Published: May 06, 2008 10:25 am            

Jeffersonville City Council adopts travel ordinance

After four months, three versions and two dissenters, Jeffersonville officials have rules for being on the road.

The Jeffersonville City Council passed the final version of a travel ordinance Monday night, which sets per-day spending limits for officials and bans late-in-the-term travel by so-called lame-duck politicians and department heads.

The ordinance follows a trip to New Orleans last year for a National League of Cities conference, which was attended by several lame-duck officials, just a few weeks before they left office. Then-Councilman John Perkins and then-Mayor Rob Waiz were among such attendees. Some nonelected officials who were soon to be off the city’s payroll went as well.

An ordinance seeking to curb such travel has had wide support on the council. However, there were disagreements on the particulars.

Only Monday did Councilman Mike Smith back away from a stipulation for which he had previously rallied that would have banned officials’ travel from the time it was clear they were leaving office.

That means if an official lost in a May primary, he or she would not be allowed to travel the last seven months of the term. Under the ordinance finally approved, travel is prohibited after November elections.

The ordinance that was approved was more than a dozen pages long. Councilman Ed Zastawny had offered a last-minute ordinance of his own — which was only four pages long — that required council approval for travel claims over $500.

“In my opinion, it (the initial ordinance) is just too complicated and, in a sense, micromanages,” Zastawny said.

He said his ordinance didn’t have any language to prohibit lame-duck traveling because it would not be necessary if officials had to get approval from the council for larger trips anyway.

Councilwoman Connie Sellers, who introduced the initial ordinance, argued that having officials come before the council to justify every trip that cost more than $500 would have been even more micromanagement.

It came down to a 5-2 vote. Council members Keith Fetz, Barbara Wilson, Ron Grooms, Smith and Sellers voted in favor of the initial ordinance. Zastawny and Councilman Nathan Samuel voted against it. Samuel had also argued against lame-duck travel limits at previous meetings.

In other business

• Members of the Jeffersonville Fire Department’s Station Two, B Crew were recognized with a Chief’s Award for service above and beyond the call of duty. The city declined to release details of the incident, because it took place at Wellstone Regional Hospital, a 100-bed psychiatric facility in Jeffersonville. It involved a rafter rescue of a 15-year-old girl. The girl’s life was saved during the rescue, which took place on April 14, a press release from the city says.

Maj. Phil Lovan, Captains Dennis Frantz and Dennis Dierking, Lt. Pam Blanchard, Sgt. Joey Jones and Josh Kempf and firefighters David Kaskie, Wesley David and Michael Terry were honored.

• The council approved an ordinance that addresses cell phone use by city officials. The ordinance specifies that only essential employees should have cell phones.

It also defines the process for securing a city cell phone and defines how personal cell phone use can be reimbursed. The ordinance allows for 300 minutes per month per phone. It also stipulates that the city will not pay for text messaging and Internet charges.

The city has 96 cell phones in use, through Verizon Wireless. Bills run about $5,000 per month, according to officials. Clarksville — a smaller municipality by about 8,000 residents — uses 40 cell phones provided through Nextel. All phones are on one plan and bills run about $1,000 each month.

Councilman Smith was unsure how much money the ordinance will save the city because it has not been decided exactly who would get a phone.

        

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