What It Looks Like From Here

Have you noticed that during the last few months there seems to be a lot of stories about theft in the government? These are people in positions of authority and public trust in local government, fire districts and public safety commissions. Our latest examples, just in the past week: The City of Yamhill and Clackamas River Water District. When asked of the local politicians about the employee, you generally hear “he/she seemed like a reliable, trustworthy and dedicated employee”.

Where is this trust coming from? Local politicians who are not doing their jobs. When you are elected to office, you hold the public trust. It is up to YOU to keep it. You must educate yourself in the rules, policies and procedures of your office to insure that all is right in the eyes of the law. You can not take office and expect that the checks and balances will happen on their own. Be afraid when you hear them say “it's OK, I have it all under control”. You ask what is happening? And if you are told not to worry about it, you ask more. Here are some thoughts to start with.

Rules

Employees do not sign their own checks.
When you sign checks, look at the invoices and review bills that the check is made out for.
Do not sign a check for an expense that you do not know what it is for. Ask questions about the expense.

Policies

Deposits need to happen everyday.

Expense reports should be turned in at the end of each month the expense is incurred, not stockpiled so questionable expenses slip through.

Procedures

Have an Accounting procedure. (One local Mayor who signs checks did not even know if the city had one.)

Provide for quality, random audits.

These are just a few thoughts, examples that are followed in the private sector. You can only become a team with rules, policies and procedures that protect you, staff and the public trust. After all, if you did business like you do our government, WE WOULD FIRE YOU!

It is the time for local politicians to wake up and take the lead to educate themselves. Which begs the question: Are local politicians sleeping on the job...Looks like that from here.

An Editorial

Darrell W Flood

March 10,2008