I vividly remember where I was when the September 11 attacks occurred. The shock and horror of that day should be indelibly etched in the minds of everyone. We can take pride in the fact that evil dealt our country a formidable blow, and while the Twin Towers are no longer standing, AMERICA IS!
A few items of interest that the Commission has been working on are below.
• We have received our independent auditor’s report for the 2016 Fiscal Year. The report is available at lcclerk.com under the Clerk’s Office tab. An audit is a good opportunity to learn and improve, and this year is no exception as the auditor noted a “significant deficiency” in the preparation of our Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) report. The procedures to rectify this deficiency have already been implemented, and I am confident that the situation is under control moving forward. Preparation of the SEFA report will continue to be a focus, as the County is aggressively pursuing, and receiving, grant funds from a variety of sources at unprecedented rates.
• The favorable weather has allowed our road crews to accomplish a great deal in the past weeks. As you move about the County you should notice the results of our efforts. Removing trees from blind corners (North Chantilly Rd.), cutting down dangerous hills (Sugar Grove Rd.), and replacing outdated culverts (Quarry Rd.) are just a few of the tasks upon which we are focused. As we look to expand our paved road inventory in the future, many of these seemingly minor changes are prerequisites to the paving process.
• Our thoughts and prayers are with the folks affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Compared to the damage we are seeing on the news, our flood damage from 2015 pales in comparison. We are two years removed from our disaster and still working to recover our funds from FEMA. In light of our experience and the recent revelation that FEMA is almost out of money, I am hopeful that we get what we are entitled to and that the hurricane victims are not left out in the cold. Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer and his staff have been extremely helpful in our efforts to sort out the bureaucratic maze of FEMA.
That’s all I have time for now. As always, call, e-mail or stop by the Courthouse if you have questions. Until next week…
Dan Colbert
Presiding Commissioner
