CHR07292011A05
1
CHARLES TOWN — At a regular meeting of the Jefferson County Commission on July 7, the commission voted to award $115,000 from Fiscal Year 2011 budget to local nonprofit organizations. The nonprofit organi- zations filed grant requests to the county Commission in February. The commis- sion budgeted $115,000 from the Video Lottery Terminals (VLT) fund. The grant requests were reviewed by the County Administrator Tim Boyde, and recom- mendations were made to the county commission. Due to the difficult budget year, not all requests were given an allocation and funding may have been less than requested by other organizations. Twenty- seven grant requests totaling $275,200 were received, and 21 were awarded an allocation. Potomac Headwaters RC&D, Inc.; Meals on Wheels; the Kiwanas; NAACP; Race Track Chaplaincy of America; Panhandle Conservation District; the Boys and Girls Club; Community Alternatives to Violence; Shepherdstown Day Care; Community Ministries; Duffields Station, Inc.; Hospice of the Panhandle; the Animal Welfare Society; the Ranson Free Clinic; Safe Haven Child Advocacy Center; Shepherdstown Care Givers; and For the Love of Children Outdoor Education Center were awarded allocations. Friday, July 29, 2011 The Shepherdstown Chronicle 5 George Alwin, AAMS Financial Advisor 75 Maddex Square Drive Shepherdstown, WV 25443 304-876-1961 www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC STOCKS. BONDS. CDS. IRAS. MUTUAL FUNDS. Letters to the Editor I would like to make a correction to my letter last week which encouraged community members to join the Shepherdstown Men’s Club (SMC) if they wanted to have a voice in important decisions that will be made over the next several months. To work with our membership chairman, please use member [email protected], or if you have questions, call me personally at 304-876- 0598 or send me an email at michael.austin@frontierne t.net. We sincerely want your input on future man- agement and operations of the men’s club. Mike Austin SMC President The Doyle Report of July 15 published in The Chronicle dealt with “the ins and outs of contracting services.” In the report Delegate Doyle describes an inci- dent whereby rules were reinterpreted by a contrac- tor under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR). He criticized the contractor for acting as if it were the government. The irony of this state- ment should not be lost on the taxpayer. The conclusion that Delegate Doyle draws from this incident: Take the services “in house” and have the government provide them directly. He believes that the govern- ment can be as efficient as a private enterprise. If that were so, then the govern- ment employee(s) charged with managing this con- tractor would have done their job properly and would not have allowed this incident to get to this point and would have dis- ciplined the contractor appropriately. It’s called taking responsibility. One of the positives about using contractors to provide government serv- ices is that they can be fired or the contract can be terminated for cause. Further, if for some reason the service is no longer needed, the contract may not be renewed. If you bring the function or serv- ice in house, the odds are overwhelming that it becomes a permanent part of the government bureaucracy and you can almost never get rid of it — even if it is no longer needed. Repeat this process enough times and you wind up with out of control government spending. That is where we are today and that is how we got here. My advice to Delegate Doyle would be to fire the state government employ- ees that did not provide proper oversight of this contractor, terminate the contract, reevaluate the program and if needed, hire another contractor. Elliot Simon Harpers Ferry County Commission awards $115K in grants locally
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ChaplaincyofAmerica; Panhandle ConservationDistrict; theBoysandGirlsClub; Community AlternativestoViolence; ShepherdstownDay at michael.austin@frontierne t.net.Wesincerelywant yourinputonfutureman- agementandoperations ofthemen’sclub. Care;Community Ministries;Duffields Station,Inc.;Hospiceof thePanhandle;the AnimalWelfare Society;theRanson FreeClinic;SafeHaven George Alwin, AAMS Member SIPC
Transcript of CHR07292011A05
CHARLES TOWN —At a regular meeting ofthe Jefferson CountyCommission on July 7,the commission votedto award $115,000 fromFiscal Year 2011 budgetto local nonprofitorganizations.The nonprofit organi-
zations filed grantrequests to the countyCommission in
February. The commis-sion budgeted $115,000from the Video LotteryTerminals (VLT) fund.The grant requests
were reviewed by theCounty AdministratorTim Boyde, and recom-mendations were madeto the countycommission.Due to the difficult
budget year, not all
requests were given anallocation and fundingmay have been lessthan requested by otherorganizations. Twenty-seven grant requeststotaling $275,200 werereceived, and 21 wereawarded an allocation.Potomac Headwaters
RC&D, Inc.; Meals onWheels; the Kiwanas;NAACP; Race Track
Chaplaincy of America;PanhandleConservation District;the Boys and Girls Club;CommunityAlternatives to Violence;Shepherdstown Day
Care; CommunityMinistries; DuffieldsStation, Inc.; Hospice ofthe Panhandle; theAnimal WelfareSociety; the RansonFree Clinic; Safe Haven
Child AdvocacyCenter; ShepherdstownCare Givers; and Forthe Love of ChildrenOutdoor EducationCenter were awardedallocations.
Friday, July 29, 2011 The Shepherdstown Chronicle 5
George Alwin, AAMS Financial Advisor 75 Maddex Square Drive Shepherdstown, WV 25443 304-876-1961wwwwww..eeddwwaarrddjjoonneess..ccoomm Member SIPC
STOCKS. BONDS. CD S.IRA S. MUTUAL FUNDS.
Letters to the EditorI would like to make a
correction to my letter lastweekwhich encouragedcommunity members tojoin the ShepherdstownMen’s Club (SMC) if theywanted to have a voice inimportant decisions thatwill be made over thenext several months.To work with our
membership chairman,please use [email protected], or ifyou have questions, callme personally at 304-876-0598 or sendme an email
[email protected]. We sincerely wantyour input on future man-agement and operationsof the men’s club.
Mike AustinSMC President
The Doyle Report ofJuly 15 published in TheChronicle dealt with “theins and outs of contractingservices.”In the report Delegate
Doyle describes an inci-
dent whereby rules werereinterpreted by a contrac-tor under the auspices ofthe Department of HealthandHuman Resources(DHHR). He criticized thecontractor for acting as ifit were the government.The irony of this state-ment should not be loston the taxpayer.The conclusion that
Delegate Doyle drawsfrom this incident: Takethe services “in house”and have the governmentprovide them directly. He
believes that the govern-ment can be as efficient asa private enterprise. If thatwere so, then the govern-ment employee(s) chargedwithmanaging this con-tractor would have donetheir job properly andwould not have allowedthis incident to get to thispoint andwould have dis-ciplined the contractorappropriately. It’s calledtaking responsibility.One of the positives
about using contractors toprovide government serv-
ices is that they can befired or the contract canbe terminated for cause.Further, if for some reasonthe service is no longerneeded, the contract maynot be renewed. If youbring the function or serv-ice in house, the odds areoverwhelming that itbecomes a permanentpart of the governmentbureaucracy and you canalmost never get rid of it— even if it is no longerneeded. Repeat thisprocess enough times and
youwind upwith out ofcontrol governmentspending. That is wherewe are today and that ishowwe got here.My advice to Delegate
Doyle would be to fire thestate government employ-ees that did not provideproper oversight of thiscontractor, terminate thecontract, reevaluate theprogram and if needed,hire another contractor.
Elliot SimonHarpers Ferry
County Commission awards $115K in grants locally
