Carbon County Commission considers drug court fees, Sunnyside Community Daze
By COLLIN MCRANN
Sun Advocate writer
In a short meeting on June 17, the Carbon County commission met to confront an assortment of business ranging from East Carbon's Community Daze, to issues surrounding the county drug court's polygraph tests.
East Carbon's Community Daze has been seeking $8,000 from the commission to help fund it's operations and while Carbon County Tax Advisory Board (CCTAB) recommended the money be approved, the commission wanted a specific plan for the money, and decided to award East Carbon with only the $2,000 that has traditionally been given to the event. Commissioner Mike Milovich was aware that the commission has been "taking some heat over this," but added, "we've given $140,000 to East Carbon City and have been accused of not recognizing them."
Mayor Orlando LaFontaine of East Carbon City, was not surprised by the commission's decision and during the last East Carbon city council meeting he made his opinions clear. "Am I going to apply again? Not me," he concluded, "I don't really understand what we have to do here."
County drug courts require certain people to take polygraph tests depending on their situation, and while most of the time it is up to the individuals themselves pick up the test bill, some cannot afford it.
This results in a payment system that can take up to three months for individuals to pay, and up untill now the court has been picking up the slack. But because the court has not budgeted for polygraph tests, it has recently found itself with a difficult $900 bill.
Another problem arises with the individual who preformed the polygraph tests, because while this individual did them on private equipment during the weekends, they themselves are a county employee doing private work indirectly for the county.
"My problem is that we paid for all their training," said commissioner John Jones during the meeting.
County attorney Gene Strate, who presented the situation to the commission, was glad that by the end the commission opted to pay the bill, but was also told that it would not happen in the future. "We will make an exception this time," said Milovich, "but next time it's a freebie, this is a government entity. Carbon County puts $250,000 into that drug court every year."
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