Puckett and finance reporting (October 5, 2016)
A letter on 9⁄28 points out how Mark Puckett and the Town of Apple Valley are juggling the books
and attempting (successfully, I might add) to hide from the voters what is really going on with regard to management of the town’s finances.
Of course the Apple Valley council supports Puckett, as evidenced by recent letters by Barb Stanton (9-20) and Art Bishop (9-21). To do otherwise would only reflect on their leadership, or lack thereof.
Puckett has/is doing just exactly what they have directed him to do. After all, Puckett’s painstaking research
and thorough financial analysis,
showed that (lo and behold), the town can afford to acquire the water system,
and also could do so in a way that would stabilize — even lower the rares
for water!
Great job, he made the analysis show just what the mayor and council wanted the report(s) to show. The same is true with all other financial matters before the Town Council.
If you think this is not what happened, you may be right, but in my opinion that is exactly the case. There have been too many unanswered questions, and changes when the subject is investigated, and how the few facts we get are only reluctantly given by the Town Council and often create more questions than they answer.
Rest assured, it will cost much more to purchase the H2O Company than the Town Council is stating, water will cost more, or, if less, will be subsidized, maintenance and upkeep will be postponed, employee costs and benefits will be increased to alarming levels, and service will be diminished.
And the town will be saddled with a long-term debt to the tune of several millions of dollars.
Lee Bell, Apple Valley
Source: Daily Press