SCRAP METAL SCRAP: Trib readers slam Boone County Commissioners

Boone County HQ
COLUMBIA, 12/28/09 (Beat Byte) -- In this corner, attorney and one-time judicial candidate CJ Dykhouse for the County of Boone.   In that corner, scrap metal picker-upper Phillip Holder, defending himself as a so-called "pro se litigant" before Boone County District Court judge Leslie Schneider against charges he robbed county government. 

Over two trips from his Summerville, Georgia home earlier this year, Holder (below Columbia Daily Tribune photo) transported 23,000 square feet of scrap metal from the Boone County Fairgrounds he says he won in a bidding process.  

But county commissioners claim he took more metal than he was promised, much of it siding intended to rebuild a 22,000 square foot building earlier donated by Billy and Glenda Sapp. 

 

The scrap metal fiasco only added insult to the Boone County commission's already injured reputation.   Reports in July had the donated building "overbudget," a strange oxymoron.   In court since October, the latest word on the scrap metal dispute -- that it may go to a jury trial -- has Columbia Daily Tribune readers outraged. 

 

"How about a trial for the County Idiot who failed to properly oversee the transaction and removal of the property?" 

 

"Boone County officials should be so ashamed of their care of public property that they should provide any monetary restitution to the public that is required to cover the $8,112 needed to replace the "missing metal."   Instead they have handled the metal with no oversight..."

 

"Mr. Holder bought metal at an auction and drove up here from Georgia to pick it up in TWO trips.  Doesn't sound like a thief to me."

 

"Sapp donated the building, that had literally cost him nothing, for a big tax write-off and the county has spent thousands of dollars in taking it apart, moving it and re-erecting it.  Then were so negligent as to let it be taken by someone 'authorized' to pick up metal from that very location.  What an incompetent bunch."

 

"So now we see...why the people of this county are asked time and time again to 'cover' unnecessary costs caused by poor/sloppy handling of public property by countyemployees and our elected representatives."

 

"Again, another situation where some county employee was not doing his job and it cost the tax payers 8g. Why are we covering his fanny?"

 

"Boone County Comissioners are looking like idiots in this one.  I hope Mr. Holder gets a good attorney and cleans house.  Why don't the commissioners just face it, they screwed up!" 

 

"I agree with all of the above posters; this fiasco is SO much like the High and Mighty Boone County Commisssioners!"

 

"This is going to cost the county far more than the metal is worth, even if the county is successful."

 

RELATED:

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/dec/27/jury-may-consider-metal-suit/

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/jul/07/cost-of-donated-building-is-over-budget/