Barbara A. Hill
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
Parks & Rec is out of control because there is no proper government control over what they do, their priorities, and especially, their spending. You and I only find out what they are doing through the News Tribune.
When I speak of P&R, I mean the nine unelected members of the "Commission" and Todd Spalding. I never voted for any of them, yet they are spending city-collected tax dollars like it is their own. That amounts to taxation without representation.
Please do all you can to get P&R back under the proper day-to-day control and supervision of the city. Contracts and all expenditures should follow established city approval and accounting procedures. To my thinking, Spalding should be under the daily supervision of the city administrator.
And before they contract for services with architects and other investigative-type services (such as what they spent on the master planning and future grant and bond services), those contracts should be approved as necessary, in the first place.
P&R should not be negotiating with Cole County and/or federal/state entities for "grant" money i.e., other taxpayers' monies, such as highway funds, to build a "greenway."
It is not enough that the City Council can approve the P&R budget once a year. The council should be able to disapprove all or any part of its budget request, and should provide oversight on an ongoing basis.
Thank you for your service to our city.