In the last several months, the Board of Commissioners have enacted several resolutions and ordinances related to nationwide political issues as opposed to focusing on performing their governance functions.  In addition to wasted time spent discussing these issues outside the job of the commissioners, the county attorney drafted these resolutions and ordinances and is paid on a contract basis, likely costing the taxpayers additional monies beyond the time of the commissioners.

Taxpayers have the right for their tax dollars to be spent on matters of governance, not political grandstanding that wastes public time and resources.  Additionally, these pronouncements have only increased the partisan division in our community and potentially threaten the future economic growth of our community.

Full text of the proposed ordinance for the Taxpayer Bill of Rights is included below:

IN THE MATTER OF THE TAXPAYERS OF KOSCIUSKO COUNTY BILL OF RIGHTS ORDINANCE, Don Zolman and other taxpayers of Kosciusko County, presented the following ordinance for consideration:

WHEREAS:

1.     Taxpayers of Kosciusko County have a right to empathetic, focused, principled, fair, honest, and dedicated government officials.

2.     Taxpayers in Kosciusko County deserve to have their commissioners and other county officials focus their efforts on doing the county’s business.

3.     Governance is more important than politics, especially when elected officials are not actively running for political office.

4.     Taxpayers of Kosciusko County deserve to have county officials that represent the interest of the county, not conspiracy theories or members of the media.

5.     Taxpayers of Kosciusko County deserve to have county officials work in the best interest of the health of Kosciusko county residents. When county officials do not follow scientifically proven data, they make taxpayers liable for damages due to illness, injury, and death.

6.     Taxpayers of Kosciusko County deserve to have county officials who follow commonly accepted health facts—not politics, not Q-anon, not innuendo, not conspiracy theories.

7.     Taxpayers of Kosciusko County demand that their county officials base ordinances, health mandates, and recommendation on facts, not on conjecture or opinion.

8.     Kosciusko Taxpayers have a right to have their county officials enact, recommend, and follow all state health mandates while doing county business and while representing their office.

9.     Taxpayers of Kosciusko County have a right to expect their county officials to not waste time and monies by enacting frivolous actions that have no merit and are purely partisan in nature.

10. Taxpayers of Kosciusko County deserve county officials who know their boundaries. For example, County commissioners passing ordinances or resolutions to which they claim to have Constitutional authority know they have no right to determine what is or what is not constitutional. Those answers lay with the Supreme Court of the United State of America, not the county commissioners of Kosciusko County as that very Constitution so provides.  To pretend and present otherwise is a violation of the county commissioner’s duties.

11. Taxpayers of Kosciusko County have a right to expect a refund to the county of monies for time spent on frivolous activities or political grandstanding. This might be repayment for work done by attorneys paid by the county who have participated in drafting constitutional pronouncements of which the county has no reasonable ability or authority to act upon. It might be a refund for renting a venue as a political favor so that an individual running for governor can make a political presentation using the county’s monies.

 

NOW THEREFORE, THE FOLLOWING IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSONERS:

1.     Taxpayers of Kosciusko County have a right to be fully represented by their county officials regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, or gender. Legal taxpayers have a right to equal representation and protection under the law.

2.     Taxpayers of Kosciusko County have the right to challenge in court any actions taken by county officials which fall outside the boundaries of their office. As a result of such action, citizens should expect a refund from the county and said official or officials for all court expenses including but not limited to damages caused by said actions.

3.     Elected officials of Kosciusko County are encouraged and required to govern within their official duties and not engage in political grandstanding at the taxpayer’s expense.

 

MOTION:                                          TO: Approve the resolution as presented

SECOND:

AYES:                            NAYS: