Officials' phone bills top $1,000

Web posted August 13, 2000

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By Sylvia Cooper
Staff Writer

Augusta Administrator Randy Oliver wants former Fire Chief Ronnie Few and the fire department's public information officer to pay for personal calls made on their city-issued cellular phones.

Mr. Oliver sent Chief Few a certified letter two weeks ago in Washington - where he is now the fire chief - asking for reimbursement after he received a copy of the former chief's $970.71 June cell phone bill. The bill actually totaled $1,504.79, but $533.88 of it had to do with cell-phone equipment the chief had purchased, city officials said.

Since January, taxpayers paid $2,855.48 for Chief Few to talk on his cell phone, and dozens of those calls were personal. Taxpayers paid $2,386.89 for Public Information Officer Katrice Bryant's cell phone calls, many of which also were personal.

Ms. Bryant paid $270.77 in reimbursement last week.

OTHER STORIES: • Fire chief nears OK for Washington job • Chief answers questions • Capital supports fire chief • Few addresses allegations • Augustans back Few in capital • Agents confiscate fire records • Fire official resigns from department • Few pays $642 bill for calls • Officials' phone bills top $1,000 • Mayor is unsettled by debts • Chiefs group covers late bill • Chiefs' bill goes unpaid • Ex-fire chief bids farewell to Augusta • Group hits media for Few squabble • Fire chief reports to grand jury • Few faces final vote by D.C. council • Few accepts D.C. job

Chief Few's June cell phone bill was higher than the combined bills of Mr. Oliver, the tax assessor, the city attorney, two coroners, four district attorneys, the emergency management director and the 10 other cell phones assigned to the fire department - four of which are in vehicles. The bills for those phones totaled $840.83.

The chief's bill for seven days, from June 30 through July 7, totaled $257. His last day on the payroll was July 9. Calls he made from the Washington-Baltimore area included a $54.06 call to Oklahoma City and three calls to his home in Augusta: for $39.75, $66.78 and $39.75.

When Chief Few was in New Orleans in May, there were six calls to a Beech Island number totaling $130.98. One of the calls cost taxpayers $61.21, and another cost $58.38, according to the city's records.

Ms. Bryant's $574.85 June cell-phone bill was higher than those of the entire utilities department, which has 11 phones. It included 45 calls made from May 21 through May 24 in New Orleans totaling $333. One call made to a fire department extension cost $66.91. A call to an Augusta residence cost $45.56, according to the records.

The fire department's bills represent 30 percent of the entire city government's cell-phone budget. The average monthly cost of each of the fire department's 12 phones through July was $115. By comparison, the average monthly cost of the recreation department's 15 phones was $49.37, and public works' 20 phones averaged $43.06 each per month.

The city's policy for cell-phone use states that they are primarily for city business and every effort should be made to keep calls to five minutes or less.

``Over limit calls may be evidence of misuse and are subject to appropriate disciplinary action,'' the policy states.

In addition: ``Any personal use of the city's cellular telephone is discouraged, but if necessary the city should be reimbursed for these calls on a monthly basis.''

In an effort to collect for personal calls, the accounting office on June 1 sent each department head a copy of the policy and copies of their cell phone bills for the first four months of this year, asking them to identify any personal calls and ``reimburse accordingly.''

Mayor Bob Young reimbursed the city $600. Mr. Oliver paid $41.16, and about two dozen other employees reimbursed lesser amounts.

Chief Few has not reimbursed the city for any of the calls, many of which are clearly personal, officials said.

He did not return two phone messages left at his office in Washington on Friday seeking comment on the matter.

Ms. Bryant was not in her office Friday, and her home phone went unanswered.

Augusta Commissioner Marion Williams said he did not know about the bills but Mr. Oliver should have notified Chief Few and Ms. Bryant ``in plenty of time to not let the bills get to be that much.''

``But if that's the case where they've got personal phone calls, they should make a reimbursement back to the city,'' Mr. Williams said.

Augusta Commissioner Andy Cheek agreed.

``There's probably some defensiveness on the part of some commissioners for Chief Few to be investigated, but to be consistent with what I've been doing this information needs to be brought forward,'' he said. ``I know there's stuff coming forward about this fire chief's convention.''

The Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs Conference held in Augusta from May 30 through June 4 ended in the red by about $23,000, and Augusta's two acting fire chiefs have been trying to unscramble the finances.

Chief Few and Ms. Bryant were instrumental in organizing the event. The city neither sponsored nor funded it, but some city officials want answers about what happened.

Reach Sylvia Cooper at (706) 823-3228.