SIF Injures Cities

The city’s treasurer and I attended our property and liability insurance pool’s annual meeting yesterday. Called the South Carolina Municipal Insurance Trust (SCMIT) and SC Municipal Insurance Risk Financing Fund (SCMIRF), both are pools of South Carolina cities that insure one another through shared premiums and risk. I always sort of dread this meeting. Not because of the people who run it or attend it, rather, we always get bad news at the meeting. This year was no different, particularly with regard to workers’ compensation insurance rates.

Nationally, the upward trend of workers’ comp insurance costs is no secret. Here in S.C., the National Council on Compensation Insurance has requested a 32.7% increase in workers’ comp insurance rates. It’s our hope the request will be denied because the answer to the workers’ comp cost crisis in South Carolina is not rate increases. A large part of a solution to our current crisis can be accomplished by dissolution of the South Carolina Second Injury Fund (SIF).

Set up by the state legislature after World War Two, the SIF provided a “safety net” for employers to hire people with certain preexisting physical conditions, specifically veterans with war-related injuries. The SIF would reimburse the employer for additional treatment costs should the employee have a workers' compensation claim. With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the SIF has outlived its purpose and is a financial drain on employers, particularly municipalities. Here’s how:

In order to stay in business, the SIF assesses every workers’ comp insurance company a fee whether or not that insurance company has filed a claim against the SIF. Therefore, well-managed self-insured pools like ours that don't file many claims, are forced to pay the same rate as a company that constantly files claims. Therefore, our fund pays into the SIF much, much more than it ever gets back for claims it files. Our fund subsidizes other insurance companies around the state. What does that mean to our pool? In 2004 our pool paid $1.2 million in SIF assessments. In 2005, our pool paid $4.4 million in SIF assessments. That represents a 259% increase. Why the large increase? Was it because our pool filed more claims? No. The increase reflects the rise in the cost of medical care related to workers' comp claims. That increase has blown a hole in our pool’s FY 05-06 budget and accounts for all of the reasonable 15% premium increase it has passed along to each of its member municipalities. Without the SIF, workers’ comp insurance rates would drop dramatically statewide.

The rate increase the city faces will also punch a hole in its FY 05-06 budget. Unable to anticipate the SIF’s increases from year to year, Woodruff’s insurance budget is a guessing game. Our budget will fall short of covering the increase by more than $6,000. Not a lot of money in the big scheme of things. But that figure represents nearly one mill of city property tax.

The Municipal Association of South Carolina, the parent organization of SCMIT and SCMIRF has lobbied hard for the elimination of the SIF and I support that effort 100%. The SIF is an out-dated system that was long ago supplanted by the federal ADA legislation and other modern-day worker protections. Many states across the country have abolished similar funds and it’s time South Carolina does the same. Workers’ comp costs are a major drag on the economy of South Carolina. All businesses feel the pain of these costs, both private and public, and we pass that pain to our consumers. It’s time to abolish the SIF and implement serious reform to this state’s workers’ comp system.

Slingin' Sludge

After more than 12 years, the city is finally ready to remove sludge from its wastewater treatment plant. Bio-Nomic Services, Inc., a sludge removal contractor, has begun the process of removing more than six feet of wastewater sludge from ponds 2 and 3 at the plant. Typically, sludge is removed from a wastewater pond like Woodruff’s every 5 to 7 years. But budget constraints and the low priority of this process for prior city administrations has allowed sludge removal to occur in Woodruff only once in the 20-year history of its wastewater treatment plant. And this is typical of the wastewater business until something goes wrong.
People don’t like to deal with messy things like sewers. But without them, our lives would be much more messy. For most folks, their knowledge of sewers doesn’t’ extend beyond flushing the toilet. Once it’s flushed, folks don’t care what happens to it. And that’s where the city comes in. The city is responsible for ensuring that wastewater is transported to the treatment plant through its more than 34 miles of sewer lines. That means routine cleaning of lines, repairs to breaks and maintenance of the 7 lift stations that move the wastewater from low points to high points so it can flow via gravity to the plant.

Once the wastewater arrives at the treatment plant, all of the solids have to be removed. That means someone physically removes paper products and all of the other stuff people flush. And even though the heavy solids are removed, smaller particles of waste are suspended in the water, which eventually have to be removed as well. Those suspended solids fall out of the water during the treatment process and create the 450,000 gallons of sludge that will be removed in the coming weeks. Once removed, the sludge will be injected below the surface of the ground on privately-owned property near the plant. The tractor in the photo below will inject the sludge.

Removal of the sludge will allow for longer water retention times, which increases the efficiency of the passive treatment process Woodruff uses. It will reduce the amount of post-retention chemical treatment necessary, which reduces operating costs. Most importantly though, the sludge removal will ensure the city will not exceed its DHEC discharge permit limits. Last winter, the city exceeded several permit parameters due to excessive sludge in its retention ponds. This winter however, that will not be the case.

The removal process will cost approximately $75,000, which is extremely economical. However, the removal should be less expensive in the future since the city will conduct better long-term planning in anticipation of this regular necessity. Unlike the past, sewer maintenance is a high priority for the city. Long-term investment in the city’s sewer system will pay dividends in future revenues and reduced operating costs. Continued upgrades like that afforded by the CDBG grant will allow the city to catch up on deferred sewer problems and soon allow the city to move forward with ambitious projects to attract new business and residents.

Thanksgiving Gravy

The city’s Street Department has a long-standing tradition of buying Thanksgiving lunch for all of the city’s employees and it will do so again today. The guys order individual plates from a local restaurant and then deliver them to each department throughout the city. It’s the department’s way of saying thanks to their colleagues each year. I like the tradition and we always have a great meal.

The department funds this meal with proceeds from its collection of scrap metal that city residents place on the street. Used to, the department’s employees had to drive their truckloads of metal to a recycler nearly 20 miles, one way, from the city. By the time fuel costs and lost time were deducted, the department made very little money from the process. About two years ago however, we found a company, OmniSource, that placed a collection dumpster at our Street Department shop and hauls it away when requested. The company then sends the city a check for the metal it recycles. Just having OmniSource haul away the metal at no cost to the city was a huge plus. But to get a check is, literally, turkey gravy!

Woodruff’s city government constantly searches for better ways to do business. Utilizing services like that of OmniSource may seem like a small improvement, but when you add up the savings in terms of fuel, maintenance on trucks and additional man-hours spent in the city, plus a check for your efforts, it’s not so small anymore. The city has made a lot of small improvements like this over the last few years. And the staff will find more. So on this Thanksgiving, I’m not only thankful for all of the blessings bestowed upon me personally, I’m thankful to be a part of an organization that is always getting better at what it does.

Weekly Update 11-23-05

TO: Woodruff City Council

FROM: Scott Slatton

SUBJECT: Weekly update

DATE: 23 November 2005

Administration Department
1. The November meeting agenda is attached.
2. The second of two Hospitality Tax restaurant owner orientation meetings was held this week. One local business owner attended.
3. Scott met again with Winston Hines and a group of investors he represents to discuss the group’s offer for the old fire department. This offer will be the subject of the executive session scheduled for the regular council meeting Monday night.
4. Friends Café will hold its grand opening Monday, November 28 at 10:30AM. Please attend this event to welcome another new business to the city.

Fire Department
1. The department fought a large structure fire on Prince Caldwell Drive with Reidville, Pelham and Clear Springs providing tanker support.

Police Department
1. Officer Alan Burden was sworn in and started work this week. Please welcome him to Woodruff when you meet him.

Street Department
1. The department held its annual Thanksgiving lunch for city employees this week.

Sewer Department
1. Bio-Nomic Services mobilized some equipment to the wastewater treatment plant this week in preparation of beginning sludge removal next week.
2. Final collection statistics for October billing:
Amt. Billed - $76,471 Amt. Collected - $68,016 % Collected - 88.9%
3. Caliber Engineering reported that six general contractors have purchased planning documents in preparation for submitting bids for the CDBG project.

Municipal Finance Oversight Act

The piece I wrote below appeared as an Op-Ed in the November 20, 2005, edition of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal:

Put Joe Newton out of work! That should be the rallying cry for House Bill 3198, the “Municipal Finance Oversight Act.” Currently resting in the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee, H-3198 establishes a state commission to ensure municipalities in South Carolina manage their financial affairs legally and according to accepted practices. Long needed in our state, H-3198 is a smart piece of legislation that will save taxpayer money in the long run and give the Appalachian Council of Governments’ (ACOG) Joe Newton a much-deserved rest.

Though existing state laws require South Carolina cities and towns to conduct their financial affairs according to accepted practices, conduct an annual audit and adopt balanced budgets, many do not. Why not? Because there are no consequences when they don’t. No one at the local, county, and especially the state level, pays much attention to municipal finances until a city’s financial woes are splashed across newspaper headlines. And even if someone did notice cities breaking state finance laws, there are none that provide enough teeth to force cities to comply. Take my own city for example.

In late 2002 and early 2003, the City of Woodruff faced a financial crisis. The city had run out of cash. It had not submitted payroll taxes to the federal or state government for months on end. Employee retirement contributions were not submitted to the state. Tax anticipation notes were rolled over beyond their 90-day expiration dates. Several bank loans were obtained improperly. The city had adopted unrealistic budgets for several years, which led to the loss of its once robust rainy day fund. All of these problems were an accumulation of months and even years of poor financial management. But while some laws were not followed properly, others were. The city did conduct annual audits of its books. It submitted those audits to its creditors and state agencies. It made reports to agencies that required financial information. Despite the fact city and state officials had the information necessary to determine Woodruff was headed in the wrong direction financially, no one understood what was happening or simply did not pay attention to the information at hand. Had H-3198 been law, the Municipal Financial Oversight Commission would have seen the early warning signs in Woodruff and acted to help the city stop the momentum before it reached a financial precipice.

But since no one at home or in Columbia noticed the problems early enough, Woodruff’s residents are now burdened with 10 mills worth of debt service each year until the year 2011. That is over $76,000.00 each year that could be cut from the city’s $2.3 million budget or used to provide much-needed services.

H-3198 is common-sense legislation that will provide professional assistance to cities and towns that find themselves overwhelmed or embarrassed when financial trouble arises. ACOG’s Joe Newton is the Upstate’s answer to a financial oversight commission. Joe has personally overseen the recovery of numerous failing cities and towns in the last few years. But not everyone across South Carolina is fortunate enough to have a Joe Newton and besides, why should he have to do our city officials’ jobs? H-3198 would give every city and town the expertise, advice, and more importantly, the incentive they all need to follow state law.

In the past, similar bills have faced resistance from local officials around the state. Critics argue H-3198 is an assault on home rule. Far from it. H-3198 will ensure elected and appointed officials administer municipal finances with diligence and control at the local level, thereby preserving home rule. If municipal officials do not comply with the law, the Oversight Commission would be allowed to make the tough decisions local officials are sometimes unwilling to make in order to keep their governments afloat.

In the 80 or so years North Carolina’s Local Government Commission has been charged with similar oversight, it has rarely been forced to overtake a local government. Fear of a state takeover in North Carolina has forced cities and towns to obey state laws designed for their own benefit. This fear has allowed North Carolina to maintain its excellent bond rating for many years. Though South Carolina’s bond rating remains relatively high after a downgrade earlier this year, continued near-failures of local governments across the state could further erode the state’s bond rating, thereby raising taxes for all state residents.

Oversight of municipal finances should be conducted by local officials and the public. Sometimes though, local governments and the public fall asleep at the switch or don’t understand the financial problems they face. In either case, H-3198 would act as the wake up call we all need to ensure our governments handle our tax money with the care we expect.

Weekly Update 11-18-05

TO: Woodruff City Council

FROM: Scott Slatton

SUBJECT: Weekly update

DATE: 18 November 2005

Administration Department
1. At Rep. Phil Sinclair’s request, Scott sent a narrative and cover letter from Mayor Bell to Rep. Dan Cooper, chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, that requests funding from the General Assembly for the city hall renovation project.
2. See the attached press release announcing a $2,500 grant from the Modern Woodmen of America for the auditorium restoration.
3. The first of two Hospitality Tax meetings was held with city restaurant owners/operators this week. No one attended the meeting.
4. Mayor Bell and Council members Bettis and Gist attended the grand opening for the new Curves fitness center.
5. See the attached article about the positive business climate in Woodruff that appeared in last Sunday’s Spartanburg Herald Journal. Also review the article about executive sessions.
6. Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce President John Poole and Membership Chairman Mike Perry visited city hall this week as part of the “President’s Patrol” program.
7. Jeannie attended the SC Municipal Personnel Association’s annual meeting this week.
8. The Salvation Army’s grand opening at its new location in the former Fortner’s Hardware building will be held at 10AM, Wednesday, November 30. Please mark your calendar.

Fire Department
1. Chief Godfrey attended a pipeline rupture emergency response seminar.

Police Department
1. Lt. Dawkins held another Community Watch meeting this week to assign block captains and their responsibilities.

Street Department
1. Repairs to the brake system on the knuckle boom were finally completed and the truck was placed back into service.

Sewer Department
1. Water cutoffs were performed this week. 103 customers had water service disrupted for delinquent sewer bills.
2. Buddy and Lee attended a Jet-Vac seminar in Sumter this week for continuing education credits. Since they were asked to bring the city’s jetter for use by the class, they were given free tuition and a $350 jetter nozzle by Jet-Vac as thanks for their efforts.

PVC Problems

Yesterday, the city received a long-awaited acknowledgement from the SC Department of Commerce. Commerce finally recognized a problem those of us at the local level have told it about for more than a month now: the cost of materials is blowing huge holes in the budgets of CDBG projects around the state. Yesterday, Commerce addressed the problem with expected suggestions.

As you know, Woodruff received a $550,000 CDBG award from HUD last year for work on the city’s sewer system. As engineers conducted studies, surveying and cost estimates this past summer, city staff were working to refine the budget to accommodate for the engineer’s findings. We were fairly well on target until Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. That catastrophic event will likely severely harm the city’s project. Here’s how.

The cost of PVC pipe has risen dramatically since Katrina. PVC is a petroleum-based product. Therefore, the supply of PVC has been depleted not only because of the scarcity of petroleum supplies, but also because of the huge demand for PVC pipe from an enormous geographic area seeking to rebuild. As a result, if contractors can find PVC for their projects, they cannot guarantee pricing for more than 48 hours. Typical price guarantees last as long as 90 days.

The scarcity of PVC pipe here in the Upstate has damaged the budgets of many construction projects and forced those of us administering those projects to prioritize within them. For example, the primary objective of our project is the construction of a parallel wastewater line along Jimmies Creek. But replacement of a line in the West End section of town and the replacement of a pump station and six pump station control panels are slated to occur as well. If PVC pricing holds at its current level, the entire $550,000 will be needed for the Jimmies Creek line.

Over a month ago, my colleagues and I relayed this recent problem to officials with the SC Department of Commerce. Though they heard what we were telling them, they didn’t seem terribly concerned about it. Perhaps because they believed prices would come down or that ours was a unique problem. Nevertheless, the e-mail I received from Commerce yesterday finally acknowledged the problem the entire state faces. The notice clearly stated there was no more money to be allocated to those of us that received a full CDBG allotment of $550,000. Fair enough. But in order to stay within budget, significant portions of Woodruff’s entire project will be sacrificed.

Hopefully, materials prices will begin to drop and the city will accomplish more than appears possible right now. If not, we will prioritize our project and move forward. Unfortunately, there is little anyone can do to mitigate problems like this. But we’ll do the best we can with what we have and try again next year to obtain funding for the projects left behind this year.

Bureaucracy Blues

Bureaucracies are not the exclusive creations of government. Granted, government is dominated by them, especially at the state and federal level. But as I found out again this morning, private business is littered with stone-walled bureaucracies as well.

When my family and I moved to Woodruff in July 2003, we purchased our home from a local church. It had served as a church parsonage for about 40 years, but as with many churches today, this one wanted out of the parsonage business. Because our house was owned by a church, no property tax was owed on it in 2003. However, our mortgage company erroneously sent a check to the county treasurer for the amount of taxes owed on a home in a neighboring area of the county with nearly the same address as ours. That money was erroneously credited to our tax account. We live on a “Drive” and the mortgage company paid a tax amount for a house with the same street name and number, except the other house is located on “Terrace.” When I discovered the error later in the year, I spent nearly a week muddling through my mortgage company’s bureaucracy trying to get it straightened out. The problem was finally resolved in early 2004. Or so I thought.

This week, I received a letter from a property tax information service that states it is owed the 2003 property tax amount my mortgage company erroneously paid. And, the letter states I am on the hook for this money. Thus my adventure in private-business bureaucracy begins….again.

My first call was to the county treasurer’s office. The phone was answered by a live person, who was very courteous and professional. She gave me the information I needed quickly and I was on my merry way. You might think that encounter is rare, but local governments, though bureaucratic, are generally responsive. My next call was to the tax information service that claims it is owed the debt. After a long hold, I spoke to another knowledgeable, helpful person. Next was the call I dreaded most, the one to my mortgage company.

My mortgage company is one of the mega-banks that has billions of dollars worth of mortgages. So, the less-than $1000 problem I have is just a blip on their screen. After punching in what seemed like hundreds of digits (followed by the pound key), the automatic call answering software finally got me to a call taker. Guess what? She couldn’t tell me anything that would help resolve my problem. Though she had access to all of the notes and information about this issue in front of her, she had to pass my problem along to some other department for research. Having endured a similar process nearly two years ago, I wasn’t surprised and carefully documented my case number and her name.

When someone tells me about a problem they have that probably won’t get resolved, I always jokingly tell them, “Good luck with that.” When I hung up the phone with my mortgage company, I told myself, “Good luck with that.” Why? Because I don’t expect an easy resolution to this problem, even though someone with half-a-lick of common sense could figure it out in just a few minutes.

But I’m facing a bureaucracy. A big one. A faceless, private business bureaucracy that has no one I can turn to for help. At least with a state bureaucracy, you can call your local state representative for moral support if you have a problem. Not the case with big banks, utility companies, retail companies, etc.

In two weeks, after I’ve not heard from my mortgage company, I’ll call again and explain my problem all over, and over, and over. I’ll be transferred, passed off (I'll be p'd off too) and shuffled until I land on some kind soul’s phone who will take the time to actually help me. Hopefully there will have been some progress made. I doubt it though.

People who complain the DMV is a bureaucratic nightmare haven’t dealt with my mortgage company. Matter of fact, the DMV office here in Woodruff does a great job. I’m a government bureaucrat, which means I empathize with other bureaucrats and the burdensome regulations and processes forced upon them by other bureaucrats. Private business does a lot of things better than government. And in this case I agree. The public sector doesn't have anything on private business bureaucracies.

TMI

In a previous life, I was a computer geek. I worked for a manufacturing company in Charlotte as the information systems manager, despite the fact I had only a rudimentary knowledge of personal computers. Turns out, I didn’t need that kind of know-how. I worked on a UNIX system, which is a programming language that is old in the world of computers. Nevertheless, I gained a lot experience with all kinds of information technology, new and old. Which is why I now have a great appreciation for people who work in the IT fields.

The reason I bring this up today is because of a small programming problem the city is currently experiencing with its accounting software. Don’t worry, all of the dollars are still accounted for. The problem is that the accounting program is giving us much more information than we need about our cash collections. That’s not a bad thing, except when you don’t want that much information each time you’re looking for a particular number. Fortunately though, our accounting software vendor is top notch and its staff is working on the problem.

The problem the city is having reminds me of the same issues I used to face when I was an IT administrator. Sometimes problems were as simple to fix as instructing a user to turn on his or her number lock before they tried to log into the system. Other times though, the problem was as complex as finding a needle in a haystack. One wrong keystroke in an algebraic equation within the program could wreak havoc on the entire system.

When I started work here in Woodruff, I pledged to the staff that I would drag the city into the 1990’s with regard to technology. That was in 2003. We’ve made a lot of progress. Where we had free-standing personal computers, we are now networked. Where we relied on a slow dial-up internet connection, we now have a high-speed cable connection. Where the staff performed too much work by hand, it now uses computer software and the internet. We’re still much further behind the technology curve than I would like. But, we’re not still living in the 1980’s either.

One of my best friends is a technology freak. He is familiar with all of the latest gadgets and he is much more computer literate than me. But despite his vast knowledge, he told me yesterday that folks who aren’t that much younger than he and I, are even more immersed in technology than us. I can believe that because I had to show my dad last weekend how to make his DVD player work through his VCR. I don’t consider that a hard technological problem to solve, but I’ve been exposed to a lot more technology than he has. As so it goes, people only 10 years younger than me are far more technologically advanced than me.

As our city government grows, our demands for newer, better technology will grow as well. I’m looking forward to it. Because the less stuff we have to do by hand, the more efficient we become. No longer afraid of it, the city has embraced technology. I just hope we can keep up with it.

Excutive Session Excess?

The South Carolina Press Association (SCPA) and some of its member newspapers began a series of articles this past weekend about the disbursement of public information by public agencies and how well they comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Yesterday’s articles around the state dealt with whether or not, and how often, elected bodies vote or poll themselves while in executive session. Predictably, most of the elected officials the papers spoke to asserted that such an action rarely occurs, if ever. I certainly agree with that.

Here in Woodruff, the city council is extremely conscientious about executive sessions and the potential for them to become vote-taking meetings. In fact, the FOIA prohibition of votes in executive session occasionally makes municipal business even more difficult to conduct. Consider the following scenario as an example.

Let’s say a property owner approaches the city with a plan to develop a piece of property that would create 100 jobs. But the success of his development hinges on approval from the city of concessions to him and the city’s agreement to certain restrictions on the property. Public disclosure of this deal would scare away the developer, so the city council cannot discuss their feelings about the deal in open session. The council calls an executive session to discuss the provisions of the deal among its members. They don’t vote. They don’t poll. In fact, they are afraid to express how they might vote for fear of a FOIA violation. So how does each member find out how the other might vote? How do they direct staff to proceed? They poll one another after the meeting is adjourned, which defeats the whole purpose of FOIA!

If a general sense of the council could be obtained in executive session, then staff would know how to proceed. In some cases though, staff must tell the council how it will proceed. Now if that isn’t the tail wagging the dog, I don’t know what is. Unfortunately though, that’s how executive session business must be conducted sometimes in order to comply with FOIA.

Let’s talk now about notification of an executive session. When the Woodruff City Council announces its executive sessions, it cites the applicable state law and states the general reason for the session. But some public bodies don’t do this, which is why the press and the public sometime become suspicious. For example, before the Woodruff City Council enters an executive session, it cites the applicable state law and then gives a brief statement that it is going into executive session “in order to discuss negotiations incidental to a contract with the Woodruff-Roebuck Water District.” What has the public learned from that statement? Not much, except the city may be working on a contract between it and the water district. For what, no one knows. Some public bodies however, think that is too much information to share with the public. They believe stating they are “going into executive session to discuss a contract,” is sufficient. Are they called to task by the public or the press? I know Woodruff has been. And I know of some that consistently get a pass. With such inconsistent enforcement of FOIA by local officials, the public and the press, it’s no wonder nobody trusts anybody!

The Woodruff City Council trusts itself, the city attorney and me to keep the city compliant with all laws, especially FOIA. Sure we make mistakes occasionally. But we never deliberately violate the public’s trust. The city lost the public’s trust in the not so distant past. The city council and city staff have worked hard to regain that trust and we’re not about to allow a violation of FOIA erode the progress we’ve made.

Weekly Update 11-11-05

TO: Woodruff City Council

FROM: Scott Slatton

SUBJECT: Weekly update

DATE: 11 November 2005

Administration Department
1. Council member Kennedy’s daughter, Jada, underwent surgery this week. The surgery went well and she is doing fine, though she is still at Shriner’s in Greenville. Please give Tony a call to check on him and his family.
2. The special meeting was canceled this week at the request of Regional late Tuesday afternoon. No reason was given for the request and staff has had no contact with Regional since then.
3. Mayor Bell attended a Veterans Day recognition event at Dorman High School Freshman Campus this week.
4. The Spartanburg Herald-Journal’s Business Writer Susan Orr is scheduled to run a story in this Sunday’s edition about the positive business climate in Woodruff. She spent a few hours in town this week conducting research and interviews for the story.
5. Scott met with Winston Hines of H.W.H. Properties to discuss business opportunities and vacant properties in the city. Mr. Hines is particularly interested in the old fire department building.
6. Playworld submitted a bid for the playground equipment to be installed in McKinney Park with the PARD grant awarded to the city a few months ago.

Fire Department
1. Chief Godfrey and Lt. Dawkins attended the third annual Upstate Public Relations Forum to learn media management techniques.
2. Chief Godfrey participated in career day at Woodruff Middle School this week.
3. The department participated in the welcoming home of Iraq veteran Robbie Blikle who is a volunteer member of Woodruff’s neighbor, Poplar Springs Fire Department.

Police Department
1. Chief Wood has hired Officer Alan Burden, formerly of Calhoun Falls, for the final vacant position in the department. Officer Burden’s hiring will allow the department to implement the 12 hours shifts starting in January. Officer Burden will start in Woodruff on November 18.
2. Chief Wood attended the forum discussed above with Chief Godfrey.

Street Department
1. Crews removed the debris pile behind the old street department building downtown.

Sewer Department
1. The city received an encroachment permit from the SCDOT as part of the CDBG project construction that will take place at the intersection of Georgia Street and Eastbrook Drive.
2. The department purchased a line locator for use in determining the location, length and depth of wastewater lines.
3. Buddy priced Leland Cypress trees in preparation for fulfilling the city’s contract with Bill Westmoreland to land apply its sludge on his property later this month. The 266 trees will cost approximately $6K.

Media Mistrust?

Woodruff’s Police Chief Jeff Wood, Lt. Darrell Dawkins, Fire Chief Ron Godfrey and I attended the 3rd Annual Upstate Public Relations Forum today. Sponsored by the Greenville County Public Information Core Group, this annual event brings together members of the media, government and non-profit agencies to discuss how to better work together and distribute information to the public.

Today’s theme, “Building Bridges with your Community and the Media” started with a panel discussion between prominent members of the local print and broadcast media and the attendees, who were primarily emergency services personnel. The media members who spoke today explained that it’s imperative the two groups work together in order for information to be distributed accurately and in a timely manner. As they explained, when they meet resistance from someone they need information from, they will move on until they get the answers they seek. And sometimes, that leads to misinformation and inaccuracies. Unfortunately, I have observed a fundamental mistrust of the media within the governmental sector because of problems like these. But failure to return phone calls, refusal to answer questions and the like frustrates reporters. They have a job to do just like us and their success depends on getting answers.

When I first came to work here in Woodruff, the city council and staff believed the city was constantly under attack from the media. Everyone thought the local newspaper was “out to get” the city. That wasn’t the case. Actually, the newspaper was accurately reporting all of the bad stuff that was going on in Woodruff. And because this bad stuff was being reported, city officials believed they were being attacked. As I read the news in those early days of my tenure, I realized none of the reporting was wrong. It got the facts straight and simply told the reader the truth. Reporting facts is not an attack.

However, where I think the media sometimes fosters ill will in government is when it focuses on the “human interest” side of a story. “Human interest” is code for the sensational aspects of a story. Several meeting attendees spoke of a recent incident in Greenville County involving a school evacuation. The attendees spoke of their frustration at reporters interviewing panicked parents before they spoke to the emergency officials conducting the evacuation. In fact, the on-scene emergency officials said they weren’t interviewed at all. Fortunately, the reporters that were discussed didn’t work for any of the media outlets present today. But the story illustrates my point. Those reporters focused on the “human interest” side of the story, which is filled with misinformation, rumor and panic, rather than the facts: officials evacuated a couple of thousand students in less than half an hour as a precaution due to an emergency nearby.

Reporters have a tough job. When the moderator today asked to see a show of hands from those who believe the media is accurate, no one raised his or her hand. I felt bad for the reporters. I have been on the receiving end of similar cynicism as a government official. Few people trust us to do the right thing. And many in government don’t trust the media to get the facts right. I trust my friends in the media. And they do right by the city because of that trust. Hopefully, more of my colleagues will develop similar relationships with the media that will benefit more of the public.

The Boy

Last night, along with a dozen or so fire departments, the Woodruff Fire Department dispatched one of its fire engines to greet a local, returning Iraqi Freedom veteran named Robbie Blikle. Robbie is a firefighter with a neighboring fire department who lost part of his arm in March during operations in Iraq. It was a neat thing to see, all of the trucks lit up in the night, lined up along the highway Robbie traveled to get back home. My five year old son, Joshua (or The Boy as I affectionately refer to him), and I accompanied Woodruff’s truck to the greeting because it was something I wanted him to be a part of and also because he knows Robbie.

You see, Joshua’s and my daughter Abbie’s, daycare is owned and operated by Robbie’s mother, sister and aunt. So, Joshua knew all about Robbie’s service and his injury. In fact, Robbie had visited the daycare earlier this year on a visit home from Walter Reed, which is when Joshua met him for the first time. I remember that day because Joshua came home with lots of questions about how Robbie lost his arm and why.

Last night, Joshua posed the same questions to me again. “How did Robbie’s arm get shot?” Joshua asked. I told him, "Robbie was hurt by a bomb during the war in Iraq." “Who shot Robbie’s arm?” Joshua asked. I told him, “Some very mean people who don’t like us did it.” “Can Robbie drive?” Joshua asked. “Of course he can,” I told him. “In fact, Robbie can do almost all of the things he used to do, including being a firefighter.” Joshua seemed satisfied with these answers because of their honesty. He’s a smart boy who asks smart questions and he expects the right answers.

There is no doubt children are affected by world events. The children who live in war-torn countries suffer unspeakably. My child’s brief exposure to the war in Iraq pales to that of the kids living there. But Joshua’s encounter with a war veteran illustrates that no matter how much we try to insulate our kids from world events, those events often come close to home, thus forcing us to answer tough questions from inquisitive minds. I don’t mind talking to the boy about anything. His mom and I resolved early on to treat him with honesty and a forthright manner. He doesn’t realize it, but he appreciates that. He probably won’t appreciate it as much when he gets older, but we won’t change our approach.

Kids are smart. They are extremely observant. And they ask good questions because they aren’t inhibited. I hope Joshua (and Abbie when I start to understand what she’s saying) continues to ask smart questions. I hope he’s never afraid to speak his mind and challenge his mom and me to think.

Buzzards and Beavers

Buzzards and beavers. That was the title of an e-mail I sent to the S.C. City/County Managers’ Association listserv a while back seeking answers for how to rid our town of these two species of native fauna. With a title and subject line like that, you can imagine some of the responses I got from a crowd of intelligent, satirical men and women like city managers. None of them were helpful in solving the problem. (In their defense, I did solicit puns and jokes). The reason I asked for help with this subject is because one of our former mill villages is a favorite roosting spot for about 100 or so buzzards (black vultures to be precise). They roost in and around structures, be they occupied homes, trees, abandoned buildings, etc.

So, having learned nothing from my colleagues about how to rid our city of buzzards and beavers, I turned to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, who in turn turned me over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because buzzards are a federally protected bird of prey. Officials at Fish and Game suggested that there are only two ways to shoo away buzzards. First, you have to harass them at dusk with noise makers every night for at least two or three weeks. If they persist in roosting in undesirable areas, Fish and Wildlife will shoot one and hang it in effigy at the roosting site. Apparently, buzzards dislike the sight of their own dead. (Ironic, isn’t it?) Of course, federal officials will only take such an extreme measure if the buzzards are presenting a hazard or they are causing damage to property.

In Woodruff’s case, that has not been a problem. Rather, people are just a little freaked out by the sight of so many buzzards in one place. One resident reported her neighbor’s dogs are afraid of them when they land near its house, but otherwise, the buzzards are minding their own business. So far, the city hasn’t taken any action to scare the birds away, though this subject has come up often in the past six months or so. City staff’s approach has been to leave them alone unless they become a hazard to people or property.

I don’t know if other cities and towns across the country face similar problems. Maybe the dearth of buzzards in cities across South Carolina contributed to the one-liners my colleagues offered when I asked for their help. Nevertheless, our buzzard problem is another example of how diverse municipal management can be. Today we’re scaring away buzzards, tomorrow we might be talking to the governor!

Weekly Update 11-04-05

TO: Woodruff City Council

FROM: Scott Slatton

SUBJECT: Weekly update

DATE: 4 November 2005

Administration Department
1. Mayor Bell has called a special meeting for Tuesday, November 8, 2005, at 6:30PM in order to conduct an executive session to discuss information related to contract negotiations.
2. The grand opening for Curves at Woodruff Plaza has been set for Monday, November 14 at 12PM. Please make plans to attend this event in support of another new business in the city.
3. David Arning with Palmetto Preservation Works e-mailed to say he will begin work on the city hall National Register nomination application the week of Thanksgiving.

Fire Department
1. The department’s ground ladders and aerial truck had annual testing completed this week.

Police Department
1. Lt. Dawkins has set the next community watch meeting for November 17 at 6:30PM.

Street Department
1. Department purchased equipment to enable them to cut back limbs/brush from streets and intersections.

Sewer Department
1. ACOG and the city have instructed Caliber Engineering to go ahead and request bids for the CDBG project. This request is being made earlier than desired, but is necessary in order to get information to support a request to the Dept. of Commerce to change the scope of the project. The price of PVC pipe is likely to cripple the project budget thus necessitating a change in how much of the overall project may be completed. See the attached request for bids to run this weekend

Woodruff is open for business

In the next week or so, three new businesses will open here in Woodruff. They are small businesses, two restaurants and a Curves franchise, but they are drivers of our local economy nonetheless.

Some folks here in our town constantly wring their hands about the loss of businesses from our downtown. They complain that the city isn’t doing enough to help those businesses stay open and attract customers. The oft-repeated phrase is “our downtown is dying.”

Fortunately for Woodruff though, the facts don’t back up these downtown dooms-dayers. Try to find a parking space downtown at 4 o’clock. Try to find a parking space on Saturday morning. You can’t! Why not? Because they’re all filled with shoppers and visitors to our local businesses. Many local business owners know they want to be in downtown Woodruff. One reason: 15,000 cars per day travel through our downtown. Barbara and Gregg Wood own two downtown Woodruff businesses, Better Homes & Bargains and The Turtle Parfait. The Woods understand Woodruff’s economy and its potential. They have created two attractive businesses that offer stuff people want. They keep their shops open with regular hours and they don’t ask for anything from anyone but their customers, and that is that they keep coming back.

The Woods’ aren’t the only downtown business owners that understand Woodruff and the surrounding market. We have many smart business owners from outside our town that are beginning to realize this is where they want to be. So, to those folks that worry our downtown is dying, I say, don’t. Currently, there are only four empty store fronts downtown. Three of those stores’ windows are covered because they will soon host new businesses. Once they open, we’ll have one only empty storefront. And guess what? The city government had nothing to do with the development of those businesses. In fact, as I’ve often said, the best thing the city government can do to attract business is to stay out of the way.

Woodruff is open for business, be it downtown or along our other commercial areas. Residents are eager for new offerings and they will support a business that sells something they want. So come by and spend your money. Our businesses will appreciate your support.

Boycott Big Oil! Or Not?

At first glance, the recent headlines screaming about record oil company profits are enough to make you gnash your teeth. Here these companies are, earning record profits on the backs of people just barely getting by. Certainly government, at all levels, has felt the pinch of high gas prices in recent months. Woodruff is no exception. And while we all suffer through this terrible fuel crisis, big oil is laughing all the way to the bank. Or so I thought.

When I first heard about the record oil company profits, I too was fit to be tied. And I’m one of a lucky few. My commute to and from work is only 2 miles. So I don’t spend a lot of money on gas. That’s not the case for the city government however.

The city has a fleet of approximately 35 vehicles, which is small. And during May of this year, while writing the FY 05-06 budget, staff budgeted for a 50% increase in fuel prices. At the time, we thought that was a liberal figure. Hurricane Katrina changed all of that. Prices more than doubled from our predictions. But so far, our fuel budgets are faring well. Why?

First of all, like many others, the city altered the use of its fleet. Police officers doubled up in patrol cars. The fire department sent out the primary response apparatus instead of multiple units to a call. Idling vehicles were turned off. Trips out of town were eliminated or consolidated. All of these measures have worked to mitigate the impact of the spike in fuel prices on the city’s budget. Though the city’s fuel expenses are still running ahead of where they should be this time of year, they are still well below where I expected to find them.

I have learned a couple of things today since giving gas prices a quick analysis. First, the effect of increases can be slowed with some minor modifications to driving habits. Personally, I have decreased the amount of gallivanting I used to do. So too has the city. Second, even though the profits oil companies are raking in right now seem obscene, they are not unusual compared to other industries. In fact, the articles I have read explain that these high profits will soon be offset by increasing costs that have not yet caught up to the oil industry. I learned something else that is very important too: don’t react to something in a knee-jerk fashion.

Too often folks are quick to react to something before they have all of the facts. That happens all the time here in Woodruff and elsewhere. Someone hears a rumor and flies off the handle before they get the facts. Resist that temptation! Learn the facts. You may still be mad about something after you get the facts, but at least you’ll understand why you’re mad.