Vote NO 2 TAX APRIL 7th

Vote NO 2 TAX APRIL 7th

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Make RICo board answer for past bad budget decisions

BILL LONG had this hard-hitting letter published in the October 30 Dispatch/Argus. "Here we go again, being asked to support a tax increase, partially because the Rock Island County Board and other individuals have been using "other funds" to pay inappropriate costs for several years! ..... We have been hearing whispers for some time that some funds were being mishandled. Now it appears that our new county administrator, Dave Ross, has confirmed this (to the tune of approximately 18 years and $2 million). ...... The proposed tax increase will generate around $3.4 million dollars. Of this, around $2 million will go toward replacing the mishandled funds and supposedly would not be on next year's tax bill. ..... We hear that all services have been cut to the bone and there is nowhere else to cut that would not include laying off employees. It seems to me that most, if not all, of our local employers handle this situation by proceeding to do what has to be done, lay off employees. They don't have the luxury to ask for more dollars to correct the situation. Sometimes a public body has to do what they have to do, even if it is difficult. ..... In order for the funds to be transferred from one fund to another, authorization had to be given. Who authorized the transfer? Who knew it was inappropriate? Are the individuals who knew of this procedure being disciplined? ...... Is part of the blame to be placed on internal elected officials in other county departments? If so, who, and what will be done about it? What penalty are they expected to pay? Was there any sort of internal investigation conducted to identify those that violated our trust? Will it be disclosed to the public (the voters)? When?"

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