Since the Kernan-Shepard Report was released with that inflammatory recommendation to eliminate township government and to direct the responsibility for managing the taxpayers' money to the county council, there has been a hue and cry about how that wouldn't work "because just look how poorly the council managed the county's money over the past four or five years."

It is common knowledge county reserves are depleted and borrowing has happened just to pay the bills. It has been reported time and time again here in the Comet. We believed it was important for taxpayers and residents to understand what happened and where the county is headed. So we wrote about it.

Council members faced a huge learning curve, got themselves educated and presently are on the mend. It is essential to remember that while they were spending (and overspending) your tax dollars, you were receiving services - lots of them - four ambulances, more sheriff's deputies, and animal control, not to mention employing and providing an excellent benefit plan to a lot of people. And the list goes on. All these things you could not afford. In the end taxpayers were blessed with many services that probably saved lives and certainly improved the quality of everyone's life.

Yet, there is no forgiveness for overspending. Time and again it is repeated throughout the county that the council cannot handle the township money - usually stated by someone who would prefer township government continue in Carroll County. There is no trust that those seven members have learned anything (even though two members are new this year).

It would be good to keep in mind that just like the county council, township trustees and advisory boards probably made spending, or no-spending decisions, with pure hearts. Both thought they made appropriate judgments.

All townships in Carroll County began 2009 with a surplus of taxpayer money in their general funds. This means that you, the taxpayers, were taxed but the money was not necessarily spent on services. In moderation that behavior might be good. But over the course of years it makes no sense for taxes to continue to be collected from you so the money can sit in banks and draw a little interest.

This behavior is no better than overspending. This is not good stewardship of your tax dollars or of your services. It seems less than prudent to keep squeezing taxpayers' wallets for dollars when there is no plan to utilize the money and apparently no need for a service. Every penny counts now - every one of them.

We think this is the kind of behavior the Kernan- Shepard recommendations were based upon when it was suggested township government be eliminated.

Hindsight showed us the flaws in the thinking of the county council over the course of a few years. Will the court of public opinion hold the same for township government leaders in the future?