There is light in the tunnel (01/25/07)

After all these months of grim news, the spontaneous round of applause at last week's Redkey Town Council meeting is completely understandable.

Town officials - particularly clerk-treasurer Sandy Kirby - have been struggling for more than a year to get a grip on municipal finances.

For far too long, water and sewage utility bills went uncollected. Spending decisions were made in an information vacuum. And the red ink kept getting deeper.

Town attorney John Brooke gets much of the credit for forcing the council to correct the situation. Kirby gets much of the credit for putting the town's scrambled finances back together. Her predecessor now faces criminal charges.

But, while ending the year with positive balances in town accounts is great news, it's going to be a long slog to put Redkey back on the sort of sound financial footing any town needs.

The good news is the right pieces are in place. New town board members know the direction they need to be moving in, and they have a much more accurate picture of the fiscal realities.

Now it's a matter of consistency, self-discipline on spending, and staying on track. It may still be a tunnel, but there's light at the other end. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]