Editor,
Concerning Island Transit and Ms. Martha Rose, I feel I must acknowledge this issue.
I have never been a supporter of the free bus service.
Nearly all the buses I see are mostly empty, other than kids riding the free bus, rather than taking the taxpayer school bus along with other people with driving issues.
At a time when fuel is high and only going higher, it was just a matter of time before this house of cards came tumbling down.
I’m perplexed it took this long.
When you’re dealing with taxpayer money, this sort of thing will eventually happen. Where are the checks and balances for IT?
Obviously there are none.
How is it possible that Rose could not know that one person in accounting was moving funds out of investment accounts to pay vendors and payroll, destroying the bus service and costing quite a few jobs?
How could one person have that authority?
It appears there were not enough regulations to protect this operation. Who’s watching the watcher?
Until I retired, I was the general manager of the third-largest business in Island and Skagit counties with 340 employees.
Accounts payable over $50 needed two signatures, the general manager and executive director. If either person was away, the signature went to the comptroller.
Why didn’t the board of directors find this problem? Was there a monthly spreadsheet prepared for Rose and the board to view? If not, why?
Officers of businesses are personally responsible for quarterly taxes, regardless of what kind of business it is or who the owner is — taxpayers, in this case.
If this had happened to me, there would not be enough time for me to resign. There would have been an emergency meeting with the board of directors, and owners would have discharged me instantly.
Now is the time to reinvent IT and start charging fares, as other transit communities do.
Modify the buses with cash-handling machines. Look at ATMs, Redbox and other types of kiosks. They seem to do just fine.
The previous system didn’t work, and taxpayers should be concerned, as they will have to bail out IT.
Remember, nothing is for free, ever.
William Ludlow
Oak Harbor
