By SCOTT SMITH
Kokomo Common Councilman Bob Cameron, D-2nd, apparently thought he’d come across a mistake.
But after suggesting Monday the Kokomo city administration had misspent $81,000, Cameron stood corrected Tuesday.
At issue was money the city administration spent on title searches, work needed to validate the city’s West Side Annexation case.
Administration officials said the searches — of more than 1,000 properties — were needed to show the city had legitimate remonstrance waivers attached to a chain of title.
Cameron, who opposes the city’s annexation attempt, thought he’d discovered a big spending error after a brief conversation about a week ago.
During the conversation, Cameron and Councilman Kevin Summers, R-At Large, learned that Howard County Auditor Ann Wells’ office can legally verify petition signatures.
Somehow, Wells said Tuesday, the councilmen must have thought she’d claimed her office could do complete title searches.
The two tasks are completely different, and a title search — which turns up any liens or waivers attached to a property — usually costs more than $100.
Wells said Tuesday her office doesn’t do title searches.
But that’s not what Cameron apparently thought Monday, when he asked city administration officials why they’d paid two Kokomo title companies a total of more than $81,000 for title searches.
“Couldn’t the Howard County auditor have done this for us at a minimal fee?” Cameron asked during Monday’s council meeting, with KGOV television cameras rolling.
Summers then backed up Cameron, asking the same question. Couldn’t all of the title searches have been done by the auditor for free, they asked.
Tuesday, Cameron acknowledged he must have misunderstood Wells.
“I didn’t quite understand where it was going before the resolution,” Cameron said.
But Cameron blamed the mixup on the administration, saying they didn’t provide enough information.
Nov. 9, the council voted on a resolution to appropriate $115,000 for annexation expenses. Prior to the meeting that evening, administration officials told council members $81,000 was for title searches, and the rest was for legal fees.
Cameron, according to city controller Jim Brannon, never asked for clarification prior to making his claims Monday.
Cameron, however, blamed the fact he didn’t know the difference between a title search and signature verification on the administration.
“I probably brought it up because we didn’t get an explanation before the resolution,” Cameron said Tuesday. “It’s about cooperation. We get calls [from constituents] and don’t know anything about it until after the fact.”
Cameron said he doesn’t talk with administration officials, apart from Brannon on occasion.
“They don’t talk to us; why should we talk to them?” Cameron said. “They don’t give us any information.”
Brannon said Cameron should have at least asked a few questions before making Monday’s statements.
Monday’s statements were the latest of numerous criticisms Cameron has leveled at the administration during televised council meetings.
According to city administration officials, this isn’t the first time Cameron has phrased an unfounded criticism in the form of a question.
For example, earlier this year, Cameron questioned whether a political ally of the mayor’s had purchased property near the planned improvement of the Markland Avenue/Park Avenue intersection.
The clear implication, from the question, was that the mayor was handing out political favors. But there was no record of any property transaction for Cameron to base his statements upon.
“We think it’s unfortunate he would make that statement,” Brannon said Tuesday of Cameron’s suggestion the $81,000 was unnecessary spending.
“If he had an issue, why didn’t he come to us. Why is it that we’re hearing about it for the first time on public airways?
“Why is it we never hear anything until it comes up in a public meeting, and then [Cameron and Summers] try to discount everything we do? I’m discouraged by that,” Brannon said.
• Scott Smith is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He may be reached at 765-454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com
