Grifton Board Meets

GRIFTON — In adopting its 2004-05 fiscal year budget totaling $1.8 million, the Grifton Board of Commissioners adopted a budget free of one of its own perks.

It seems that in July 2003, the mayor and commissioners were treated with cellular phones. The cell phones cost $59.95 each, for a total cost of $359.70, according to figures provided by Town Administrator Michael Peoples. The monthly plan cost for all six phones tallied $125 for a 1,400-minute pool of time.

Commissioner Johnny Craft never accepted his cellular phone and Mayor Tim Bright returned the phone he was given within a month, Peoples noted. Within several months Commissioner Richard Hill also returned his cell phone.

Commissioners Billy Kornegay and Bill Smith both utilized their cell phones as did former Commissioner Ralph Thaxton.

It was newly appointed commissioner Gene Fleming, however, who wanted to put a stop to the perk. In a budget meeting in May, Fleming - appointed to fill the unexpired term of Thaxton who resigned - pressed the issue about commissioners having cellular phones. He pointed out on May 20 that the phones were still in the budget. Peoples said the amount was there for commissioners to get a stipend for phone use. But Fleming said the town should save the cellular phone money.

Commissioner Johnny Craft provided the second to a motion made by Fleming to eliminate the phone stipend from the budget. In doing so Craft stated, “It was a bad move to start with.” The stipend included in the budget was $25 per month per commissioner and both Craft and Fleming felt that should not be in the budget. “I can’t see doing that either,” Craft stated. Kornegay added, “Take it out and forget it.”

In a memo to the board dated July 8, 2003, Peoples explained the 1,400-minute allotment and that the U.S. Cellular plan included free nights and weekends. “This means that all calls between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Do not count as minutes used,” Peoples wrote.

Actual phone bills from the months of August, September, October and December did not include any overuse of the 1,400-minute pool on the part of board members. However, those bills indicated calls to Myrtle Beach, SC, Wilmington, Floyds, SC, Cary RTP, Creedmoor, Winston Salem, Rocky Mount, Wrightsville Beach, Swansboro, Raleigh, Scottshill, Portsmouth, VA, Washington, Charlotte, Swan Quarter, Loris, SC, Burgaw, Morehead City, and Snow Hill. There were, in many instances, repeated calls to these locations, in addition to local area calls within Pitt County. 

Prior minutes did not reflect that the board took official action to include the phones in the current year’s budget. According to Peoples, the funds came from a line item in the police department budget.

Copyright 2003 - Town of Grifton - All Rights Reserved