FAYETTEVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The designation and spending of taxpayer dollars has been a significant point of discussion in recent months on both the state and county levels. With regard to transparency, or lack thereof, in this regard, Fayette County Commission President, Tom Louisos says it is time to, “stop the madness.”
Louisos has been involved in the financial decision-making for Fayette County for half a decade now, time which he states has involved moving away from previous approaches to county finances and toward a system of greater transparency and accountability.
“Over the last five years, I have worked to change the financial practices of the Fayette County Commission,” Louisos tells LOOTPRESS. “This means making sure money from levies, taxes, and other funds are not someone else’s ‘mad’ money to use how they see fit or to support special interest groups that provide our citizens with little to no return on investment, practices which were often the norm before the current commission took office.”
Such changes to have been implemented in recent years to the end of greater accountability and general transparency include advocation and support for the successful 2021 vote to bring arbitrary spending of the Coal Reallocated Fund to a halt, and well as a push and leading vote in October of 2021 for the unnecessary use of the excise tax, funds from which went to the county general fund and, subsequently, toward the needs of Fayette County residents.
“The county’s budget speaks for itself. Because of these changes and others I have advocated for, the county’s budget for 2023-2024 is the healthiest ever,” the commissioner declares. “This type of budget will allow us to begin to develop our county in positive ways. The Fayette County Comprehensive Plan along with the Land Reuse Agency are just two new projects I have worked to implement so that all of Fayette County can see infrastructure and economic development.”
Another effort of note during Louisos’ time serving Fayette County has been that to end the use of the county resource office in support of New Roots Farm and Wolf Creek Park along with county funding of the farm. The Wolf Creek Park property has since gone up for sale and no longer impacts funding taken from county tax dollars.
Louisos is a believer in Fayette County’s discernable potential for success, but asserts that forward progress in terms of government accountability is essential to the securing of such growth, stating, “the only way to realize this future growth and success, however, is a Fayette County Commission that is transparent and accountable. I believe the citizens of Fayette County have the right to know how your money is being spent to support you.
There are those that think we need to continue the practices of the past, particularly as it relates to the spending of taxpayer dollars. This also means a Fayette County Commission that runs based on a lack of transparency and accountability. This is not how we guarantee the future of our county.”
Louisos continues, adamantly rebuking the notion of the spending of taxpayer dollars in forms he refers to as, “at best frivolous and at worst wasteful,” declaring, “we cannot and should not expect change to happen if we go back to not holding anyone responsible for these types of practices. We cannot and should not keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results. Citizens of Fayette County, it’s time to stop the madness.”
Additional LOOTPRESS coverage for the Fayette County area can be found here.
