I read the "Our Opinion" about the Oversight for Ohio that was based on a report written by one Dave Yost, who is the need for Auditor's to keep a strict eye on funds. There has been a great amount of misuse of funds and maybe we could call it theft?
But why is that the Daily Blat pays so little attention to the pi** poor auditing that seems to go on in West Virginia. Misuse of Public Funds is bad anywhere, but for the folks here who are so much poorer, every stolen/ misused/ lost dollar is like a ten fold slap in the face.
And in both Ohio and West Virginia, it seems so many are allowed to get off with a slap on the hand and restitution. And how does one know it the lost funds really get repaid? The issue that continues to stick in my mind were the two females that made of with thousands from the Girl Scouts or Brownies or whatever. They not only got away with it basically, but think of the example taught to those young girls. It is okay to steal as all one has to do is say they will pay it back and get a slap on the wrist.
The Blat did get one point right, that it is the obligation of where ever the group is or what it does be a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) like a scouting group or a Fire Department or even a School that the people learn and practice "Trust but Verify". Don't allow one person to step to take care of the alms jar, make sure there is a check and balance for every dollar in and for every dollar out. No matter how miniscule, that is the easiest way to misuse funds. It is not likely to be a $20,000. rip off but a whole series of $25 or so at a time. But they add up and when the hammer drops, a group is usually badly damaged emotionally and financially.
And we must understand that not every theft from us as Taxpayers is from an illegal reason. I would like you folks to think about what I refer to as "legalized theft". Some examples are the BOE that just keeps coming on new bond levies instead of paying off the old ones. The most recent example is the $40,000,000 Bond Levy for the new Williamstown/ Waverly School which did not happen as Waverly is still open for who knows how much longer? Than we had the millions to do roof repairs. That still sticks on me that the BOE could allow so much to go wrong for so many years but still have any money for any type of raise/ benefit premium payment so the employees would not have to pick any of it up, but could not do maintenance? And don't try and tell me that they were from different funds, that dog don't hunt if it is local money instead of State Funds. And even then, it is how the money gets appropriated? And now, the BOE is back for the other $10 million that got removed from the last bond for another new one. They don't quit and no one is paying close enough attention. They just blindly approve one right after the other. To me that is "legalized theft" where it is done "legally" but with no oversight or recourse to the Tax Payers.
Then if I might beat a dead horse again for a few lines, we have the new Water/ Sewer Rate Increase getting to drop and the clowns who have caused all the damage are still in the same positions causing the same damage in a couple of years because the new slogan is "a new increase in a year or two"? Still, not a single damn dime in reductions for any reason be it Pay Raises, new this and new that versus make it last a bit longer.
Hundreds of thousands of wasted dollars and everyone says "wait till the next election". That may be too long and too late?
Here is something that might pique the interest of the folks who live outside of P'burg and are upset about the user fee they are assessed because they work in P'burg. The Home Rule Law which is the governing body for both P'burg, Vienna and Williamstown says this in:
WV Code 8-1-5a
(j) Powers and duties of municipalities. -- The municipalities participating in the Municipal Home Rule Pilot Program have the authority to pass an ordinance, act, resolution, rule or regulation, under the provisions of this section, that is not contrary to:
(2) Enacts an occupation tax, fee or assessment payable by a nonresident of a municipality.
Whoever wrote the above left a lot of room for some to interpret "contrary to" in that it means by one definition: Merriam Webster Dictionary: "in conflict with". Could be that the "user fee" in P'burg may be in conflict with the Home Rule Law? 'nuff said'.