Delusional.
That sums up the Fredonia Village Board and its water filtration plant supervisor in regard to the $99,000 bill it received from Dunkirk for the purchase of city water. And though board members and the soon-to-be retired supervisor have tried to excuse it away, village residents must not.
It is unacceptable and downright dishonest.
How else do you explain - in one of the driest summers ever on record - that Fredonia's reservoir did not reach emergency levels? In the summer, reporter Shirley Pulawski asked Rob Lancaster, the supervisor, about water purchases from Dunkirk.
"We only do it occasionally. It's not like it's every day or anything," he said in July. Lancaster also told trustees "he'd let (officials) know when to panic" over the water levels.
In fact, for the year, the village budgeted only $5,000 to purchase water from the city.
Lancaster's story, however, changed on the day of the special meeting - Oct. 25. He said, "I was focused on making sure people had water. There should have been more communication and I take full responsibility for that."
But he won't take responsibility for a $99,000 bill that no one expected. And, as a reward for the lack of "panic," the board has tasked the man most responsible for the $99,000 bill with coming up with a "comprehensive plan to avoid similar situations in the future."
Do we really want the guy who lost track of $99,000 worth of water making that plan, especially when he has made it clear he is leaving the village before the end of the year?
By the way, as far as we know, there is no disciplinary action on the lack of attention to detail. In fact, the village has a history when it comes to lack of discipline.
Consider:
Lancaster has been using a former fire truck vehicle as a filtration plant car and drives it around town. Is that really a justifiable expense when a $99,000 bill has to be paid?
Code enforcement officer John Monaco, also with village vehicle, threatened a trustee and also is allowed to work in the same job - part time - in Brocton. Is it the village of Fredonia's time or Monaco's?
Police chief Brad Meyers decided to cancel, during a radio appearance on WDOE, National Night Out. He never consulted with his superiors - the board or mayor - before making the decision. Isn't that insubordination?
So, the big question, who really runs the village? Department heads - paid by tax dollars - do not seem to face any penalty, especially in this case, for inappropriate actions. They do something wrong, not even a slap on the wrist.
"Don't worry," they must be told, "the public will pay for it."
Boy do we ever.
