Editorial: Chris Richardson - Robert Rowland / Cloning at Its Worse

Is Elbert County a great place to live? My 23 year residency in this county proves that I obviously like this place......wonderful people, desirable rural environment, peaceful surroundings, and the list goes on.

But do we have some serious issues facing us? Let me count the ways:

• Per the financial auditor, the "elephant in the room" is the fact that our assets are declining at the rate of $3 million per year.
• Not a single department head in Elbert County has the qualifications, experience or education to match their job description.
• The 2016 EC approved budget, sent to the state at the end of 2015, shows $3 million more in expenses than revenues (add that to the continually declining assets!).
• The county spent $3 million more in 2015 (per the auditor) than the commissioners had approved when that budget was sent to the state at the end of 2014.
• The county should have spent $1.7 million more on roads in 2015 than it actually did (per our depreciation allowance).
• Some of the 1% Road and Bridge tax, passed by citizens in 2007, is actually going to the General Fund (vague language in the ballot issue facilitated this).
  
• The work environment amongst employees has been described by Commissioner Danny Willcox as, "The most toxic work environment I have seen in my entire working career."