Letter to the Editor

The Tuttle Times

December 27, 2006 12:07 pm

— To the Editor:
As 2006 winds down, you, taxpayer of this county, Grady County-Mecca of Monetary Malaise, Mistake, and Mystery deserve some update on unsavory issues such as the jail and its finances.
You deserve an update which will not be forth-coming from any other source: not the media, not the county, not the Grady County Industrial Authority and certainly not the Grady County Criminal Justice Authority.
Lets go back to last summer and revisit some of the Declarations made by persons representing the jail as well as my responses at that time:
Declarations in the Express-Star
1. The 2005 as well as the 2006 jail audits would be done by Sept. 30. Contracts, saying so were in hand.
2. All that was lacking on the 2005 audit was the “field work.”
3. Two “forensic” audits have been done by the MBIA.
4. The whole difficulty with jail audits was that CPA’s could not be found.
Response then (and now)
1. Not about to happen. Not even by December.
2. Field work is all there is to an audit. Without field work you have nothing.
3. Funny that these cannot be produced. The word “forensic” was the appropriate adjective to employ-that word frequently used in connection with something dead.
4. Not so. The jail has employed a CPA for years; earlier audits are available. And they portray a foul situation. I have to wonder what the USDA is looking at.
Somewhat disturbing is that throughout the past few years no one has been held accountable for their actions or even their utterances regarding the jail. Talk of fourth floor construction being eminent, guesses at the cost of such construction which once were portrayed at one and a half million, more recently at 3 million and no telling what it actually is, or what debt could be repaid are apparently not prudent. As if anything about this jail has been prudent. Those of you who brought this jail into being deserve the ridicule you receive from the public.
But back to the update on the Mecca of Monetary Malaise, Mistake and Mystery. An audit will someday be forthcoming because it is required and it will be published one way or another. When you read it, if the earlier audits are any indication, you will be absolutely appalled.
What then? Why, the men of Mecca will tell you that they just need more money, or better yet, try to put the whole thing on the tax rolls. Some call such talk, Gooberisms.
Homer Hulme