Charges that the prior County Board of Commissioners deliberately obscured the reorganization of the Coos County Road Department from the general public have not abated since the New Year’s Eve layoff of twenty-road workers. Done before Commissioner Bob Main took office, he was denied the opportunity to vote but has still had to live with the consequences. The timing of the decision further fueled claims the Board acted with a deliberate lack of transparency.
Citizens claim the bare minimum notice was given and even that was written in code and further used unapproved budget. Testimony about possible serious impacts to public safety was given week after week at the weekly BOC meetings.
Citizens questioned the impromptu budget projections, prepared without public input, used to justify the work force reduction and asked questions and pointed out perceived discrepancies and anomalies in the prepared figures to the Board. Main moved twice to reconsider the reorganization to allow the public to have input in the process and was overruled each time by Whitty and Stufflebean.
A December 31, 2008 press release explaining the road department reorganization includes a five-year revenue projection. The projection, prepared by Commissioner Stufflebean, shows a beginning balance of $3,500,000 for 2009-10, a half million less than the previous year. However, current budget work sheets indicate a proposed beginning balance of $5,867,497 or $2.3 million more than the New Year’s Eve projection.
The New Year’s Eve projection indicated $9, 749,761 total revenue for 2009-10 when the current budget work sheets indicate a $13,974,270 total revenue. The first projection would indicate a shortfall of approximately a million dollars from the previous year while the current work sheets indicate an increase of almost $4 million, a net difference of $5 million.
Although a budget shortfall has not been reconciled to explain the 11th hour layoffs, in February, a previously undisclosed reason for the road department reorganization may have been revealed. During a meeting with ORC regarding mineral leases for chromite mining Stufflebean advised the recent reorganization provided him with funds to make $450,000 of improvements to W Beaver Hill Road to support future mining activities.
“One of the reasons it was essential we do some of those is everybody who has read the URS report that was provided by Oregon Resources Corporation, Coos County needed to make a $450,000 investment of their share just to deal with maintenance of the road department itself on W Beaver Hill. With the changes we made that was factored into that. We will now have the money to actually make that investment.â€
The URS report cited above relates to Condition 13 of a conditional use permit allowing ORC to conduct mining operations. Condition 13 possibly commits the County to a proportional share of the cost of upgrading W Beaver Hill Road to an industrial grade road.
In March, testimony to the Board claiming the remaining road crew were not adequate to maintain 600 miles of county road were ignited when an 88 year-old man in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease drowned on Fishtrap Road. Roadmaster John Rowe has not explained why barriers were not in place.
Also at issue are the $2.8 million in maintenance costs attributed to the road department equipment listed within the press release for the period December ’04 to November ’08. Members of the public began filing requests for public records that included obtaining details about the maintenance of specific pieces of equipment.
Evidence from these public records indicates some of the costs may have been inflated. One example, a three year-old brush cutter, showed maintenance costs totaling almost $80,000. Review of the records indicates some costs were attachments and upgrades and more than $36,000 was lease payments, a capital outlay not a maintenance cost.
Current budget work sheets do not break out year-to-date equipment maintenance costs. Nor is it clear where the $367,526 projected buyout and layoff costs to date are allocated. An adjusted budget line item entitled ‘OTHER EXPENSE’ totaling $1,000,000 with a $549,427 year-to-date actual cost may include maintenance and buyout costs.
A spreadsheet used in support of the layoffs depicting the last ten years of operation indicated the road department had operated in the red eight of those years. Former roadmaster, Larry Van Elsberg ran the department seven of those years and noted that the department had always had a balanced budget. County governments do not have the luxury of running in the red as the federal government does.
Other department budgets have been under scrutiny including the Sheriff’s Department and the IT Department. The 2006-07, budget allocates $2,868,091 to the Sheriff’s Criminal Division and only $192,635 to information technology. By the 2008-09, budget year the amounts were $1,997,922 and $1,417,441 respectively.
Stufflebean is liaison to both the road and information technology departments. After Van Elsberg resigned as roadmaster in April of 2007, the Board approved appointing Stufflebean as interim roadmaster. Similarly, Stufflebean became interim department head of IT while still continuing as board liaison. In January, this year, he was replaced when both positions were filled.
To date the Board has taken no action to explain or investigate the discrepancies in the road department budget or address concerns about adequate staffing despite repeated public testimony. According to the recall committee, Citizens for Fair and Open Government, the Board’s inaction and a perceived trend away from public safety necessitated the recall effort.
Curious, if all I write is ‘drivel’ its a wonder that I have merited two weeks straight of ‘critique’. Let me assure everyone, I will not spend another second of valuable time worrying about his ‘commentary’.
It is interesting that both The World and Bice supported John Griffith and he lost in spite of them. Times, they are a changing.
Oh golly-gee. Perhaps I was too harsh on these two “fellas”. You know M, I never thought that perhaps there is a reason why these two are so very angry and vindictive with women.
Perhaps compassion is in store.
You know what they say. The males that make such a concerted effort to “be manly” in all their public endeavors are actually – well you know. Just think all the talk about the Pecker Extender (guns). Fishing “poles”, etc.
You know all that Manly Talk about huntin and fishin and all those Manly type activities. Just to be out in the woods with The “guys”? Got to luv them thar huntin trips, sleeping next to yer big brawny, sweatty, armed Manly Type Guy next to you? The fire is burning low, the forest is quiet, the whiskey kickin in, the cold engulfing your warm, sweaty bodies.
I don’t know, but seems “Fishy” to me.
Poor things, no wonder they don’t like women.And I thought it was just political.A bummer living in such a conservative county.
To all you guys out there?
ZIP YER BAG AROUND BICE.
AND his other brother Darrell.
From Jim Vice: “DARRELL – I JUST CAIN’T QUIT YA”
Methinks Mr. Vice and his Little Jesse Waters wanna be Darrell, not sure if it’s Darrell or his other brother Darrell, who follows your blog M, need something, I dedicate this to those two sad souls:
Sung to Howdy Doody Time:
I THINK IT’S NOOKIE TIME,
I THINK IT’S NOOKIE TIME.
I THINK IT’S BEEN WAAAAAY TOO LONG
OR MAYBE IT’S NOT LONG ENUFF !!!!
I did listen, know I was not suppose to, just could not help myself. . What I found out, was the public who spend the most time finding out what is going on, know the least. The people who know the most listen to his show. And, I also found out, he said “it” (lay off), shhhhh….., in an executive session. The rest of us had know that for months, at least three. So, there it goes.
Comment by den on 27 April 2009:
I pretty much understand that stuff about the football, and the bulls, but rest seems to in that county code lingo.
Oh den trust me on this one.
You DON”T want to know !!!
You just watch with me den, they’re gonna start with the twitching loins again. Geesh, have they no respect for those of us with genTILE feelings?
Awm a gittin me some vapors now just a thinkin about it.
Avvv runned off everyone within keyboard or phone distance of me,guess I’ll go knit me some baby slippers fer them Grndbabies of mine. You know how we Grammys are.
Heading back to the barn for another roll in the hay, maybe you want to stop in at days end & inspect the pecker tracks left on the sheets? If you have nothing else better to do… I am sure you do, it may provide for some incentive if the progress is questioned. Something to the affect of, lets take a look at what we get for 24 man hours of work… If it was your nickel would this be acceptable to you??? Sorry, I feel bad. It isn’t funny.
I pretty much understand that stuff about the football, and the bulls, but rest seems to in that county code lingo.
Actually, no, not anymore. They are first and foremost ‘old’.
Don’t you like old bulls?
my blood is beginning to boil
What is the definition of bad? 47 minutes of sniveling about not being invited to the Secret Sunday Party? The attitude that someone doesn’t want to pay so they hound about getting some base, the kind that makes you say boom? Or an extraordinary amount of time being spent upon ones “sweets” instead of getting 24 holes drilled in a 1/4″ piece of aluminum? Some people are motivated to get a job done & others “can be” motivated when the carrot is placed at the finish line. Why should the old bull run down & service just one, when he can walk down & service them all? Get my drift?
Oh, no! Please tell me things aren’t going that bad….
It is clear & decisive what has been going on, similar to the first half of my day, we have observed the process of a monkey making it with a football!
Now for some lunch…