The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "county commissioners" ...
-
Langford Connection to Bessemer Courthouse Lease
County embroiled in controversy of courthouse lease. Investigation finds Mayor that was convicted in federal case built the building and created the controversial lease when he was a county commissioner.
Tags: County; courthouse; lease; politicians; corruptions
-
Behind Closed Doors, Kentucky City Buys Controversial Building For $1.3 Million
Danville, Kentucky’s purchase of the former Boyle County Industrial Storage Facility, better known as the BISCO building, drew a lot of controversy along with legal battles during the second half of 2012. During its Aug. 13 meeting, Danville City Commission unanimously voted to buy the building at auction for $1,237,550. However, a bidder hired by the city had already won the property in auction three days before. Also, on the day of the auction city officials had cut a check for 10 percent of the BISCO building’s purchase price. Residents raised concerns about the secretive nature of the purchase, especially since then-Commissioner Ryan Montgomery’s father, Mike, had a long-standing business relationship with the building’s former owner Mitchell Barnes. After being publicly prodded, Mayor Bernie Hunstad also acknowledged that his wife, Susan, worked for the bidder the city hired to handle the auction process.
Tags: City officials; city government; auction
-
Wayne County Confidential: Government Run Amok
This investigation exposed a secret $200,000 severance paid out to a government employee while others endured a 20% pay cut. WXYZ found that the severance was never disclosed to county commissioners, who are supposed to approve all payments of $50,000. The reporting caused the county to cancel 16 other severance payments for voluntary resignations, including one for up to $350,000.
Tags: severance payments; voluntary resignation; breaking news; broadcast
-
"Full Disclousure"
In this investigation, ABC Action News revealed a political scandal the included a county commissioner and candidate for the state senate. Commissioner Jim Norman failed to disclose several personal properties, including two boats and a lake front vacation home. As a result of the investigation, Norman was removed from the state senate race.
-
Trip to Nowhere
On the eve of a vote to raise taxes nearly 10 percent and cut spending, the stories laid out in detail how auto allowances routinely granted to dozens of county officials were not justified by their documented needs. Commissioners, department heads, and 15 of their secretaries and staff were receiving what amounted to bonuses that often exceeded more than 10 times what they could document in obscure but required forms. In a followup story, the county administrator reversed course and said he would study discontinuing auto allowances that exceeded the documented needs for two recently hired county watchdogs who were supposed to guard against waste and abuse. Finally, in a third story, the county acknowledged it had failed to meet states and local requirements to document "typical" mileage before all employees began receiving allowances, and said it would change its policy.
Tags: Tax; budget cut; finance; documents; fraud; corruption; auto allowances; bonuses; county
-
County Hall: The Perks of Public Office
The series looks at local politicians and their spending habits. These habits were rather lavish for a local government which had to cut spending on certain programs. The stories focus on “everything from how commissioners were using aides as personal chauffeurs to the global travel the commissioners took with no benefit to taxpayers”. Further, advisors of the mayor were receiving “double digit” pay raises, while the budget was crumbling.
Tags: politics; public; officials; Miami-Dade County Hall; corruption; taxes; budget hearings; salary
-
The Email Trial
After requesting records from the Harris County Sheriff's Office to investigate possible corruption of the local County Commissioner, over 750,000 emails were deleted.
Tags: e-mail; slave labor; surveillance; ranch house; text message; shredding;
-
Off to Work We Go?
KTRK-TV investigated the "work habits and use of campaign contributions by one of the state's most powerful public officials, Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole." They uncovered evidence that Eversole was "rarely working, and misusing campaign funds for personal use."
Tags: state government; campaign funds; campaign contributions; politics; Texas; government contracts
-
Palm Beach County's Culture of Corruption
"Dubocq uncovered a series of complicated real estate transactions that secretly benefited two Palm Beach County commissioners. The commissioners voted on matters that enhanced the deals without disclosing their private interests." The reporters filed more than four dozen state FOIA requests to tell this story.
Tags: state government; county government; FOIA; real estate; development
-
Winning Friends and Influencing Commissioners
"This story project revealed how the largest private developer if tax-credit affordable housing in Texas co-opted commissioners serving on the Bexar County Housing Authority by providing undisclosed financial incentives to secure the agency's support for tax breaks needed to build multimillion dollar apartment complexes."