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After reading the letter written by Mr. Cole, I was left wondering what information he believes has been fabricated. After all, accusations of people fabricating information are fairly serious and personal in nature. It seems like a fairly strong response to a respectful petition made by a constituent to the elected body that represents him. As a reminder, my original letter was courteous enough not to mention names, but instead focused on the issues at hand.
I believe we all agree on the following: that Wells County lost track of $317,000 owed by the Solid Waste Board, that the board is spending in excess of its revenues, and that Mr. Cole proposed a $50,000 interest free, unlimited term loan to keep it afloat. Perhaps he disagrees with my prediction that once the board has exhausted this loan; that they will be back for more money, but I think we would all agree that making a prediction is far from “fabricating.”
As the paper reported, the Commissioners came to the meeting requesting that the county simply “donate” the money. Refer to the March 3rd paper’s story if this is in doubt. The Commissioners gave details on the cost saving methods put in place but estimated that the solid waste board would still need an additional $8,000-$10,000/yr to cover their costs. I confirmed this number with another councilman present who recalls the same information.
Both commissioners made it abundantly clear that the money was not expected to be available to repay the loan. If Mr. Cole believes this information to be untrue, I would be curious to see to what extent he expects the Solid Waste Board’s expenses to be under budget. I would assume that he has this information, given the fact that he is volunteering taxpayer money to them in an interest free, unlimited term loan. If he believes that the loan will be paid back, I wonder why he found it necessary to propose a loan with an unlimited term… And if it will be paid back, where will these funds come from? Certainly, we are not staking all our hopes on the donation bucket?
In regards to my understanding of the situation as compared to his, I find it a little surprising that he is touting his expertise on this subject given the fact that it was the Indiana State Board of Accounts that discovered the $317,000 that Wells County had not been reimbursed over the course of the last several years. It seems like the President of the County Council should have noticed this shortfall in one of the budgets he oversaw... Perhaps I’m not an insider, but Mr. Cole may be selling short the common man’s ability to understand this issue.
I hope that, in the end, Mr. Cole is not simply frustrated by the fact that his constituents are taking an interest in the county’s financial affairs, attending public meetings, taking note of what is being said, and subsequently holding elected officials accountable for what is being done. Mr. Cole, I would have to disagree with your assessment: that is not sensationalism; it is simply responsible democracy.
Phillip Stoller
Bluffton