Balancing the County’s Budget Deficits
on the Backs of Children
By Ray A. March
Part 14
Oct. 30, 2001
Harbaugh’s Plans for Michelson
Carol Harbaugh, using Modoc County Office of Education letterhead, informed Domenichelli:
“The Modoc County Office of Education is planning to submit a proposal to the Modoc Children and Families Commission to provide fiscal and payroll services,” Harbaugh announced apparently in advance of notifying her fellow commissioners.
Harbaugh wrote in a two-and-a-half page, single-spaced letter that she was responding to Domenichelli’s letter of Oct. 10 to Michelson in which she recommended the commission keep its financial records independent of the county and avoid confusion and a lack of cooperation from the auditor and treasurer’s offices.
Harbaugh, sidestepping Domenichelli’s accusations and using vague jargon familiar to politics, said the problems stemmed from a lack of understanding and limited accounting software in the auditor’s office.
“The faults range from not getting requested release of payroll information authorizations to lack of understanding of what information you needed and how it could be provided by the county auditor’s accounting software,” Harbaugh wrote, excusing the behavior of the treasurer and auditor’s offices.
In pitching her office of education as “another local agency available to provide fiscal and payroll services,” Harbaugh outlined a contract proposal that would “not be bound by county auditor-mandated regulations, but still offer the checks and balances of a comprehensive, interactive system…” in which the Children and Families Commission would be completely independent of the county.
Michelson, Harbaugh, wrote, would continue as an employee of the commission “or an independent conditional” member of the Modoc County Office of Education staff completely under the direction of the commission.
Copies of Harbaugh’s letter to Domenichelli were sent to Michelson and each of the commission members.
Next: Part 15
Donna Michelson balks at signing CPA’s “clearance” letter and 2001 temporarily ends in relative peace.
2 comments:
On Feb. 22, the oligarchy of Cantrall reared its ugly head once again in Modoc, at a “special” meeting euphemistically held to "re-organize" the BOS. At this meeting Cantrall, Byrne, and Allan blatantly went against public sentiment and removed the recently elected board chairman after less than two months in office.
Why? Because Cantrall, Byrne, and Allan don’t want to hear any voices other than their own. Not the public. Not the Sherriff. Not the Auditor or Treasurer. Just the CAO and the yet to be specified borrowing plan that is in the works, to be sprung upon the Modoc taxpayers with too little public input and even less time to make an informed decision about it.
Despite the thunderous pontificating by Cantrall during the meeting that “everyone has a right to be heard,” once handed the gavel she incongruously (but not uncharacteristically) shut down further public discussion concerning her and her cohorts’ disingenuous takeover of a rightfully elected officials duties.
Those who have been reading about Donna Michelson, the former Executive Director of Modoc First 5 and her travails on this blog will note that this latest cabal is being led once again by Modoc's own multi-headed "Hydra of Lerna," (aka Cantrall). Modoc County, unfortunately, has yet to find its own Heracles to rid itself of this public menace.
As Cantrall did with Michelson and the public over a decade ago in allowing the illegal spending of public funds and removing and silencing those who have a different view than she does, she now continues, stifling open discourse and leading us down a financial path that has been neither well-navigated nor transparent, and certainly without regard for any meaningful public input.
One would hope that the Modoc Tea Party would finally realize that the greatest threat to our financial and personal liberties is right in front of us in the form of Cantrall and her gang.
Because if Cantrall gets her way, the money that she allowed to be misspent illegally over a decade ago, and the subsequent $20 million dollar debt it created for the taxpayers will simply be rolled over into more taxes and debt for the rest of us – and all of this will have be done without our informed consent.
The BOS methods have not changed one bit since Ms. Michelson was acrimoniously removed from her position over ten years ago, just like Bullock was removed from his position as board chairman.
Pat Cantrall and whoever she can corral with her senseless and illogical thought processes keep expecting some particular individual to save them from themselves, with CAO Robertson just being the latest.
But as we've seen over the years, this loyalty to individuals and disregard for open public involvement has had horrible results for the taxpayers of Modoc County, and unfortunately there is no change in site.
A recall of these fool-hardy individuals is in order.
The sooner, the better.
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