Give your 2¢ worth
Input sought on public works dept.
BY PHIL REYNOLDS SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

Want to express your opinion of the city's public works department? Now's your chance. But first, you have to get online.

Starting Thursday, Sept. 6, the City of Port Aransas' Web site will carry a poll of the department, including its performance in several areas.

It is the latest step in an ongoing examination of city departments, said City Manager Michael Kovacs.

Kovacs said the city's staff had been "looking at" the public works department. At its August meeting, the city council gave Kovacs a deadline of Nov. 1 to report evaluation and progress at the department.

Kovacs said he didn't think a poll on a Web page would be restrictive because of the large number of residents who are connected to the Internet via computer.

"We think (the Web poll) is a really good medium" to learn what residents think, Kovacs said. "We're trying to get more public involvement" in city decisions, he said.

The poll was still being constructed early this week, Kovacs said. However, he said it would ask Web viewers' overall opinion on the effectiveness of the public works department in several areas.

Those include the beach, street maintenance (potholes, etc.), drainage, mosquito control, brush collection, street appearance and litter collection and efficiency in work efforts.

"What they're doing isn't as important as how they're doing it," Kovacs said.

At the end, residents will be offered a blank window in which they can write any comments they want to add - up to 250 words.

If you feel strongly one way or the other, don't expect to be able to stuff the ballot box, however. Kovacs said safeguards are in place to ensure "one man, one vote - and only one vote."

One of Kovacs' first moves when taking the city manager's job was to institute an overhaul of the police department by firing then-Chief Don Perkins and hiring Sam Russell. A review of how that process has gone will be scheduled as soon as soon as consultants can get together with him, Kovacs said.

The city's Web site is at www. cityofportaransas.org. Residents who have no access to a computer can get Internet access at the Port Aransas Computer Club, 430 N. Alister St.