David Fillers – Letter to Editor

From Letter published on the Wells County Voice

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
We live in tough times, we all have trimmed our personal budgets, businesses have had to cut back, and each of us has felt the pressure of this difficult economy. Sadly, while MOST of us have done our level best to be more cost conscious, the Sheriff department has done just the opposite. The trends over the last few years are outlined below. Gathering this information has been difficult at best and the Sheriff department’s budgeting process seemed to reflect a desire to hide, if not deceive budget realities.

As Wells County enters into the beginning of the next decade, we must be cautious and focused in how local government money is spent. Honest budgets and transparent bookkeeping are more important than ever! In 2007 our current Sheriff Department went over budget by $224,350.00, in 2008 it went over budget $187,798.00 and year to date for 2009 it has again exceeded the proposed budget by $215,059.00. To add insult to injury in November of 2009 they have requested yet another $15,000.00. Fortunately for taxpayers, the county ran out of money! .

None of us have unlimited budgets and neither does the Sheriff’s department. The county needs leaders who know how to accurately project annual budgets and have a proven track record of using limited resources to achieve and exceed goals. It is time our local elected leaders demonstrate they stand against past and current spendthrifty ways.

David Fillers, Bluffton Indiana