Bossier Makes the 2009 Louisiana Pork Report

The Pelican Institute for Public Policy has teamed up with Citizens Against Government Waste to publish the 2009 Louisiana Pork Report.

Bossier Parish finds itself on page 25 of the 'Pig Book', which provides a litany of Bossier Parish School Board violations, including violations on public bidding, violations of record-retention laws, violations of open meetings laws, missing money, misused credit cards, and a school board employee receiving compensation from a School Board vendor.

These violations were discovered, in part, due to an extensive audit of the Bossier Parish School Board.

It is time to begin working on a local "Pork Report", which should include a true external audit of every public body in Bossier Parish, including the Bossier Parish Police Jury, the Bossier City Council, and every entity which spends taxpayer dollars.

In fact, there is absolutely no reason why local government entities cannot ask the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Office to come in and perform a thorough audit. It will cost NOTHING, and will go a long way toward assuring local taxpayers that everything possible is being done to ensure prudent use of tax dollars.

Most importantly though, it is time for citizens in Bossier City and throughout Bossier Parish to wake from their slumber and realize that until the taxpayers demand transparency and accountability from city and parish government officials, more of our tax dollars will continue to slip into very black hole.

FYI, the Pelican Institute for Public Policy welcomes any report of waste, fraud, and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. They will accept anonymous information at info@pelicaninstitute.org.