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Sunday, February 13, 2005
Indiana Courts - Two Clark County judges' spending criticized
The Louisville Courier Journal reports today, in a lengthy story by Alex Davis headlined "2 Clark judges' spending criticized: Questions raised, given budget crisis," that:
As Clark County struggles with budget problems, its elected judges have used thousands of dollars in public funds for such things as donations to after-prom parties and the purchase of office decorations, including portraits of nature scenes, scented candles and a stained-glass window.Routine audits of the county's finances by the Indiana State Board of Accounts show the purchases did not violate state law.
But some county officials question whether the expenditures were appropriate.
And the two judges whose spending has been questioned -- Steve Fleece and Jerome Jacobi, both of Superior Court -- acknowledged in interviews that some of the decisions they made were unwise.
Most of the money in question -- totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in a typical year -- comes from special user fees collected by the county probation department and the Drug and Alcohol Services Program.
Although the vast majority of the fee money appears to have been spent on acceptable items, the budgets of all four of the county's courts have come under heightened scrutiny in recent months because of the county's financial struggles.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 13, 2005 10:12 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts