A bunch of whining monkeysEl Paso County Board of County Commissioners, without Douglas Bruceís knowledge, said Bruce, re-hired Terry Harris, the former El Paso County administrator. Harris retired in January. He will receive a part-time salary ñ for many, itís a full-time salary ñ of about $42,000 a year to revise the fee structure for development services.Itís a bit puzzling when the county has been whining about budget shortfalls, recently realigning employees and cutting at least five top jobs. The following is an excerpt from a March 30 Gazette article, ìHis salary for the equivalent of 76 eight-hour days would be more than that earned by 54 percent of all county employees, according to 2005 county statistics.îBill Lewis is the director of development services, and there is a full board specific to development services. Couldnít they restructure the fee schedule?A banana to each commissioner involved in the decision.The bigger the government, the more monkeys?The volunteer fire department in Cheshire, Mass., in need of a new fire truck, applied for a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, which administers the Firefighters Grant Program. The fire department was awarded a $665,962 grant, but it was to be used only to recruit and train firefighters ñ it could not be used to purchase equipment. The grant is about 26 times the Cheshire fire departmentís budget ñ Cheshireís population is 3,500, the smallest town in Massachusetts. The grant was the largest ever given in the state, and the fire department can use it over a four-year period. But the fire chief said, ìWe really needed the truck.î (Boston Globe).www.thisistrue.comWatch out for this police officer
Photo sent in by Tom Preble
