ROANOKE MAKES PHONE-LOG RULE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 6, 1993                   TAG: 9301060222
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
ROANOKE MAKES PHONE-LOG RULE
In the aftermath of Finance Director Joel Schlanger's resignation, Roanoke municipal workers will be required to log all long-distance phone calls.
The logs will be compared with the monthly phone bills to verify that all calls were made for city business.
Schlanger was forced to resign last month because he charged more than $1,700 in personal, longdistance calls to the city.
City Auditor Bob Bird said a recent survey showed that 80 percent of the municipal departments (51 of 64) have some type of procedure for controlling calls charged to the city.
But he said that includes 11 departments that have adopted procedures since July 1, and eight others that record the calls on desk calendars and scratch pads.
Thirteen departments have no formal procedures.
Among the departments that log their calls, there is no uniform form or procedure, Bird said.
He has recommended a standardized form, and acting Finance Director James Grisso told the city's Audit Committee that he will develop one.
City Manager Bob Herbert said city policy prohibits employees from charging personal, long-distance calls to city phones or calling cards.
There is no provision for employees to reimburse the city for personal calls, although that has been done in some cases.
"The policy is in place - use city credit cards to make only calls for city business," Herbert said.
Herbert said his staff has not developed a uniform procedure for monitoring long-distance calls because the finance director's staff pays the city's phone bills.
Meanwhile, Bird is studying the feasibility of establishing a hot line to receive complaints about fraud or waste in city government. Some council members have proposed the idea.
Bird said some city employees who might be reluctant to go to their supervisors with complaints may be willing to call a hot line if they can remain anonymous.
Councilman Delvis "Mac" McCadden said he doesn't like the idea because he thinks it could create paranoia and unrest among the employees.
Herbert said the city already has a system that allows employees to report fraud and waste to their supervisors without fear of retribution.
If a new procedure is established, Herbert said, it should protect the confidentiality of the employee making the accusation, as well as the person being charged, until the auditor can determine whether the complaint has any validity.
Mayor David Bowers said he was concerned about news leaks during the recent investigation of Schlanger's phone bills. He said it appeared that some people were trying to sabotage the probe.
Bird said some employees might have leaked information to reporters because they believed there was no other way to bring it to the attention of city officials.
Councilman William White, chairman of the Audit Committee, said the proposal for a hot line should be pursued. But he asked Bird to confer with the city manager, finance director and city attorney to get their views as he proceeds.
White said Bird needs to make sure there is no duplication with any existing procedure, and that any proposal is legal.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB