24 MAR 09: Five-Car Studs

"You got some of our fan mail," the woman at Phenix City's City Hall told me Monday. That was putting things humorously and optimistically. She could have borrowed a line from Bullwinkle J. Moose in the cartoons, and called it "fan mail from some flounder."

Phenix City Clerk Charlotte Sierra was ready with some answers, when we called Monday about the latest snail mail letter from a critic of city government. We can now put a name on that writer - as the latest letter is signed "The People." If the writer has a child, its name must be "Wee."

The latest letter raises several issues, including one which The People finds "mind boggling." Last week's Phenix City Council agenda included a line for purchasing five new vehicles. "Is this really necessary?" The People asks. "Other municipalities do not have such lavish spending habits." For instance, Hurtsboro barely can afford one new garbage truck.

It turns out Phenix City Council approved those five new "lavish" vehicles last week - and yes, many people might consider them necessary. The agenda clearly shows they're police cars. I suppose with times tough and budgets tight, the city could have opted for two vehicles and a car-pooling schedule....

Four of the new Phenix City police cars are Dodge Chargers. The fifth is a Ford Crown Victoria, and described as a "police interceptor." The love of football in Alabama truly knows no off-season.

The City Clerk told me money for the five new police cars was already allocated in the current Phenix City budget. Perhaps The People wants some of that spending delayed during a recession -- or perhaps he thinks the improved Broad Street will be so packed with cars that police bicycles will work better.

The letter from The People also requests a public "schedule of all city salaries." Charlotte Sierra told me some of those numbers are in the city budget. But she admitted the printed budget is kept at City Hall, with NO copies anywhere else. Is this city government, or the Masonic Lodge?

I asked Charlotte Sierra if the Phenix City Library has a copy of the city budget. She didn't think so -- but perhaps it should. Then people with questions about city spending could look up the answers. And then Phenix City Council meetings would have their answer to Paul Olson.

The biggest concern of The People was a bond issue Phenix City issued in February for almost eight million dollars. The City Clerk admitted she didn't know much about that, and promised to pass my interest on to City Manager Wallace Hunter. We had no response from him Monday night - so maybe he was checking to make sure the bondholder hadn't applied for a federal bailout.

The People raises several other questions in his letter, such as the "letting date" for The Phenixian. WRBL reported two weeks ago the high-rise condominium has been delayed, with no clear construction date. The developer already has invested one million dollars in the project - so compared with Legacy Terrace in Columbus, this land is cheap.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Speaking of government critics using pseudonyms, let's head to Columbus....

Feel free to visit me at www.votenosplost.com

More to follow.

Sincerely,

Ernest T. Bass

At first glance, a click on that link might convince you an online campaign is underway against the one-percent school sales tax question. But why would Mr. Bass care about Muscogee County schools, when he doesn't have a "Pro Shop" anywhere around here?

Some deeper digging Monday night revealed the "Vote No SPLOST" campaign isn't really based in Columbus at all. The site is registered to a web design company on the Florida coast - and it was taken in November 2007. Superintendent Susan Andrews probably wasn't a gleam in any school board member's eye back then.

The "Vote No SPLOST" site is linked to a ten-year-old campaign called "In God We Trust." Its issues include making sure the national motto is displayed in every public school classroom in Georgia. Better to trust God, than the classmate whose exam you're secretly copying.

-> Our other blog starts with poker, then goes in directions you might not expect. Visit "On the Flop!" <--

BLOG UPDATE: Despite our recent poll, the end of WRBL's "First Edition" now appears more certain than ever. The station is promoting "back-to-back" daily episodes of "Two-and-a-Half Men" at 5:00 p.m., beginning 6 April. They would replace Phil Scoggins, Jennifer Serda and Bob Jeswald - so it sounds like an even swap.

Now for other things we noticed on Monday:

+ Columbus Police reported seeing a man on horseback, near the Piggly Wiggly store on Brown Avenue. It's nice to know someone at Aflac celebrates the eccentric life of Elena Amos at least once a year.

+ The evening news revealed Joché and Associates was sued two years ago by the Alabama Department of Revenue. The tax preparation firm settled for a $10,000 settlement, and agreed to leave the state. So much for these tax guys being "experts," because I think Mike Gottfried and Tommy Tuberville worked out better buyouts than that.

+ Rutgers rolled over Auburn in the NCAA women's basketball tournament 80-52. Tiger coach Nell Fortner made no excuses for the second-round loss - and she didn't dare repeat any comments made last year by Don Imus.

COMING SOON: Believe it or not, a "Jayhawk" I do not trust....

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