January 12, 2008 

NEED A BRAKE JOB ON YOUR CAR?  CONTACT PUBLIC WORKS.

 What?  Public Works?  Yes, you read that right.  Sources tell TWG that the Public Works Director had a “burgundy vehicle” in the Public Works shop the last Friday in December and a county employee was working on it—doing a “brake job”.   What is really interesting is that the Public Works Director drives a similar burgundy vehicle at times.  Could it be the same vehicle?  Surely not!

 
Personal use of county property and employees is a direct violation of County Policy; it to also illegal under State law—such things are considered to be theft by conversion, theft by deception and theft by taking by a government employee.  But in Jasper County does that matter?   How many times have you heard, “Things like that go on all the time”?  Yep!  And nothing is ever done about it.  It doesn’t matter if you inform the Commissioners or the County Manager, all they tell you is “they’ll look into it” and that’s the end of it.  See story here about similar circumstances reported in AJC:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/printedition/2008/01/02/eastpoint0102.html

 
Public Works isn’t the only place that county resources are used for personal benefit.  Here are just a few of the things TWG knows about; there is no telling what else goes on and how much it costs the county—a/k/a the County Taxpayers.   

• An Employee using county paper and computers while on county payroll to produce invitations and then putting the invitations in county envelopes to send out
• An Employee printing personal pictures using county computers, paper, and ink
• An Employee brought a baby to work for a week while other employees helped to hold it, play with it,  and listened to it cry
• Elected officials babysitting during office hours
• Employees coming in late, leaving early, or never showing up at all, yet being paid for 8 hours of work and earning annual leave and sick pay on top of it
• Employees holding a shower in the courthouse during working hours for another employee
• Employees taking 1 ½ hour lunches—county lunch is suppose to be 30 minutes
• Excessive use of personal cell phones during work hours
• Personal use of county vehicles
• Old computers disappearing when new computers are purchased
   

Not only does the County Manager know about many of these things, he has allowed it.  Most if not all the Commissioners also know about these things and do nothing.   Studies prove that allowing these things in the workplace undermine employee morale.  Attitudes become “If they can do it, so can I,” or “Why should I work hard when they don’t have to?” 

 
2008 will be the year of new and renewed promises by the Commissioners—it’s election year!  Let’s watch and see is promised over the next 6 months as they all strive to be re-elected.  Our county needs good people to run for the county offices.  The goal is to have people of integrity that will do what is best for our entire County.

 

“There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government.”    - Benjamin Franklin

Mission Statement:
** To keep the taxpayers of Jasper County, Georgia informed as to where and how their tax dollars are being spent.
** To keep the taxpayers abreast of local policies and laws being discussed and enacted.
** We advocate more open government, less government spending, and lower property taxes.