Bibb drug testing resolution unnecessary distraction

Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Joe Allen is sponsoring a novel proposal. He wants the commission to pass a resolution that requests that, “All elected and appointed public officials serving in Macon-Bibb County shall immediately following the approval and adoption of this resolution submit to a voluntary drug test to determine if such officials have used a controlled substance; and for other purposes.”

Commissioner Allen hasn’t indicated what brought this idea to the surface. Allen has had a knack for grabbing headlines in the past, but this is his first grab since being reelected to the commission. However, there are some issues that need to be addressed by the commission before this resolution sees the light of day.

Nothing is wrong with drug testing. County employees are tested before hiring now and can be randomly tested at any time, particularly those who drive county vehicles. Most private employers also require potential new hires to take a drug screen. This resolution, however, may step over the line into uncharted territory.

The first question that should be answered though, is who would pay for the tests? Certainly the county can’t ask citizens who serve on non-paying boards such as Planning and Zoning or the Macon-Bibb Pedestrian Fatality Review Board to pony up for a drug test. Shouldn’t who pays for the test be spelled out in the resolution? How many people on such boards are we talking about 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, or more? If so, we’re soon talking about real money.

The wording of the resolution is also interesting. If passed in its current form, all of the commissioners and whomever else this resolution would apply to, would have to “immediately” submit to a “voluntary” drug test. We are not sure that you can require someone to take a test and then call it “voluntary.”

In any case, we can only imagine commissioners and others forming a line out of the door of the Government Center to head for the testing facility “immediately.” But wait, what about those individuals who aren’t sitting in the Government Center waiting with bated breath for the commissioners to vote? The resolution also resolves that upon approval and adoption, “the Clerk of Commission shall ensure that the appropriate notice of this resolution is provided to all elected and appointed officials of Macon-Bibb County.” Does that put those not now in line for the drug test out of compliance because they didn’t take the drug test “immediately” because they didn’t know about it? Uh-oh. What’s the definition of “immediately”?

The resolution also states that “after the completion of the voluntary drug test as requested under the terms of this resolution, the officials shall also voluntarily disclose the results of the drug test to the citizens of Macon-Bibb County.”

There’s that “voluntary” word again. If the officials would be required to reveal the results of their tests to the public, the next question that needs an answer is: By what means? Does the county take out an ad in the newspaper? Will a Facebook posting do? How ‘bout a tweet? Maybe smoke signals or robocalls?

You can read commissioners’ reaction to the resolution — from bemusement to slightly insulted — in Stanley Dunlap’s piece elsewhere in today’s paper. Most commissioners are accustomed to Allen’s antics, but they will have to look at this resolution closely. Does it need to be rewritten to address all the questions that need answers, or does it need to see file 13 and let the commission move on to more important issues such as the budget?

And finally, no matter tongue-in-cheek we may treat this proposal or how out-to-lunch other commissioners may think of it, they shouldn’t dismiss its motives out of hand. It doesn’t take an SAT over 600 to realize the obvious trap he’s trying to set for somebody. The commission really only has to decide one question. Is Allen’s little witch hunt, disguised as a necessary government intrusion, a wise use of taxpayer time and money. We don’t believe that it is.

This story was originally published May 6, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Bibb drug testing resolution unnecessary distraction."