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I recently read “Majority commissioners had planned to use some of the (borrowed) $80.05 million to pay off the 2007 tax anticipation loan.” What did they do with the taxes they were anticipating?
Did we get those taxes? How was the tax money spent?
Where is the 2007 tax money that was supposed to pay off the 2007 tax anticipation loan?
Luzerne County Community College buying Kanjorski Center for $20 million dollars.
Ten million dollars will come from the county, $10 million from the state.
Who is going to get that $20 million?
The Kanjorski Center, better known as the Kanjorski building, in Nanticoke was built with our tax money. We own that building.
Luzerne County Community College was built with our tax money. We own Luzerne County Community College.
So why are we buying the building from ourselves and who will get that $20 million?
After an “exhausting search” one of the political lackeys is given a prestigious job.
When asked why the lackey got the job when the applicant who came in second was better- qualified, the Puppet Master said something along these lines: “We feel that our Lackey will better serve the area. And if needed the taxpayer can hire the Better Qualified Runner-Up as an assistant to our Lackey.”
Sound familiar?
On Dec. 12, 2007 an area newspaper ran an article titled “Petrilla: Controversy could have been avoided.” In it the county controller, soon-to-be commissioner, is quoted. A sentence in the article states that “The controller’s office is responsible for reviewing and authorizing county payments but knew nothing about debit-card purchases until this week.”
The article goes on to say that the policy was adopted on Sept. 7, 2005. And “The debit-card policy says original receipts and reimbursement forms should be reviewed by the chief clerk or his designee and forwarded to the controller’s office for payment.”
The controller, soon-to-be commissioner, wants a pardon because she “knew nothing about debit-card purchases until this week.”
Dear County Controller, should you also be given a pardon for not reading, researching and learning all about the policies that your department is supposed to follow?
Why didn’t you know a policy wasn’t being followed?
Regardless of whether someone told you about the debit cards or not, why did you continue to authorize spending our tax money for something you “knew nothing about until the week of December 2007.”
Continuing with the debit card slap in the face …
An area newspaper ran an article containing these statements:
“The U.S. Secret Service has been asked to look into the debit-card matter.”
“There is also a question of how the officials should be held accountable.”
“Luzerne County Controller Maryanne Petrilla said the holders of the cards would have to pay back any expenses that were not allowed by the county.”
How should the officials be held accountable? Fired if they weren’t smart enough to know that policies weren’t being followed, imprisoned if they did it on purpose.
If they weren’t smart enough to know that policies weren’t being followed, they are not competent enough to hold that position. If they did it on purpose they are blatant thieves.
As far as “any expenses which were not allowed,” Madam Controller, none of the expenses are allowed.
None of them complied with the policy, “Receipts submitted within three days of the expense.”
That is all our money. Get it back.