Thursday, May 05, 2005
ANOTHER UNACCOUNTABLE SLUSH FUND PROGRAM?
The Post and Courier reports that the former Colleton County Sheriff and the present Colleton County Sheriff are arguing over how drug forfeiture money should be spent.
The new sheriff does not want to honor the former sheriff's commitment to use the money for jail improvements.
We smell a law suit coming on. But, we also smell an increase in charges to prisoners and their families in the way of higher phone charges, room and board charges, processing fees, increased fees in family court, and so forth.
Our fear of fee increases in Colleton County is based on the actions of Sheriff Ray Nash of Dorchester County, who continues to be the master of slush fund creation and management. He advertises his private business on the Dorchester County Website and uses the money from the prisoner toll phone charges to pay the salaries of friends of his who are not county employees, but who are involved in county business and drive county vehicles. In the past, he has used funds received for housing federal prisoners in the county-owned facility to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods and services that the county council refused to include in the budget. And he charges detainees what is described as a "processing fee" for processing them through the system; this fee is charged to everyone regardless of their guilt or innocence and is not authorized by either statute or ordinance.
Our position continues to be this--sheriffs should not be allowed to set up some sort of off-the-grid taxation and procurement system to avoid the budget constraints placed upon them by the duly-elected legislative body. This interferes with the separation of powers doctrine and obliterates the system of checks and balances set forth in the Constitution.
The Post and Courier reports that the former Colleton County Sheriff and the present Colleton County Sheriff are arguing over how drug forfeiture money should be spent.
The new sheriff does not want to honor the former sheriff's commitment to use the money for jail improvements.
We smell a law suit coming on. But, we also smell an increase in charges to prisoners and their families in the way of higher phone charges, room and board charges, processing fees, increased fees in family court, and so forth.
Our fear of fee increases in Colleton County is based on the actions of Sheriff Ray Nash of Dorchester County, who continues to be the master of slush fund creation and management. He advertises his private business on the Dorchester County Website and uses the money from the prisoner toll phone charges to pay the salaries of friends of his who are not county employees, but who are involved in county business and drive county vehicles. In the past, he has used funds received for housing federal prisoners in the county-owned facility to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods and services that the county council refused to include in the budget. And he charges detainees what is described as a "processing fee" for processing them through the system; this fee is charged to everyone regardless of their guilt or innocence and is not authorized by either statute or ordinance.
Our position continues to be this--sheriffs should not be allowed to set up some sort of off-the-grid taxation and procurement system to avoid the budget constraints placed upon them by the duly-elected legislative body. This interferes with the separation of powers doctrine and obliterates the system of checks and balances set forth in the Constitution.
Labels: User Fees/Hidden Taxes
