NOT!Ulster County is NOT making things happen these days. When I went to school a 50% grade was a F. 50% meant failing. Apparently not anymore. Didn't we learn anything from the jail? What the heck are our Legislators doing? We had a panel that made some pretty intelligent recommendations, but we've only implemented 50% of them?
What is this guy Donaldson doing? Let's do everything that the panel recommended. This jail thing was a disaster with our money. Taxpayer deserve some results.
It's always the same old story in Ulster County with the same old same old politicians. We need new young blood in the Legislature. I hope that young people in this County will step up to the plate next year and run for the County Legislature. These old farts need to go.
Ulster County slow to make changes
Half of recommendations met
KINGSTON — Ulster County has implemented about half of the recommendations two panels have made to prevent another runaway building project like the county jail.
The county jail, or Ulster County Law Enforcement Center, opened in February 2007, nearly three years late and $30 million over budget. The total cost, with interest, will hit $145 million when all is said and done.
The debacle triggered the county Legislature's first formal investigation. The special committee-issued report came out last September. A special grand jury spent six months after that investigating construction of the jail. In March, the grand jury indicted one former county official, Harvey Sleight. Monday, the public learned that County Judge J. Michael Bruhn had dismissed the sole charge — official misconduct — against Sleight.
The public also got its first look Monday at the grand jury's recommendations to prevent further massive construction problems.
Of 15 recommendations from the two panels, the county has taken steps on seven. Overall, County Legislature Chairman Dave Donaldson, a Kingston Democrat, said the county has adopted a capital projects policy, improved record keeping, started training on bidding regulations, and moved more departments to office space at the jail facility. It has shifted to line-item budgeting on capital projects and hired a person to review and manage all the county's contracts.
"Every calamity has a silver lining," Donaldson said. "Sometimes it just forces you to get more efficient."
But the county has not adopted some major recommendations.
The Legislative committee said voters should approve capital projects of $10 million or more. That has gone nowhere. "It would be awfully cumbersome," Donaldson said.
Rich Parete, an Accord Democrat, was on the Legislature committee. He supported the public vote. "Schools can do it. Fire departments can do it. Westchester County can do it," he said. "It has never even been discussed here."
The grand jury recommended an independent oversight authority to review projects, in addition to the new county comptroller. Donaldson opposed it. "Having a comptroller, isn't that the purpose of it?" he said.
Parete said all the recommendations need a review in light of the seven or eight new members on the Legislature. "We just got to roll up our sleeves and do them," he said.
pbrooks@th-record.com
County construction-change scorecard
DONE
New contract manager
Tighter procurement
Better record-keeping
Stronger construction policies
NOT DONE
No public vote on big projects
No independent oversight authority
No lower bidding threshold
No criminal justice analysis
1 comment:
At least some of the Republicans are trying to do that. They worked to get that Ronk guy at 22 elected. Now he is fighting to get all the county abused vechicles off the road. The Dems stole the idea and still could not enforce it so they put a Republican in charge to get the job done maybe some one in the Republican Party knows what they are doing?
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