Why in the world do we need to spend our taxpayer money on laptops for all of the council members?
This was claimed to be needed to increase communication.
- Hasn't state politics recently been riddled with stories about Sunshine Law violations due to lack of oversight and control of e-mail and its retention?
- Didn't we recently have issues with city-paid cellphones for council members?
- Would the city be paying for internet service, too?
- What about providing for our officers on the street before the city council (as Sailor points out)?
I shake my head in disappointment. The city has so many larger priorities than whether Mikey-Mike can e-mail Owenbsy at a moment's notice.
25 comments:
I should add
If we pay for internet service, can we add blockers for porn and gun runners? (Yes, Owensby--we have you in mind with that thought.)
Even Queen Ann didn't try this move.
Perhaps MT Schneider knows someone in the laptop business.
MT Schneider: "I envision a day that we work up at the dias with our laptops"
Nellie Bly: "I envision IM's with voting suggestions among council members which will be an eggregious violation of the Sunshine Law"
These folks can't figure out a Blackberry? Reminds me of this story.
My Goodness, Right out of the gate the Council led by the New Mayor allocate scarce resources to themselves before any discussion of the issues for which any of the individuals campaigned.
Dear Council, Try making a freaking decision doesn't directly benefit yourself at our expense.
I can't begin to express the contempt I have for all those who actively seek to "feed at the public trough". Owensby, I expect that type of behavior.
What about Sunshine law issues, data security issues not to mention whatever freak show COGG/ORT cluster copulate court case that will ultimately occur over confiscating hard-drives because they contain some smoking gun evidence, email. With the numerous ORT associated child pornographers or pedophiles for that matter.
None of them need laptops, but a brain, a purpose and a nutsack should be on all of their x-mas lists.
They just dumped the cell phones and know he wants to give them laptops. This can't be real. What is he trying to do, the council didn't want cellphones how many of them will want laptops?
A council job is a part time job, as is the mayor's. Hire a strong City Administrator.
We told Dody we didn't a full time mayor, I know I haven't changed my mind.
On reason to have such laptops is that they can be setup and restricted to only City Business use. Usage could be logged and monitored and they could be setup for secure connections to City databases and the like.
I worked for a company that provided laptops for the technicians. The computer operations were locked out so severely that I'd have to contact the IT department if I needed to Defrag the drive.
However, preventing abuse and following Sunshine law requirements is only as effective as the controls and personnel in place to do this.
One problem here is that the use for the Council would be marginal at this time because much of the City's business is done and filed on paper, not digitally.
A bigger issue here is the greater need for technology for our police officers and other city employees. With the budgetary constraints the City currently faces, I would hope that we would focus any funds for technology where they would do the most good.
And how much was this company paying the IT guy to keep security system intact?
$31,000.00/year?
Apples and Oranges.
This will only end in inefficiency and waste. If Schneider owes Kenny a laptop for his vote, he should just go out and buy one for him.
Gravy Though I am fairly certain the current IT guy makes more than that I agree that maintain such a secure access might be an issue for the City. However, the Chief has a laptop (at least he did at the Pension meeting) so that might already be setup.
The larger issue for me is that it would be of limited use since so few of the City's processes are currently computerized. Worse still, there is a much greater need in other areas, especially our police officers when it comes to an investment in technology.
Fido The uses of Computers in patrol cars definitely have the potential to save lives. Currently, If an officer sees a suspicious vehicle they have to call into dispatch to have the plates run. Depending on call volume and the like there can be a sizable delay in getting the information back.
For example, an officer calls in to run a plate, dispatch is contending with multiple 911 calls at that moment so it takes several minutes to get the information back. When that information does come back the officer is told that the vehicle is registered to a person wanted in connection to an armed robbery. Unfortunately, considering the size of our community that individual has crossed into another jurisdiction now and the delays build as the officer has to contact dispatch and ask that they pass the information onto that next municipality, county, etc. By the time that next jurisdiction gets a patrol car in the area they guy has turned onto a different street and is no where to be found. What if later that evening he committed another armed robbery and killed the convenience store clerk this time? If the officer would have had the ability to run that check in the car the information would have likely been back in moments rather than minutes and the person very well might have been taken into custody. Obviously that is a very hypothetical example, but I think it is a good one.
When it comes to the inspectors use of laptops they could be useful, but would be much more so if Public Works records were computerized. Currently, most records are in paper form, as are the City's copies of codes, standards and likely any guidelines they have for inspectors (if such things exist in Overland). To truly make good use of computers in our codes department we would need to invest in a lot of data entry, digital copies of codes and standards, etc.
In the case of the Police Department everything they need access to on the road is already computerized and ready to be put to better use.
While I can see laptops and the like being a part of a plan that could improve productivity and resident / business service in Overland, the only ones who could take real advantage of it immediately are our Police officers. Considering that their job had a tendency to involve lives on the line, be they the officers, residents, or others, I would think starting with them would be a no brainer.
I bet Conlon is shaking her head.
I see she wasn't at the meeting Tuesday night when all these decisions were made the audio said she was ill. If she watches Sailors video I bet she gets more sick or maybe Overland is getting what they deserve. Residents need to start demanding they hire a city administrator the right way. The word is the Mayor has someone in mind but they are still in college. What a joke. Bathrooms in Brooks Park? Watch the council meeting tonight and see what is said about the grant process and who ask what and how Boonedoogle dodges the questions. 30,000K on a frickin sign? Do we have a complex like St. Charles or O'Fallon. Spend money that isn't yours freely. A new track at Norman Meyers? 100K and then maintenance. Oh we have a manchild Mayor and councilmen - the body of a man, the brain and reasoning of a child.
Sailor warned us.
Cureton was in City Council Chambers when Clarksville businessman Bo Ward, owner of Bo’s Barber Shop on Fort Campbell Boulevard, committed suicide Thursday evening before the Council and an estimated fifty people attending the meeting after a zoning request he was seeking was denied a reading.
http://www.clarksvilleonline.com
/2007/10/05/update-suicide-in-council
-chambers-leaves-witnesses-shocked-shaken/
#more-2370
Tim Jones wants to "resurface" the Norman Myers track and thinks he can do it for less than six figures. He cites the example of the Ritenour High School's track. Ironically the last time Ritenour won state track title was while running on a cinder track in 1985. One year prior to installation of synthetic track.
Here is a cost saver.
For one tenth the cost I propose the following. For $10,000.00/year, Gravy's Jolly Trolley Inc. will offer daylight transportation between Norman Myers Park and Ritenour High School tracks.
If track is being used, GJTI will guarantee user gets work-out by allowing user to walk or run back to their car at Norman Myers Park.
Jones can use the balance for more important uses like resurfacing Ken Owensby's head.
O'Connell's the one that wants to waste our money on the track. It's his idea and now were going to spend 100K for a track and every 5 years another 10 to 15K to resurface. Great idea Jeff. Come and take a drink from the public trough
It was Councilperson O'Connell's idea to resurface the track. However, Councilperson Jones appeared to support it and did suggest Ritenour's track as an example of what it could become. Also, the $100,000.00 if far from a fact. It was a reasonable guestimate I made when writing about that meeting. It was suggested at that meeting that resurfacing could be done for as "little" as 30,000.00 or so.
Isn't it interesting how quickly a story can change via this new variant of oral tradition? Even with a readily available video record of the event in question. It seems in our society the more things change the more they stay the same.
opps, I submitted that comment too soon. First, I had intended to add that my comment about oral tradition was not directed at anyone. It was simply an observation.
Second, wild story Gravy but I have to say, I am at a loss as to how I warned anyone about something like this happening. While I've said in the past that the odd zoning requirements of Overland are killing the city I hardly meant that literally. I honestly never would have imagined that someone would commit suicide in such a fashion over something like this.
Regardless of what a city government does, there is always hope in the form of the next election. It's unfortunate that Mr. Ward didn't feel the same.
My condolences to his family and friends.
I think the lesson to be learned from the Clarksville story is that our government entities need to remember that what they do affects lives and livelihoods.
I can only imagine the desperation this man must have felt to do what he did. However, I have heard similar stories from people trying to open businesses here in Overland--some coming much too close to financial ruin.
I could understand Overland's attitude if we had tons of businesses and could choose to be selective. However, we are pretty close to being termed "desperate" and should be doing what we can to welcome businesses with open arms. (Wasn't that one of "Empty" Schneider's campaign promises?)
Though I think it is a little too early to call it an empty campaign promise I agree that Overland, particularly the Public Works department, needs to start thinking of themselves as welcoming customer service departments, not gate keeping curmudgeons.
There have been a few steps taken recently, like the Overland Business Association working with the City to simplify the business license application. A small step forward on a long, long hike but a step forward none the less.
Who knows if these sorts of changes will be continued or sustained. For too long it's seemed as if there was a cultural attitude that businesses need to kiss rings, double dutch red tape, and lay out a ridiculous amount of money just to be allowed to open their doors here. It's hard to believe that could change overnight. There does seem to be more support for changing than ever before. Time will tell if it'll be enough.
Sailor, how can anyone know how much the cost of a track is if they have no idea. I suggest a look be taken at recent tracks in the St. Louis area I think you'll find the number runs in excess of 55,000 and when complete 100K. Hey 30K on a sign, 40K on a track, 140K on bathrooms it's only someone else's money. It's real easy to throw numbers around when the council, administration, and the managament have no idea what they are doing.
Gosh, 24M seems like a lot but definitey cheaper than paying a full-time employee with benefits, etc.
An wow--they seem like professionals trained in the appropriate field! What a concept!
Now, about that CA.
Ghost thanks for the headsup. I believe this is one of the companies I looked into for my own site (However I might be confusing it with Civic Space). CivicPlus seems like an interesting option. A check of the pricing suggests the cost of their basic product would cost $7000.00 for setup and maintenance would be a flat 250.00 a month. Definitely seems reasonable for Overland.
However, there are a host of optional services, many of which that could be beneficial to Overland. I imagine their are costs associated to all of these so it's hard to say what the final cost might be.
Tom The reason I pointed out my "guesstimate" of $100,000.00 was because I wanted to be sure people didn't take it a as fact when I originally mentioned it. It is certainly a reasonable guesstimate, but it's not a hard fact as yet.
What will be interesting is how the City obtains their cost estimates for grant purposes. If they too go with a guesstimate, in this case the $30,000.00 number tossed out at the Workshop, what will happen to the grant? Will to be lost because the plan is not likely to completely fund the project? Will we get the grant but be responsible for any and all cost overruns? I'm curious to know how something like this is normally handled.
My bad, I was trying to have a little fun at the counsels expense. Thanks for setting me straight.
For the record, I haven't watched, listened to, directly observed or read transcripts of anything generated by a City Council person, seated mayor or mayoral candidate, occurring at a meeting, workshop, campaign appearance, sub-committee, campaign parade or swearing-in ceremony for at least a year.
Nada. Not one minute of recorded coverage. Even with a readily available video record of the event in question, I still don't have any desire to allocate any of my "civic time" to studying the coverage. Sure, you would think the tedium sufficient, but there is more.
Marginal returns to Overland Civic knowledge turns negative immediately. I agree, as much as things change they sure do stay the same. Being better informed is just as useless now as it was before the advent of readily accessible video records?
I consider myself a satirist and not looking to produce any journalistic muster in my postings. I know two people who enjoy an occasional chuckle from my postings. Maybe I should go back to email so OVCC participants can focus on hard hitting pseudo-analysis and cold hard facts. And then the Council members will read the analysis, take heed and build a better Overland.
Who cares who was more vocal in proposing the idea, it is a stupid idea.
You say O'Connell said it, thanks, let me reconsider..........
yep that is one stupid idea, for $50.00 or $50K still stupid.
I had picked-up the idea that the zoning and planning permitting process was an issue in which you had particular interest. Let the record show that Sailor's concern has always been with efficiency and not the mental health of the applicants.
You know what drove someone to commit suicide over failing to win a variance and therefore facing financial hardship........., lets look at the list, crazy, stupid, vanity, inability to admit mistake to finance construction of a building that does not comply with existing zoning code. If he really wanted to get the variance he should included the threat upon his own life in the original application for variance.
"in addition, failure to earn variance will result in me blowing my-head-off at the next council meetings rather than admitting I gambled my financial future on the vagaries of the zoning and planning committee."
Is it unfortunate that some people get so wrapped up in themselves that they do not see there are always ways to deal with financial hardship without sacrificing their vanity? I guess. Is it sad to me....not really. Crazy is as crazy does.
My condolences to your sense of humor.
Gravy,
Count me in as one who appreciates the sarcasm and wit you bring to the table.
I would hope by now that folks realize this blog is not journalistic but constantly crossing the line between satire and muckraking.
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