PoughkeepsieJournal.com
Bob LaColla • October 10, 2010
Accountability is a concept on which this country was founded. As a nation, we demanded our liberties while accepting our responsibilities for the choices we made. However, accountability is not just about accepting responsibility. Accountability demands that we can clearly explain our actions. Anything less leads to mistrust and dysfunction.
We see examples of this in business partnerships, marriage, education and the like. The moment we sense a lack of sincerity, tension emerges in the relationship. If we do not make the effort to “clear the air,” the trust is lost. Our system of government demands diligence to this concept of accountability. Good-faith efforts must be clearly defined in an open and honest process. Those of us working in the public trust must embrace this obligation for the system to work.
The Town of Fishkill is a good example of a breakdown in accountability.
For too long, the town’s administration was free to conduct business without any substantive public input. The town government became comfortable not only with a lower standard of reporting to the public, but also a lower standard of the quality of the information.
Decisions were and continue to be made in the absence of accountability. The result has not been good. We currently face a major deficit, cash-flow problems, labor issues and a loss in taxpayer
confidence. These stresses have led to problems administering the day-to-day functions of government. It has become very clear that the Town of Fishkill needs to change the way it is doing
business.
The town is currently in its “budget season.” Although the supervisor called for a series of public meetings to present a “five-year plan” to address the deficit, a comprehensive proposal has not yet
emerged. In order to evaluate whether a plan will work, several elements need to be weighed:
- Which specific funds have positive or negative balances?
- Which specific funds have to repay other funds?
- The sources of revenue for the repayment;
- The town’s current bond rating, as this will determine our ability to seek external sources of funds;
- The projected impact of the 2010 fiscal year, including any outstanding accounts payable;
- The cost and growth assumptions used for the plan;
- The impact of the proposed budget for 2011, especially changes to the tax levy and tax rate.
We will need to address these elements in order to put a thorough and effective plan in place. It is also critical that factual, uncensored and realistic information is made readily available to all. It is essential that we establish an open process to do so. Much more is at stake than the viability of a political party or individual. We must strive to maintain the economic integrity of our town, the value of our homes, and our ability to maintain certain basic services necessary to assure our quality of life and safety of our families.
Bob LaColla is a councilman on the Town of Fishkill Town Board.