Atomic City Talk

After our female commissioner spent 15 minutes berating anyone who gets in her way and telling everyone how wonderful she is, the Operations Committee starting dealing with business. First on the agenda was the Trustee's Agreement that the Law Director had no idea what it said and how to enforce it. Then came the grants that the lord mayor provided to Commissioner Bolling. As usual there was insufficient information. What's the problem here? He says every grant crosses his desk but has no idea how they are administered and who is getting fees from them. Does he not have a file cabinet in the Mr. Building and Grants office with all this information? Did he not say in the past that his secretary received $6,000 per year from a grant but last night said no one received money from these grants. Seems like there is never a paper trail in this county. Next on the agenda was the Tobacco Grant given to the Boys Club this year but no one seems to know where they have gone in previous years and ,as wonderful of an organization that the Boy's Club is, why do they need tobacco grant money? Why not the Health Department or the Courts for Tobacco Court? Who made that stupid decision? Commissioners have no idea. I guess the lord mayor or the CHUMP did. The audit was another topic of discussion but it was nixed by the Law Director who said it would cost $60,000. When you are concerned about an $80 mil Budget why not? Also, the offices that need audited are those associated with Accounting since the Budget Director left, not the fee offices. Oh, and then there is the Salary Survey which has been conducted by the HR Department. Is it surprising that the survey includes over $5,000 raise for the HR Director, who just got a big raise. The HR Director advised the Operations Committee that everyone is in favor of it. INCORRECT. The Chairman took a beating for bringing retirees from TVA to help with the Salary Survey. TVA is frugile with their salaries, WRONG. I heard through the grapevine that this was more entertaining than any TV show could be. Sorry it was not televised since TV had nothing good on last night. We missed a good show. Thank you Commissioner Bolling, Cox, Gillenwater and McKamey for asking the tough questions. I am just sorry no one ever answers them and when they do, you catch them in half truths.

How can the Law Director nix the idea of an audit? Is it illegal to perform an audit? If there isn't a legal question in mind shouldn't he keep his mouth closed, other than legal issues should he have any kind of opinion or say in anything dealing with the commission and their committees? Sounds like someone needs to go back over the Law Director's job description with him, before someone accuses him of interferring in county business that is within commissioners rights and duties to perform. By the way, has he moved to Anderson County yet?

Sounds like fireworks to me. As far as the Law Director nixing the idea just telling the committee it would cost $60,000 was enough for that. Wonder how he knows what an audit would cost? He seems to know a lot about everything. You know that saying Jack of all Trades, Master of None. I think that is what we are dealing with here. His nose seems to be into everything instead of what it needs to be in, and that is legal opinions. I heard he is the one pushing for this survey on salaries. He is particularly interested in the HR raise. If you remember, he went to bat before Commission and just about begged for her raise the last time. As far as where he lives I guess that is a toos up, know one seems to have that information.

Audits by the Comptroller's office costs so much per person in the county based on the most recent census. Pretty simple formula.

They are not recommending the Comptrollers Office. They are looking for outside bids from firms to audit. The $60,000 one was a forensic audit like Knox County according to the Law Director. I would ask for bids on both types of audits. But then no one cares what I would do.

Professional services are not subject to bid. A private accounting firm will be even more expensive than the Comptroller's Office and would be just as effective.

I think it's smart to use an outside firm. If I were the new head of accounting I would want an audit done, unless I was hired to just keep doing the same old thing. Ask Rodney Archer if he is glad he had an audit done when he took over.

You think!! I know Archer had to clear the books out which is just good practice. The Comptrollers office serves a purpose but when the audit is in depth I would also use an outside firm. There was trouble in the Trustee's Office before it was ever discovered and the Comptroller had done an audit and gave a clean bill of health. Just like everything else, the audit became routine and no one was looking for problems, therefore the records were just brushed over. I would want someone who would go in depth and give an a ok or there's problems. Business as usual is exactly why this hire was made IMHO.

In order for any county to run efficiently I would expect the county mayor to have some sort of communication with his commission not an in your face attitude. To threaten commission with do it my way or I will have my CHUMP find an angle to get around it stinks. We as taxpayers need to elect someone with a little more class and better communication skills than what we have now. I can gaurantee you if this joker decides to run for office again he will not get it without the fight of his life so if I were him, I would lick my wounds and go to Atlanta.

I have seen this reference to Atlanta pop up a lot recently. I have heard that the mayor will end up there but I think it is more likely he will end up in Florida. Think about it, all the people who have been bought by the Arowoods end up in Florida.