Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Saturday, April 26, Representative Jason Shoaf announced House Bill 4079, the bill that would dissolve the Town of White Springs was on a pause. Shoaf wrote on Facebook, "With my bill proposing the dissolution of White Springs, we brought light to the highly inappropriate actions of former officials." Shoaf went into further detail, saying, "They allowed illegal gambling by inventing city gambling permits. They refused the assistance of sheriff's deputies to watch over their public meetings and instead hired private paramilitary thugs to intimidate the citizens who wanted to petition their government. They chose to not keep financial records for years and failed state audits. They appointed their friends and family members to the city council instead of holding free and fair elections." He continued in the post, saying, "I'm grateful to see that the increased awareness from this bill led to resignations of city officials, which enabled the community to elect new leaders and set the stage for a new chapter. I'll continue to monitor the progress, but for now, I have chosen to not bring the legislation to a full vote before the House in order to give the new leadership of White Springs the opportunity to save this city. If they fail to lead the city in a manner that the citizens deserve, I've proven I'm ready and able to fight for the citizens of White Springs and their future." With that announcement, House Bill 4079 has been put on pause. This means the Town of White Springs is no longer going to be dissolved, at least not yet. Keep an eye out for the next edition of the Riverbend News; it will cover White Spring's first organizational meeting since the recent elections.