Tue
Jan 8 2008
09:44:am
Blount Today Car Wars update
By: R. Neal  shortURL

Blount Today has contacted us to let us know that, due to problems converting their archives during a recent server upgrade, the Car Wars article was inadvertently not moved to the new server.

The problem has been corrected and Blount Today thanks those who called to alert them and apologizes for any inconvenience. Here is the new link to the original Car Wars story.

Topics:

Walking in circles

Submitted by Dumping Ground on Tue, 01/08/2008 - 10:36.

Great!, again we are left with only numbers Bennett provided - and that still don't match the State provided numbers for 2006; (link...)

Besides chastising local the local leadership for poor record keeping, the state audit still did not provide a list of our cars. In regard to Bennett, the state had this to say;

Office of Director of Finance

Internal financing arrangements were not properly documented and approved in compliance with state statutes.

So, we have a finance director the state claims is inept at the one thing he is tasked to do (no, driving BCSO purchased cars is not his job), a sheriff who thinks deputies using tax payer money for fake degrees is a funny thing to the point he promotes them to train new officers, and a mayor who thinks citizens asking where their money is being spent constitutes war. Maybe we should call in "old line KGB" Russian mercenaries for the Battle of Blount?

The last time Cheney had his nuts twisted up in a vise (link...) , this happened the next day (link...)

Blount County is currently having its records cleaned of mold. Heaven forbid if an accident happens, remember this thread.

That's interesting

Submitted by local_yokel on Tue, 01/08/2008 - 11:09.

You mean the Finance Director/Assistant Mayor drives a county car? Why? Why can't he just drive his own car to work like everyone else?

I assume the Mayor isn't driving his own car to work, either, then - and you'd think earning over a hundred grand would be a sufficient sum to merit wear and tear on your own car getting to the courthouse.

Talk about elitist.

What does the average Blount Countian earn? And WE have to provide our own wheels.

Tell me, DG: they ARE providing their own gasoline, right?

"Why" is right

Submitted by Dumping Ground on Tue, 01/08/2008 - 11:22.

Funny thing, as I understand it, even the Mayor can comprehend the ridiculousness of taking one of our sheriffs departments cars to use everyday. Bennett, like his accounting, doesn't seem to understand how bad it looks.

And yes, their gas (like their healthcare) is subsidized by us.

are you saying...

Submitted by local_yokel on Tue, 01/08/2008 - 11:44.

Are you saying that the Mayor does or does not use a county car?

I'm fairly certain when he

Submitted by Dumping Ground on Tue, 01/08/2008 - 12:22.

I'm fairly certain when he took office he did not take a car. But I could be wrong or things may have changed.

Gasoline is subsidized by us?!?!?!?!?

Submitted by BeyondLeft on Tue, 01/08/2008 - 14:19.

Then we should DEMAND that the cars, bought by us, for them to move around in, are ALL 40 mpg Bio-Diesel Automobiles. Feeding the Fascist Texo-fantasy Coffers with Gas Guzzling behemoth fuel dollars is NOT responsible use of Blount County taxpayers' dollars, at all.

viva Evo Morales

doesn't seem to understand

Submitted by Fairview Angel on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 11:27.

doesn't seem to understand how bad it looks.

...or care.

Yep, gas is on YOU!

Submitted by seejaneride on Thu, 01/10/2008 - 11:34.

SeeJaneRide
Dumping Ground is correct. Those driving county cars pull up to the county garage and "fill 'er up" all the time. It's especially heartwarming when you see them using the cars for personal transportation. And for off-duty jobs, too. A couple years back, Deputy Jarrod Millsaps destroyed a county vehicle (speeding) as he was returning from his job as a performer at a Sevier County theater. He moonlights as a "Blues Brother" impersonator. He nearly ran down Sevier county officers who were working an accident scene. Anyway, I never heard if he had to compensate the county for the vehicle. Probably not. It was a total loss, too. But, you can be assured he was burning county-bought gas in that car. Not a bad perk, eh?

This goes back to Feb 2004

Submitted by mello on Thu, 01/10/2008 - 17:19.

IN RE: SPECIAL POLICY FOR PROCUREMENT AND OPERATIONS OF COUNTY-OWNED VEHICLES. Commissioner Graham made a motion to approve the policy. Commissioner Arwood seconded the motion.
Commissioner McCall made a motion to amend that the Sheriff’s Department be excluded from the policy. Commissioner Melton seconded the motion.
Commissioners Graham and Arwood accepted the amendment as a part of the original motion.
A roll call vote was taken:
Arwood – aye Farmer – aye Kidd – aye Slater – aye
Brock – nay Graham – aye Kirkland – nay Townsend – aye
Cardin – aye Gray – aye McCall – aye Walker – aye
Dowdy – nay Hargis – nay Melton – aye
Evans – aye Harrison - aye Neubert – nay
Everett – aye Keeble – aye Ramsey – aye
There were 16 voting aye and 5 voting nay. Chairman Ramsey declared the motion to have passed.

For further details on the actual County policy including the yearly inventory process see the Feb 2004 Full Commission Meeting package.

Why have the policy?

Submitted by Dumping Ground on Thu, 01/10/2008 - 17:40.

If you look at all the county vehicles, it's obvious the BCSO has the lions share. Why would all those commissioners want to vote yes if the policy did not cover over 90% of the vehicles in question?

Public Web-Cams

Submitted by BeyondLeft on Fri, 01/11/2008 - 06:22.

Why don't we petition the Commission then to post two Web-cams at the County Garage's Fuel pump? One focused on the vehicle, and another focused on the Gallon Meter. A web page could be set up, and transmit live web-casting. This would allow Sunlight and allay any suspicions County Taxpayers may have of abuse. It is the Taxpayers' resources anyway, right? I mean I don't know of many County Citizens who would object spending a small monthly fee, from the County's budget, for a Web Page and maintenance.

viva Evo Morales

Hanging signs to intimidate

Submitted by BC fan on Tue, 01/22/2008 - 14:47.

Hanging signs to intimidate citizens;
cost nothing as your superiors don't mind.
Throwing away citizen group literature at the courthouse;
cost nothing as your superiors don't mind.
Wrecking a Blount County owned car in another county while doing another job;
cost nothing as your superiors don't mind.

Seeing officer Elwood in action; (link...) priceless.

The shame of it is, he's pretty good at his night job. Maybe he should quit his day job.

County cars...

Submitted by Jolly Ox on Tue, 01/08/2008 - 18:11.

have regular license plates, not government tags, so they're hard to distinguish from any other vehicle.

Bennett drives a black Ford Explorer given to him, I believe, by the BCSO. The Mayor drives his own truck.

Don't know who drives the two Mercury Marauders.

What?

Submitted by mello on Tue, 01/08/2008 - 18:17.

Does anyone know if the 'state' issued tags are free and if we are instead paying for regular tags? That would be interesting to understand.

"If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that even, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death."
- George Orwell, 1984

Itemized

Submitted by Fairview Angel on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 11:26.

Why did the audit not contain this list; (link...) done for 2006?

I could have missed it, but I don't recall seeing anywhere.

Audit listing

Submitted by gime_shltr on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 13:44.

Here is the listing from the 2007 audit.

That link does not work,

Submitted by Fairview Angel on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 15:44.

That link does not work, neither does the DT link. When I go to the state, it shows only 04.

Anbody got the direct link?

PDF PAGE 275

Submitted by mello on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 18:48.

on the state's site (link...)

I wonder why this info is so protected that we can't be permitted to copy and paste it?

"If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that even, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death."
- George Orwell, 1984

Employees driving county cars for commuting

Submitted by concerned for BC on Tue, 01/22/2008 - 14:20.

Why are employees driving county cars for commuting? Cummuting should be the responsibility of the employee, not the county tax payers. Are the employees declaring the perks they get from having a county car and gas as additional income? I am not sure whether this would be considered on their taxes....perhaps not, but worth considering. Why does the nurse who takes care of the inmates driving a county car to and from work? Does she use the car to transport inmates, pick up supplies, etc? If she is using it just for commuting, that is wrong. There are so many ways to cut expenditures and make this county a better place. Thanks to all those trying to get an honest government.

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