Trustee charged $36K to home improvement stores — presumably for renovations
EDITOR’S Observe: This is one particular of quite a few experiences on courtroom-ordered launch of Fairfield Township’s credit history card records and what these credit rating card statements reveal. Having said that, Trustee Taletha Coles did not switch more than the receipts for the credit history credit history card purchases and there are lacking statements..
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Fairfield Township Trustee Taletha Coles chalked up her $113,259 in credit card rates about a few decades to her renovations at the township’s business office on Wabash Avenue, but only $36,691.51 can be directly tied to home improvement purchases.
A Journal & Courier’s ongoing evaluate of the court-requested launch of the township’s credit score card statements showed that between January 2019 and July 2021, Coles billed $36,691.51 to regional household enhancement suppliers, as very well as to Just Blinds, Most effective Invest in, and Cork Flooring.
Even so, there are several months that do not have credit score card statements, and there are statements that are only two webpages. The documents point out there are a number of lacking internet pages that ended up not delivered to the community.
The Journal & Courier emailed Coles for comment about the expending, like much more than $2,000 of buys at Very best Buy in March 2020. Coles did not answer.
In May 2019, Coles billed $984 to Just Blinds, presumably for the township’s workplace. She also billed much more than $1,300 that thirty day period to National Business enterprise Household furniture. In June 2019, Coles charged $2,652.59 to Cork Floors and $700 to Kirklands in Lafayette.
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The credit history card statements point out other charges to vendors that may possibly push the renovation totals even greater, but without the receipts, which the J&C asked for, there is no way to get a much more accurate accounting.
The Indiana State Law enforcement and the State Board of Accounts are investigating the township’s finances considering the fact that Coles grew to become trustee in January 2019.
Coles was working for re-election Tuesday in the Democratic principal. She faced competitors from Fairfield Township Board users Rocky Hession and Monica Casanova.
Republican Fairfield Township trustee candidate April O’Brien is working unopposed and will facial area the Democratic most important winner.
In the earlier, Coles blamed her higher credit rating card shelling out — together with common buys at the Lafayette Sam’s Club — on the renovations. The Journal & Courier did not include any Sam’s Club buys in the overall reported nowadays because there are not indications that the Sam’s Club purchases experienced everything to do with renovations.
Spending: Fairfield Township trustee billed $41K on credit score card in 2021
In its Sept. 17, 2021, request to examine community paperwork, The Journal & Courier requested to inspect credit history card receipts as very well as credit rating card statements.
The Journal & Courier submitted a lawsuit on March 17, 2022, for Coles to deliver the requested documents. Coles presented some month-to-month credit rating card statements, but there are pages lacking and months missing from these statements.
Get to Ron Wilkins at [email protected]. Observe on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This report initially appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette trustee billed $36K to residence enhancement stores