Stories in this Regional Information Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from all over the region. This is section two, with aspect one possessing appeared in Saturday’s Tribune.
KOOSKIA — “All of our organizing and hoping to pass the levy has been properly thwarted by Mr. Smith,” Mountain See University District 244 Superintendent Todd Fiske explained to the board, including trustee Casey Smith, at a May 17 meeting.
“I have been taken aback by the absence of professionalism by a board member,” Fiske ongoing. “This has certainly nothing at all to do with his view it has to do with his assault and the outright fabrications, only intended to blow up voters and get them off-kilter, not knowing what to believe that.”
Fiske dealt with Smith’s anti-levy marketing campaign, which involved a sequence of newspaper ads, as well as particular flyers he handed out and/or mailed. Smith represents zone 2 and life in Clearwater.
“I acquired questions primarily based on (your) misinformation and it produced it pretty complicated for our district,” Fiske mentioned. Fiske held 16 conferences to make clear the levy need to have and the place money would be used.
Fiske explained Smith’s misinformation on perceived bonuses, relatives added benefits and payroll taxes were being “completely bogus.”
“You did not chat to me or our business enterprise manager, Becky Hogg, for that information,” he said to Smith.
“Yes, I did,” Smith answered. “You informed me you felt jilted because your wife and little one no more time had health protection.”
“You have been earning conjecture in what you mentioned — we haven’t even started negotiations for 2021-22, so there is no way to say all those matters,” Fiske said, plainly annoyed.
“I’ve tried out to continue to keep you out of it, but I can do yet another ad and it can get private,” Smith retorted.
“Win or lose the levy, you did your destruction,” Fiske mentioned, shaking his head. “In what you paid (for the anti-levy marketing campaign), you could have compensated home taxes on the levy five-fold.”
Fiske said he could price difference in viewpoint, but not assaults and lies.
“We move forward. We’re a crew, a unit. Which is what we’re intended to be,” he mentioned.
— Lorie Palmer, The Clearwater Development (Kamiah), Thursday
Audit finds Port of Whitman County data not shown properly
COLFAX — A condition 2019 audit listed the Port of Whitman County as failing to update interior controls for monetary reporting less than the Budgeting Accounting and Reporting Technique.
It is the initial locating by the Washington State Auditor’s Business office since the Port of Whitman County was formed in 1958.
The point out accuses the port of not listing Other Put up-Employment Benefits on the Agenda of Lengthy-Phrase Liabilities and Notes the right way. It’s what the port pays for retiree benefits.
“Even however retirees pay back 100 percent of their premiums, that payment is not the complete expense of the rewards. Retirees shell out a lot less since taking part companies like the port pay back a tiny extra. That minor excess is OPEB,” wrote the auditor.
The auditor statements the port omitted the OPEB of $394,222 on the right schedule for disclosure. It is only a reporting challenge and does not reflect payments.
“Management corrected these faults,” said the auditor.
The port disagreed with the discovering because OPEB is a liability of the Community Workforce Rewards Board (PEBB) and not dollars reserves and that the port documented it under the right liabilities, according to its response to the audit.
“Other improvements to the BARS manual were being appropriately interpreted and applied and the port corrected the yearly report to include the OPEB liability,” wrote the port in reaction to the audit. “Port employees will carry on to use all schooling and materials delivered by the condition auditor’s workplace to keep up-to-date on the BARS handbook and reporting.”
The audit observed the port complying with point out regulations and methods in all other areas audited.
“We take pleasure in the port’s reaction and commitment to take care of this discovering and thank the port for its cooperation and assistance throughout the audit,” mentioned the auditor.
— Invoice Stevenson, Whitman County Gazette (Colfax), Thursday