Dan Page

With the City Council ringing up more than $8,000 in cell phone expenses this year, some council members have expressed confusion on why some bills came up higher than others.

“My cell phone charges have always been in line with other council members until I switched to a Blackberry in July,” Councilwoman Sally Robinson said this week.

Ms. Robinson had the highest charges among the 12 people who served on the City Council in 2008. Current Councilwoman Carol Berz chose not to take a city cell phone and Mike Feely, an interim council member who took the place of Marti Rutherford for a few months, did not use a city cell phone, officials said.

Randy Burns, management analysis for the City Council, said he could not explain why Ms. Robinson’s cell phone charges were higher. City records show that in August she used her cell phone for a total of 20 hours and was charged $167.47. In comparison, Councilman Dan Page used his cell phone for 19 hours in the same month and was charged $75.20.

The city uses two cell phone providers, Sprint and Nextel, officials said. Mrs. Robinson is on Nextel and city officials said they’re in contact with the company to figure out why her charges were so high.

While Ms. Robinson’s charges were the highest this year, they do not compare to other council members from the past. In 2005, former Councilman John “Duke” Franklin Jr. racked up almost $4,000 in charges, records show.

Mr. Franklin resigned from the council this year after he was arrested in April in connection with a major cocaine ring in Chattanooga. He pleaded guilty in December to obstructing justice and will be sentenced in February.

Councilman Jack Benson said he was surprised to see that he was on the low end of the charges.

“I’ve never understood why my phone bill is not higher,” he said. “I’m on mine quite a bit.”

Councilman Dan Page, whose cell phone charges this year ran more than $900, said the service is essential for part-time council members to communicate with constituents. That’s especially true for council members who travel frequently, he said.

“The cell phone and ability to use the technology is paramount,” he said. “It’s a mobile office.”

Other council members such as Councilman Manny Rico said they use their own personal cell phones or give the phone numbers of their businesses.

“It’s the taxpayer’s money and we should be frugal about it,” Mr. Rico said.

Council Chairwoman Linda Bennett said she likes that cell phones and Blackberrys were available to council members.

“Those are tools of doing business,” she said. “I would be more concerned if someone didn’t use their cell phone.”