By JARRETT CARROLL

Recorder News Staff

Amsterdam Mayor Ann Thane's planting of flower bulbs has caught the ire of an outgoing alderman, not for aesthetic reasons but because of how they were paid for.

During the Nov. 15 Common Council meeting, 4th Ward Alderman William Wills made a motion to amend the city's bi-weekly audit and remove an invoice from Van England for the purchase of flower bulbs, stating, "I don't believe it was an appropriate use of funds during this time of poverty for the city."

The amendment was passed unanimously by the council, preventing payment to the vendor.

On Monday, an e-mail exchange between Wills and outgoing city Controller Heather Reynicke show that the discussion on how the bulbs were paid for is still an ongoing matter.

The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame donated 1,000 daffodil and tulip bulbs to the city in early November, but Wills took issue with the additional 1,500 bulbs that Mayor Ann Thane authorized to purchase for $379.16.

Volunteers met at the Kirk Douglas Park to plant them but Wills said his issue was not the amount spent on the flower bulbs or the beautification endeavor but how it was budgeted. However, Thane fired back, saying it sounded more like sour grapes from a failed mayoral candidate then a legitimate issue.

"If you and the mayor want this bill paid I suggest that you ask one of my colleagues to sponsor a separate resolution to pay it at the next meeting," Wills wrote to Reynicke. "The purchase of flower bulbs while maybe appropriate for the [Recreation Department] to do is not something the mayor's office or even the alderperson's budgets are meant or budgeted to do."

Thane said the bill has been budgeted for.

"It needs to be paid because the bulbs are in the ground and the money has been allocated as it has been in years past, which we have planted bulbs for the past three years," she said. "I had been allocated monies for marketing and beautification efforts and that is what the money is for."

Reynicke wrote back to Wills also stating the invoice needed to be dealt with.

"I know there was some question on the payment for the invoice submitted for this vendor. It was pulled from the last audit," she wrote. "The mayor's contractual codes are spread across the four funds as is all other departments in City Hall ... this is the normal account structure and is how all expenses are charged not matter what it is."

However, Wills said it was a trend he is not willing to support.

"When we were in the budget session last year and I inquired about the makeup of the mayor's budget, no mention was made of purchasing flower bulbs," he said. "I allowed the payment for the mural at City Hall by a 'muralist' with no credentials to support that claim and many other interesting items that have amounted to a significant sum over these past six months."

The mayor she was not sure what the purpose of the hold up was and also took issue with not being included in the correspondence.

"I think it's unfortunate because I don't understand his actions," she said. "I also think it's a great discourtesy to not include me in the mailing."

She added that the bulbs are only meant to make the city better, not become a point of friction.

"It's not an exorbitant amount and the impact is great," she said. "The beautiful flowers in the spring is part of incrementally making our city more beautiful."

If sponsored, the invoice will most likely be a topic of discussion during Tuesday's Common Council meeting but Wills said he doesn't plan on changing his stance during his final meetings.

"It's one thing to be a Scrooge, it's another to be a Grinch during this festive season using public monies freely and without responsibility," he said. "Enough is enough and until I leave at the end of December I will be adamant that we be very conservative in our spending."

Contact JARRETT CARROLL at

jarrett.carroll@recordernews.com