Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, June 19,2013
Tribune & Georgian
3
Officers pursuing more
charges in meth case
Jocelyn Brumbaugh
jocelyn@tribune-georgian.com
After arresting three sus
pects in connection with an
active methamphetamine
manufacturing lab last week,
Camden County Sheriff’s
Office investigators are pur
suing additional charges.
CCSO deputies and its
drug task force executed a
search warrant around 7:30
a.m. Thursday, June 13, and
arrested homeowner
Rhonda Catoe, 54, along
with Joey Allen Pierantonis,
34, and Emily Marie
Rankin, 22. Each was
charged with manufacturing
meth, possession of meth
and sale of meth.
Rankin was also charged
with probation violation.
Investigators measured
the distance between the
home on Cottonwood
Drive and Camden County
High School on Wildcat
Drive and yielded a stretch
less than 1,000 feet. They
are now seeking an indict
ment for this violation from
the grand jury, according to
Deputy William Terrell.
Riding to work safely
Roadside cleanup
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Cory Rose
Quartermaster 2nd Class Stephen Heiskell (left), Engineman 1st Class Cody Guidry, En-
gineman 3rd Class Courtney Hall, Machinery Repairman 2nd Class Johnathan Gist, Aviation
Boatswain’s Mate Equipment 2nd Class Rodney Brown and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Equip
ment 1st Class James Kopf, all sailors from Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base Port Operations,
clean a section of road outside Kings Bay as part of Adopt-A-Highway litter removal.
Jocelyn Brumbaugh | Tribune & Georgian
Frank Alexander, a staff member from Cape Fox Professional Services, carefully turns his
motorcycle through one of three courses offered during the “Ride to Work” event held at
Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base on Monday, June 17. All base workers with motorcycles
were encouraged to ride their bikes Monday and take part in the riding exercises con
ducted by Cape Fox, the base’s contracted motorcycle safety trainers. Russ Prothero, traf
fic safety manager at Kings Bay, also helped with the event.
St. Marys man charged
in exploitation case
Johna Strickland Rush
iohna@tribune-georgian.com
A St. Marys man has been
charged with felony sexual
exploitation of children for
the possession of child
pornography.
Marshall Nicolas Hitt, 29,
was arrested Thursday, ac
cording to a press release
from the St. Marys Police
Department.
Naval Criminal Investiga
tive Service notified SMPD
of an active investigation in
volving sexual exploitation
by a St. Marys resident.
NCIS utilized information
provided from the Internet
Crimes Against Children
Task Force.
SMPD detectives obtained
a search warrant for Hitt’s
residence and found elec
tronic devices that belonged
to Hitt and contained sexu
ally explicitly images of chil
dren. Hitt was released from
jail Monday on a $4,800
bond.
Hitt
St. Marys contracts work to save money, use expertise
Johna Strickland Rush
iohna@tribune-georgian.com
(Editor’s note: This story is the
third in a series that examines
the sei'vices contracted out by
local governments.)
It’s simply cheaper to pro
vide some government serv
ices through contracts rather
than retaining the employees
and equipment to supply
those functions, leaders be
lieve.
In fiscal year 2008, provid
ing trash service was pro
jected to cost the City of St.
Marys $1.7 million but in De
cember 2007, council decided
to contract with Advanced
Disposal to pick up trash and
recycling.
Expenditures in the solid
waste fund for fiscal year
2014 are set at $1.02 million,
which includes the $755,000
paid to Advanced Disposal.
It is also more cost effective
to outsource services the city
needs, such as janitorial and
legal work, city manager
Steve Crowell said.
Though legal costs have
exceeded the budgeted
$75,000 for 2013, the city did
receive reimbursement for
litigation involving Cumber
land Harbour, which has been
the main reason for the in
creased cost.
“Other issues included air
port and personnel issues,”
Crowell said.
As of April 16, $100,717
had been paid to Gary
Moore. In 2009, the city
spent $123,823 in its legal
budget although it paid a
salary of $84,573 to staff at
torney Amanda Blackledge,
according to a Tribune &
Georgian file story. In fiscal
year 2008, the city paid
Blackledge $65,096 and out
sourced $14,089 of its legal
work.
An in-house attorney in
curs other expenses beyond
salary for training, benefits,
office and operation costs.
The salary for a staff attor
ney is listed at $67,280 to
$95,281, according to the
city’s pay scale. The city
switched to a contracted at
torney in late 2009.
Moore bills the city for
long distance phone calls,
faxes, copies, postage and
work completed by his sup
port staff, according to in
voice records.
The city contracts with
businesses to be cost effective
and when time constraints
and expertise may not allow
employees to complete the
work, Crowell said.
In fiscal year 2013, council
approved a utility evaluation,
compensation study and a
feasibility study of the $t.
Marys Intracoastal Gateway
property on Ready htreet.
“I presume that the people
that needed to make decisions
on these topics, specifically
the city council, felt it was
beneficial to have the addi
tional information and a third
party look at the issues related
thereto,” Crowell said.
“In my view, the first two
studies certainly added a de
gree of sophistication to some
of our analysis which we did
not have previously.”
$t. Marys paid Public Re
source Management $15,000
to examine its utility system
and how to handle the re
payment of tens of millions of
dollars in debt. The city re
ceived “very detailed review
and analysis of our utility
bonds and financing options,”
Crowell said.
The consultants created a
spreadsheet that allows coun
cil and staff to plug in differ
ent variables, such as a rate
increase, to see the affects on
the system.
“I think it was useful to
have data available upon
which to make decisions,”
Crowell said.
The city also contracted
with Evergreen holutions,
paying the company $18,225,
to study how what the city
pays its employees relates to
governments of similar size.
“I assume council wanted
this information in order to
make an informed decision
related to compensation and
benefits for employees,”
Crowell said.
“Part of the need for this
contract was to expedite col
lection and preparation of the
information upon which rec
ommendations and decisions
were made by the city coun
cil.”
Nearly $16,000 went to
Hotel Consulting Inc. to per
form a feasibility of the $t.
Marys Intracoastal Gateway
or Gilman dock house prop
erty, which the city purchased
in 2010. The intention was to
gain an independent opinion
of the feasibility of using the
property for a hotel or some
thing else.
“$taff did not have the ex
pertise to identify appropriate
hotel room rates and the var
ious impacts related to the re
sults of the study,” Crowell
said.
It has been suggested that
the cost of the study be added
to the final sale price of the
property if that happens,
Crowell said.
Council also approved two
joint studies with the county
to look at consolidating police
and fire services. Kingsland is
taking part in the fire study.
$t. Marys’ portion of the
studies, which are being con
ducted by International
City/County Management
Association, is $35,000 for
police and about $20,850 for
fire.
The city contracts each
year with several companies
to provide services and work
beyond what city workers can
do.
As of April 16, the city has
paid the following amounts:
• $363,443 total paid to
nine companies that repaired
leaks in manholes, worked on
lift station 13, repaired and
serviced the lift station alarm
system, rebuilt pumps, pro
vided odor control at lift sta
tion 11, refurbished manholes
and supplied the on-off
switch for generators at the
waste water treatment plants.
• $14,143 to Turner Broth
ers Heating and Air Condi
tioning for repairs to air
conditioning units used by
various city departments.
• $76,225 to W.H. Gross
Construction for repairs at
fire station 2.
• $265,315 to Coastal Con
struction to paint and repair
Orange Hall.
• $4,695 to Allen’s Tree
hervice to cut down trees and
grind the stumps.
• $29,000 to Maulden &
Jenkins for the city’s annual
audit.
• $10,340 to Kathe Loef-
fler for serving as the city’s
municipal judge and traveling
to training.
• $24,503 to hpotless
Cleaning hervices for janito
rial work.
• $37,894 Thomas & Hut
ton for engineering work on
$pur 40 sewer improvements
and the $t. Marys dock house
property.
• $17,493 to hteffens for
meals at the $t. Marys $enior
Center. The city receives
$25,000 annually from the
hospital authority to pay for
the meals.
• $624,552 to Advanced
Disposal.
• $19,376 to houthern
Equipment hervices for re
pairs to the kiddie pool.
• $4,288 to BBG Contract
ing Group to repair the roof
on the police department.
• $6,900 to LAI Engineer
ing to conduct a traffic study
on Winding Road near $ug-
armill Elementary $chool.
• $14,800 to Port City De
sign Group for a waste water ings of $74,000.
treatment facility evaluation, • $4,200 to Bingham AR$
which resulted in the hcrubby to ensure that municipal
Bluff treatment plant being bonds comply with the re
taken offline for a project sav- lated regulations.
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