One great thing came out of the County Commission meeting last night. A Budget Committee resolution was passed, and a small step towards bringing ethics was taken.
Currently the Finance Committee voted on the Budget for the county. Some County Commissioners are on the Finance Committee, as well as the County Mayor, the County Roads Superintendent, and our math challenged School Director, Mike Davis.
We found out through reporting on the Lebanon Democrat that Davis, the County Mayor, and the Road Super were voting as a bloc against budget cuts for each others departments. And rather than abstaining on the votes for their individual departments, they were voting. Big ethics problem.
Now Mike Davis is going to lose his vote on his budget, and budgets for the rest of the county departments. Best thing to happen last night. No longer will a publicly unaccountable individual have a vote to try to force an increase on our tax base. We did not elect Davis, we elected those who appointed him. And none of them will take responsibility for his fiscal irresponsibility and for his misleading the public when they are up for re-election.
We are watching and we are glad to see some progress away from the good-old-boy politics that Hall and Davis are so deft at playing.
This new Budget Committee can be good, or it can be real bad, depending on which 4 Commissioners get the appointment, and how much good old boy influence the 5th Committee Member (the County Mayor) has on the 4 Commissioners.
