Trashy City Hall
Just a quick complaint. I went down to city hall to get the EMS schedule for October. Don't hurt yourself, there will be no EMS service for Marfa for three days until Thursday! I'll post on this soon. I passed the benches outside Casner room and saw a bunch of garbage by the benches. I thought it would be a good idea to inform the office about this so that they could send somebody around to pick up the trash and food as well as scrape the dried ice cream from the pavement.
I was told that the cleaning person does not come in until 5:00PM. I asked about the city handyman who once did this work. He has taken a job elsewhere and has not been replaced yet. I asked about Public Works. The reply seemed to indicate that this subject had come up before and Public Works was not responsible for cleaning city hall. The city administrator is not in today because of personal family reasons. The mayor was not available. I picked up the trash best I could and took it inside. I was told that this happens all the time. Presumably, kids hang out and leave a mess in the evening and it is not cleaned until 5:00PM the next day. This has happened more than once. Some time ago, the mayor instructed the administrator to talk to the kids. Wow, he can shout down citizens in council meetings but cannot reprimand some kids?
I remember a story in a management book from my earlier tech days. There was a company manager who noticed a soft drink can on the company doorstep for a couple of days and waited for someone to pick it up. When no one did, he picked it up and called a meeting to lecture the employees about the importance of everybody taking responsibility for the image of the company. Why don't we deserve this level of concern from our leaders?
I was told that the cleaning person does not come in until 5:00PM. I asked about the city handyman who once did this work. He has taken a job elsewhere and has not been replaced yet. I asked about Public Works. The reply seemed to indicate that this subject had come up before and Public Works was not responsible for cleaning city hall. The city administrator is not in today because of personal family reasons. The mayor was not available. I picked up the trash best I could and took it inside. I was told that this happens all the time. Presumably, kids hang out and leave a mess in the evening and it is not cleaned until 5:00PM the next day. This has happened more than once. Some time ago, the mayor instructed the administrator to talk to the kids. Wow, he can shout down citizens in council meetings but cannot reprimand some kids? I remember a story in a management book from my earlier tech days. There was a company manager who noticed a soft drink can on the company doorstep for a couple of days and waited for someone to pick it up. When no one did, he picked it up and called a meeting to lecture the employees about the importance of everybody taking responsibility for the image of the company. Why don't we deserve this level of concern from our leaders?
posted by RobC at 10:45 AM
23 Comments:
So what you are saying is that our phantom city administrator and mayor can't even handle trash pick-up? Remember, this is the guy who got us the solid waste grant that is languishing in limbo.
Yes, and remember the "La Vista" scenic improvement program? Hasta la vista baby. This trash issue is not new. The city is aware of it. They just don't seem to care.
If I remember correctly, council members have requested trash cans to be placed adjacent to the benches outside of city hall. As always, the request of council as well as citizens, have fallen on deaf ears. Just another example of the administrator's and mayor's inability to get ANYTHING accomplished.
I know! Let's build a huge landfill in the Marfa grasslands next to a huge conservation easement and right over our auqifer to take trash from three neighboring counties and then we could ask Duncan Disposal to stop by on their way to clean up city hal!
I have been witness to this trashy mess once before and even had the opportunity to visit with the Mayor on a possible solution. I believe his comments stemmed around the fact that it is practically impossible to keep it clean with all the passerbys. Sad, really sad to not take pride in your City.
Remember when Flo wanted to dam up Alamito creek and have a lake with paddle boats? Which would be illegal. But now he doesn't want to hear about Alamito Creek because the city has allowed Aparejo Street to completely wash out, thereby stranding residents on the southeast side when Alamito runs? Most of you probably don't remember the comedy of errors recently when the Mayor and Flo didn't even know what kind of trash was supposed to go in the Marfa little landfill.
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I made this post almost as something light-hearted to counter all the heavy budget stuff. But the more I think about it, the madder I get. This is a city problem related to trash that everybody at city hall knows about. Nobody does anything. Everybody stands in a circle and points to somebody else that is supposed to keep city hall clean. Well, these are the same people who want to operate an unlined dump over our auqifer! Seriously, if they cannot pick up the trash on the city's doorstep in plain view of every car that drives by, do we really trust them to run a landfill off in some empty corner of the county? I certainly don't trust them. And this should not be blamed on the kids. They should be scolded if they are the ones that left the mess, which is unknown. The issue is how the city deals with a known problem, be it trash, taxes, employees or the budget. Is there proactive responsibility or incompetence?
I think that the city should post a schedule so that citizens will know on which days trash will be picked up in front of City Hall. They could make it available at the front desk along with the EMS schedule, the dump schdule, the budget schedule, and most importantly, the City Admimistrator's schedule. As with all city issues, the mayor and administrator are quick to point the finger at someone else. Maybe the next administrative capital outlay expenditure needs to be a good mirror for those two !
That's right, then we could get Flo's Code Enforcement Officer to drive around city hall in the police chief's new unmarked police car (purchased with code enforcement money) to arrest the city for not cleaning up its own lot!
I think that the city should post a schedule so that citizens will know on which days trash will be picked up in front of City Hall. They could make it available at the front desk along with the EMS schedule, the dump schdule, the budget schedule, and most importantly, the City Admimistrator's schedule. As with all city issues, the mayor and administrator are quick to point the finger at someone else. Maybe the next administrative capital outlay expenditure needs to be a good mirror for those two!
has anyone else heard the rumor about city employees striking?
don't worry about the trash being picked up - not that Flo or Dave would stoop to do it themselves - but the city has lots of other employees they can tell to do it.
Every problem the city has experienced leads to one thing ----Flo. The Council should request and insist that his evaluation be
placed on the agenda and even if they don't fire him at least pay him for the hours worked just like any other city employee.He should not be allowed car allowance and the rest of the perks. Also by now coucilperson Martinez has received the message of the citizens of his hiring and supporting Flo... SPEAK UP, MARFA..
Re the strike. I think it already occurred. The municipal clerk was given an illegal raise against the instructions of two council members...under the table plus a cost of living raise promised in Feb. When Public Works employees found this out they appeared en masse at city hall and were offered a carrot on a stick, a minimal raise. Now let's see where Flo can slip in all these raises in a budget that needs to be reduced at least 10% to avoid the penalty of filing a deficit budget. THAT IS DEFINITELY AGAINST THE UNIFORM BUDGET LAW AND NOT EVEN MONTE AKERS CAN GET AROUND THAT.
Don't forget that the code enforcement car was NOT paid for with the solid waste grant money. It was paid, according to Flo, "out of police dept. funds, I think." At last report, the grant was still sitting in an account waiting for Flo to file draw down papers for payment. That is a grant administration activity for which he gets $65,000 a year.
Somebody please open the eyes of the Councilmembers. Surely they can see how incompetent this "Flo" man is. Does he really have that much clout over the Marfa City Councilmembers?
That car was a major mistake for Flo. It was not his intention to buy a new police car without a budget or council approval. He was eager to spend the grant money he got, almost as a show of power or success. "Look, I can buy the chief a new car with the money I raise!" At some level, the car thing is part of the grant game. You write a grant, it gets awarded, you get the most you can out of it. The chief got a new car, they will probably buy an old truck or recycle that old Buick or Olds for the code inspector when s/he gets hired. It's a bit of a game tht doesn't look just right.
Flo's problem is that he did not pay for the car with the grant money. He simply spent 17,500 tax dollars on a police car without approval. This is a MAJOR unfunded expense. Council is supposed to decide if we need a new police car. That fiscal year is over. Flo has not touched the grant money yet. Let's see what he/council do with the grant money. That will be interesting. Do they repay the city/citizens who purchased that police car, or does he buy another car?
Sloppy sloppy sloppy. Easy money on Highland.
That car was a major mistake for Flo. It was not his intention to buy a new police car without a budget or council approval. He was eager to spend the grant money he got, almost as a show of power or success. "Look, I can buy the chief a new car with the money I raise!" At some level, the car thing is part of the grant game. You write a grant, it gets awarded, you get the most you can out of it. The chief got a new car, they will probably buy an old truck or recycle that old Buick or Olds for the code inspector when s/he gets hired. It's a bit of a game tht doesn't look just right.
Flo's problem is that he did not pay for the car with the grant money. He simply spent 17,500 tax dollars on a police car without approval. This is a MAJOR unfunded expense. Council is supposed to decide if we need a new police car. That fiscal year is over. Flo has not touched the grant money yet. Let's see what he/council do with the grant money. That will be interesting. Do they repay the city/citizens who purchased that police car, or does he buy another car?
Sloppy sloppy sloppy. Easy money on Highland.
Rumor has it that its now the Parks department who will be responsible for picking up the mess around city hall.
Just like i said before - someone on staff will be told to do it.
When the tax for Parks was proposed I asked at a Council meeting and was assured that the tax would only be used for capital improvements, that the city would not reduce their contribution to Parks. Well, now Parks has purchased equipment, funds an employee, does maintainence for Parks,... So much for promises. Betcha the city pushes all Parks responsibility onto the tax funded Parks Dept, to reduce their expenses in order to fix their budget. Wonder if the money losing golf course will wind up there?
The golf course wouldn't be a money losing area if the people down at City Hall would get off their collective arses and take the initiative to make it an asset instead of a liability. There are many municipal golf courses around the world that make a ton of cash!! Certainly with Marfa's tourist sex appeal, there are ways to profit from a golf course. In fact, I know of many towns the size of Marfa that have reaped the benefits of a golf course. Marfa's problem is simply called MISMANAGEMENT! The only thing that the City puts into the golf course is their employee's salary. The MGA handles all of the equipment purchases and maintenance issues. I am sure if they were contacted by members of the city's so-called staff that there could be some negotiations to help the city make a buck so that they could use it on Flo's next big raise.
You mean like cut a deal with local hotel/motels/bed&breakfasts for a 'Stay and Play' weekend? Kids 'putting' birthday party? Or renting the clubhouse out for small private parties? Look into how much work that empty house needs to rent it out? Look at the sales and concessions revenue? Things like that?
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