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West Liberty Mayor Mark Griffith wants the public and Ohio County commissioners to know just how the town spends the money it receives from the county.
Griffith addressed county commissioners during their meeting this week.
The county commission over the last few years has given the town money for various projects, and the public has questioned just what has become of the money, he explained. During the past year, West Liberty purchased a tractor to help maintain roads, as well as a police cruiser. The commission paid for half of the cruiser, Griffith said.
There was a new roof put on the town hall, and the playground was upgraded. The town has also constructed a fountain and veterans memorial in recent months.
An old pavilion in the town was enclosed so it could be used as a place to store the town's equipment, Griffith said.
"There's a few things we would like to do in the future, but there is nothing pressing -- except maybe upgrading a few pieces of playground equipment,"
He said some of the pieces utilized coiled springs.
"And I think when the last fair was around someone must have needed coiled springs for their derby car," Griffith said. "They borrowed them and never brought them back. Since then we have put in camera systems to help alleviate that."
Griffith said there had been "rumors going around" that the money wasn't being spent properly, so town officials have compiled a list of the projects in a report they have submitted to county commissioners.
"I don't know if any other communities that get money off of you do that, but we definitely wanted to," he said. "You have been a very, very big help to us since I got in (as mayor) four years ago. So I wanted to come personally and tell you what we've done."
County Administrator Randy Russell said he would have to research how much money the county has provided West Liberty in recent years.
"We don't fund them on a regular basis," Russell explained. "If they have a project, we may fund it but they receive no funding on a consistent basis."