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Resident urges county transparency after state audit of rescue squad spending
Summary
A resident asked the commission to make public efforts to recover misspent taxpayer funds identified in a state audit of a rescue squad; the chair said the county was not the party that lost funds and said prosecution and recovery are matters for other officials, and that the county will share information when available.
A member of the public urged Houston County commissioners to be transparent about efforts to recover taxpayer money after a state audit raised questions about spending by a rescue squad.
Gary, identified during the meeting as a resident, told commissioners the audit "came to light that there are some questions [about] spending of taxpayer money and a rescue squad situation" and asked, "what is the county commission doing to recover this money?" He said the public would welcome a public venue or website to answer citizens' questions about the audit and any recovery actions.
The commission chair responded that the county commission was not the entity from which money was stolen and that prosecution would be handled by other elected officials. The chair said, "it is taxpayer money, but the money wasn't stolen from us. It wasn't stolen from Houston County Commission," and added the county would await the outcomes of any prosecution or recovery; "you'll probably know at the same time that we do because it'll be new."
The transcript records the public comment and the chair's remarks but does not record any formal action, investigation plan, or timelines for public notice. Commissioners did not identify a separate staff assignment or schedule for reporting back on recovery efforts in this session.
