NEW PALESTINE — Residents who found out the town had lost out on hundreds of thousands of dollars because of mismanagement let the town council know how they feel at a council meeting this week.
They are not happy.
At a meeting at which the council also approved medical leave for the town manager, who is at the center of the controversy, residents expressed dismay and alarm that poor record-keeping on the town’s street inventory had cost it an untold amount of state support to maintain streets and roads.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Reaction ranged from a suggestion that the town manager, Dave Book, be disciplined to a call for an overhaul in the town’s procedures.
A story in the Wednesday, Jan. 15, edition of the Daily Reporter detailed how the town had failed for years to properly maintain an up-to-date inventory on streets and roads in the town limits. The story showed the town had missed claiming nearly half the town’s mileage, or 7.8 miles of streets and roads.
The cost in lost state revenue — which is allocated based on mileage within jurisdictions — was put at $200,000 to $500,000, although officials stressed those are merely rough estimates.
New Palestine resident Chris Lytle did not mince words when speaking to the council at its meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 15. He said he was flabbergasted upon finding out the town had made such a costly mistake.
“My question is how is this even possible that this could have been unknown for so long? Lytle asked Book and the council. “As a taxpayer, I feel like I’m being overtaxed or services are not being given to me.”
Lytle, an Indianapolis firefighter, said when he makes mistakes at his job, he’s held responsible and wants accountability for those who made the mistakes.
“’Get it next time’ isn’t really going to cut it,” Lytle said. “I want something done — some form of disciplinary action or something.”
Book accepted full fault for the mistakes, which were discovered when the town was turned down in 2019 for a Community Crossing Grant by the Indiana Department of Transportation. The rejection triggered a look into the town’s roster of streets and roads, and officials discovered their inventory was way off.
Book told Lytle and other residents who attended the meeting that he simply has made a honest mistake in not turning in some new subdivisions and areas annexed into town.
“Unfortunately, we lost tax dollars,” Book said.
Measures have been put in place to make sure the mistake doesn’t happen again, street commissioner Steve Pool said. He has spoken to the town’s consultants and told them they must make sure state officials have the town’s correct road mileage each time they do a road project in the future.
Council member Clint Bledsoe said he still doesn’t understand how streets on county and state maps were not in some government system road inventory either with INDOT or the county.
“All I know is those streets were on the county map,” Bledsoe said. “People knew they were there.”
In the midst of the road inventory issue, Book on Friday, Jan. 17, went on medical leave for eight to 12 weeks. The council voted to promote Jim Robinson, planning commissioner and building inspector, who has worked for the town for several years, as the acting town manager.
Book’s medical leave had been planned for some time.
Town council member Bill Niemier said the council will address any kind of pay increase for Robinson at its meeting on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Robinson said he was prepared for the added responsibility.
“I think we’re getting a good list of all that needs to be covered,” Robinson said.
He noted many things can be delegated to employees in various departments while Book is gone. Robinson will oversee all the town workers and look at invoices as well as be in charge of the day-to-day operations.
Another resident, Kelly Johnson, told the council the town needs to examine its standard operating procedures. She asked town officials how many times a year they update the road inventory. Town officials said once. She suggested procedures should be changed so that new streets are added to the inventory immediately.
Johnson told Book, who had said earlier in the meeting he did not have written standard operating procedures for his job, that she didn’t have much faith in some of those currently taking care of the town’s business.
“You said you’ve got plans in place so this won’t happen again, but you’re going on leave and you don’t even have a SOP, so are the plans just in your head that it’s not going to happen again?” Johnson asked.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Present but unaccounted for” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Here is complete list of streets and roads that over the years were left off the town of New Palestine’s street inventory
South Westside Drive .151 miles
Coventry Court .106 miles
South Meadow Wood Court .045 miles
South Turning Leaf Court .066 miles
West Woodtrail Court .061 miles
South Woodtrail Lane .126 miles
West Bradford Court .089 miles
West Bridgewood Boulevard .102 miles
South Stonebridge Court .079 miles
South Seifert Court .041 miles
West Cedar Cove Drive .160 miles
Cedar Cove Court .109 miles
West Cedar Cove Way .119 miles
County Road 450 West .973 miles
County Road 400 South .234 miles
County Road 300 South .377 miles
County Road 500 West .709 miles
County Road 550 West .268 miles
County Road 600 West .511 miles
County Road 650 West .293 miles
Cedar Creek Way .162 miles
Cedar Creek Place .100 miles
Cedar Creek Lane .325 miles
Cedar Creek Drive .198 miles
Lawrence Way .297 miles
Bennett Drive .113 miles
Courtney Drive .255 miles
Bawtree Way .113 miles
Chert Drive .104 miles
West Dane Court .030 miles
South Ansley Drive .198 miles
West Otway Lane .126 miles
West Durdhen Road .110 miles
South Cordell Road .299 miles
East Short Street .033 miles
East Moore Street .033 miles
East Maupin Street .033 miles
North Gray Street .042 miles
South Cedar Street .034 miles
Church Street .034 miles
Locust Street .034 miles
Hickory Street .034 miles
Pine Street .062 miles
Wilkens Street .034 miles
North Ash Street .075 miles
North Spruce Street .075 miles
South Seifert Court .041 miles
South Allen Street .104 miles
[sc:pullout-text-end]
