Hall Commissioner 'returns fire' at G'ville Council

GAINESVILLE - A Hall County Commissioner Wednesday made his position clear about Gainesville City Council's Tuesday statement that was critical of the Commission's position on Red Rabbit Transit and the rest of the Community Service Center.

Scott Gibbs denied that the center was under attack by commissioners who were merely trying to be accountable to the taxpayers but specifically criticized center director Phillippa Lewis Moss.

Gibbs criticized her operations and claimed Moss refused to follow grant approval procedure, seeking approval of funds the day before they were due. Gibbs said Moss denied information requests on money spent on various services and claimed Moss was running a 'travel agency type' program at the center.

"She was paying employees to take trips out of the State of Georgia and out of the country on the taxpayer's dime when county employees were on furlough and had retirement drastically cut," according to Gibbs.

Gibbs said none of those actions were acceptable to him and he demanded accountability on how the taxpayer money is spent.

"If they can't do that, then I have faith in my county employees and I would approve operating the services ourselves," Gibbs added.

Gibbs said he wanted to make clear that the statement reflected his opinion alone.

Commissioner Craig Lutz said asking about how taxpayer dollars are spent should not be an insult to anyone in government.

"We're not trying to insult anybody, I think it's becoming a mis-interpretation," Lutz said. "We're just trying to make sure the taxpayers are getting the value they expect from their dollar."

Lutz said the Commission has a fiduciary responsibility to make sure dollars are spent properly; that's why the commission asked questions. While Lutz said he agreed with much of what Gibbs said, he added commissioners are not trying to create an adversarial relationship.

Moss could not be reached for comment. Following Tuesday's city council meeting she said the city/county funding flap created a sense of uncertainty among center employees and clients alike and hoped that 'things would get back to normal'.

During the meeting Council member Ruth Bruner read a statement which said Council was disappointed by the 'actions of those Hall County Commissioners who have withdrawn their support of the Community Service Center including the Senior Center, Meals on Wheels, Community Outreach and Public Transit'. It stated that Council was also unhappy with the Commission's decision to insert the June 30th, 2014 deadline in the agreement.

"We hope that one day the existence of transit operations and the Community Service Center will no longer be under attack and our employees will not have to live in fear for their jobs," Bruner added.

Council approved the intergovernmental agreement that calls for the city to fund the fixed route Red Rabbit public transit with the County to fund and operate the Dial-a-Ride service. Hall County put the agreement on its consent agenda and passed it Wednesday.