Hi everyone,
My first year has been very interesting, to say the least: from a hurricane (Ike) in Sept 08, to snow in December 08, to flood in April 09, to drought in July 09, not to mention the economic crisis our whole country is experiencing. It seems there are new surprises every week!
The good part is that there are some great folks in League City, doing great things-things to be very proud of! As I practice my mantra of "Keep your eye on the ball, " I am ever reminded that you are the "ball;" it is you that we are working for--to provide you with the solid foundation (good infrastructure, good water system, good road system) from which you can do your great things and make all of us proud.
Our invocation was given by Pastor Daniel Diaz de Leon Sr. of Faith Assembly of God, with all Council persons in attendance except Jim Nelson.
It was my pleasure to recognize the American Legion Post #554 Baseball Team who will be participating in the American Legion All State Baseball Tournament coming up. These young folks are some of the great folks I mentioned above! My thanks to Councilman Baron for bringing the team to our attention and making sure that we recognized them.
Fifteen citizens spoke in Citizens Request for Hearing, about various subjects: for the dog park, against the dog park, the proposed Palomino Road Bridge, and drainage issues. One citizen brought pictures to show the progress being done on Benson Gully which should help that area tremendouusly. He paid kudos to the city crews who worked so hard to clear the debris and brush.
Because of the number of folks in the audience about the Dog Park, Items 15. A & B were moved up. Councilman Paulissen made a motion not to fund the Dog Park, which was seconded by Councilman Phalen. After some discussion about our attention needing to be focused on infrastructure, water, and other urgencies, a vote was taken, with the count being 4-2. Sanborn and Baron voted yes.
Item 15.B was a request to allow me to enter into a contract with a professional engineering firm to determine the current operating condition and needed improvements to the League City Water Plant on Hwy 3 in Webster. Paul Lopez, a Supervisor in our Water Production Department spoke, telling us that the City had purchased the land on the corner of Hwy 3 and Magnolia in 2000 for $175,000, and the structures on the property were included by the Gulf Coast Waste Authority. Paul said that the City did some design work on the structure to bring it online with our water system. The Water Production Department has tried numerous times to start the system; however it failed each time. To date, we have spent more than a million dollars on the Plant, and have achieved nothing!
For all of you citizens, this is what I have been told by a group of our own Water Production employees, who requested to see me about the Plant. I arranged a meeting with them on July 9th, at 10 am. After that meeting, I immediately scheduled a bigger meeting at 3:30 which included 3 Water Supervisors, our acting City Administrator Mr. Jahns, City Attorney Arnold Polanco, Chief Jez, and Mayor Pro Paulissen to sit in with us. The consensus was that it is imperative that we should hire an engineering firm quickly to address this plant. This is a five year old problem that has just come out, being necessitated by the drought conditions and our use of water. Thanks to our hardworking employees, we now know about the situation and must take IMMEDIATE action to fix it. Thankfully, this is exactly what the supplemental Agenda is for, and we added this matter to it. Council was shocked that they had not known about this situation before.
I will be sending out an update with regards to where swe are with the Webster water production plant as I receive the information. Thanks to our Water Production personnel for bringing the situation to my attention!
Paul Lopez said that his employees have worked 271 overtime hours in the last two weeks, and that our water system would get some relief if this Plant could become functional ASAP! Motion to approve was made by Councilman Paulissen, seconded by Councilperson Sanborn, and passed 6-0. I have instructed our City Engineer Jack Murphy to get an engineer out THIS week.
In the Mayor's comments, I welcomed our new Interim Administrator, Marcus Jahns, and announced that he will begin a search for an Interim Public Works Director.
In Old Business, Council voted 6-0 to approve a resolution authorizing publication of Notice of Intention to issue Certificates of Obligation for the 518 Bypass. Motion was made by Paulissen, seconded by Councilman Phalen. This is the beginning of the Bypass, everyone! Engineer Murphy said, in response to a question, that the bridge over Robinsons Gully will have 16 feet mean tide clearance.
Director of General Services, Travis Doughty, asked Council to make a commitment that the City would provide a land site for a Regional Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site. He is preparing an application for a $600,000 grant from Houston Galveston Area Council. the motion to make this commitment was made by Councilperson Sanborn, seconded by Councilman Barber, and passed 6-0.
It has been proposed that we create a Comprehensive Plan Task Force to plan a revision of our Comprehensive Plan. Although several Councilmen said that they didn't think we were quite ready to bring in a consultant yet, nevertheless the vote to create the committee was 6-0. Motion by Councilman Baron, second by Councilman Lee.
The only item that came from Executive Session was that the Council instructed City Attorney Arnold Polanco to have a meeting with Scott Freudenburg, President of the Glen Cove HOA, regarding Cypress Bay issues.
Thank you to the folks who came to the meeting--it's always good to see you out there.
Just remember, as we continue to discover things that have been done in past administrations, that you elected me to change the way the City was going, and I am working on that EVERY day.
Thank you for your wonderful support! Do a raindance for a nice steady rain!
Toni Randall
Mayor
League City
57 comments:
I enjoyed reading this mayor's report more than any other I can remember. I'm happy to see progress on the Five Point Disaster Bypass and the GC Bridge.
But I think the mayor is going way too easy on the water department. After they tried nine times over a five year period to fire up a million-dollar-plus project, didn't someone in the whole department feel any obligation to report upstairs that something just might be a little amiss?
the water department did alert the people upstairs - are those interoffice memos available?
In fairness, I should also have added that the people who spent our money should have been down asking about it way before now too.
to further expand on my comment what i should have said "did" the water department alert ... are those memos available.
Well, you have to admit that it is hard to believe that we sunk that kind of money, and then five years trying to get something out of it, without more than one person in some position of accountability speaking up.
Instead of mountains of memos, maybe somebody just said "Oops" and thought to himself, "Hey, it's over in Webster. Maybe nobody will notice."
Toni is right ... Her first year has been interesting! She first speaks about the storm (Ike). Here's what I remember about after-Ike: Our mayor was not communicating with the media. We had no idea if our water supply was safe or not for several day. I also remember the first clean-up activity i saw by city crews. Generators where being used to power leaf blowers at League Park. WTF? I am sure those generator could have been utilized in much better ways ... After all, how many peopole where really using the park in those early days after the storm?
And then the whole drainage issue was sugar coated. To quote Randall:
"Fifteen citizens spoke in Citizens Request for Hearing, about various subjects: for the dog park, against the dog park, the proposed Palomino Road Bridge, and drainage issues. One citizen brought pictures to show the progress being done on Benson Gully which should help that area tremendouusly. He paid kudos to the city crews who worked so hard to clear the debris and brush."
This blows my mind! ONE person had praise for our public works dept. Where where the thousands of other people who have drainage issues in there area? Maybe we should ALL show up to speak at the next council meeting with pictures of ditches filled with debris, culverts clogged with grass, and other problem areas.
Here's another quote that gets my goat:
"Item 15.B was a request to allow me to enter into a contract with a professional engineering firm to determine the current operating condition and needed improvements to the League City Water Plant on Hwy 3 in Webster."
Who needs an engineering firm to tell the city the pumping station is broke!? Hell, I can scratch my ass and tell the city it's broke for FREE!
Jamey: I don't think we need to show council more pictures. Enough people have been doing that, and the city ditch crew has brought its own, to show what's being done. After years of neglect, it's going to take time. At least it's on priority now.
I agree that bringing in an outside engineering firm to consult (only) could be a mistake. Isn't that what got us into this mess in the first place?
I have other remarks for you. See the other blog.
How much is it if you just let the donkey itch?
Here's what I remember about after-Ike: Our mayor was not communicating with the media.
------------------------------
Here's what I remember; Mayor Toni delegated Chris Reed to handle everything.
Apparently some people have selective amnesia as well as expect a part time mayor to have her hand on every till.
It appears the only person to speak up regarding the water problem was forced to retire by acting city administrator Jez. A 25 year veteran of the water department who sent many memos to his boss as well as an elected official or two and what does he get for such an act? It is my understanding that he was told if he did not resign he would be terminated. So we wonder why no city employees will speak up about problems? Mr. Reed was well aware of the situation but chose to do nothing, the former department head is in another country far away from League City and the only thing that happens is that the one who was trying to blow the whistle was forced to get out. What a disgrace ! I would hope that the Mayor and council do something about this !
Chris: Jez is a cop, right? Cops like to bust birds in hand, not go after birds in bushes.
The majority of people behind bars are the ones who didn't run, or who ran slower than the cops behind them, or who didn't have private bars of their own that keep cops out.
I really wonder how people are able to get some these details.
Look, soory about the guy who got fired. Can we please fix the pump?
Hey, I've been trying to goad Jamey Holley into taking the job, but he's gone mute on me. Might have to throw him some money.
CJM,
Larry tried 3 times to get the water plant started. The administration knew, did nothing, no support! E-mails and memos can and should be checked! Sorry Dale!
Bad mouthing employees that aren't there isn't helping this situation. Not getting support from the past administration is one of the main reasons for Larry leaving ...NOT having a argument with CR.no truth in the comments made by Jim Nelson (he did apologize to Larry)
Chris,
No one was fired, the employee was forced into retirement. Sorry doesn’t cut it. How do you expect to get information when the ones telling the truth are treated that way? The man should get his job back with an apology at the least.
PDM,
No one is bad mouthing anyone just stating facts. There was no reason for the drastic actions that Mr. Jez took. They need to be looked into. It’s an absolute disgrace!
Thank you Chris Mallios! I take issue with your statement Chris Stevens, how would you like to be treated with such disrespect? "Sorry about the guy that got fired." We're talking about someone's life here. Shame shame on you.
Oh now this one will be interesting, so CM how about an open records request? Since I work for the City and in public works I know that Jimmy didn't pass it on. Jimmy B. is an idiot and when all of the emails are obtained we will see, that no one notified the "upstairs" or counsil. We will also see that Jimmy should have been fired long ago. He took employees sick time from the sick pool and didn't even use his own time. His employees dislike him because all he does is complain. Not to mention the use of his city truck when off duty. I could go on and on. But I will let the emails and memos do the talking. This one is easy to figure out, just do the records request. Oh and Jack M. will take a fall on this one too. Soon all of the trouble in public works will be exposed and the reason Larry quit was because he didn't know what he was doing.
Funny I don't feel any shame... I said I was sorry it happened whatever happened and I meant it. I remember getting the old "You need to look for a new job" line one when I was a construction engineer. The constructio super (who really should have been fired) did what ever he want no matter what I put into the work order. The engineer I answered to always told me to let him do what he wants. Then one day he tells me to look for something new since I couldn't control the super. I was more than ready.
However, I don't get it when these folks quit under pressure and then get their supporters to lobby for their jobs back. Did that lady at the cow museum ever get her undertaker job back?
CJM, keep making the case. If it's as clear as you say I hope he does get his job back.
Pat, You keep running off everyone who doesn't dive in as deep as you. I mean, it has worked so well for so many in this town already
This issue is a failure of upper management plain and simple. The management that should have known about this issue did not or chose not to care. Blaming and firing doesn't fix the pumping station or the problem. What we are seeing here is the same problem that plagues us with BLD, BLM, The Webster Pump and I pray not, but also in the future, the new west side water treatment plant. Until we fix our political, management, and form of government, you can expect these management issues to continue.
If we fix the form of government, finally a management structure will be in place conducive to solving these kinds of problems. Our current form leads to these issues through political interference in day to day operations by elected officials. The interference does not always directly cause these issues, but it side tracks peoples work and eventually fouls up moral, which leads to a break down in management. The result is disjointed-dysfunctional management
P.S. Crappy dept heads also cause dysfunctional management but survive because of the current form of govt.Good riddance to some of the recent departures.
Nice try, Marc. Use current chaos under present form of government as a rally cry for some different form of government. Almost brilliant.
Sorry, but we're not ready. We are more concerned here with accountability in departments, which neither form of government addresses better than the other.
Joe just pointed it out. Civil servants are too often incompetent idiots who can't hold down real jobs in the private sector, and we get what we deserve when we don't apply constant supervision and hold workers' feet to the fire.
We spent a million dollars, and for what? Aren't we entitled to see some heads roll?
PS I'd rather have water pumping through pipes, but I'll settle for blood running through the streets.
Ok Chris Stevens it appears I owe you an apology for my shame on you comment. Please accept my apology.
We're in for some big surprises here on this water issue.
Here's what I see on issue after issue.
Mayor after mayor and council after council have neglected the basics or simply expected that somehow "all the new development" would pay for it. (Basics more or less equals: WATER - quality/pressure/dependability, WASTE - sewage/garbage, MOBILITY - streets/bridges/smart locations of central facilities/concrete medians, DRAINAGE - pipes/ditches/retentions/barrier curbs/basic topography/levies etc., and SECURITY - police/fire/EMT). The only exception may be that we seem to keep our fire and police heavily staffed and well equipped.
Instead they (mayors, councils, top staff) have pursued the SEXY projects, the "rock your world" stuff - BLD, BLM, natatoriums, river market (which may have turned out nicely but who knows know) and the occasional "We should do it for the children!" issue like banning smoking in private establishments, boundless playgrounds and hike bike trails.
It has all been to the net detriment of the everyday life issues that are the basics.
What worries me most is that we have various committees who seem to work on these issues but the idea of working them all together under one comprehensive approach seems lost. I am really worried that we are just going to keep chasing the tail of this dog around in circles for many years to come.
Council is focused on taking one issue at a time and judging it in a vacuum. That is not the purpose of council. Nor is is it to take everything and bounce it off a "master plan" one at a time to see how it lines up with a plan which may have been a fine "Go by" when it waqs put together but which loses any real validity with each passing day.
We need council to just sit down and lead this city government.
I am not looking to dump Baron or Sanborn or the Mayor or Barber or ANYONE. I just want them to REALLY try to pull these solutions together into a comprehensive approach and get it going.
Then and only then should we spend energy on the less important matters (but still very important) of parks and special parks and even more special boundless playgrounds.
I am not against them persay! I just think that if you're driving a wheel chair lift equipped van and you have to back through a puddle of backed-up sewage and over last weeks uncollected garbage bags, through crowded streets full of pot holes that your youngster’s injured back feels every wiggle of and then through the flooded streets to get there, well then... You might just decide to stay home and barbecue in the back yard where it’s legal to smoke if you want anyway (assuming that barbecue pits are still legal). Especially if there's no water pressure to shower with when you get back.
(Please no straw men about the $86,000 we are on the verge of forfeiting in parks. That money should have been allotted a LONG time ago rather than at the last minute for a project the people are clearly against and a back-up plan should have been in place. Personally, I think we should just back charge it against wages for any park maintenance like mowing, tree trimming or painting done in the central region over the last few years and use it to repay the general fund.)
Chris, you're asking way too much from our elected representatives. We put them there to represent us, not to conjur visions of fleeting euphoria.
In a town with ongoing work and projects the size that we've got now, you can't expect the half-dozen we put in office to wave wands and show you magic overnight.
Problems like flash flooding and neglected drainage work (example) do have to be dealt with one at a time when they become so big as to eclipse every other issue. Sorry.
Non-problems like the lack of a dog people park on every street corner (example) should not become distractions, but sometimes they do have to be dealt with as if they are the only issue of the day, because some loud-mouth out-of-town troublemakers force us to. Sorry.
Expect a little less from mayor and council, and a LOT more from department heads who are getting paid the big bucks to take some responsibility for what goes on in their departments.
Mr. Stevens,
Please accept my apology for my misinterpretation of your thought.
Joe,
You have no Idea what you are discussing. LOL !I am sure you work for the department. I have talked with some of the employees regarding this issue. You are far off base. I have seen the emails and memos and am hoping the city resolves this situation before it gets out of hand.
Marc,
If we had a city manager form of government and the city manager was Chris Reed do you think we would know about this situation? Are you thinking clearly? You blew your argument. Only a strong mayor form of government allows for such information to come to light. You are mistaken my friend. Are you trying to say that Mr. Reed was told to cover up this problem by Mayor Shults and Mayor Randall? Or are you saying he was so unaware of what was going on he did not know? Same question goes to you Joe. Can’t have it both ways guys.
Joe,
One last thought for you. Are you familiar with how the sick pool works? For an “alleged” city employee you sure don’t understand much. I suggest you find out how it works then try and make the same inaccurate statement again.
If we had a city manager form of government and the city manager was Chris Reed do you think we would know about this situation? Are you thinking clearly? You blew your argument. Only a strong mayor form of government allows for such information to come to light.
-----------------------------------
CJM think about what you said. You have said that we have a strong mayor form of government. Yet how long did it take for this to come to light? Not very convincing.
I'll build upon what Paul said in that if you hire a capable city manager and give him the authority to deal with department heads and hold them accountable without having to go to the Mayor or council to play "Mother May I", then these things get resolved asap.
Here's how the conversation goes:
dept head - I need one million dollars to get the facility running
mgr - good
...time passes...
mgr - What's the status on the facility?
dept - we're still working on it
mgr - It's been 6 mos, what's the problem, who specifically is working it, and when it's going to be fixed?
dept - well we don't know what the problem is
mgr - don't give me that. It's your job to solve the problems, not twiddle thumbs or stand around suffering from analysis paralysis.
If you can't fix it, I'll find someone who can.
NP Chris. It's all part of the fun and games in League City.
I don't understand exactly what happened but I always feel for someone in a pinch.
BHL, let me make an example of how it works now. This does not represent any real story and is fictional. No real person is depicted in this. It is just a fictional story.
Dept. Head/MGR. Hey pull of that pumping station, xyz councilmans neighbor has low water pressure.
Worker-okay, when can I get back to it?
Dept head/MGr. when your done with fixing xyz council persons problem, and while you are over there, lmn council person says there is a smell like sewage in his backyard, check it out.
Worker-its lmn sewage pipe its cracked on his side.
Dept head/Mgr. GITHERDONE
Worker-what was I working on before all this?,,,,,,oh yeah the pumping station. That is only for a drought. I have time.
two weeks later
New Council Elected, Retirement party for Mr. Depthead/MGR
3 weeks later
Problems surface--Worker fired for not keeping with it.
New Worker,,,,I wonder what how this pumping station works?
very good example marc. It's exactly why every department has to have a strategic plan in place that is reviewed annually. The plans must be recognized by council along with SOPs that govern regular and reoccuring operations. This way someone on council can be called out of order if they attempt some action outside of the strategic plan or SOP.
Council should not be allowed to contact dept heads or workers directly except to say "thanks for a job well done". The chain of command should always be followed. The job of the higher ups is not just to bark down orders but to shield his troops from outside and undue influences.
If the higher ups can't take the heat, they need to stay out of the kitchen.
Pat Y.
Thanks and NP.
Some things can't be left to annual review. Imagine living without water (or any basic utility or service) for a whole year.
Before trashing strong mayor form, keep in mind that the pump station was supposed to be up and running at least five years ago, long before the current mayor came onboard.
Also in perspective, mayor and council are part-timers who can only oversee and guide the city's overall vision. Department workers, from heads on down, get paid to be taking care of their own work every day, full-time.
Maybe someone wants to talk about how civil service, like unionism, stifles timely employee review and functional accountability.
P. Moratto,
I just caught up on my reading. I haven't gone mute on this subject. But, there is no way in Hell you could get me to work for the city! I'll pass on the job :-)
Paul,
I don't think that anyone is blaming the mayor for the water pumping station. I think that it is a symptom of a greater problem. The last 30 years of management of the enterprise fund is a testimony to failed leadership and failed managment.
Do we even have a major assets list and functioning review system?
Marc: You're right, but let's not go that far back. Let's just stick to the pump station, history-and-forward.
Jamey: I don't blame you. I guess I'll have to put together a Water Pumping 101 class all by myself. It will go something like this (keep in mind that like the rest of the water department, I have absolutely no idea what on earth I'm doing):
Things you need to know:
• Your inlet pressure (P1)
• Your desired pressure drop (P2)
• Required flow rate in gallons per minute (GPM)
• Difference between ip (P1) and dpd (P2)
(P1 - P2)
In the first column [chart available on request from highly overrated Pirate Paul Water Pumping Solutions LLC], find your dpd (P2)
Scroll to the right to locate your desired GPM
• If the MAX GPM is not in that row then jump to the next highest valve size
The far right column is the appropriate valve size... [etc]
Then there's backflow prevention and so many other nasty little kinks to deal with. I'm not sure I am going to have this problem worked out by the end of the day, since the city hasn't given me a budget, and those "TGIF" calls are already coming in. I may be clocking out early if that's okay with everybody.
Paul,
I think you misunderstood me on some parts and I could have been more thorough on others.
A strategic plan should get reviewed annually (by the dept and city mgr). Changes shoud be presented to council in a working meeting.
ongoing activities and projects should be managed with appropriate level of oversight throughout the project duration. Suffice it to say that water problems would not get looked at once a year.
Hey Paul, You are sounding quite aggresive today. Have you been eating a lot of red meat?
:)
Marc
Joe - sniff..sniff..and then there was that time..sniff..when he didn't pick you for his dodgeball team... and then there was that time he took your lunch money..sniff..
Seriously though, that's some pretty harsh accusations against someone you obviously don't know. Look up the word "libel" in the dictionary and think about it.
I agree with CJM, you have no clue how a sick leave pool works if you think someone can "take" time away from other employees. If that's the case, I think I'll take some vacation time or sick time from my co-workers at my company next week. Sounds easy according to you.
Good evening Marc and BHL. Please allow me to give a different version of a drama that might have played out in any city. Following my fellow script writers, no particular persons are depicted here and no animals were harmed in the writing of this script.
Engineers: hey let's put $1M in improvements at a pump station. Here's a capital project for the board to fund.
Board: Ok - sounds good. You're funded
Engineers: thanks, the bid goes to xyz engineering co. Ok - get to work
XYZ: We've got the design done, but sorry, we lost our good guys, we're using the B team now, but our contractors have the upgrades done.
Engineers: Ok - MGR/workers, start the plant.
MGR/Workers: Hey, this doesn't work, we'll try again...nope, doesn't work..we think there's a problem in the design. Hey upstairs, we have a problem here..
Upstairs: zzzzzzzzz
MGR/Workers: Hey Engineers, we have a problem here...
Engineers: zzzzzzzz
MGR/Workers. Hey XYZ, fix this mess
XYZ: well, we've lost more people
MGR/Workers.: Hey upstairs, get the some legal advice..we've tried x times to start this..XYZ has the money
Upstairs: zzzzzzzz
MGR/Workers: Really, we need help. We've tried over xx times to make it work; it doesn't work.
Upstairs: My chair is getting a little warm..sorry guys, I'm outta here.
MGR/Workers: Hey upstairs II, this is an ongoing serious problem we need to address.
Upstairs II: uh...ok...let's get it started.
MGR/Workers: We need to see about holding xyz accountable. There are serious issues here and $1M shot to hell.
Upstairs II: well, that's in the past, just make it work.
MGR/Workers: But there are terrible design flaws, we are putting the system in danger.
Upstairs II: Nah, just go do it.
MGR/Workers: Please get legal advice. Let's get another engineering firm to look at it.
Upstairs II: Umm..nah, just do it.
MGR/Workers: Engineers, what's up? We need help.
Engineers: zzzzzzzzz
MGR/Workers: Upstairs II- we're getting impatient, time is flying by, this is going to look really bad on all of us.
Upstairs II: Ummm...yawn....zzzzzzz
MGR/Workers: HELP
Upstairs II: Stop being difficult..just make it work...zzzzzzzzzzz
MGR/Workers: The CEO needs to know.
Upstairs II: I smell smoke..I'm outta here.
The End.
PAUL:
YOU are the man for the job! The city needs to hire (the highly over-rated) Pirate Paul Water Pumping Solution LLC! As a matter of fact, you might be over qualified for the job! Why do I say that? Well first off there's the issue that you have no idea what your doing but, you openly admit it...That over-qualifies you! Secondly, you couldn't even complete the WATER PUMPING 101 Course you started...Those T.G.I.F. calls where pouring in...That over-qualifies you!
Please don't think I am taking stabs at you!! I'm not! I just read your comment and was laughing my ass off the whole time.
The next time you knock off early and abandon a project, give me a call and lets go have a drink. I like your way of thinking and you seem to have one hell-of-a sense of humor.
Oh, and by the way; you didn't need anyones approval to knock off early! Remember, the city shuts down at noon on Fridays. By the time stamp on your comment, you had put in 44 minutes of overtime! Make sure you bill that time at the appropriate over-time rate.
Instead of passing blame, let's just fix the problem. Then go back and put procedures in place so we will not be visiting the same problem again.
My two cents for what it is worth.
Mac,
You should sell the script to Hollywood. It could be the beginning to a great TV disaster movie. The last few disaster movies on TV have been so unrealistic.
Jamey, why not be a consultant to the city? You can get paid $200/hr and only work part time.
BHL:
Thanks for the suggestion. But, I wouldn't get my hands dirty in this matter with the city! After all, I'd have to charge mileage to drive to webster or dickinson to wash my hands with adequate pressure.
I do have to say that Rusty T makes a valid observation. Everybody is so busy passing blame that the root issue is forgotten. We have all had inadequate pressure for several years now ... And it came to light that the pumping station has been inoperable for ten years now. It is obvious that our current administration has inheritted a huge issue.
I've said it before, and I will say it agin. We don't need and engineering firm to tell us what we already know. The damned thing is broke! What we need is a competent person to oversee the pumping station coming on-line and operating properly!
Hmmmmmmm ... I guess I could do that for a small fee!
So I hear alot of back and forth talk about this water plant debockel. So when do we (the tax payers) find out the true story? I thank its time for the guilty parties to man up and take responsability for their own actions. If you screwed up step up and say you did. If you did your job the way you where required to do so, say so and step to the back of the line so the ones responsable can step up.
In my 40+ years as a League City resident this intire "dog and pony show" is just more of the same old same old from city officials who focus their attention/efforts on the people/places who pay more in tax dollars and campain donations.
I think its time to see some honest concern for the people of this town who think of League city as their home and not just a stop off on their way to something bigger and better.
Mac: Reminds me of those multi-forwarded copies of spam warnings about a brown menace about to devour and bleed to death all SS entitlements, health care, free schooling and every other "free" ride I can't seem to get myself.
I always write back, asking how someone else can get into MY entitlements with no SS number of their own, because I want to start doing that too. No takers so far.
Rusty and Cowboy: Re-read the part of Mac's script where everybody in positions of accountability (a) already got canned in a previous election, (b) saw what was about to hit the fan and jumped ship, or (c) is still on the payroll but is snoozing.
Marc: Yes, red meat [grunt]. Seeing red. More red meat.
Paul:
I feel every you say! Here's a little for laughter:
I wanted to go to the store the other day. So, I thought to myself, "i'll ride my bicycle, it's good for me, the envorinment, and it's free transportation." The bicycle had a low tire. I pushed the bicycle to the store, bought my soda, and PAID for air to properly inflate the tire! The moral of the story: I can't even get a free ride on my own bicycle!!!
A can of soda - 69 cents
Filling your tire - 50 cents
Watching Jamey's blood pressure rise because he didn't have a bike pump ($20 @ Walmart) - Priceless
BHL: I am rolling on the floor! I'm just glad to see that we all still have a sense of humor!
You are very mistaken, I DO know the sick pool policy. JB was allowed by the former HR director clueless Joy to take sick time from the sick pool. BUT an employee is not allowed to do it until all of their own time is used up. JB stole all of the time from the sick pool without using any of his own time. this pissed several of us off and was found out by LH, JB should have been fired then. Ask LH how good of an employee JB was. Oh and he claimed all the time that because he is CM's neighbor that CM would spy on him on the time and was the one complaining on him about using his city truck.
And CM if you got the memos post them, I'd love to see them, you are full of it, they don't exist I know for a fact! so your turn prove me wrong.
Joe,
Wow took you long enough to back track on your statement. For the record and fact : The sick pool administrator made an error and you claim it was theft by the employee? When the error was discovered it was corrected and you want the employees head for a mistake they did not make? As for memos let me lay a few dates on you so you can file the freedom of information act so you may know what you are talking about. 5/12/2004, 9/31/2005, 11/21/2006. If you would like to see the two inch thick set of documents come on by my house and I’ll be glad to show those to you or anyone else who wants to know the real truth. I am not trying to defend anyone I am just trying to get to the truth and resolve the problem. I agree the pump needs to get fixed. That is a given, However I believe that ALL public servants should be held accountable for their actions. Remember “Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” - Winston Churchill
Joe,
You sure like throwing people's names around and you are making some serious allegations concerning those people. If you are going to make it obvious to everyone about whom you are talking about, why don't you use your real name?
If someone "stole" the sick time, how did he do it if he was sick? Obviously, when people use sick time they are not at work, right? So, how can someone manipulate the payroll system to "steal" time? Isn't there a system to check your payroll? Doesn't it have to go to the Director for approval before being turned in and then isn't there a payroll department that processes the time turned in? Sounds too easy according to you. Can you explain it?
Looks to me like CM knows his business if he can recite specific dates of memos. I might just have to request those myself and see what this is all about. Have you?
CM, I agree that all public servants should be held accountable for their actions, but I believe there has only been a scapegoat in this situation, while the real guilty parties are still spinning their tales to those in power.
I have been following this string of comments for quite a while now. I have also been driving by the most expensive water plant in country two or three time a day. I have yet to see and one out there working. It looks like another one of those government projects. You know the ones...
Step 1. Some one says "I think we
need to make a change."
Step 2. Present the issue to "The Powers That Be".
Step 3. Pass the issue off to some back room commity composed of people not realy qualified to make a desision.
Step 4. Table the desision until more information can be gathered.
Step 5. Resirect the issue and send it to the enginers to get a better understanding on just the problem seems to be.
Step 6. Send the issue off to city councle for their blessing.
Step 7. Councle defers back to step 3 to start the process all over again.
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