TOF – TAXES – Waste of Public Funds

Johnny Dollar

Since the first week of July, The Gazette has brought to the public’s attention governmental waste, violation of environmental laws, conflicts of interest of public officials and what clearly appears to be a violation of law in the use of public funds to benefit private property owners. A study of our police jury and town officials leaves a lot to unpack.
In next week’s edition, The Gazette will report on the upcoming attempt to renew some $2,000,000 per year in millages that expire at the end of 2025. That report in itself is a major undertaking sorting through the maze of what really is and what really is not. Rest assured that with few, if any, exceptions, your police jurors and town officials will make their best case that they need this continued revenue stream to meet governmental needs.
In what is probably the heaviest taxed rural parish in the state, our parish, there are seniors on fixed income, non-seniors on fixed income and many hardworking folks just trying to make ends meet struggling to pay for food, shelter and medicines. Taxing them out of their income at the level this parish and town taxes folks is unconscionable. More about that next week.
A significant part of these taxes go to waste, corruption and greed. If you are connected politically, cronyism showers many unjust benefits at taxpayer expense on those “willing to participate” or be a “tool in the participation”.
In recent past articles The Gazette has disclosed the following, just to name a few: The loss of a new community college due to funding shortfalls even though a site with infrastructure was offered to be donated but was rejected in favor of an effort to charge the state some 1.2 million for a site with no infrastructure – a site owned by friends of the Mayor; Mayor Crow kicked $250,000 to his buddies for a mega-ramp site with no studies done, no warranty of title, no title insurance and no permits to build anything; Mayor Crow on the one hand told the federal government that there was asbestos in the Metz Motel – a private piece of property – and that it was dangerous – then went ahead and tore it down at taxpayer expense without asbestos abatement and stacked it next to a minority neighborhood in town, in the process using public funds to benefit the landowner and every landowner around it including himself; and although he was elected Mayor some four years ago he was apparently incapable of governing because his first official act was to hire a consultant, Mike Walsworth, at a cost of almost $50,000 in taxpayer money so far.
As to the Metz Motel, we reported last week that Mayor Crow was the owner of seven pieces of property west, east and south of the site – we were wrong because he actually owns at least another two pieces of real estate north of the tract within a stone’s throw – these properties are owned by Futch Crow, LLC. and are located at 307 and 309 North Main Street, occupied by Darbonne Marine LLC. So the Mayor’s property had the Metz Motel site surrounded. Per chance could that have explained spending taxpayer money on private property and might that have increased the value of the surrounding property including Mayor Crow’s?
It is a clear violation of the law to spend public funds on private property or to enhance the value of private property; and one would think that by now, the Mayor would know that, especially with a seasoned political consultant full time at taxpayer expense on his arm.
There will be more on this later also but for now, just one question: why does Mayor Crow continue to waste the taxpayer money on the eve of reelection hopes? This might be hard to believe but it appears the Mayor is continuing to spend public money on private property. Just this week town workers were at the intersection of Smith Street and Ouachita Street clearing lots for private citizens at public expense. They were also at 101 Betty Street doing the same thing.
Since the Mayor will not return calls to The Gazette or its editor, a text was sent to him Tuesday by the editor to interview him about this recent apparent violation. The Mayor refused to comment by voice call or text.
Citizens will likely be finely attuned to the waste of public funds when voting on either candidates or tax renewals.
More next week.