During the last meeting of the Russell County Board of Supervisors they gave a report of the financial audit. The auditor was asked how much money the county did have in reserves. But because it is almost impossible to get a straight answer on that issue, he would not state an amount. He said they had about 10 weeks ahead in reserves. He also stated you could take the county’s total expenses and multiply it by 10% and this would give you the reserve total. In my calculations, in trying to make heads or tails of the budget this comes to 4.4 million dollars. In the old days you took the money in, and you spent it with no reserves. Grayson County in past years has operated their county with zero reserves.
In my opinion the reason the auditor would not give the people a straight answer is because he was told not to. I do not know if this to be true, but I have watched audit reports, and this was the first time I ever heard an auditor not give the total amount. Transparency is not what we have in Russell County at this present time. I have asked County Administrator Lonzo Lester for this answer, and he does not give me a direct total. Several supervisors have asked the same question to Mr. Lester, and they do not get a straight answer. And one even asked the auditor during the meeting, and you still do not get a straight answer. It is clear a free and independent forensics audit should be done because of this and the issues with PSA. And what is going on in the Commissioner office with some properties not even being assessed for taxation. The forensic audit to be legit the County Administrator Lonzo Lester needs to be as far from it as humanly possible.
County Administrator Lonzo Lester
The question is, could they have operated the county without raising taxes. I think the answer is clear that with this size reserve they could have operated the county without a tax increase. They have projected sales of properties coming up, and carry-overs from unused funds from all departments coming back in. I feel some of the supervisors have been lied to about the financial situation.
With proper management the taxpayers did not need to be hit with a 10 cent per hundred of value tax increase. I wonder if the county is ever going to get proper financial management that is open and honest to the public?
FY2025-2026 Proposed Russell County Financial Budget_202504091312187951
