Solid Waste Inquiry Hits Solid Rock

The Grove Observer had received a tip that someone needed to look into the county's half-cent Solid Waste tax, how much money comes in, and where it is spent. No mistake about it, this is a lot of money, $1.3 million according to the county treasurer's office.

And so we went looking for numbers. We inquired at the county clerk's office of Carol Fortner and were told to see the County Treasurer's office, which then sent us back to the County Clerk's office. No mileage was paid.

So we started over. The treasurer's office then provided us with handwritten numbers showing a total of $1,384,038.78 collected for the last fiscal year which ended June 30, 2006. We then went to Carol Fortner, who huddled with Bruce Poindexter, County Commissioner, and provided us with a summary showing a budget for Solid Waste Cash Fund of $2,174,326.07. Total spent was $1,738,887.48 according to the report. It was clear that a CPA would be required to figure out the difference in numbers and we asked to see where the money was spent.

This resulted in the printing of a 99 page report, but according to Fortner, Poindexter said The Observer would have to pay 25 cents a page for it. The Open Records Act says government can charge no more than 25 cents a page, but it doesn't say anything about mandatory charges, and most other area reporters are not charged. Being a non-profit news source, we didn't have $25 on us so we didn't get the report.

Then a very strange thing happened. Four days later there appeared in the Grove Sun Daily a lengthy story on the history of the Solid Waste Department, all 37 column inches of it. It was what PR biz people refer to as a "puff piece." In all of the 37 column inches there were no figures cited, just the "vision" history and what a great program it is and how the county commissioners dating back to 1985 started the program and how the current commissioners today have a "growing vision for Solid Waste."

So who really wrote the story? According to sources, it was written by Fran Bullard, a secretary in the Solid Waste Department who reports to Larry Burris, General Manager of the department. And, it was written as a result of The Grove Observer's inquiry into revenue and costs for the department, the source says. It is nice that Solid Waste employees have time to issue press releases.

Maybe Reporter Fran can write another story, this one regarding revenue and costs, on a department that gets twice the money as the Sheriff's office. The taxpayers have a right to know, even in an election year.