Supervisor Doesn’t Have Cellular Phone County Worker Says Bill Is Average Of Department’s Five Phones

Vern Jarvis wants Spokane County taxpayers and his bosses in the courthouse to know he doesn’t spend his days racking up massive cellular phone bills.

Doesn’t call his wife from the car.

Doesn’t chat with buddies.

Doesn’t order pizza from remote construction sites.

In fact, the county’s waste water supervisor doesn’t have a cellular phone, even though he was listed as the biggest user in a report made public Tuesday.

County Administrator Jim Lindow told county commissioners that Jarvis’ average monthly mobile phone bill is $385.57. He’d have to yak for 23 hours to spend that much.

The bill actually is the average monthly total for all five portable phones used by the utilities department.

Commissioners, who are looking for ways to cut expenses, were outraged at the report. The bill for all 199 cellular phones was $94,000 last year and is expected to top $100,000 this year.

“This Vern Jarvis, take his (phone) away today,” said Commissioner Phil Harris.

Commissioner Steve Hasson wondered what was so urgent that required a $400 phone bill.

Jarvis didn’t know about the report until some of his colleagues saw a story in Wednesday’s SpokesmanReview.

He was out of the office when a reporter called for an interview Tuesday. No, said a county employee who took the call, he didn’t know whether Jarvis could be reached by cellular phone.

Jarvis said he briefly had a cell phone about two years ago, but gave it up because the reception was bad and he didn’t need it.

“I think I used it three times,” he said.