The old saying “round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows,” was heard on each and every radio broadcast of the Major Bowles Amateur Hour.
In today’s Augusta government, the elected officials and department directors sound akin to a croupier spinning a roulette wheel and dropping the ball into play.
Yes indeed, “round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows.” Except in the case of most of Augusta’s elected officials, they do know.
They have that hidden stop button so that the ball, in this case money, lands in the pocket of the intended. I say this because the vast majority of money doesn’t appear to be spent on what it’s supposed to be spent on.
Everyone in office seems to have the same chant going for them: “We don’t have the money.” They say this while spending money like they have a printing press in the basement of the Municipal building. And I know for a fact they don’t because I have been in that basement.
If there happen to have been any money trees, they’re all gone now. The city seems to be in great haste to cut down as many healthy trees as they can while ignoring the dying or dead trees that pose a threat.
For a city that doesn’t have a certified arborist on its staff, they are blindly wandering in the wilderness, chopping down any tree they can find.
Roy Simkins is the chairman of the Augusta Tree Commission and is a true champion for the trees. As chairperson of the Tree Commission, you would think the city government would at least share with him its plans before doing anything. But nothing is ever shared beforehand. That would be too respectful, so we can’t have that.
I have to say the so-called plan to right-size the city government would be laughable if it actually were to be put into place. In reality, it’s just another illusion with smoke and mirrors.
Let’s begin with the grass cutting program. It seems the plan is to take the grass cutting duties away from the Engineering Department, the Environmental Department and the Parks and Recreation Department. All grass cutting duties would be consolidated into the Central Services Department.
Now, does this mean that the assigned budgets for these departments as well as the Stormwater fees monies are to be taken and given to the Central Services?
What about the million dollars that was given to the Land Bank for lot grass cutting and maintenance? Will that be taken back and given to Central Services?
Something everyone should recall. When the Engineering Director Hameed Malik took over the landfill operations, he was given a substantial raise in salary for the added duties.
Before Takiyah Douse took over as city interim administrator, she was the director of Central Services. The move to interim administrator brought with it a rather nice raise. Now, if a very strange circumstance were to occur and Douse was not made permanent administrator, she would go back to Central Services as the director.
Now, she would retain most of the salary as interim administrator. She would also receive a nice raise for now having to take on the responsibilities of the grass mowing functions. It was an excellent plan she thought of for herself, and the plan was praised by all that listened from the commission dais.
No worries for Ron Lampkin, the interim director, for Central Services. He will retain most of the salary given as the interim.
That’s just the way Augusta does it.
But, on the other hand what happens if Takiyah Douse is chosen to become the city administrator? Will she be expecting her salary to be $240,000 yearly plus benefits and perks, just as Odie Donald received during his short tenure here?
My bet would be yes. If not, then stand by for an EOC complaint for gender discrimination. Either way, she’s got herself covered.
Another laughable part of the right sizing is the “reassigning underutilized vehicles.”
I once asked why directors received an auto allowance when there was a fleet of vehicles that could be used for their duties? Answer given was that it is less costly for them to use their personal vehicle and pay for all insurance and upkeep for maintenance.
Most of the directors seldom if ever have to go into the field. Therefore, the auto allowance must be for their expense to travel to and from work.
A question that needs to be answered is, if a director is on city business using their personal vehicle and has an accident, who is responsible for all damages? Both property and personal bodily injuries?
Will the employee’s personal auto insurance cover it? Probably not if the insurance company was unaware that the vehicle was being used for work-related business. Therefore the taxpayer’s would be paying for all damages.
Have you ever ventured down to the Municipal building on the weekend? There, you will see between 20 and 30 city vehicles parked in the parking lot as well as on the street.
Now, these vehicles are being used by people working in the building. They drive their personal cars to work and park them in the parking lot. Therefore, each employee is in theory taking up two parking spaces.
That’s some of the reason that citizens coming to conduct business can’t find a parking space for themselves.
Speaking of city owned vehicles, where is or who has the former mayor’s SUV?
Betcha it wasn’t used to pick up our country’s First Lady Jill Biden at the airport.
As always, you just can’t make this stuff up.
