Excerpt of a lengthy story in the Jeffersonville News and Tribune:
The spending habits of Clark County Superior Court No. 3 caught the attention of the State Board of Accounts in a recent report, which stated it improperly used funds from the Clark County Alcohol and Drug Services fund.
The court, which has been renamed Clark County Circuit Court No. 3, operated the fund for more than 20 years without being cited by the state. During that time, money collected through a fee of $18 to $50 on all moving violations in the county paid a variety of expenses, including sponsoring local Little Leagues, paying for new carpet for the Clark County Courts and paying for blacktop for the 4-H Fairgrounds.
The money spent — $2.5 million over a five-year period — came from the traffic tickets, but were not always related to cases where substance abuse had been a factor, according to the Indiana State Board of Accounts.
Agree to disagree
In a response to the State Board of Accounts, former Superior Court No. 3 Judge Steve Fleece, who was the steward of the funds from 1995 through 2008, defended his actions.
“The dispute boils down to a difference of opinion over what activities of local government and allied nonprofit institutions can be financed by Alcohol and Drug Services funds,” Fleece wrote in a response letter.
The State Board of Accounts contended that the proper uses for the Alcohol and Drug Fee Funds were limited to individuals that have “legal obligations due to alcohol and/or drug use.”
“I think the State Board of Accounts has gone off the theory if it’s not specifically authorized it’s forbidden,” Fleece said. “And I go on the theory that if it’s not specifically prohibited, then it’s allowable.”
He said in the response letter that Indiana Code allowed for the alcohol and drug program funds to be used for “accompanying services.” The accompanying services he used the funds for were often directly related to alcohol and drug programs.
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http://newsandtribune.com/clarkcounty/x1720492971/Judges-respond-to-funding-flak-from-state
