Cole Co. official under fire for ad

A Cole County official is criticized after running a questionable ad in the local paper.

County Assessor Chris Estes approved the advertisement that reminds citizens to file their assessment sheets, but not only did the ad run and cost three times the normal budget, it also featured a colored picture of Estes

In an election year, commissioners say it was done for political gain.

Presiding Cole County Commissioner Sam Bushman said, “The other past ads had been just two column. This is three column and the one column is basically his photo.”

Despite going over budget, Estes claims the ad saved the county at least $300.

Estes went on to say, “This was much more efficient, it got many more returns and it was cheaper.”

Commissioners say they did not approve the extra money to pay for the ad.