Sheriff Johnson thumbs nose at BCC

Sheriff Ralph Johnson once again demonstrated he believes himself personally to be above the law.

Several people at the Feb. 26 Board of County Commissioners meeting wanted to hear Johnson’s comments on his office’s financial affairs.

The specific item on the agenda was a request for $311,000 for an emergency communications system which has already been installed.

The item itself was not in controversy, however.

Earlier this month the Sheriff’s Office turned over to the county nearly $700,000 as money left over from last year’s budget. State statutes call for such money to be returned no later than Oct. 31.

The money was returned at the same time the sheriff’s plan to proceed with a driver training facility at a cost of approximately $345,000 was publicly questioned.

The Sheriff says it is only because of his office’s fiscal savvy that he was able to find the money needed for the training facility and ought not be penalized for it and he was unaware the project needed to be let for bid.

If this had been Johnson’s first misstep regarding his office’s spending, it would still be proper and expected for the Board of County Commissioners to question the expenditures even though, as Commissioner Cindy Meadows pointed out at Tuesday’s meeting, constitutional officers’ budgets are not the responsibility of the commission except in the matter of capital projects.

However, Johnson has made other mistakes, all of which call into question his ability to manage a budget and other fiscal responsibilities of his office.

The results of an audit of the Sheriff’s Office are expected this month. In a unanimous decision, commissioners refused to consider the Sheriff’s request for funds before seeing those results. That was the right decision.

Commissioners were also looking for an explanation of remarks Johnson made in mid-February stating he had met with each commissioner and received approval of the training facility. If that statement is true, it could be a violation of the Sunshine law on both the part of the sheriff and the commissioners with whom he met.

Johnson’s absence was in no small way disrespectful both to the commissioners and to taxpayers. It is only one in a series of mistakes, mishaps and shenanigans his office continues to make with no censure and seemingly without any concern on the part of Sheriff Johnson.