Southampton County Planning Commission Chair Michael G. Drake briefed the commission Thursday, Sept. 11, regarding discrepancies discovered between some commission meeting minutes that had been presented to/adopted by the commission and the corresponding minutes that are being presented to the public. “While researching the Southampton County Planning Commission meeting minutes identified above,” Randolph wrote, “staff have identified significant differences between the minutes presented to the Planning Commission and adopted by the Planning Commission, and versions of these records that are being presented to the public for viewing and inspection.” Randolph emphasized the words “significant differences” by putting them in bold in the memo. “What I have found out since is that possibly some of the minutes have been so-called altered in that they were trying to be formatted for the computer to be similar to what the Board of Supervisors has recorded on the internet,” Drake said. Drake later added, “I know what the word ‘format’ means, but I don’t understand why they had to be slightly altered, certain words, to meet the format.”

The Richmond City Council and the general public will gain access to more details about the city’s budgeting process under a transparency measure approved Monday night over the objections of Mayor Danny Avula’s administration. The Council voted 7-2 to pass an ordinance that will require City Hall to publish information to publish budget projections for each individual department and create a “side-by-side comparison” showing how those estimates compare with what the mayor decides to include in the budget proposal. The ordinance specifies that information must be made available on the city’s website by Jan. 15 of each year, giving elected officials and the public more time to assess the city’s funding priorities months before the budget is approved in the spring.

One year ago, KOAA filed a 64 word public records request with the Air Force Academy (USAFA), seeking email records between two individuals. The time frame was limited, and the request seemed simple enough. It was unknown what, if anything, the records would yield for reporting purposes. The idea to file a request was born out of curiosity when covering a separate report. The expectation was to have them in the newsroom by October or November last year at the earliest, but the end of 2024 at the latest. However, after a “type of ‘moving target’ protracted delay” tactic, as one First Amendment attorney put it, it’s unknown when the records might ever be released. The USAFA records request center has delayed their release six times thus far. At one point, the records were in “final review with our legal office,” but then no further deadline has since been provided.

Surry County residents deserve accountability, not excuses, from their local government about delays of the county’s fiscal year 2024 audit.  What should be a routine annual review has devolved into a saga of repeated delays, leaving citizens questioning the county’s financial oversight and commitment to legal requirements. While County Administrator Melissa Rollins and Assistant County Administrator David Harrison have offered assurances that the county’s finances are “in good shape” and that preliminary information indicates positive financial performance, these statements, while perhaps true, lack the weight of a completed and publicly presented audit. Unaudited figures, by their very nature, remain “subject to adjustment.” The public needs more than verbal reassurances; they need the definitive, independently verified report that state law requires.