| Show prosecutor gives lowdown low down on publications required by statute having been a public prosecutor tor for several years in various capacities pa cities an and d listened to city fathers rave about peace officers not performing their duty and board beard of county commissioners likewise and having listened to the members of boards of education wake make very insistent remarks about bringing delinquent boys and girls before the bar of justice and compelling this father or that widowed mother to send his or her son or daughter to school regardless of how bow badly their services are needed at home I 1 wonder why the pot always calls the the kettle black almost incessantly these public servants condemn the law that requires an annual publication of a report showing the financial status of the affairs of the city county or board of education and frequently violate the law by refusing or neglecting to publish such report every time this happens they ar ane taking a chance of incurring the expense of 0 a special audit or an action to force compliance with the law either of which would cost the taxpayers tax payers much more than would the performance for mance of their duty aro are they afraid the publication of the report would reveal some neglect of duty defalcation or what the law requires it and the people whom they serve are entitled to tc that section 15 6 47 of the revised statutes of utah requires that cities publish such a report annually section 19 10 11 provides that counties shall do likewise and section 75 11 15 or the same statutes m makes akes it mandatory that boards of education do likewise in each instance the report must shows show a the total receipts stating particularly the source of each portion of the revenue I 1 b the amount of cash on hand band fit at the date of the last report c the amount of sinking fund and how invested d the number date and the amount of every bond issued or redeemed and the amount recel ed oi 01 paid a e the indebtedness of the city county etc funded and floating stating the amount of each class and the amount of interest borne by such indebtedness or any part thereof f the amount of esah in the treasury and in the several funds and 9 the total expenditures a shown by warrants war issued giving the total ainola lt expended in each dr department part not a difficult task if the accounts have been kept in proper form as the business has been transacted As taxpayers tax payers why wb y dont we see that our public servants perform their duty in that particular especially when they are usually so insistent in their demands that we do ours contributed in connection with this we republish the following from f rom a weekly exchange which Is published in a state where such notices are required to appear in the newspapers following meetings of the governmental ern mental groups in the first place the money which is expended by the county officers school boards and city councils is your money mr taxpayer you have a right to audit these expenditures at regular and frequent intervals you have a right to know what Is being done with alth your money without without being put to the inconvenience of going to the records of the several political subdivisions and of digging out such information the publication of financial statements in the newspaper is a convenience for the public it also saves the time of the public officials who might otherwise be put to nich much unnecessary work should they be asked to open records and go over the accounts with a multitude of individuals v vi i from the standpoint of the public official there is a very important reason why ie he wishes to publish an accounting of his office from his point of view it Is very fortunate that the law permits and requires him to make these legal publications the public c officials safeguard against unfair criticism critic isra is the fact that he makes a public accounting through the newspaper to make such an accounting in any form other than in complete detail so as to inform the public just what is being done with the tax money places the official in a position where his acts may be very easily misunderstood when a client places his affairs in the hands of his attorney he expects and gets an accounting so that he knows what la is going on the lawyer will insist that the client receive and read a report of such an accounting it Is quite ob alous that thin thib procedure proc eduie is 13 tor for the protection ol at the lawyer as well as the client another safeguard for the public official when he makes a publication li in complete detail is that it explains to the taxpayer the reason tor for higher taxes tt if such pr prevail evall in almost all cases where there are excessive expenditures the taxpayers are responsible for it themselves instead of directing criticism toward the public official the citizen understands the reason tor for the financial condition ot of the respective political subdivision he has had it fully explained in the published financial statement publication li in fuu full detail utta lifts the criticism from the public official and places it on the door step of the taxpayer where it usually belongs complete and detailed publication of financial statements and other through the newspapers is the american way of protecting americans and of protecting our public office holders the actual responsibility of public officials is to lay bare honest honorable facts before the citizens so BO that no wrong conclusions can be drawn were tt it not tor for legal publications licati ons the procures proc cres res of democratic tl government would face a breakdown |
