I attended the recent Wayne Township trustee meeting. It was an eye-opener in that it was announced at the meeting — and I have the paperwork to show — that they did not allow for questions. People took time out of their day to attend and public employees determined that they need not respond to questions! I have been to hundreds of meetings in my career and I have never seen such a railroad job.
The trustee told me if I had questions that I could stop by her office, so I did, last Thursday. The trustee’s office is open only two days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Unfortunately for me, the trustee had a doctor appointment. So I go to a meeting, where I’m not allowed to ask questions, then I go to the office to get them answered, and the trustee is not there.
The ladies that were there were kind and helpful and did their best. One question they couldn’t answer was about the $70,000 a year payment on the new fire station. From what I was told, this was done in a handshake agreement. No one seems to know the details.
Another question I had was, how many people are getting funding from the trustee’s office? I couldn’t get a definitive answer. Was it eight or 10? I thought that number was extremely low for a township with 28,000 people in it. Why have a trustee’s office at all?
So now we have a 30 percent reduction in the budget, no questions are allowed, and no one answers questions on the new fire station. Is this how good government is practiced? The answer is obvious. Why not allow questions? What do you have to hide?
Some people say it’s good that the trustee didn’t spend the money. I ask, why take tax money and then not use it? Use it or lose it is my attitude. If you don’t need it, don’t take it. It’s my money, not yours. If you take it, do something good with it.
Why a 30 percent reduction now? Simple:?They weren’t using the money. They have been taking more money than is needed. They could have reduced the budget long before. They decided to do it now because of an election, pure and simple. Reactionary government, not proactive government.
Do people want a trustee’s office that takes more in taxes than they need, can’t or won’t answer questions, and when a light is shown on their lack of action rushes through a 30 percent reduction? Not me.
Win or lose, Benyousky has already gotten the residents of Wayne Township a 30 percent reduction. Thanks, Benyousky!
