Balancing the County’s Budget Deficits
on the Backs of Children By Ray A. March
Part 19
Jan. 10, 2002 continues
Michelson Corrects Knoch
Wasting no time, Donna Michelson sent a memo back to Cheryl Knoch the same day that Knoch had complained in her memo of ill treatment at being left out of the commission‘s Jan. 9 meeting.
First, Michelson deflected Knoch’s insinuation that the commission had ignored her by pointing out that the commission’s public hearings were posted at all major post offices in the county and publicized in advance in the “Gatherings What’s Happening” section of the Modoc County Record.
Second, Michelson offered to add Knoch to the commission’s mailing list and said she would send a copy of the minutes. If Knoch wanted a tape recording of the Jan. 9 meeting in question, Michelson would provide it.
Third, Michelson corrected Knoch by telling her, “I don’t recall any statements during the meeting regarding you,” explaining that Dr. Edward Richert, acting chair, had asked if state guidelines required the commission to deposit Prop. 10 money in the county treasury.
“My response was the state commission requires the initial deposit be made into the county treasury, but the Modoc County Children and Families Commission’s trust fund must be separate and distinct from county money,” Michelson informed Knoch.
As for Knoch’s reference to her investment strategies, Michelson again informed the county treasurer that she was mistaken.
“The discussion around investments was in reference to the Modoc County Children and Families Commission’s violations,” Michelson wrote referring to the commission’s decision in 2000 to invest only ten percent of the trust funds. “It is unfortunate someone has made you think otherwise.”
Michelson said she would bring Knoch’s letter of concern along with her response to the Jan. 30 meeting of the commission. But by Jan. 30 the commission would be preoccupied with firing Michelson.
Next: Part 20
Knoch prepares a lengthy memo to the Children and Families Commission in which she attempts to impress it with a weighty decision process that’s best left to the treasurer -- or as CPA Kristin L. Domenichelli characterized it -- scare tactics.
4 comments:
Ironic that Treasurer Knoch (along with Auditor Locken and Sheriff Poindexter) are now being left out of the loop by the BOS and its newest cronies.
Who's protecting what, exactly? Is someone being set up to "fall on their sword" and take one for the team?
Is it "divide and conquer" within the county itself?
Wonder if this will be the start of someone talking.
Wonder if the reason that only ten percent of the First 5 trust fund was deposited (invested) in an interest bearing account was because the county needed the other ninety percent for cash-flow (borrowing) purposes?
But since the statute says these trust funds by law must be deposited in a separate interest bearing account, then (county illegalities aside), doesn't the county then owe the First 5 account (and all of the other restricted fund accounts they have illegally "borrowed" from) the back interest at fair market rates that the trust funds and restricted accounts would otherwise have earned?
Or did the county just keep getting these free loans from all of the restricted accounts for years, until CAO Charlton had the honesty to point out the illegal borrowing?
Ray does an excelent job of presenting recent Modoc County history. We seem to be living a rerun of the past over and over with different names. Somehow we must break out of this self destructive loop in county government. Lack of trust is the problem right now and the present BOS seem to be doing zip to correct that. A new luxury car for the department that Chester's mother-in-law runs is a good example. Public threats against private citizens and super secret budget meetings are two more.
Somehow this BOS has got to be convinced to change direction. Nothing less than a large number of citizens at several BOS meetings making themselves heard will do it. We started it at the "special" meeting to fire Bullock.
7:50 AM - Not many different names is the problem. For example, Pat Cantrall has been involved in the First 5 and BOS debacles for almost two decades.
And, per the "Peter Principle," Pat Cantrall has again risen to her level of incompetence as the latest BOS chair.
Add to them the First 5 Commissioners Dr. Richert and Alice Lybarger, (both who have served on the First 5 board since its inception in 1999) and several other members of that commission who have served most of that time, and you begin to see that cronyism is still going full-swing in Modoc.
Modoc's only hope of getting change at the BOS level is probably with the local Tea Party members, who are the only ones who seem to have the guts to attend these meetings in any numbers and "speak truth to power," something the rest of the Modoc citizenry has not been able to do.
Hopefully Mr. Knox and his friends will take up the banner and can make our voices heard, because without their voices, we'll just stay stuck in the same old mess we're in now.
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