Live Oak: One-man rule

Editor:

The city of Live Oak appears to be moving closer to a one-man-rule form of government. From what I see, the city manager is trying to keep residents in the dark about what is really happening in the city.

During his first six-to-seven months on the job he pleaded ignorance to several subjects because “he hadn’t been on the job long enough” to take action. Then, like an NBA player, he received a pay raise before any evaluation of his work was made.

He has brought his own city attorney with him to be our city attorney. He put our police chief on administrative leave, without explanation. He has fired the economic development director and the finance director.

The issue with the financial director was supposed to be discussed during the Nov. 27 city council meeting but some council members decided it should be kept from the public. What are they trying to hide from us?

I believe in an open form of government. Nothing happens in this city worthy of the behind-closed-door tactics these people employ. The city manager’s periodic newsletter is just junk mail, it does not inform us of what is happening in the city.

Our city management is at an all-time low and I don’t like what is happening. We need to stop messing around and straighten out this situation. We pay these people. We should not be kept in the dark about anything. We shouldn’t trust anyone who tries to hide things from us.

Nick Davies
Live Oak resident

Fire coverage at risk

Editor:

For more then 50 years the Kirby Fire Department has been providing fire services to county areas outside the city of Kirby. The county helps fund some of this, and the city receives some donations that county residents send in.

Unfortunately, the donations have dwindled to very little, and the county portion barely covers part of the cost of fuel. Ninety percent of the calls that our fire department responds to are outside the city of Kirby. The wear and tear on our equipment, the cost of fuel, insurance, paid personnel and the liability of these calls can no longer be absorbed by the city of Kirby. We recently refurbished two pumpers at a cost of $120,000; we need to replace four trucks at a cost of $750,000.

The time has come for the country to form an Emergency Services District, so that everyone using these services would be paying and not just Kirby residents as well as the few county residents that are gracious enough to donate every year.

We need county support for this ESD. Without it, beginning June 1, 2008, you will no longer be receiving these services from the Kirby Fire Department. We do not want this to happen and we hope that you, as county residents, don’t either.

Contact us so we may get the word out and gather the 150 petition signatures we need to make this happen. Contact the city at 661-3198 and we will happily respond … before it’s too late.

Johnny Duffek
Mayor, city of Kirby