Momnesia

Efficiency in Government? Not Impossible

AUGUSTA, GA. - Scott was cleaning out the garage behind our apartment, a ramshackle old leftover from when houses on the hill were small family farms. A decade or more of transient residents and maintenance personnel have left it full of random crap. Two couches, various pieces of lumber, screen doors... it's ridiculous.

So Scott found several huge garbage cans and called Tom Beck. The city has a shortage of supplies and Scott asked that one of them be taken down to Aquaduct Park for visitors to use. The rest the city could keep.

"Hey, thanks, Scott! That's really nice of you," Beck said. "Just leave them at the curb and my guys will pick them up in the morning."

So yesterday morning, the garbage cans were gone. ALL of the garbage cans - except for the ones Scott had called about.

"Um, Tom?" Scott called. "You promise not to get mad at anyone but me?"

Tom laughed. He's had a rough year or two. But that's to be expected of any city employee in this area. "I don't get mad anymore, unless it's about my wife and kids," he said.

It was not about them. Scott forgot to put out the garbage cans for the city employees to pick up. They took the garbage cans currently in use for waste disposal by the residents of our small four-apartment building.

"We'll bring them back," Tom laughed. "That's really funny."

The residential cans were back by yesterday afternoon, and the correct ones hauled away. I'll bet there's already a can at the park, too.