A second, full-time job...
A couple days ago I wrote about our efforts to obtain some statutorily required information from the City Clerk's office. Basically the law requires every public utility to maintain rules about operations such as methods of termination of service, rules for extension of service and other things. The City Code explains that members of the public can obtain a copy of this information from the City Clerk's office.
When we tried to obtain it, we learned that the City Clerk's staff had no idea what we were talking about.
I was in Chinook yesterday, but in my absence I received this:
This seems, to me, like a rather obvious attempt to kick the ball back into my court.From: Peggy Bourne
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 2:15 PM
To: Greg Smith
Subject: Request for Records
Greg,
This is in response to information request made to the City Clerk's office from [your paralegal] this past week. In order to ensure you obtain the specific information you are requesting, I invite you and/or [your paralegal] to review the files and pull from them the information that will satisfy this latest request. Please call me (or have [your paralegal] call me) to set up a time. Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you and /or [your paralegal].
Sincerely,
Peggy
Peggy J. Bourne
City Clerk/Records Manager
City of Great Falls
PO Box 5021
Great Falls, MT 59403
pbourne@ci.great-falls.mt.us
I'll post my response later.
3 comments:
What a pathetic creature she is! She is to be pitied for what seems to be an embarrassing lack of confidence in her ability to perform such simple duties with reasonable competence.
How many taxpayer dollars are going to sustain this bureaucratic lifestyle to which she is accustom?
Actually Anon, she seems to be doing pretty well for a City Records Clerk who keeps being asked for Records that her City appears to have failed to create.
Perhaps you should take offense at people a bit higher on the ladder, you know, these ones. "All rules of operation recommended by the Board of Directors shall be subject to approval by resolution of the City Commission."
Not offended but find this whole thing is extremely disturbing.
It seems reasonable SHE SHOULD go to someone higher on the ladder for help in producing or finding the information requested.
What troubles me is she-who gets-paid-with-taxpayer-money to do the work invites Greg go hunt-search-find the documentation for himself.
Come one, he isn't getting paid and will lose the time, which is also money, out of his pocket. Plus, he is paying an employee (who also pays taxes) in his efforts, just because he's a good guy.
IF her City APPEARS to have failed in creating the records, then should she merely state it as such? What is so hard about plainly stating "the information does not appear to be in the files?"
Doing what is right and letting consequence follow is also part of having a shadow government.
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