Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2010
BARROW JOURNAL
PAGE 9A
Auburn discusses bonuses for employees
NEW ENGLAND TOUR
Faye Simmons took the Barrow Journal along during a one-week cruise to New
England recently.
Donations continued from 1A
BY LORIN SINN-CLARK
Christmas will come early
for City of Auburn employees
when they receive a one-time
pay bonus on December 17 in
recognition of their “dedica
tion and commitment in sav
ing thousands of dollars” dur
ing the past fiscal year. The
city council discussed a $250
“across the board” bonus at the
Nov. 18 and will sign a resolu
tion to make the payments at
the Dec. 2 meeting.
There was discussion, how
ever, about $250 being too
high or too low.
Longtime citizen watchdog
John Nelms called the $250
“too little, too late — after
taxes there won’t be much
left.” He suggested a 2-2.5 per
cent across the board pay raise
instead, saying, “that would
show your commitment to the
employees.”
Peggy Langley said she “had
a problem with” the city’s one
part-time employee, getting the
same amount the 46 full-time
employees were to get and
proposed that the part-timer
get “half.” That employee is
downtown development coor
dinator Sherrie Miller.
City Administrator Ron
Griffeth said “that particular
part-time employee works 30
or more hours a week and is
here all the time.”
Dorissa Shackelford sug
gested paying Miller “three-
fourths” in recognition of the
30 hours, “if this is going to be
an issue.”
Griffeth said giving a 2.5
percent across the board raise
to all employees would cost
$50,000 and would not be as
equitable as the across the
board $250 because higher
paid employees would receive
more money.
He also said the supplements
will cost the city $11,750 and
are possible because the city
spends 37 percent on per
sonnel, which is “below the
norm.” The cost has been
“worked into the existing bud
get” and the supplements will
come from each department’s
regular employee and overtime
accounts.
Mayor Linda Blechinger
said city leaders “talked about
this” early in the budget year
and had hoped to make it hap
pen, adding, “I am very happy
to be able to do this for our
employees.”
YOUTH BASKETBALL
LEAGUE
The council gave a nod to
spending $4,320 to rent the
Auburn Elementary gym
nasium for four hours on 12
Saturdays beginning in early
January for a new Youth
Basketball League. The request
was made by parks and leisure
services coordinator Tommy
Duncan, who said he was hop
ing to put together 10-12 teams
of 5-12 year olds.
Registration forms have
already gone out in the schools,
he said, and based on calls
he’s received, “the interest is
there.”
The rental fee breaks down
to $1,440 for gym rental and
$2,880 for 96 custodial hours,
which, Duncan said, the school
system requires. Based on
128 players paying $75 each,
$9,600 in recreation depart
ment fees would be generated.
Duncan estimated the total
cost of the program at $9,040,
which includes game officials,
player jerseys and trophies.
Donna Scouten suggested
selling concessions to generate
more income. Duncan said he
would “have to look into that,”
as the school system does not
allow food or drinks in the
gymnasium.
BALL FIELD PROJECT
Land clearing is almost com
plete at the 20-acre Parks Mill
site where ball fields and a
new public works facility will
be built, public works direc
tor David Hawthorne reported.
The next step is to start grading,
but the city does not have the
equipment needed, so, “to get
the ball fields built on time,”
Hawthorne asked the council
to okay renting the necessary
heavy equipment from a local
contractor.
Hawthorne said he has
arranged for the city to rent
an excavator, two dozers, a
compactor and a dump truck
from Kenneth Pruitt of KSP
Enterprises “at about half the
rate he normally leases his
equipment out for.” Rents will
be paid on an hourly basis, only
when the machines are in use
and range from $37.50-$75 per
hour. Public works employees
will provide the labor.
When asked for a cost esti
mate for the rental, Hawthorne
said a “wild guess” would be
15-16 hours per day at $100
per hour. He declined to give
a total estimate because “it’s
hard to tell what we might run
into.” He did say paying a con
tractor to do the work would
cost $250,000-$300,000.
The mayor commended
Hawthorne and public works
employees on the work they
have done so far, using only
a mini-dozer, and the council
agreed to okay the rental at the
December 2 meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS:
•Closing 4th Avenue for use
as a staging area for the 2nd
Annual Defenders of Freedom
Motorcycle Ride on April 9 was
discussed. Final approval will
be voted on at the Dec. 2 meet
ing, but Blechinger said she
was sure event host AMVETS
Post 12 could “count on our
support.”
•In a holiday schedule
Griffeth proposed city offices
would be closed November
25, 26; December 23-25.
Suggested 2011 holidays are;
January 1; January 17, Martin
Luther King Jr. Day; Good
Friday; Memorial Day and
July 4.
“I feel a lot better about the
way it’s done now,” he said.
A spokesman for the state
burn foundation said this
week that her agency enjoys
a good relationship with
Barrow County Emergency
Services.
She said her organization
uses the boot-drive proceeds
to support two important
local programs for chil
dren affected by fires — the
Children After the Fire pro
gram that was launched five
years ago by Barrow County
Emergency Services and
has helped 70 children, and
Camp Oo-U-La, a week-long
summer camp for young burn
victims that is held each sum
mer at Winder’s Fort Yargo
State Park.
TRAINING
ISSUES
On unrelated matters
involving firefighter and
EMT training, a spokesman
for the Georgia Firefighters
Standards & Training Council
said his office is satisfied with
the steps taken “so far” by
Barrow County Emergency
Services in response to train
ing records deficiencies.
“This is an ongoing pro
cess where Barrow County
is working with us and we
are satisfied at this point in
time,” said executive director
Lyn Pardue.
According to a response to
his agency that was submit
ted Nov. 9 by interim chief
John Skinner, the fire depart
ment from Nov. 9-11 had
outside evaluators conduct
mandatory “core competen
cy” evaluations on firefight
ers whose files were missing
some documentation.
On another front, Chris
Threlkeld, the program direc
tor for the Northeast Georgia
regional office of EMS/
Trauma, said his inquiry of
the fire department’s online
EMT refresher course is not
complete.
But he noted that the review
is an “inquiry” and has not
reached the stage of being a
full-fledged investigation.
He said he could not com
ment on the progress of the
inquiry, though he did note
that his staff resources have
been significantly impacted
by state budget cuts.
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