Economic realities and financial problems in Jefferson County made the front page of the Citizen-Tribune yesterday.
Jefferson County Mayor Alan Palmieri has called for a special meeting of the Jefferson County Commission today.
Palmieri apparently plans to tell the Jefferson County Commission about years and years of piling up debt and then making interest-only payments on that debt, shuffling money around, and no planning.
These financial practices seem to have placed the county in a bad situation---especially with justice center funding and another school building program just around the corner.
Now what will the members of the Jefferson County Commission say and do?
Who was asking questions during the years of these interest-only payments? Were Commissioners checking to see that money went where it was supposed to or did they just blindly trust someone else to spend the money like it was supposed to be spent?
For a moment as I read the story, I thought I was reading about Hamblen County because my recent posts here and here report the very same financially disastrous activities: interest-only payments, switching money around, no planning, and little accountability.
Unwise financial practices are now coming home to roost in Jefferson and Hamblen counties. In Hamblen, the problems are the result of a lack of checks and balances, a huge fear of asking questions, and a lack of openness and truthfulness.
And the taxpayers are in for a world of hurt.
When elected officials find themselves doing favors and providing cover for themselves and for one another instead of serving the people and being honest, the stink eventually comes out.
The full Tribune article on Jefferson County can be found here. Since the link may or may not work in the future, I'll provide a fuller report later.
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