Cloverdale struggles with its finances and employees

Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Cloverdale Town Council meeting Tuesday evening was packed with some expected and very unexpected topics.

Clerk Treasurer Cheryl Galloway came before the council first asking for each members goals for the future of the town.

All council member's were in agreement that they would like to see the town get out of debt and grow.

"I think we need a plan on growth and a lot of other things," said council member Dennis Padgett. "Everything needs to be looked at."

Saving money has been priority number one for Galloway since she first began the job. Each meeting she comes before the board with new ways to try and accomplish this task, however, this meeting she came and aimed her words at just one person, Utility Manager Rich Saucerman.

Galloway in an effort to cut cost, came before the council with Saucerman's previous monthly report in hand. Without input from Saucerman, she estimated the amount of time it should take for the utility workers to complete certain tasks, judging the amount of time based on what hotel maids get to clean a room.

"I went through and calculated time worked for the employees. The motels at the top give the girls 15-minutes to go into a room, clean the room and come out," said Galloway. "There's 340 hours unaccounted for."

She noted to the board that if the council been charging a $36 flat fee for all 139 abandoned homes in the town, the town would have lost $1,029,888. Galloway previously had addressed the flat fee during last month's meeting.

"This has been going on for about three or four months with you and Richard, but you've been going down to the sewer plant and checking his figures and all this stuff. There needs to be a happy medium here and there needs to be the whole truth told," said Padgett. "It seems like it comes out of only one side with you. This is what the whole town is. You spent over $80,000 on Khron and Associates in the first two months of this year and now you're up there looking for money.

"You're sitting up there saying that kind of stuff to him, running down him and his boys. All these boys are calling me all day long. He's the utility manager. You're the clerk treasurer."

Although, Galloway had stated that it was nothing personal between her and Richard, the damage was already done.

"This is the trouble with the whole town. Everyone wants to be a town board member. They need to run if they want to be a town board member. Everyone needs to know their place in this town," Padgett said. "It's crazy the way we are doing things down here. You need to tell it how it is for once, instead of telling it one sided. I like you and I like Richard, but we're never going to get ahead if someone out here is spending all kinds of money and blaming the other one for it."

Galloway informed the board that the money that was spent on Khron was to clean up the books, which had been a mess for several years.

"I'm trying to clean up the books," said Galloway. "I'm pretty close now. This is stuff that I don't even know what happened. My number one is the people that are paying $93 per month on their utilities.

"This is the problem, we're in hard times. People just want to keep charging and charging people to death," said Padgett. "Cheryl, I feel for you, but people have to live too. I don't think you can charge people for something they don't use (referencing the $36 flat fee). It never ends."

Many of the council members as well as community residents agreed with not imposing another fee on members. However, Galloway believes that charging a $36 flat fee on homes that are being used for storage or just sitting there will encourage the owners to clean them up or just sell them.

Saucerman got his chance to speak his mind on the issues brought up by Galloway during his report. He fired back by offering to step down from the utility manager position.

"I think the clerk made it clear about how she feels. There's a lot of things that she said she didn't know," said Saucerman clearly bothered by Galloway's suggestions. "And she's right. There's a lot of things she doesn't know. There's not a work order for every single thing we do. I stand before you right now and say I'll go back to the water plant operator."

All board members were in agreement that they wanted Saucerman to stay in the position he was at.

"I don't have any trouble with you. There seems to be stuff that we can do, but you're short handed at times. I think you're doing a good job with what you've got," said Padgett. We've been struggling with a lot of things around this town. I say keep on going and crack the whip on it. Everyone's got their own position and everyone just needs to do their own job."

Saucerman also addressed the issue of how the utility money is being spent. Galloway had previously stated that there was $30,000 allotted for repairs and maintenance.

"There's no way all these years that it comes out of the repairs and maintenance," said Saucerman. "If so Khron has really done a worse job than we thought."

Sacerman was informed that a breakdown of his budget will be given to him in the coming weeks.

Among other issues discussed was refinancing the SRF bonds on the 2003 wastewater. Galloway came before the council with two proposals that were drawn up by Steve Brock. However, a third proposal was drawn up with both Galloway and James McKee, who works at the Cloverdale First National.

The third proposal, allows the town to pay off more towards the end rather than in the beginning, which the town would like to do.

The council decided that the issue would be tabled until Galloway talks to Brock to see if proposal three is do-able.

The council also addressed the issue of hiring a financial officer, which may bring different proposals to the table than Brock. The board will hold a special meeting to discuss that issue within the next coming weeks.

Building Inspector Mark Cassida also came before the council to discuss the demolishing of three homes for a total of $20,000. Cassida was advised that funds would be better used to help repair the drainage issues on Lafayette Street in particular.

"You don't have to have everything engineered," said Padgett. "We're going to have to work on it."

Saucerman agreed that the utility workers will try and install some pipes and clean out ditches to fix the issue.

Comments
View 8 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Saving money IS and HAS been the clerks number 1 priority. THAT is a FACT!! But every idea brought to the board gets shut down. Where are their ideas?! What are they getting paid for?! Heres an idea, cut two board members. Only three are needed. Thats $10,000 a year saved.

    "Everything needs looked at" INDEED!! EVERYTHING!! The clerk isnt attacking the utility manager, shes just stating facts, looking at all ways to save money. How about not pay him overtime? What other manager/supervisor gets paid overtime? All the ones I know are on salary. His overtime pay would pay for another employee! Since they are so "short staffed"!

    Padgett said the whole truth needs to be told. By everyone? The clerk seems to be bringing alot of truth to the board and they refuse to hear it. It IS one sided, her side. The utility manager seems to be not telling the whole truth about his workload and his employees.

    $80,000 to Krohn?! I would like to see where Padgett came up with that figure. He owes her an apology for that! He is wayyyy off! And what was being paid to Krohn was to fix messes that were made years before she was in office.

    Lets talk about the $36 flat fee for empty homes. Padget talked about the building inspector wanting to use money to tare these houses down, that that was a waste and he would rather see homes remodeled. DING DING DING!! Wouldnt that flat fee help encourage these home owners that are using these properties to just store junk and the houses are falling in to do something with them? I would think so. THAT would get homes remodeled, renters in or get them sold and bring money into the town. Bennington said its immoral to charge a fee for services that arent being used. Whats immoral is charging retirees on a fixed income that live alone $92.62 a month! That $36 flat fee could help bring the towns peoples utility bills down!! I would like to know if Padget wasnt a landlord if his vote would be different. And if Bennington wasnt fed by Gedert, owner of alot of empty homes in Stardust, if his vote wouldnt be different.

    Why is money going to be spent on drains? Isnt there a Storm Water Drain project in the works? More temporary fixes and money waisted!!

    THE CLERK IS SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS THAT THE TOWN IS IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE AND NO ONE WANTS TO LISTEN. THE TOWN IS GOING TO SLAM INTO A BRICKWALL AND WONT SEE IT UNTIL IT HITS.

    -- Posted by GETYOURFACTS on Thu, Jun 13, 2013, at 10:24 AM
  • How many hours does the clerk work....since she has another job also.

    Why doesnt she just have her bake sale like she talked about, to bring in money to the town.

    You CAN"T charge a flat fee! That's common sense!

    How about enforcing the ordinances in place to make these people clean up their property. Everyone should be held accountable....not just the "empty" properties. Speaking of saving money....how many assistants does the clerk have helping her?

    Three board members???? hahahahah

    -- Posted by captain crunch on Thu, Jun 13, 2013, at 12:05 PM
  • By the way....terrible article banner. Jumps around, hard to read.

    -- Posted by captain crunch on Thu, Jun 13, 2013, at 12:06 PM
  • How many hours does the clerk work?! Too many hours to count! Not sure how often you drive by or go into the Town Hall to see her there but its obvious she works her open office hours and is there all hours of the evenings through the week and Saturdays and Sundays too! What other job does she have?!

    You CAN charge a flat fee! Other towns/cities do. Its not like she just pulled that idea out of nowhere! It was brought to her at a clerk training I believe. People would know that if they would just hear her out.

    I also know that ordinances for weeds and cleaning up are being enforced. I know a few people who were delivered a certified letter with a citation. Come to a BZA/Plan meeting and you will know whats going on in your town when it comes to ordinances being inforced. I think the building inspector gives a report at that meeting as well as the Town Council meetings.

    How many assistants does the clerk have helping her? Two. She has a deputy on salary and another who works FOR FREE and on his days off from his regular job.

    Clearly there arent more than 3 board members needed. Two to three of them just sit up there and say nothing anyway. There is no need for 5. Most towns only have 3.

    -- Posted by GETYOURFACTS on Fri, Jun 14, 2013, at 8:50 AM
  • For all the hours that the Clerk,and Deputy Clerk work I stoped in to pay my bill and the office was closed at 2:50 ON friday after noon. Now thats a FACT!!

    -- Posted by frosted flakes on Fri, Jun 14, 2013, at 4:06 PM
  • Hey,GETYOURFACTS, since your defending the Clerk Treasurer, are you bonded too? The Clerk Treasurers hubby is performing one of her duties...the town employees payroll. There are three people working in the Town hall office, clerk treasurer, deputy clerk and the part time utility person who collects payments. Didn't know we had a nursery in the town hall either!!

    Krohn's bill is for doing the clerk treasurers work NOT for the books which you stated have been "messed up years". Audits are performed by state board of accounts every two years and each audit has passed with flying colors. Her audit should be coming up very soon. Krohn better get cracking!!!

    Council needs to eliminate the Utility Manager position (who gets overtime, is not salaried and is in violation of the salary/payroll ordinance).

    The Town needs a water plant supervisor and a wastewater supervisor that's all. We are a town NOT a city!!! Utility managers salary would fall back into the accounts for water and sewer which is 40 some thousand dollars a year not to mention the OT he gets. These supervisor would answer to council and report to them each month. Council needs to stick to the salary ordinance!!! Limit the spending in these two departments. Put a cap on spending!

    As far as council members, the Town needs 5 members not 3. Had 3 member council years ago and didn't work out to well. Padgett talks with forked tongue and should know better being one of the longest members on the board! Time for him to step down, no one would even miss him.

    -- Posted by cowgirl46135 on Sat, Jun 15, 2013, at 2:28 PM
  • How is the utility work orders compairable to maids? Has the Clerk (Galloway) ever gone on the job with the worker to see what it takes to do the job? Sounds to me that Galloway is throwing the utility workers under the bus.

    On the other hand, I would not want to stay in any Motel room that it only took 15 minutes to clean. That is hardly enough time to change the beds, let alone sweep, dust, clean the bathroom and mop the floor...Please let us know which Motel this is happening at. Something is not right at either place.

    Maybe the town should take a long look at her(Galloway) job and her ability to do the job.....

    -- Posted by QuestionableFacts on Fri, Jun 21, 2013, at 8:41 AM
  • That is what is wrong with the Town of Cloverdale. No one takes responsibility for their actions or messes OWN UP TO THE TRUTH

    -- Posted by QuestionableFacts on Fri, Jun 21, 2013, at 8:45 AM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: