Be nice and make up!

Apparently the City’s attempt at a hostile takeover of the City Treasurer’s office has failed for lack of votes from City Council. The vote ended in a split decision, three for and three against, with the seventh eligible voter having to sit out because of a conflict of interest. By rule a tie means the effort fails.

And so it should have. About eight years ago the city tried to eliminate the Treasurer’s position by referendum. That attempt failed by 65 percent to 35 percent. I would call that a resounding victory to keep the office.

Just what is happening in the Treasurer’s office and the cause for the City to try to take over the bulk of the duties is largely unknown. Treasurer Joy Moore has defended herself against the city’s accusations, and certainly there are issues that may go beyond simple personal differences. But the citizens had spoken and now Council has spoken, so my feeling is that it is incumbent upon both parties to work out the issues.

On the face it seems ridiculous to me that there would be two different software packages being used to handle the city’s money. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, and starting there would be an easy way to get the ball rolling. The Treasurer’s office and the City should have the same equipment to do the job.

It’s not hard to figure that one out. Just try opening a Microsoft Word^® document in something other than Word. It either won’t happen or you will get pages full of code that looks a lot like Egyptian hieroglyphics. And, when you are talking about working with finances, using the same software just makes sense. Who is responsible for supplying the software doesn’t really matter, although in all likelihood that obligation belongs to the city.

The next step is to suck up the personal issues and get down to business. If the treasurer is doing something one way and the city wants it done another, it’s time to get together and work out a solution that both sides can agree to. I know this may sound silly, but it’s a compromise. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, will get done if either side decides to dig in their heels.

One would think that these people have never worked in an environment with someone that they did not care for, although I would think given the politics in this city, that such a thing would be impossible. It happens everywhere. There are always personal conflicts and there are always professional conflicts. Running a successful business, which in the final analysis this is, requires the ability to work with everyone. Let’s get this situation to the base level. It’s time to forget about any and all past indiscretions and move forward in a positive fashion.

Bury the hatchet and toss away all the brickbats. It’s time to get down to doing what this city has built a reputation for, getting the job done. In other words, get together to work out the issues. No one has fallen of the wall as yet and the city in general has suffered no ills as of yet. But if there is a thought that such a thing may happen, then it’s up to the two parties to reconcile their differences and put an end to that potential.

My guess is that Ms. Moore will be the city treasurer for some time to come. She certainly had a significant amount of support from within the community. Getting that kind of support in Colonial Heights says something. If the city doesn’t like the way things are going in her office, then it is incumbent upon them to try to work out the differences. If they can’t work out something as seemingly fundamental as using the same software, perhaps there are other issues that need looking into.

I would think that both the Treasurer’s office and the City’s finance department would have the same goal of supporting the citizens. There may in fact be two different ways of looking at supporting the citizens in that regard, but quibbling over how that’s done seems to be counter-productive. It’s time for a little powwow. Here’s my solution:  air your differences, work out viable solutions, and move forward as one cohesive unit.

Oh, and get on the same page with the software.