Transparency News 11/3/15

State and Local Stories

The committee appointed to review whether Richmond City Council members should receive a raise told council members Monday they’ve reached their conclusion: Yes. But the committee is silent on exactly how much of a raise they think is appropriate. In a letter dated Monday, committee chairman Matthew P. Stanley said the group is in agreement that the city should ask the General Assembly to raise the cap on council members’ salaries. The letter is addressed to Council President Michelle R. Mosby, 9th District, who sponsored legislation creating the committee. In an interview, Stanley said the committee is leaving it up to the city and council members to decide how much of an increase they should request.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Despite a packed house Monday night, final reading of the controversial rezoning of property for a Food City development in the Exit 17 area was postponed and Abingdon town officials offered no explanation. The vote is now expected during Town Council’s Dec. 7 meeting. Abingdon Town Manager Greg Kelly said he received an “oral request” for the delay by the applicants for the rezoning “late in the afternoon.” The postponement was requested by CEMA Corp. of Abingdon, which owns the land, and by Marathon Corp., the developers. No one from those companies spoke. Neither Abingdon Mayor Ed Morgan nor Kelly would comment on the reason for the postponement. Around 200 turned out for the meeting, which was moved from Town Hall to Barter Theatre due to the expected crowd. Many were visibly upset by the vote delay and the mayor had to use the gavel to call the meeting back to order. About half of the crowd left after the announcement.
Herald Courier

Former Hopewell City Attorney David Fratarcangelo continued to receive a pay check and benefit coverage from the city as late as September 2015, even though he quit his job eight months ago. To date the monetary compensation and additional benefits associated with the agreement total over $85,000. Fratarcangelo’s requested compensation, drafted as a “Resignation and Settlement Agreement” was based on an earlier “Addendum to Employment Agreement” signed on Feb. 21, 2014. The addendum to his employment agreement was signed off on by Fratarcangelo and then Mayor Bujakowski on Feb. 21, 2014. The document was attested to by signature of then City Clerk Cynthia Ames. This addendum increased his salary to $100,000 annually and added a 5 percent deferred compensation into a retirement program. In addition, the addendum contained a section stipulating severance pay based in the event he was terminated by the City Council before his contract expired and that he was willing and able to perform the duties of city attorney. The employment contract addendum only allowed for a severance package in the case of termination, not resignation. Hopewell Commonwealth Attorney Rick Newman believes the city should have disclosed the details of the severance package publicly prior to Fratarcangelo’s departure. “I would say that on the plain face of the statute it would appear that city council should have announced the severance package prior to David’s departure,” Newman said.
Progress-Index

A newspaper article on Halifax County Administrator Jim Halasz that purported to show support for the embattled administrator among department heads drew an anguished reaction from one of the county’s longest-serving, highest-level employees. Ricky Nelson, director of public works for Halifax County, called an impromptu press conference on Friday to explain why he did not fill out a survey of department heads distributed by Supervisors chairman Doug Bowman. “I wasn’t comfortable grading the county administrator,” said Nelson of the survey, which sought out opinions for Halasz on seven criteria, including communications, fairness, personal skills and supervisory skills. Nelson said he had confided in a family member and his pastor about his doubts in responding to the survey: “I’ve never had to do something like this in my 29 years here.” Bowman conducted the survey on his own volition — and without the knowledge of other supervisors — and provided the findings to the Gazette-Virginian for a Friday, Oct. 30 article headlined “County department heads back Halasz.”
SoVaNow.com

The city of Richmond spent $1.7 million on employee overtime during the UCI Road World Championships last month, according to data released by the city. The bulk of that money — $1.3 million — went to police personnel. That’s about $232,000 more than the city budgeted in police overtime for the event.
Richmond Times-Dispatch


National Stories
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Tips from a reporter who regularly asks for check registers from the city school division she covers:

• Before putting in your request, find out who keeps the information and try to talk with them. They might compile extra information that you didn’t think to request.
• Ask for a spreadsheet with the following information: check number, check date, check amount, document number, item description, account, check amount and vendor name.
• Besides checks, also ask for purchase orders, credit card records, paycheck info, budgets and grants.

When making requests and looking through records, Hobbs says to watch out for these red flags:

• Credit card purchases for even amounts (possibly gift cards)
• Understaffing in an office overseeing purchases
• Frequent change orders and/or budget amendments
• Big budget swings
• Decreasing reserve or emergency funds
• Back-to-back purchases to stay under the radar (if there is a dollar limit per purchase)

Poynter

A Tampa lawmaker has filed a bill that would shield the identities of “witness(es) to a felony” from being released to the public. State Rep. Ed Narain, a first-term Democrat, submitted his bill (HB 475) on Thursday. The legislation creates an exemption from Florida public records law of witnesses’ “personal identifying information,” prohibiting its disclosure, including to the news media. The exemption would last until the conclusion of a prosecution or the statute of limitations to a crime, whichever comes first.
Florida Politics