This past December in Goochland’s courthouse district, county employees carried boxes, wrote letters and gathered to discuss plans for the new year.

Seen from a blurry distance, such activities could be viewed as the typical hustle and bustle of the holiday, not unlike a jolly scene from a snow globe.

But once those imaginary flakes settled to the bottom, the display wasn’t quite pretty.

Boxes were being carried by former Public Utilities Director Doug Harvey, after he was fired for mismanaging his department. A letter was written by District 3 Supervisor Ned Creasey, accusing the county’s administration of ignoring a documented history of fiscal irresponsibility in that department.

And the gathering of supervisors and county administrators was to determine how to proceed in the aftermath of an audit that some consider flawed and incomplete, an audit that discovered checks totaling $150,000, and possibly much more, that were received by the utility department and never deposited.

Even after the release of memos and e-mails, the county has still not presented a clear picture of what has been going on, apparently for nearly 10 years, inside the office and filing cabinets of the Department of Public Utilities.

A lot of words and phrases are being tossed around like snowballs: Accountability. Honor. Balance sheets. Consistent policies. Streamlined practices.

But there is one word that is repeated most frequently: Audit.

That word is starting to blaze so brightly in Goochland that it is melting the other ones away at an alarming rate.

Why is the county’s administration reluctant to answer questions such as, “Why did the audit only cover 2007 and 2008, when there is evidence of mismanagement dating back much further?”

Or, “Exactly how much money did the audit determine had not been deposited?”

And, “How much interest money did the county lose when checks were sitting in drawers and file folders?”

The Gazette has asked for, but has not received, direct answers to direct questions.

This is a dangerous time to be disingenuous. The country is in a recession and the county is feeling the effects. As our officials sit down to draft next year’s budget, we need to trust that our best interests are being served.

But how can we place our faith in that process, until we know the truth of how the county’s assets are being managed?

Not too long ago, at the Dec. 2 Board of Supervisors meeting, County Administrator Greg Wolfrey said, “This is going to be a tough year, gentlemen.”

Apparently it is not just going to be a tough year in which to balance the budget.

Until our Board of Supervisors, and the citizens they represent, receive a full explanation of what has been going on, it is going to be a tough year for integrity.