The Mayor of Letona, Mr. Sherrel Bennett, called me a little upset after reading Judge Parish’s letter last week outlining how Judge Mike Lincoln has been paving roads inside incorporated cities–a claim that everyone seems to agree on.  The disagreement seems to come when we start discussing who is paying for these improvements:  Mr. Parish says the county is paying for the improvements, at the expense of all county taxpayers.  Mr. Bennett says the city reimbursed the county.

I made a follow-up call to Mr. Parish after talking to Mr. Bennett.  He said whether or not the city pays for the improvements is irrelevant, contending that it is illegal for the county to essentially act as a contractor and do jobs-for-hire for cities–something I suspect local contractors might be a little upset about, whether it is legal or not.

Now, I do not pretend to have the answer to these legal questions.  It is something I have intended to research but have not had time.  Perhaps one of our legal-minded readers can weigh in.  But I did tell Mr. Bennett that I would allow him to give his side of the story if he would submit something in writing.  Below is the text of his letter. Continue reading →