Williams to pay $1,844 cell phone bill

Sito Negron

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2003 | 11:33 a.m.

Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-North Las Vegas, owes the city of Las Vegas almost $2,000 for personal phone calls made on a city cell phone between June 2002 and August of this year.

Records show that Williams used the phone, issued to him as part of his administrative officer position with the city's Neighborhood Services Department, for 20,829 minutes of conversation in the 13-month time period. The city was billed $5,760.62 for the time. His share is $1,844.38, city Communications Director David Riggleman said.

"I'd say clearly that's a very high bill," Riggleman said.

He said a review of the bills was under way before this week, and resulted in the payback agreement.

The city allows employees to make personal calls on city cell phones, but employees must reimburse the city. Williams, who makes $85,981 a year, will have $70 deducted from each two-week paycheck for a year to repay the money, under the agreement settled upon Wednesday, Riggleman said.

The city's policy requires that employees check their phone bills for the amount owed. The employee's supervisor is supposed to oversee that process. Riggleman said Williams' supervisor, Neighborhood Services department head Sharon Segerblom, had spoken with Williams more than once.

"He had indicated he would take care of it," Riggleman said. When asked whether there was a disciplinary threshold for excessive use of the phone, Riggleman said, "That's something that would have to be reviewed, by Sharon (Segerblom) and by (City Manager) Doug (Selby)."

Riggleman said Williams' job description is geared more toward managing contracts and projects, rather than people. He said Williams was still on the job. However, Williams could not be reached at the Neighborhood Services department Thursday morning. He has been unavailable for comment since Friday.