated with Shirley Dawson, who says the cell phone policy has been working well. She says we are wasting their time. She says a few things taxpayers/county employees will find enlightning.

The truth is KQSS is all bark. We are just a few. The community, the taxpayers are the teeth. KQSS is front and center on the issue. Use your passion to encourage other who feel the same way, and you know their out there, to step up sign the petition or you can contact your Gila County Supervisor at....

#27: Guest - Re: Re: Re: Cell Phones

From Shirley D. to Joe but sent to me:

I will not be responding to Miss K until I am back. In the meantime, Joe, would you please waste your time and pull up my expenditures for DC

My response:

According to Arizona Revised Statute the information requested should already be documented and available for public access at any time during business hours. Having these records available is a condition of the position for which you were elected, as well as the law. It's troubling that a public official would deem them "A waste of time."

From Shirley D:

Susan,
The records are available; however, it takes valuable staff time to research and answer specific questions.
Gila County is one of the counties in AZ, which is recognized for its Transparency. Our budget is posted for review and comments.

My response:

I looked at the county budget, I could not find any information about trip spending, nor could I find the $223,000. a year cell phone expenditure listed, or the cost to the taxpayer to product and maintain records for public view. County employees are tired of the waste, tired of seeing new people hired, new positions created after the hiring freeze, money spent on upgrading facilities while they haven’t had a cost of living raise in 3 years, they are tired of their taxes going up. This is a “silent majority” that is not likely to be silent for long.

At appears Shirley D. attempted to forward my previous response and the following statement to county manager Don McDaniel’s but instead sent it to us:

Don,
We need a PR person handling this JUNK!

one way to stop the abuse is to take them away...does someone track the minutes per month of each user?

No Name as they will attempt to continue to fire me. !!!

$52 a month is a hell of a deal for cell phone service!

#30: william long - cell phones 

 The county says there is no additional charges for use.

#29: Susan K - Conversations with Shirley Dawson 

 refer to #7, elected officials can do anything they want,  especially in a church going Globe/Miami community that places their trust in government, until the government's personal hidden agendas are revealed and the truth is spoken.

Why does a secretary need a county budgeted cell phone? They should have 20 or so cellphones that are used for emergency services during a disaster that are issued AND signed for ONLY during disasters. These phones should have an accompanying 30 day prepaid unlimited time card that costs about $50 NOT an ongoing charged of whatever the cost is right now. Also, the phones that are issued should be basic plain phones. No picture or video streaming or other bells and whistles. Elected county supervisors and department heads (not supervisors) should have to use either their own phone and be reimbursed up to $50 a month or carry $50 a month prepaid phones.

Also, county vehicles should not be allowed for personal use. Many county employees seem to have county vehicles parked in the home driveways overnight. Are these people still on the county clock? Is this a perk for all county employees? Why do we find county vehicles at Walmart, grocery stores, and kids events after hours? What county business justifies the fuel being used and does the county insurance cover non-county passengers like friends, family, or children? Are the vehicles being inspected and signed out on a daily basis? Are the miles being kept track of and their purpose? I think not. But if they were I bet the county would save a whole lot of money on fuel, especially now that fuel is nearing $4.00/gallon. How much money was spent on fuel last year for the county?

Thank you Susan and Bill for standing up for our community and actually doing what we have only talked about for so long!

Regarding the waste of money and the raising (again!) of our property taxes by the ELECTED officials of the County, please remember that just as we voted them in, WE CAN VOTE THEM OUT. We cannot change their behaviors or their policies – written and unwritten – but we can speak with our ballots when we are fed up with the misuse of our limited resources, the doublespeak and waste and the complete disregard for the citizens of the county. If they raise our taxes, freeze our wages and then turn around and create new positions and give preferential treatment and wage increases to those they deem “worthy”, hand out cell phones and county vehicles like Halloween candy, and refuse to consider any other way of cutting expenses than putting the costs on our backs, then lets vote for someone who WILL be fiscally responsible, open and honest, and who will honor their word. The Supervisors who won’t listen should be voted out and replaced with those who will! The Department Heads who waste money and feel entitled to spend recklessly should be fired and replaced by responsible, hard working people who will do a good job and do it within a reasonable budget. There are many good people working for the county, who work within their budgets and don’t have the attitude of entitlement shown in other departments, handing out cars and Blackberries as if it were some inalienable right. The Treasurer, Recorder and Assessor’s offices are examples of people who are trying to work within a budget, and they don’t abuse the car and phone “perks”. If they need to send someone to Payson to pick up or deliver materials, they check with the other departments to see if they have anything that needs to go or be brought back. Only the department heads and their deputies have County paid-for phones, they don’t use their cars for personal use. Gary Goettleman and the Clerk of Courts office is another good example of government working FOR the people and not using them as a cash cow.

Pay attention to the job your elected officials are doing, read the meeting minutes – they are published in the paper after every meeting. Be aware of how your money is being spent, and by whom. Ask the tough question, and insist on honest and complete answers. And most of all – VOTE. We get the government that we tolerate…. Why tolerate abuses, why keep paying ever increasing taxes, why complain to each other and not to the people responsible? Your vote matters, and VOTE AGAINST WASTE!

#26: Melodee Hobbs - cellphones

If cell phones are used for work, they should be provided. However, why are cell phones being used? If a message system is in place for non-emergency employees, then it should be used, rather than cell phones.

Just a thought - why do you take it for granted that (non-emergency)department heads need cell phones? Are there not assistants in the office to take calls and messages? If there were not a system of landlines it would be a different matter.

#38: - Department Heads

You are correct. I thought of that yesterday when the personnel supervisor Birdie Dennero ($72,000. a year) said "what if I walk away and leave my own phone, and I'm in another room and my work cell phone rings, I will have it right there."

Well I thought how nice, you wont have to carry your own heavy phone everywhere, and of course you will always have your county cell phone on you incase you walk into a room without a phone. Get your own phone!

And, when Shirley Dawson ($68,000. a year) said that during a bad storm one time, she was at home, and a woman called her because a mud slide had come down on her driveway and blocked her in her garage. Because she has had a county cell phone she was able to call Steve Stratton ($90,000. a year). and they were able to help the woman. I asked her, don't you have a home phone? If not, get your own phone. They are making the big bucks and still we provide them with phones and vehicles and who knows what else.

 

#39: Susan K - Re: Department Heads 

 And from what I hear better insurance than the regular employees

#36: - VOTE THEM OUT 

 

#26: Melodee Hobbs - cellphones 

 Yes but if you use your cell phone for work, are you not allow to take it as a tax deduction? Cell phones are not issued just because. They are provided for business use only and that is what they are used for.

More oversight is required in the county (not to mention State and the Feds). Has anyone checked the use of county vehicles? Expense accounts? What departments are using/abusing the system?

It appears that the individuals who are employed or have been elected to county service do not realize that their paychecks come from taxpayers. Maybe its time for major replacements of personal so they don't enjoy the retirement benefits they receive for a few years of filling a slot so their is an awakening to the fact that they are suppose to serve the people and not their own agendas. Economic conditions are not very good and people on the county payroll should understand that spending our money like its water is not acceptable.

Cell phones... peanuts... That is nothing.... There is NO inventory control at the county. You would be amazed what has been driven, carried and walked off.

#45: GA -  

 and taxpayers would be empowered by the information. The things that you are talking about are important for more than just news. These issues need to be addressed. We are not just talking about these issues for the news, there are people who are listening, taking in information and looking into things. With a new level of focus on tranaparency and combatting corruption every bit of tangable information provided helps outside agencies take action. I spoke with a former Gila County elected official who said "Gila County residence are better workers than they are thinkers. They may complain about paying more taxes, but that dies down and they pay." I disagree, let's show them different.

#43: acountytaxpayer - Cell phones 

 We have been waiting 3 weeks for a list of county vehicles.

I don't understand the need for all these cellphones. The public still has to call the offices and you get their mailbox and they never return calls when you leave message.

#3: Susan K - Re: cell phones 

 I can't imagine the mindset that can deny raises to most (but not all - you can reclassify as a "specialist" - formerly known as "clerk" or add "administrative" to your title) of their employees for SIX YEARS, but can justify handing out Droids and Blackberries to almost half of the employees and their families; purchase fully-loaded Explorers at $30k a pop for take-home vehicles (41+ OF THEM!) in violation of state law; and give $15,000 raises to the Personnel -excuse me, Human Resources - Director.  The raise was due, I am told, because she assumed the Risk Management duties.  However, the Director who gave up that chore ALSO received a $15,000 raise, and the two employees who originally were hired as Risk Managment Analyst and Risk Management Administrator were given two newly created positions "so they didn't lose their jobs".  So much for the hiring freeze and the wage freeze... there have been multiple new positions created.  It isn't about saving money, it's about a sense of entitlement - the Silent Majority can do without, so long as the people calling the shots can have their free vehicles, their free phones, their raises and their Wii games, big screen TVs and whatever else they feel entitled to... they will just raise your taxes EVERY YEAR to pay for it, and cut out cost of living raises for the average worker.  Viola! More money to toss out the window, and if anyone protests, well they should just be grateful they have a job.  REGISTER TO VOTE!  GET OUT AND VOTE!  AND VOTE THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T CARE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY OUT!  Our personnel director - excuse me, Human Resources Director - doesn't pay one penny of property taxes to Gila County, her children do not go to school here, she doesn't live in this County, doesn't shop in this County and has absolutely nothing to lose if it all goes down the toilet.  The tax increases to pay her don't affect her in any way. I can't help but wonder why she has to drive 100+ miles each way to go to work - didn't anyone in Maricopa or Pinal County feel she was a desirable candidate?  Or was Gila County the only one to recognize what a bargin she is?  When that department was staffed by only 2 people, it ran a lot more efficiently - it seems doubling the staff halved the performance. And there is that pesky little statute regarding public records - all emails and correspondence and telephone logs are supposed to be public record.  Is the need for the Droids and Blackberries about "improved customer service" - despite those numbers being unavailable to anyone or is it about circumventing the statutes regarding public records?  Hmmm.... they wouldn't do that, would they?

 

#25: Guest - Re: Re: Cell Phones 

 You know, it would be great to be able to report on the good in our community..and there IS a lot of good.  Unfortunately, the abuse of power and the reckless and irresponsible spending at both the County and City level has made it tough to put on the old "happy face".  Wake up and look around you - if you owned property that was a fire hazard, and a fire started on your property which spread to neighboring properties and destroyed their homes, how would you feel?  And if that property belonged to the County or the City, and their response was basically "too bad", would you put a big smile on your face and just go on?  If you were denied raises for 6 years because "there is no money, just tighten your belt", and you saw that same entity handing out cars and Droids as if they were party favors, would you just put on your happy face?  Our government - both local and national - is destroying the middle class, putting us all into debt and apparently intends to continue whether we protest or not.  Our only option is to make everyone aware of what is going on, where the money is going and who is responsible.  And hopefully, enough people will wake up and get out there and vote the bums out!  Our quality of life is at risk, and let's face it - the people that were voted in to guide us and protect us don't give a damn.  They are filling their pockets at our expense, and they do not intend to stop until we make them stop.  Drive out to the new Public Works building... $8 MILLION dollars, and counting.  to house roughly 25 employees and to park their tax-payer funded vehicles.  This during a time of economic hardship!  Those vehicles are parked in the lots all day, and are gone in the evening and on weekends.  GET REAL!  Most of us can't afford to fix our old vehicles and certainly can't afford new ones, but we are paying for the vehicles, insurance, registration, repairs and maintenance - not to mention gas and oil - for people who are making double and triple what the average worker makes.  We are paying for their cellphones, which are used mainly for personal calls.  We are paying for their family members to have Blackberries, as well - yet we can't afford them for ourselves or our families.  Tell me, how do we put a positive and cheerful spin on that?  The Assessor takes the heat for the tax increases, but he has absolutely no control over them - the increases are passed by the Board of Supervisors, he has no voice in the matter - he just takes the heat and the calls from the upset taxpayers.  You owe it to yourself to learn about what is happening, who is really responsible and then to take the proper action to fix the problem.  In this case, you need to vote out the people who are lining their pockets with your hard earned money and elect someone who actually cares about your quality of life and your future, and whether your family will have good health care, quality education and a home to live in along with good nutrition and a FUTURE.  Our future is looking pretty grim right now.  and it won't stop until we face the facts, whether they are pleasant or not and whether or not they are delivered with a perky smile and cheerful voice.  If you care about your future, you better care about who is driving the car that takes us there.