Trustee charged $36K to home improvement stores — presumably for renovations

EDITOR’S Notice: This is a single of several stories on court-requested launch of Fairfield Township’s credit card data and what these credit card statements expose. Nonetheless, Trustee Taletha Coles did not turn about the receipts for the credit score credit score card buys and there are missing statements..

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Fairfield Township Trustee Taletha Coles chalked up her $113,259 in credit card fees around 3 years to her renovations at the township’s office environment on Wabash Avenue, but only $36,691.51 can be instantly tied to property advancement purchases.

A Journal & Courier’s ongoing evaluation of the courtroom-ordered release of the township’s credit score card statements showed that involving January 2019 and July 2021, Coles billed $36,691.51 to area home advancement merchants, as effectively as to Just Blinds, Ideal Get, and Cork Floors.

However, there are quite a few months that do not have credit card statements, and there are statements that are only two web pages. The documents show there are many lacking pages that had been not offered to the public.

The Journal & Courier emailed Coles for remark about the spending, together with far more than $2,000 of buys at Ideal Buy in March 2020. Coles did not answer.

In May 2019, Coles billed $984 to Just Blinds, presumably for the township’s workplace. She also billed additional than $1,300 that thirty day period to National Small business Home furniture. In June 2019, Coles billed $2,652.59 to Cork Floors and $700 to Kirklands in Lafayette.

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The credit rating card statements show other prices to merchants that could possibly force the renovation totals even greater, but without having the receipts, which the J&C requested, you can find no way to get a a lot more exact accounting.

The Indiana State Police and the State Board of Accounts are investigating the township’s funds due to the fact Coles turned trustee in January 2019.

Tale carries on

Coles was operating for re-election Tuesday in the Democratic main. She faced levels of competition from Fairfield Township Board members Rocky Hession and Monica Casanova.

Republican Fairfield Township trustee prospect April O’Brien is functioning unopposed and will face the Democratic primary winner.

In the previous, Coles blamed her higher credit history card investing — like normal purchases at the Lafayette Sam’s Club — on the renovations. The Journal & Courier did not incorporate any Sam’s Club buys in the overall documented currently simply because there are not indications that the Sam’s Club buys experienced anything to do with renovations.

Shelling out: Fairfield Township trustee billed $41K on credit history card in 2021

In its Sept. 17, 2021, ask for to examine general public paperwork, The Journal & Courier requested to examine credit rating card receipts as very well as credit history card statements.

The Journal & Courier submitted a lawsuit on March 17, 2022, for Coles to generate the requested files. Coles delivered some every month credit rating card statements, but there are web pages missing and months missing from these statements.

Get to Ron Wilkins at [email protected]. Stick to on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette trustee billed $36K to home improvement shops