The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Official says city paid for unused cellphones
The city of Lorain was paying more than $959 a month for 26 cell phones and tablets “that were stashed away in desks and offices,” according to the city administration.
Eliminating unused cellular telephones and tablets will save an estimated $11,512 a year, said Safety-Service Director Max Upton.
The situation developed after Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley took office Jan. 1, as Upton explained in a letter to Lorain City Council for its Feb. 17 meeting.
On the first day on the job, Upton said he was presented with a Verizon Wireless bill for $4,358.
The bill named several people who had not worked for the city in a number of years, but still had active lines of service.
Upton said he signed for the bill “reluctantly,” but asked Administrative Assistant Linda Rivera to audit the city’s wireless account.
That review turned up 21 unused cell phones and five unused tablets that were turned off and collected.
The administration also will start a wireless asset management program and meet with Verizon staff to reduce the bill further, Upton said.
“It is important to note that some of the cellphones that we shut off had been active as far back as 2014, and that the total amount of money the city paid for phones and tablets that were not being used was approximately $25,000 to $40,000,” he said. “We are committed to being good stewards of our city’s resources.”
The money paid for cell phone use comes from the city’s general fund, Upton said.
Based on the costs, those savings can add up and help in a city low on manpower for police and firefighters, he said.
Word gets around
The letter began circulating over social media when Ward 7 Councilman Cory Shawver posted it to his Facebook page.
When a user asked who was responsible for keeping track of the accounts, Shawver stated they were the responsibility of former Safety-Service Director Dan Given and Administrative Assistant Michele Beko.
“They were the only account managers per the current mayor’s office staff,” Shawver said. “Verizon even reached out and asked if they wanted to do an account review and they were told to essentially mind their own business.”
That prompted a strongly worded online reply apparently from Beko, who said she prepared the city’s Verizon bill and a list of phones and users for the incoming administration.
She said Shawver was playing “the blame game,” according to the post.
The city had one account representative and no other Verizon representatives reached out to the city administration because the account had one rep, Beko’s post said.
When employees left, their cellphone lines were terminated and the phones were turned in for recycling, her post said.
Every month, the bill “was balanced to the penny” and each respective account was billed for the respective phone and usage, Beko’s post said.
Beko was not available for additional comment and The Morning Journal could not independently confirm she published the response.
Screen shots of Beko’s apparent post were shared on social media, including the Facebook page of Lorain City Councilwoman-atLarge Mary Springowski.
“Some are assigning blame where it doesn’t belong,” Springowski said. “The unused cells and tablets should have been caught by department heads AND the auditor (s).
“I work in the private sector and I know that once a year, we have to verify all electronic equipment we use such as radios, printers, computers, etc. It is all reported back to the controller’s office.
“I find it hard to believe that it would be very much different at City Hall. It’s too bad that the safety-service director is having to micromanage to this extent.”
Auditor’s reply
Before the Council meeting Feb. 17, Lorain Auditor Karen Shawver said she did not believe City Hall had a city cell phone police.
Generally, city department heads reviewed the monthly cellphone usage of staff, Karen Shawver said.
If the bills were correct and accurate, the department heads passed their approvals to the safety-service director, who then reviewed the bills, she said.
By the time the bills reached the City Auditor’s Office for payment, Karen Shawver said her staff would review the bills for the proper approvals, then pay the invoices.
Generally, the police chief and fire chief would review the cell phone bills and usage of their respective departments; the city administration oversaw cell phones for the departments of Utilities, Engineering, Public Property and Building, Housing and Planning, she said.
She added she was not aware of the city possibly paying for unused cell phones or tablets until Upton’s letter to Council.
Auditor’s Office staff do not have city-issued cell phones because they have desk phones and work at their desks daily, Karen Shawver said.