Opinion ID: 2075901
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: incompetence

Text: With regard to the city's allegation that Maxon was incompetent, the city presented evidence that while Maxon was the emergency management director, 911 emergency dispatch service surcharges increased from 50 cents per telephone landline to $1 per telephone landline, which should have resulted in an increase in revenue for Maxon's department. David Springer, the finance director for the City of Grand Island, testified that he asked Maxon multiple times if everything was on track for the surcharge to be increased starting on January 1, 2002, and that Maxon assured him that it was. However, Springer testified that Maxon failed to implement the surcharge increase for 2002 and that this resulted in a 1-year delay and cost the city an estimated $100,000 to $180,000 in lost revenue. Maxon testified that he did everything he could to facilitate the 911 surcharge implementation process and that any delay was not his fault, but was the result of the county board's failure to act in a timely manner. Maxon presented evidence that at a July 11, 2000, county board meeting, he and a committee of the Hall County Board of Supervisors recommended increasing the 911 surcharge. The board, however, voted to table the recommendation. The record shows that the next time the county board discussed the increase concerning the 911 surcharge was on November 13, 2001. The Hall County clerk testified that at this meeting, it was Maxon who brought to the board's attention the notice requirements to be complied with before implementing the surcharge increase. The county board met on December 18, 2001, and again discussed the 911 surcharge increase. The county clerk testified, however, that the board took no action at that time with respect to the 911 surcharge. The resolution to increase the 911 surcharge was eventually adopted by the county board on July 16, 2002. With respect to this 1-year delay, Maxon testified that we thought everything was fine and then at the last minute we found out that the telephone companies. . . had to be notified. When asked about a September 2000 letter generically addressed from Qwest Communications, Inc., to QWEST Enhanced 911 Customer, which provided information that such notice was required, Maxon testified that he did not recall receiving the letter, and his customary initials acknowledging receipt were not contained on the letter. Greer also testified that he asked Maxon to configure the telephone system so that National Public Radio would play when a caller was placed on hold. Approximately 1 month after asking Maxon to perform this responsibility, the system had still not been configured. Shortly thereafter, Greer reassigned this responsibility to another department. Maxon testified that after receiving this assignment, he discovered a broken cable which he unsuccessfully attempted to repair. Maxon explained that he contacted a vendor, who then repaired the broken cable shortly before Greer reassigned the project.