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Residents tell Raymond board it must rebuild trust, cite unpaid bills and records gaps
Summary
Three public commenters told the board the community lacks trust, alleged unpaid utilities and payroll/benefit errors, and raised concerns about legal fees; the board responded that some matters are in appeals or litigation and the audit has been completed.
Several residents used the meeting's public-comment period to press the board on transparency and financial management. John Peterson said trust must be earned and urged the board to admit mistakes and communicate more: "I view trust as a two-way street... The board should simply not request or demand trust from the community; trust is earned," he said.
Another commenter (identified in the transcript as D. Munin) said the district has not responded to an open-records request and alleged the district had not paid gas, electric and garbage bills for months, and that payroll withholdings for health and dental had been mishandled. The commenter urged the board to resign if it could not fix the problems.
Jeff Peterson said the district was spending taxpayer funds on legal fees to prevent a former employee from accessing retirement benefits and criticized hiring decisions. A board member responded during public comment that, "we have not incurred any legal fees to date regarding that matter," and that some items could not be discussed while litigation or appeals were active.
Board members said they have attempted increased transparency (newsletters, meetings and a survey after the failed referendum) and noted the district submitted an audit to the Department of Public Instruction late and expects an auditor presentation at the Jan. 20 meeting.
The board did not take formal action in response to public comment but acknowledged the concerns and directed administration to provide requested records consistent with legal limits on commenting in active litigation or appeal.
