Who Should Pay when County Commissioners Illegally Spend Money? - Granite Grok

Who Should Pay when County Commissioners Illegally Spend Money?

The caption for the photo on page one of Wednesday’s (9/10/2014) Laconia Daily Sun (laconiadailysun.com) describes the Thomas-Burchell race for County Commissioner as “symbolic of … the poison relationship between the Belknap County commissioners and the controlling majority of the Belknap County Convention”.

The “poison” was created by the Belknap County Commissioners and their special interest supporters in response to the County Convention lawfully and Constitutionally exercising their duties to control the Belknap County appropriations to meet the needs of the county and to reflect the wishes of the voters of Belknap County who object to continually increasing county spending and an outrageously expensive 5-Star jail proposal.

The County Commissioners frequently shifted money in the approved County budget.  They have reportedly over-spent by over $200,000 in some areas by shorting funds in other areas.  This shift has been contrary to the lawful budget and without the approval (required for shifting funds) of the County Convention.  The recent court decision indicated that these actions by the County Commissioners were illegal.

The impact of the illegal actions and unlawful spending by the County Commissioners may cause layoffs of ten to thirty plus county employees.

The County Commissioners’ actions don’t seem to have been good faith mistakes.  The Commissioners were repeatedly told that they were violating the law and the budget.  Yet they defiantly and arrogantly continued to illegally spend money, harming the taxpayers of Belknap County.

I don’t know why the Commissioners illegally spent the money.  Did they do it because they felt themselves above the rule of law and the will of the people?  Or did the illegal spending benefit the Commissioners in some way: financially, politically, or for some job related benefit?

Whatever the reason, there is no reason why either the County employees or the taxpayers should have to pay the price for the illegal actions of the County Commissioners.

Therefore I reluctantly suggest that Belknap County Citizens and the Belknap County Convention consider requiring the Belknap County Commissioners to personally reimburse the county for the money they illegally spent.

Unless there are consequences for their willful, illegal actions, what prevents Commissioners from future illegal actions in defiance of the law, the County Convention, and the will of the people?

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