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EDGAR CO., Ill. (by way of DeWitt Co.)—It never ceases to amaze us how clueless public officials are about the Freedom of Information Act request.
It does amaze us, however, how clueless they are about what they can and cannot do with the public’s money.
Enter the Edgar County Watchdogs.
CLINTON — A group calling itself Edgar County Watchdogs, on Monday, submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the DeWitt County State’s Attorney’s office asking for information about county employees. The information specifically pertains to gift cards given annually to employees as Christmas gifts from the county.
The DeWitt County Board voted last week to approve the gift cards, a practice going back a number of years. Board chairman Sherrie Brown was one of the members to vote against giving the cards, saying she felt the gesture was impersonal. Two board members were absent from the December 5 meeting, during which members voted.
The FOIA request from John Kraft, of Edgar County Watchdogs, who is also author of the group’s Web site, asks for 10 items related to employees scheduled to receive gift cards.
Edgar County Watchdogs is based approximately 75 miles away, in Paris, Ill.
The article goes on to report that “board members who voted against giving the cards were using the watchdog group as a way of dividing sentiment among county employees” and that some of the county board members had an “agenda to promote fear among county workers.”
Really? “Fear”?? About giving gift cards?
This is how ignorant it is: Unless it’s specifically written into their contract as such, giving county employees “gift cards” for any reason is not allowed. It’s an expenditure of county funds that requires authorization, and not just authorization at a regularly-scheduled meeting. That has to be done on annual contract or pay negotiations. And “gift cards” just doesn’t seem to be one of those things that city councils/county boards regularly attach to that annual contract (although they probably will now that we’ve pointed it out)…they just kind of randomly give them out, and we all find out about it by happenstance in this way. That’s expenditure of the public’s money…and that’s what good media does, is ferret out these kinds of things.
More power to the Watchdogs…they’ll get to the bottom of it. And we’ll be reporting on all of it. Despite the hatred many public bodies and public officials have for transparency, that’s what we do.