The Lake Norman Times recently reported that five months into the fiscal year, MI-Connection's operating revenue is about $686,000 in the hole.
Click this link for the entire article: http://www.thelakepaper.com/articles/2008/12/26/news/news003.txt
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Cops for Kids audit report expected soon
The Cops for Kids’ audits could be complete and presented to Mooresville commissioners as early as Jan. 2.
“I have been in contact with (accountants) Greer & Walker and Tom Himes regarding the financial audits,” Finance Director Maia Setzer said late last week, adding that “they are working together to compile one report rather than submitting separate documents.”
She said she expects to receive that report “in time to be discussed or presented at the Jan. 2 agenda briefing.” However, she added, “I really do not want to ‘promise’ that as I still have a fair amount of work to complete once I receive that report.”
Five months have passed since the Town of Mooresville launched several investigations into former police chief John Crone’s Cops for Kids program. One month after calling for the probes, the town fired Crone.
Setzer said that the “secondary review” of the police department evidence room is about half complete and that she hoped to spend “a great deal of time” in the evidence room this week “to complete the review of records.”
Maj. Carl Robbins, who has been acting chief of police since Crone was fired, said that one of the police department’s two evidence custodians recently attended 16 hours of training through a certification program sponsored by the International Association for Property and Evidence. “During the two days,” Robbins said, “she was instructed on proper packaging protocol for evidence and the most efficient use of limited space in property and evidence facilities.”
Robbins said that the police department’s two evidence custodians will soon begin transferring evidence and property to another secured room in the police department. Once the evidence room is cleaned out, the department’s new safe – which will include an electronic data trail and security camera – will be installed, he said.
“After all preparations are in place, the evidence and property will be documented and returned to its original room,” Robbins added. “Any missing or improperly documented evidence will be duly noted.”
Robbins said that the SBI – which is also investigating the Cops for Kids program – was “contacted and briefed on (the police department’s) immediate plans for the evidence and property transfer,” and that the agent in charge “saw no negative impact on his ongoing investigation.”
Town Manager Steve Husemann said he is waiting for the SBI report before hiring Crone’s replacement. “Awaiting the SBI report is somewhat of an excuse, but there is some logic to it,” he said. “If I felt we had a bad situation, I would proceed before that report is completed, but the fact is that I think Major Robbins in doing a good job as interim, and that gives me the luxury of not being in a rush to fill the position. This gives me an opportunity to get a better knowledge of (the Mooresville Police Department), its personnel and issues.
“While I don’t really expect the SBI report to have any impact on how we proceed,” Husemann said, “there is no apparent harm in awaiting the report."
“I have been in contact with (accountants) Greer & Walker and Tom Himes regarding the financial audits,” Finance Director Maia Setzer said late last week, adding that “they are working together to compile one report rather than submitting separate documents.”
She said she expects to receive that report “in time to be discussed or presented at the Jan. 2 agenda briefing.” However, she added, “I really do not want to ‘promise’ that as I still have a fair amount of work to complete once I receive that report.”
Five months have passed since the Town of Mooresville launched several investigations into former police chief John Crone’s Cops for Kids program. One month after calling for the probes, the town fired Crone.
Setzer said that the “secondary review” of the police department evidence room is about half complete and that she hoped to spend “a great deal of time” in the evidence room this week “to complete the review of records.”
Maj. Carl Robbins, who has been acting chief of police since Crone was fired, said that one of the police department’s two evidence custodians recently attended 16 hours of training through a certification program sponsored by the International Association for Property and Evidence. “During the two days,” Robbins said, “she was instructed on proper packaging protocol for evidence and the most efficient use of limited space in property and evidence facilities.”
Robbins said that the police department’s two evidence custodians will soon begin transferring evidence and property to another secured room in the police department. Once the evidence room is cleaned out, the department’s new safe – which will include an electronic data trail and security camera – will be installed, he said.
“After all preparations are in place, the evidence and property will be documented and returned to its original room,” Robbins added. “Any missing or improperly documented evidence will be duly noted.”
Robbins said that the SBI – which is also investigating the Cops for Kids program – was “contacted and briefed on (the police department’s) immediate plans for the evidence and property transfer,” and that the agent in charge “saw no negative impact on his ongoing investigation.”
Town Manager Steve Husemann said he is waiting for the SBI report before hiring Crone’s replacement. “Awaiting the SBI report is somewhat of an excuse, but there is some logic to it,” he said. “If I felt we had a bad situation, I would proceed before that report is completed, but the fact is that I think Major Robbins in doing a good job as interim, and that gives me the luxury of not being in a rush to fill the position. This gives me an opportunity to get a better knowledge of (the Mooresville Police Department), its personnel and issues.
“While I don’t really expect the SBI report to have any impact on how we proceed,” Husemann said, “there is no apparent harm in awaiting the report."
Friday, December 5, 2008
Top county administrator demoted amid controversy
One of Iredell County’s top administrators was demoted yesterday, apparently after confirming that she has become involved with a county commissioner.
Effective Dec. 4, Deputy County Manager/Finance Director Susan Blumenstein, who has worked for the county for more than 23 years, is no longer the county’s deputy manager – but she will retain her position as finance director – because of her relationship with Commissioner Ken Robertson.
Blumenstein’s salary was cut by more than $11,000 a year, according to the county’s human resources department. Her new salary is $117, 543.
County Manager Joel Mashburn did not confirm the relationship between Robertson and Blumenstein yesterday, saying only: “Mr. Robertson has not talked to me about it.”
Mashburn said that the county has a policy that prohibits a person in a supervisory role from dating someone within his or her own department. But the policy, Mashburn said, does not specifically address relationships between elected officials and staff. “In the circumstances you’re talking about, it would not be clear,” he said.
In a phone conversation with the Report on Thursday, Robertson said that while the couple did not “make a public spectacle of” their relationship, they also didn’t make a conscientious effort to be secretive about it.
In fact, he said, the two of them – both of whom are unmarried – “individually and independently” approached County Attorney Bill Pope before they went out.
“At some point in time, Susan and I decided that instead of just talking, it might be nice to go out,” Robertson said. “We asked the county attorney, he reviewed the county policy, and he said that he saw no reason why we can’t see each other socially.”
Before that, Robertson said, he and Blumenstein had not so much as “sat down and eaten a sandwich together.”
Even after receiving assurances from Pope that they wouldn’t be violating county policy, Robertson said, at least three weeks passed before he and Blumenstein went out. He said he could count on one hand the number of times they’ve been out since. This past Sunday, he said, they together attended a church program about “a person’s spiritual journey after a devastating life experience.”
Robertson said after talking to Pope that he approached Marvin Norman, who at the time was chairman of the county commission. “I told him before we went out,” Robertson said, “and he said if it was okay with Mr. Pope, it was okay with him, and that’s it.
“We were not in violation of county policy,” Robertson said.
When asked how, if at all, the relationship has influenced any of his decisions, Robertson said: “Susan is not a policy-maker. The county manager enforces the policies. Susan, as deputy county manager, reports to the county manager, and everything goes through the county manager.
“We (as commissioners) are not allowed to give staff direction,” Robertson said, adding that the board of commissioners has authority only over the county manager and not the deputy county manager.
But while the deputy county manager may not enforce policies, the question remains: Does the position have the potential of influencing policy? And if so, would that therefore render it inappropriate to have a relationship with an elected official? Tell me your thoughts.
Effective Dec. 4, Deputy County Manager/Finance Director Susan Blumenstein, who has worked for the county for more than 23 years, is no longer the county’s deputy manager – but she will retain her position as finance director – because of her relationship with Commissioner Ken Robertson.
Blumenstein’s salary was cut by more than $11,000 a year, according to the county’s human resources department. Her new salary is $117, 543.
County Manager Joel Mashburn did not confirm the relationship between Robertson and Blumenstein yesterday, saying only: “Mr. Robertson has not talked to me about it.”
Mashburn said that the county has a policy that prohibits a person in a supervisory role from dating someone within his or her own department. But the policy, Mashburn said, does not specifically address relationships between elected officials and staff. “In the circumstances you’re talking about, it would not be clear,” he said.
In a phone conversation with the Report on Thursday, Robertson said that while the couple did not “make a public spectacle of” their relationship, they also didn’t make a conscientious effort to be secretive about it.
In fact, he said, the two of them – both of whom are unmarried – “individually and independently” approached County Attorney Bill Pope before they went out.
“At some point in time, Susan and I decided that instead of just talking, it might be nice to go out,” Robertson said. “We asked the county attorney, he reviewed the county policy, and he said that he saw no reason why we can’t see each other socially.”
Before that, Robertson said, he and Blumenstein had not so much as “sat down and eaten a sandwich together.”
Even after receiving assurances from Pope that they wouldn’t be violating county policy, Robertson said, at least three weeks passed before he and Blumenstein went out. He said he could count on one hand the number of times they’ve been out since. This past Sunday, he said, they together attended a church program about “a person’s spiritual journey after a devastating life experience.”
Robertson said after talking to Pope that he approached Marvin Norman, who at the time was chairman of the county commission. “I told him before we went out,” Robertson said, “and he said if it was okay with Mr. Pope, it was okay with him, and that’s it.
“We were not in violation of county policy,” Robertson said.
When asked how, if at all, the relationship has influenced any of his decisions, Robertson said: “Susan is not a policy-maker. The county manager enforces the policies. Susan, as deputy county manager, reports to the county manager, and everything goes through the county manager.
“We (as commissioners) are not allowed to give staff direction,” Robertson said, adding that the board of commissioners has authority only over the county manager and not the deputy county manager.
But while the deputy county manager may not enforce policies, the question remains: Does the position have the potential of influencing policy? And if so, would that therefore render it inappropriate to have a relationship with an elected official? Tell me your thoughts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
