By Mark Adams, Stevensville
For some time now, the lack of transparency in the Town of Stevensville has bothered me. Reading the accounts of Town board meetings, lawsuits involving the mayor, invoices not included on a timely basis, major funding of equipment and computers by the mayor with no prior approval of the Council, and many more instances where the public is kept in the dark, I checked a couple months of billing statements. This preliminary review forces me to ask some questions. They follow.
Example Number One: On Feb. 4, 2019, these charges were on the Town’s credit card at 6:16 pm – Salad, Kiwi OG, GF Carrot cake, Montana treasure for a total of $17.77. The next evening, a Ceramic hot plate, Montana treasure and Raspberry cheesecake were purchased. Total of $16.59. There was no signature on the receipt. Why?
Example Number Two: On Dec. 1, 2019, the Town credit card was used to purchase six frames (18 x 24) at Michael’s. Cost – $102. This was nowhere to be seen on the claims to be paid.
Individual credit card charges are lumped together under categories such as office supplies, admin, etc. It is impossible to know who is spending Town (my) money and on what.
Example Number Three: The Town VISA account statement of Dec. 22, 2019 had charges from COSTCO for $1,104.29 and AMAZON for $782.47.
Those two entities accounted for 48.7 percent of the Town credit card charges during that period. Why not source goods locally? The Town knows what they pay for items. I would urge the Town contact and ask for bids from merchants who pay taxes. Or, touch base with nearby businesses that support everything that makes Stevensville tick.
Example Number Four: To demonstrate things have not changed, the Feb. 9, 2021 Town VISA statement reflected charges from COSTCO of $1,546.87 and AMAZON of $500.58. Those purchases amounted to 75 percent of the total credit card charges during that period. Because the items purchased are shown on the claims to be paid as admin, office supplies, etc., the Council members would not have reason to question the claims.
After examining these items, I request the Town administration make an effort to be more transparent. I would also prefer they consider supporting our local merchants. Is that too much to ask?