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Home My WebLink About1980 03-26 Mayor leaves before meeting adjourns REVIEW VOLUME 18, NUMBER 46 Publication #328680 Maplewood, allnimmeninisommnimmamrMayor leaves before should take this in a piece meal manner." By MARY LEE HAGERT Nelson favors the council reviewing each • travel request on an individual basis to Technically, the Maplewood city John 10'' decide its merits and value. council is still in session even though Greavu , ! When he realized no one supported his nearly a week has passed since it con- motion to restrict employee travel, vened its March 21 meeting. Greavu walked out of the chamber. Mayor John Greavu stormed out of the A few minutes earlier,Greavu's motion council chambers at about 12:30 a.m., to have the state auditor conduct a after becoming upset with the council "complete audit"of the city's finances for members and city staff. Greavu opposes city staffers traveling the past six years died because it failed to He left the council room before a vote out of state to represent the city at con- receive a second. was taken to adjourn. After his exit, the ventions, workshops and meetings or to stunned council members and staff also attend educational training sessions. According to Russ Anderson, state left the council chambers. He said the city's expenditure of ap- director of municipal audits, the cost of a The day after the meeting, Barry proximately$1,200 in travel and training six-year audit would be over$90,000. Evans,city manager,said, "Technically, expenses for the staff last month was too "I have been asked by some people to there was never officially a vote to ad- high.In addition,part of this amount was have a full audit and so I'm asking for one journ,although I haven't seen any of them used for professional magazine sub- for the last six years. I have nothing to (the council members) around the city scriptions and other informational hide, so let's give them the audit," he hall today. I guess by sufferance the materials. stated. meeting was adjourned." "When we have three or four people out of the city at a time,then that tells me we ONE PERSON asking Greavu for the THE MAYOR appeared upset because don't need these people on the payroll," complete audit was Frank McGinley,2044 he did not receive second votes on two Greavu said. He stated that if the city Prosperity Road, Maplewood. McGinley motions he had made.None of the council staff members would like to attend out of told the council he is unhappy with the members seconded his motions to keep state meetings, they should pay for the city's finance department because it took city employees from traveling out of trip themselves. him to conciliation court over an unpaid Minnesota on city financed trips and to $7 paramedic bill. request to have the state auditor conduct RESPONDING to Greavu's statements, Late in 1975, his wife, Ann, was tran a complete city audit for the past six Councilman Earl Nelson said,"You know sported by the Maplewood paramedics tc years. how I think about this, John. I feel we Miller Hospital. McGinley was billed Minnesota 1380 Frost Avenue WED„ MARCH 26, 1980 St.. Paul , Mn. 55109 meeting adjourns standard$35 fee for the paramedic ser- EACH YEAR the City of Maplewood is signatures on the petition. vices. Medicare paid$28 on the bill. The audited by a private firm.The cost of the A successful citizen petition would remaining$7 went unpaid for over a year. 1979 audit being prepared by DeLaHunt, require signatures from 20 percent of the McGinley contends he supplied the Voto and Company, Ltd., of White Bear voters who participated in the last Maplewood finance department with with Lake, is estimated at $15,350. A state presidential election. According to the the proper information to forward the municipal reporting unit summarizes the Maplewood city clerk's office, 2,479 unpaid balance to Medicaid. Dan Faust, information in the private audit for a state persons would need to sign the petition for Maplewood finance director, said his publication each year for the Minnesota it to succeed. office has no record of McGinley sup- auditor's office. plying the information. Councilman Norman Anderson told the IN OTHER action the council: McGinley was billed three times before mayor,"I am trying to rationalize paying —granted a special use permit for the finance department went to con- all this money for someone who is upset Kenneth Schroeder, 1199 Ripley Ave., for ciliation court with his unpaid bill. about a$7 bill that may or may not have construction of a house on an odd-sized According to Faust, the city council has been charged mistakenly by an employee. lot. authorized his office to take legal action We all make mistakes. Insurance is so —approved a planned unit develop- on all unpaid paramedic bills. complex,it's hard to tell where claims are meet; preliminary plat and street supposed to go. vacation for the Beaver Lake Hills SINCE THE CITY has been taking the development. unpaid bills to court, the collection rate "I also have nothing to hide, but if you —decided to issue commercial revenue has Offen from 51 percent in 1975 to 85 go back that far there will be a lot of cost notes for a mini self-storage business at percent in 1978. involved. Are you willing to accept the 1195 E. Highway 36. McGinley also said he is disturbed that flack from the people who are concerned —issued a liquor license to the the city recently forgave $4,660 in un- about the high cost this six-year audit Maplewood Bowl,with the stipulation that collectible paramedic bills. would involve?" he asked Greavu. the business meet a list of requirements Faust explained,this amount was from When McGinley realized the mayor's including providing adequate parking 56 in o-ic:ual paramedic claims which motion for the six-year audit did not facilities and cleaning up a drainage pond were all taken to conciliation court.Even succeed, he told the council he was ap- on its property. after the court ordered the individuals to pointing himself to be a committee of one —awarded a bid from the Minnesota pay the bills, they failed to do so. As a to start a petition requesting the audit, Crime Prevention Center in the amount of result, they were determined un- "I'm too old to circulate a petition for $8,000 annually for three years for part of collectible and were forgiven by the city the audit,so I'm asking the young people the new police computer record keeping council. of Maplewood to volunteer to get the system.