If you Don't cut back on gas spending, we will picket your front door at city hall! I call all people living in this area to come together and let the commissioners know we really mean business when it comes to wasteful spending!
An Augusta Commission committee decided Monday not to discuss cutting back on commissioners' and city gasoline budgets and put the issue in City Administrator Fred Russell's hands.
The gasoline consumption issue was triggered two weeks ago by Commissioner Jerry Brigham's proposal to reduce commissioners' free gasoline allotment to 50 gallons per month from 125 gallons per month because of escalating fuel prices. That prompted Commissioner Alvin Mason last week to propose reducing the city's fuel usage 25 percent across the board, which Mr. Russell and other officials said would wreak havoc on public safety and other city operations, such as transit.
The city is expected to go over its $3.85 million fuel budget in September.
Mr. Brigham then proposed reducing gasoline usage for city operations except public safety. Both proposals were scheduled to come up during Monday's finance committee meeting, but Mayor Pro Tem Betty Beard's motion to refer the matter to Mr. Russell passed unanimously.
In other action, the committee voted to spend $20,000 and donate $5,000 in in-kind contributions to help host the 2009 National Science Olympiad at Augusta State University. Mr. Russell said the event would generate $1.5 million in the Augusta economy.
Mr. Brigham, Mrs. Beard and Mr. Mason voted for the expenditures. Commissioner Joe Bowles voted against them. He said the money should have come from hotel-motel taxes, possibly from the amount allotted to the Coliseum Authority.
The generous mood continued with the committee voting to donate a 1996 Crown Victoria to the Matthews Volunteer Fire Department in Jefferson County. The committee also waived penalties on two property-tax accounts.
Reach Sylvia Cooper at (706) 823-3228 or sylvia.cooper@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
If you Don't cut back on gas spending, we will picket your front door at city hall! I call all people living in this area to come together and let the commissioners know we really mean business when it comes to wasteful spending!
It's good to see the commission go through a meeting using wisdom instead of race to decide issues. Let's hope the trend continues.
I wonder whose property they waived the penalties on? Why isn't that in here?
If you want to know the details, the agenda information is available online.
As usual they took the cowards way out. I would like to know what happens to all the money that is generated by these events. It certainly isn't used to lower my taxes or my assessments.
Where is the outrage on the gas issue??? Howmany commissioners, (12?) x 125= 1500 gals x 12= 18000 x4= $72,000 a yr. Not a bad little perk for a city the size of Augusta!
nightraider: and after they use that up it is only 35-cents a gallon.
DebroahElliott sounds outstanding to me...:-)
Passing the buck to Fred (What, me worry?) Russell is not a way to solve a problem. The Commission is supposed to set the policy and Fred is supposed to implement it. They want Fred to make the policy for them to rubber stamp.
Is there a limit to how much gas the commissioners can buy at $.35 cents a gallon???
It was funny, on the news last night when the commissioners asked Mr. Russell to look at ways to save gas and the first thing he said was to cut back on the commissioners gas allownace, and they said dont worry about it. It shows that there is absolutely no true leadership. Why in a city the size of augusta does a commissioner need 125 gallons? In my truck that would be over 10 tanks of fuel.
DebroahElliott I am with you 100 percent. Most of these commisioners do what they please, vote when they want to or be absent to prevent their vote being counted. Augusta is the 2nd largest city in Georgia, yet it is the laughing stock of Georgia.
Let's support DebroahElliott and make a difference.
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE !
I'll vote for Deborah for any office she chooses to run!
And Patricia, too!
Mr. Russell, please discontinue free gas for commissioners, but give them a pass to ride the citys' buses free of charge. They should be supporting public transportation by example.
June, great idea!!!!!
the bus doesnt even run to most of south augusta. Or all of west augusta. Maybe if the bus service really went around augusta. Not just downtown and some of west augusta.
Wanna stop wasted spending? There's $100k plus can be saved in Probate Court in worthless employee wages. Supervisor who can't perform simple tasks, mid-seventies aged woman who cannot operate a PC. Maybe if the judge would (literally) wake up once in a while....
LOL little lamb, patricia lives in SC not GA
Hmmmm. Maybe if I follow the example of my leader Keith Brown I can vote in both states!
When is the last time you've seen your commissioner in your neighbor visiting with constituents?
Each and every day, I thank my lucky stars that I no longer live in Richmond County! I do have some advise for Mr. Russell. Each Commissioner must fill out a mileage log for every drop of gas they use! Review the log and base allowables on a percentage of county business. And then, submit an invoice to the commissioner for his or her personal business.
Dadge: that is a common sense solution and as such, totally out of the realm of possibility for Richmond County Government.
dadgethiskids: The mayor pro-tem would find that "insulting and demeaning"
nightraider: I have not seen my commissioner in my neighborhood since he knocked on my door asking me to vote for him. Like a fool I did, but I will not do it again !
you must feel so cool being the hip socialist flavor of the month, bambam. after everyone gets tired of having their pockets picked clean to fund the society-destroying gov't handout programs adored by liberals the pendulum will swing back the other way. honestly, i'd rather my tax dollars go to fund a war that i disagree with rather than fall into the hands of a capable person who chooses to live on the public dole. as far as this commission goes, it certainly looks like they'll be raising taxes somewhere to pay for their gas problems.
tall2... Reason? Common Sense? Respect for your fellow man?
After all, we are discussing the Augusta Commission.
If some Commissioners want to keep their GAS CARD, that is fine. But to offset the rising cost, why don't the voter reduce the Commissioner's Compensation Package?
What about the officers drive their own car to and from work like the rest of us?
pointstoponder, sure the minutes and agenda are online. Except they are always 2 weeks late. the most recent ones posted are from 5/20/08. Some city employee is either slacking off or the commission dosn't want you to know whats going on!
To Dadge, you have forgotten that the commissioners vote for their own compensation package. The voters don't have a chance.
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