Editor:

You misquoted me in your article about funding donations (“Funding policy approved,” June 15). Your quote stated: “Jim Wilck suggested not allocating money to the sponsorship of tables at events for STEPS, the Moton Museum or the Farmville Chamber of Commerce.” 

What I said was I would like to stop buying tables from everyone like the tables we buy from STEPS, Moton and the chamber. The way you wrote the article sounds like I have something against these particular organizations. Nothing could be further from the truth; I have voted money to all these worthy organizations in the past and almost $35,000 to STEPS alone this year.

What I’m trying to do is limit some fund drain at $1,000 a pop. 

Throughout the year, we are approached by organizations to buy a table for one of their events. The tables usually run $1,000 each, and entitle supervisors to attend those events and get a free meal. We have done this for perhaps a half dozen firms a year. 

As long as we are raising taxes and borrowing money from our reserve fund, I feel this is a poor way to spend $5-6,000 of taxpayer money. 

Let the supervisors buy their own meals. A set policy would stop this drain.

I am in the process of emailing a response to Brad Watson’s comments on donation cuts and what I see for possible future economic development in Prince Edward County.

Jim Wilck

Farmville

Editor’s note: Wilck stated the following regarding the county sponsoring tables during the June 9 meeting: “I’ve got a small suggestion. It’ll probably save $4-5,000 a year, and that is we buy no tables for STEPS, for the chamber, for Moton or any of them. If they come to us … We don’t do that. We don’t buy anymore tables … Let’s put in there that we will buy no tables. …”