THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, September 12, 1994             TAG: 9409100016
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   46 lines

ACCOMACK SUPERVISORS NOT THEIR MONEY

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors swiftly abolished its $252,505 discretionary fund after the grass-roots Accomack County Taxpayers Association exposed some dubious-at-best disbursements from it. That was the obvious move under pressure from citizens angered by some manifestly sloppy, insensitive - indeed, stupid - handling of public money.

Churches, private-property owners and at least one supervisor's political campaign appear to have benefited from the fund.

Incredible! But some of the supervisors seemingly see little awry: ``The perception of impropriety is worse than the actual impropriety,'' Supervisor Kenneth Tucker asserted at the raucous Wednesday meeting.

We'll see. The taxpayers' association turned to the Freedom of Information Act to dig out particulars of the supervisors' quiet spreading around of tax funds. Vouchers the association unearthed document expenditures that raise serious questions about some supervisors' judgment and integrity. State Attorney General James S. Gilmore III has asked the State Police to investigate.

Whatever comes of that inquiry, the supervisors must immediately change their way of doing business. The vote to limit each member of the board to $1,800 a year in discretionary spending is a start. A rule that the money be disbursed for clearly public purposes would also be in order. So would regularly reporting to the public how much was spent by whom on what, with proof.

Rural Accomack County's government, no less than many other local governments, is ever short of revenue to support essential public programs. The county supervisors' carelessness with the public purse constitutes a betrayal of public trust. How many other local governments have ``discretionary'' funds whose disbursement is largely unmonitored?

The taxpayers' association rightly called the board to account. If criminal or civil proceedings are required to square accounts, so be it. Public servants are not placed in office to play fast and loose with the public's money. by CNB