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County Commission Pleads the Fifth • Law firm gets
10% raise.
Columbia County Florida (posted Dec. 4, 2008)
By Stew Lilker
Columbia County's
working families continued to take it on the chin as
the County Commission once again demonstrated that
when it comes to giving money to their high priced
friends, it has never seen a fee increase it doesn't
like.
Buried in the
consent agenda for the November 6, 2008 County
Commission meeting was an item which County Manager
Dale Williams explained this way: "Number 19 is the
annual agreement with Neighbors, Giblin and
Nickerson, a law firm out of Tallahassee, which
handles the non ad valorem assessment issues for the
county. This is eleven thousand dollars. It will
cover the expenses related to the adoption of
assessments next year."
As usual, the
Board had no questions and County Manager, Dale
Williams, left out the relevant information
regarding item 19.
The Observer
asked: "Number 19. I know I asked the board to
reconsider that and they didn't. Now I would like to
ask why? And why this board decided to give the
outside attorney a ten percent pay raise, in the
year two thousand nine - ten, when the people in the
Clerk's office only got a thousand dollar bonus and
they don't even know if they are going to get the
rest? My question sir (CM Williams begins to
answer) is to the board... My question sir is to
the County Chairman. He approved it. You just put it
on the calendar. Why are we giving them a ten
percent pay raise?"
Chairman Weaver
addressed the Board, "Anyone from the Board choose
to answer?"
There was silence
and the Commission just stared into space.
Chairman Weaver
told the Observer, "OK. Mr. Lilker. Next thing."
Your reporter
asked, "Do you have an answer, sir?"
Chairman Weaver
responded, "I choose not to answer, either."
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