Did Someone Destroy Public Records to Cover Up a Plan to Deceive City Council?
Thank you Robin,
The explanations you have been given and have conveyed to me below are simply un-acceptable.
The City’s policy of throwing away previously approved agenda documents in the event that item is revised needs to be discontinued.
While it is clear that the Utilities director submitted Agenda requests that did not reference the un-authorized over spending and should be dealt with accordingly it is imperative that we establish what the Finance director signed off on, and when.
IF THE Finance director approved prior versions of this revised item that did not reference the un-authorized over spending such as the requested versions the Utilities director submitted for the agenda of April 22nd and May 20th it could signify collusion on his part in covering up this un-authorized overspending, OR IT could signify non-feasance on the part of the Finance director if it is found that his approval/signature was merely perfunctory.
CONVERSELY if the Finance director refused to approve/sign off on the April 22nd version because it failed to disclose the un-authorized over spending we must establish if he so informed the Manager, IN WHICH case we have to ask why the Manager failed to inform Council for over a month AND ONLY after this overspending had been leaked to the Mayor and others.
What more can be done to uncover those public records indicating who signed off on what – and when ???
This transmission is being made in my capacity as a private citizen, and should not be construed as being made in any other.
Ted Noftall
: Fenwick, Robin [mailto:rfenwick@port-orange.org]
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 10:24 AM
To: Ted Noftall
Subject: Draft DF’s relating to Sunstate Meter & Supply
Good morning,
Attached are several files relating to your request for all drafts of the Sunstate Meter & Supply agenda form for the item that went to Council recently. There may be duplicates in the attachments but I wanted to make sure to send you everything I have in my email files as well as everything else sent to me by other departments. Everything seems to be in electronic format. Hard copies are usually thrown away once the revised document is produced and supersedes that previous draft.
Let me know if you need anything further.
Robin
ROBIN L. FENWICK, CMC
CITY CLERK
CITY OF PORT ORANGE
Ted,
As we discussed on the phone, the DRAFT documents are a public record IF they are retained. There is no requirement; however, to retain them. See below item series from the State records retention schedule (GS1-SL).
DRAFTS AND WORKING PAPERS Item #242
This record series consists of materials used in developing, compiling, and assembling a final product such as an agency report or database. The series may include, but is not limited to, copies of correspondence or memoranda; circulated drafts; data entry forms; notes; calculations; and other supporting documents. Drafts of documents that could have a significant effect on an agency’s programs, functions, and responsibilities (for instance, agency mission statements or major policy initiatives) should be placed under the record series “ADMINISTRATOR RECORDS: AGENCY DIRECTOR/PROGRAM MANAGER.”
RETENTION: Retain until obsolete, superseded, or administrative value is lost.
Another example I gave you is the draft agendas that I prepare. Once there are revisions, I make the necessary changes and the old draft is discarded. The same holds true for draft agenda forms, draft minutes, and any other draft document. While I understand your concerns, we would quickly run out of space if we retained all such drafts.
As the City Clerk, I assure you our practice is in compliance with State Laws.
I hope this helps.
ROBIN L. FENWICK, CMC
CITY CLERK
Finance Department employees are tired of bearing the brunt of all the purchasing screw-ups in public utilities. This newest debacle has shed a lot of bad light on Finance which is getting old. Sooner or later you get tired of babysitting public utilities administrative operations. Everyone knows that Finance is the backbone of city operations. If public utilities would take care of their purchasing business properly maybe we could catch up with our overburdened work load.
Public Utilities was handed the “meter mess” from Finance after it was totally out of control and much later exposed. Thank you Finance for your screw ups. Now that we have taken on your meter mess you should have time to reconcile your bank statements. Get a grip. And by the way how did the comptroller make it through all of this. What exactly does a comptroller do anyhow?
At least we don’t have engineers that can’t spell and administrators that are clueless about city purchasing procedures and budgetary processes. It is like the blind leading the blind in public utilities. Why don’t you learn how to add, subtract, and multiply?
Now Now there are plenty of screw-ups to go around in both departments kids. Did so… Did not.. I’m telling on you!
Finance had the meters and warehouse dumped on them by the previous utilities director, finance director and city manager. Bad mistake. Now it has been dumped back on utilities where it belongs.
What does our comptroller do? Good question.
The utilities engineer is a goof that could not hold a job in the private sector and quite frankly I don’t know how he has stayed with the city this long. The assistant utilities director might be slightly more intelligent than his desk. The utilities director spends an inordinate amount of time at Golden Corral with the utilities engineer spoon feeding each other with snow shovels.
They all have a very hard job considering their level of competence trying to muddle their way through their work between meals and breaking office chairs. They may not be able to add, subtract and multiply but they very good at division as they have been working quite hard at trying to cause division within the utilities department and between utilities and finance.
Thank you Robin,
I understand the volume impractically of retaining pure drafts.
However once another departments approval is bestowed on a document, OR such approval is denied for cause or concern — that approval or denial becomes a separate public record unto itself independent of the draft itself.
I am un clear if approvals or denials are physically affixed to the DF or if they are conveyed by e-mail ?
In either even I would again inquire as to whether there are any public records indicating any approval, OR rejection of the agenda item we have been discussing.
Ted Noftall
Ted
When I worked there they always kept copies of the originals and any other correspondence concerning purchases at utilities Admin. to include requisitions, purchase orders and agenda requests (DF’s). If they don’t have them then something has changed drastically (internal controls) We used to Keep records of everything.