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DEAR EDITOR:
If Trumbull County worries that the property-tax bill will shrink the budget that is under consideration, maybe this is long-overdue? Instead of being quick to raise sales taxes, how about eliminating fraud, waste and abuse from the Trumbull County budget? Commencing with consulting studies, legal fees, litigation settlements that only serve to unjustly enrich many, continuing on to consolidating, or combining departments, since population is shrinking.
Then, there was the issue of the Leavittsburg Dam. Hired-gun, greedy, biased conflict-of-interest consultants and attorneys, are a significant issue as well as a colossal waste of funds. Now, the insurance is in excess of $1 million. Simple to spend other people's money, or OPM, but fiscal responsibility, financial literacy -- instead of fiscal irresponsibility and financial illiteracy -- are far more important as well as crucial.
It's commendable how Commissioner Tony Bernard is attempting to do the right thing with due diligence, but it's like trying to put out a forest fire with a garden hose. Other than him, the last great Commissioner was Paul Heltzel, who was a couple of years ahead of me in high school.
The recent debacle over Bazetta Township and the fraud that the appellate court ordered Martha Yoder to pay for is another example of a lack of integrity.
It's a fraud that never, ever should have occurred. For an employee to respond to the fraudulent email asking for written confirmation of the change in bank information is tantamount to asking a fraudster, "Are you committing fraud?"
Otherwise known as a closed question, like asking a question whereby the answer is already known.
The Bazetta case never, ever should have gone to court, and Yoder's attorney should be sued for professional malpractice for having no understanding of fraud. Pathetic way of doing business that most definitely lacks integrity.
The only good things that came out of both the Bazetta fraud case and the Leavittsburg Dam case are that the two Court of Common Pleas judges did the right thing, and issued two excellent rulings.
Unfortunately, the lesson took too long to sink in for Trumbull County government, or the Warren Township Trustees.
Lastly, how much did Trumbull County receive in ARP Funds and where did the money go? Time is long overdue to peel back that onion.
BRENT BERKMAN
Warren