Troy park board overdrawn

Troy Park and Recreation District has received more than $177,000 in excess tax money during the last 15 years. According to board members, the district has been notifying the county for years concerning increases in funding.

“The county has always said it is our money to spend,” Board Director Timory Peel said. “They just said to not ask to increase the budget.”

The district received 9.09 mills for the current fiscal year, about three times more than the authorized limit. Created in 1996, the district originally was allocated three mills per year. Park Board members and county officials said they could not remember any vote to increase the number of mills since then.

“I am sure we have never asked for more mills,” Peel said. “None of us understand how this happened.”

Two weeks ago, The Western News launched an investigation into the taxing practices of several government entities that are under the supervision of the county. First, the newspaper revealed nearly $1 million in excess tax money was allocated to the Troy Area Dispatch District since 1999. Now it appears a similar taxing error occurred to the benefit of the Troy Park and Recreation District, which has received $177,374 in excess tax revenue during the same 15-year period.

“Our mission is to provide the programs for kids while being responsible to the taxpayers,” Peel said. “We are going to have to ask the county how to handle this.”

The district reported $69,177 in cash on hand in its final 2013-2014 budget. Line-item expenses from the previous fiscal year remained the same except for capital improvements, which increased from $87,546 to $112,243.

All five members of the Park and Recreation Board said during a Monday meeting they were willing to do whatever they can to rectify the situation. None of the members said they knew they were supposed to receive three mills. In fact, the district has never received three mills. In the 2012-2013 fiscal year, it received 6.82. The year prior it received 5.61 mills.

County Clerk and Recorder Tammy Lauer said she was not surprised that none of the county commissioners or district board members knew of the three-mill limit.

“It is hard to get people on these boards,” Lauer said. “People change so frequently and it’s hard to get people to volunteer. It is a lot of time and energy people do not have.”

Libby County Commissioner Tony Berget said he was seeking input to understand the options available for taxpayer reimbursement.

“But the buck always stops with (the commissioners),” Berget said. “We will try to rectify the situation.”