|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||||||
|
Editorial - April 2003 |
||||||||||
|
Fire departments should honor request |
||||||||||
|
Published April1 18, 2003 |
||||||||||
|
Lincoln County commissioners Larry Craig and James “Buddy” Funderburk are wisely responding to community concerns by asking for an accounting of expenditures by Lincoln County’s volunteer fire departments. Eleven departments received the request in an April 8 letter from County Manager Stan Kiser. The request stems from concerns raised last month about spending issues at the East Lincoln Volunteer Fire Department. East Lincoln resident Marcus Dellinger has publicly raised several issues about past spending at the department. Among other things, Dellinger questioned: air travel tickets purchased to fly firefighters to obtain a new truck in Wisconsin; furniture and building improvements expenditures; and a rental agreement involving department property. Officials with the district carefully rebutted all of the charges, but have since agreed to an outside audit. Dellinger has raised questions worth answering and has found support in some quarters in his call for more accountability. But his motivation may be called into question when viewed in the context of recent events. In February his son, Andrew Dellinger, was suspended from the department for conduct unbecoming an officer and for disobeying orders. The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners does have the authority to call on local volunteer fire departments to submit to financial reviews. The word “audit” may be misleading because it implies the use of professional agencies who do comprehensive, corporate examinations that would be very expensive. The commissioners are seeking internal budgetary records that will give them a snapshot of spending practices. As Craig has publicly stated, commissioners do not have a hands-on role in the management of volunteer fire departments. “If there is discontent, it is in their interest to make things right by their district,” he said. From what’s surfaced so far, we do not find any egregious error with the East Lincoln Volunteer Fire Department. In fact, we find a high level of community pride and spirit with our volunteer fire departments and firefighters, many of whom offer their hard work and free time for the public safety of their community. We hope each of these departments will cooperate with Craig’s and Funderburk’s request so we can put this matter to rest. .
|
||||||||||
|
© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
||||||||||
|
Terms and Conditions |
||||||||||
|
|