Fairfield Township Trustee opens up about her spending history | News

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — Fairfield Township Trustee Taletha Coles is opening up about her spending history with township funding.

As we’ve reported, she’s been questioned about her use of township rainy day funds. She gave News 18 detailed and itemized expenditures from November 2019 to July 2021 and credit card statements. 

“I spent it the way I felt, it’s a matter of opinion, should be spent.”

That’s what Fairfield Township Trustee Taletha Coles had to say about the township’s $148,000  rainy day fund. According to the statements, Coles charged thousands of dollars for a Tony Robbins motivational course.

“It’s educational to help them learn more about business, empathy, township business, anything. Everything pertains to the township,” Coles said.

Other charges to the Sam’s Club Mastercard include multiple restaurants, coffee shops and fast food.

“I have to meet with people, and it’s not always during working hours when I have to meet with people. So, I have to eat sometime,” Coles said.

Coles said she also used rainy day funds to pay for repairs and renovations to the trustee’s office.

“There’s a time that things have to be updated and it just happened to be when I walked into the office,” she said.

Coles also made a nearly $400 charge to a nail salon and massage parlor in November of 2020. She said it was part of a team building day for her staff.

“We were doing a lot of extra work during that time. It was just a really stressful time for everyone,” Coles said.

As we’ve reported, financial records show Coles charged $35,000 to the card in 2021 alone. She said some of the charges are for things like office supplies and maintenance at the Greenbush Cemetery. Coles said those charges are paid back with money allotted in other parts of the budget. As for the rainy day fund, Coles believes she’s doing what’s best for the township.

“This is taxpayer money for us to spend, not to sit on,” she said.

We reached out to former board member Stephen Snyder to see if he’d give us his take on the credit card statements. However, he declined an interview.

He told News 18 he has, “moved on from that part of his life”.