OCR Text |
Show AS OTHERS THINK 1 SYSTEM IS BLAMED Since the stealing of more than a hundred thousand dollars of state funds by a deputy state treasurer came to light within the past week there has been much criticism thru the daily press and elsewhere, of a system which makes possible such a steal- The Times refers to this criticism at this time for the purpose of giving it a local application. We haven't the slightest idea that irregularities of any consequence exist or ever did exist in the handling or administration ad-ministration of Parowan City's funds. No body does, so far as we know. But neither did State Treasurer John Walker suspect irregularitie sin his department. No body did. That's why irregularities were possible. There are laws on our statute books which are designed design-ed to protect the city's funds, among them the budget law, the law which provides for an independent audit, the one which provides for the publication of a financial statement anuually, and some others. But, when these laws are consistently and persistently ignored year after year, as they have been in the case of Parowan City, there is unlimited opportunity for irregularity. irregu-larity. There hasn't been a published statement in eight years to our certain knowledge; it's been a couple of years since there was any semblance of an audit, and it's a mooted question as to whether the audit made then and two years previous were strictly as contemplated by the statutes. And when it comes to budget law compliance, there hasn't been any to date- Three years ago no budget was made; two years ago no budget was made, a year ago the outgoing Mayor and Recorder, whose duty it is to make one "wished" the job onto somene else. Then the Council, tho' they approved the draft of the budget as submitted, failed to make it effective by ordinance as provided, and the present pres-ent administration virtually ignored it. As a matter of fact the recorder admitted that it was beyond him to interpret it. Parowan Times |