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Unpaid Vouchers Shut Down Services For Alexander County

By: Andy Waterman

CAIRO-- With more than 200 miles of Alexander County to patrol, Sheriff David Barkett and his deputies are normally busy on the roadways. But lately, many of their squad cars have been sidelined.

"I have been operating without fuel since the last day of April," Barkett said.

According to Barkett, he and his deputies have had to pay for fuel out of their pockets. After many gas stations like Cut-Mart in Cairo have cut-off service because of late payments.

"I don't blame the man, he's a businessman, and he has to be paid, and he has to be paid in a timely manner," said Barkett.

State's Attorney Jeffrey Farris says with the county hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, it's not just the sheriff department's bills going unpaid.

"We have outstanding bills that we owe to a number of vendors that everyone in this courthouse would love to see paid, if our financial situation would allow us to do that," said Farris.

County commissioner Angela Greenwell says with many vouchers to pay, some of which date back to 2005, the debt adds up quickly.

"The confusion of it all is when we go month after month with unpaid vouchers, and then the interest accrues, and if they re-submit a voucher, maybe it's duplicated," Greenwell said.

Confusion or not, many vendors are starting to sue. Including Russell Crisler, who's worked on the county's vehicles for 18 years, and is owed thousands. He continues to work, instead of cutting the county off because he relies on the deputies, too.