Craven County Board of Commissioners Meeting - 3 Dec 2012 & 17 Dec 2012
1) Prayer at the Board Meetings. The Board of Commissioners' meetings this month were both opened with the pledge and a prayer. Jerry Schill, Christian Coalition & Religious Christian Services (RCS) has acknowledged this and thanked the Board members who have lead Christian prayers.
2) North Carolina's Eastern Region-
I petitioned the Board on North Carolina's Eastern Region asking that they work to dissolve that planning board and to stop supporting the Global TransPark. Global TransPark is starting to compete with our regional airport and, even worse, with Cherry Point for military deployment and return of service members. When Commissioner Dacey asked the paid Chef Executive of this group directly if they support the Global TransPark, he did and tap toe dance that sounded something like no. The NC statute that established this group directs them to support the Global TransPark . Either they are not following the statute that established them or the Chief Executive lied. Which way is it? This subject is likely to come up again shortly after the appointments of the new members of the state Legislature.
The county's own staff under the leadership of Jack Veit, County Manager, and Gene Hodges, Interim Economic Development Director, has done an excellent job of managing the county's economic development efforts and NCER can just bow out! Gene made a very good presentation at yesterday's meeting with a screen display of the interactive computer web page that will be placed on the county website so that there can be postings of property for sale or lease that business and industry leaders can search for available properties in Craven County. The so called economic development planners we had before should have done this long ago!
3) Transparency in government matters-
It remains difficult to keep up with the county budget if you are not on the Board of Commissioners. I wish the current status of the FY 2012-13 budget could be found on the county website; however, Rick Hemphill, Assistant County Manage for Finance, has been good about giving me this information on the phone. He told me that that the balance at the end of November was $97,165,894.
4) FY 2012-13 Budget-
You will remember that, after the budget hearings, I objected to the county staff's representing that the FY 2012-13 budget was a reduction when compared with the previous year's budget. I raised this objection because, in order to make it look that way, they had to compare the beginning budget for FY 2012-13 with the ending budget ($97,199,246) for FY 2011-12. It was like comparing apples and oranges, and I predicted that the end budget for FY 2012-13 would eventually exceed the ending budget for FY 2011-12. AT THE END OF NOVEMBER, THEY ARE ONLY $33,352 SHORT OF THAT! THE FY 2012-13 BUDGET DOES NOT END UNTIL 30 JUNE 2013; THERE'S PLENTY OF TIME FOR IT TO CONTINUE GROWING!
At the first meeting I attended this month another $959,553 was approved in added expenditures. Most of it is an increase in the projected cost of the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). We have no objection to the county getting a new EOC, but it was already in the budget, and these are either add-ons or cost overruns. It wasn't made clear which, and actually generated very little discussion. I wish these additional expenditures had been questioned.
At the meeting held yesterday morning (17 Dec 2012), another mere $66,644 was added that should bring the budget currently to $98,192,091. ALREADY EXCEEDING LAST YEAR'S BUDGET ----TOLD YOU SO!!!!!
IT APPEARS THAT THE BOARD FEELS NO REAL NEED FOR BUDGET TIGHTENING. In fact, at the last budget session, property tax was increased by 3.8% to make it "revenue neutral." Figger that one out! Then the increase was hidden by dropping the tax rate due to the property value re-assessment to 47 cents. I can figure that one out. Our tax rate is still being calculated at the value of the property at the end of 2009 even though the actual value of most property has dropped by around 40%. Why can't they revalue property annually to parallel the percentage drop in actual value by some formula acceptable to the real estate industry? WE ALL KNOW WHY! Then the Board, county manager and finance officer, department heads and the whole bunch would have to really budget year to year like real productive families do and guess at their income, like businesses have to do and budget accordingly. SOUNDS FAIR TO ME!
There was one other very interesting budget matter. At the first meeting, when Rick Hemphill stated that a budget request was being made because, if one were not made, the county would have to send some money back to the State, Commissioner Jeff Taylor objected and said that was the kind of reasoning CCTA objected to. He asked if anyone would fail to receive a county service if that money were sent back (small amount, only $18,300). As to the reasoning, here is a quote that accurately expresses it, "We currently have a reserve that needs to be budgeted and spent in order to not forfeit that funding." Since Rick could not answer Commissioner Taylor's question, the matter was continued until the Director of the County Department of Social Services could be consulted.
Unfortunately, It was just added at the second meeting. DDS found a way to spend it on a contract employee, travel and computers for staff.
5) Craven Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS)-
There was a public hearing on CARTS on 3 Dec 12. They asked that their program be approved and grant requests made for $556,092 with County matching funds of just $60,756 required, and the matching funds are to be raised out of operations. It's a heck of a good deal for the county, but, hey, it's all taxpayer money, and we taxpayers pay taxes to the State and Federal governments in addition to paying taxes to the County, so it's not such a good deal from our prospective.
Apparently NCDOT placed a cap on this CARTS funding which caused it to remain the same. The balance of CARTS' expenses are also covered by operations. Incidentally, a lot of this income from operations is paid by other tax supported counties, boards, commissions, grantees, etc. More tax dollars really. I made our usual objections, but praised the Director, Phyllis Toler, for excellence in executive management of the program. She really squeezes every dollar she gets.
6) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)-
A public hearing was held on 17 Dec 2012. The application is for $750,000 for infrastructure projects. I was the only member of the public who spoke. Of course, I did it on behalf of CCTA. As I expect you remember, we decided not to fuss so much about these infrastructure projects. We did want the practice of giving houses to individual people to stop. Infrastructure is a valid concern of local government. It's a shame the federal government has taken it upon itself to provide infrastructure money to local communities, however. It takes a lot more than $750,000 of taxpayers' money sent to the federal government in order to get that amount delivered to Craven County, and when taxpayers' money is channeled that way, it always comes down with all kinds of federal "strings" (read, "control") attached. At any rate, I congratulated the board on it's decision not to build houses for people anymore. REMEMBER THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT GIVE ANYBODY ANYTHING THAT THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT FIRST TAKE FROM SOMEBODY ELSE.
7) Electronic Offender Monitoring Program (EOMP) - Captain Jessee Pittman and Sgt. Steve Wallace gave an excellent presentation on this program. They say and adequately substantiate that the program will save taxpayers $250,000 this fiscal year. The program allows non-violent offenders to continue at their jobs and continue paying child support, etc. Most of the savings is from not using beds in the jail that can be leased for federal, state and other counties prisoners. Two judges were there to say they support the program.
8) Tall Structure Ordinance and Contract-
This effort shows great initiative on the part of the Board. This ordinance could prevent tall windmills from being constructed by the progressives in existing flight patterns and show support for our aviation community including the military! The board has authorized the expenditure of $7,000. Havelock has agreed to reimburse the county $1,540 of this cost.
9) School Board-
The school board held an all morning meeting on the Accountability Model the school is implementing at at the direction of the US Department of Education and through the North Carolina Superintendent of public instruction TO THE FEDERAL STANDARDS. The meeting was guided by a slide presentation done by Dr. Brown, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum. I have a printed copy I'm sure some of you will be interested in. Whole county school systems, schools, administrators, teachers and students will be held accountable (so they say). I can tell you that student education emphasis is on English, math, and science performance. Literacy standards were also discussed. The meeting was about these accountability requirements and not about the subjects I'm most concerned about- the lack of knowledge of American history on the part of students, and the teaching of globalism in school instead of "American Exceptionalism," and the taking of God out of our schools and letting Satin run rampart instead. One "Educator of the Year" John Taylor Gatto has stated, "turning your children over to total strangers and having those strangers work on your child's mind - it's a mad idea."
TURNING YOUR CHILD OVER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BE INDOCTRINATED IS AN EVEN MADDER IDEA!
Sheriff's Office
I want to thank our member Joe Albanese for his work with the Sheriff's Office. He has been volunteering there (looks good in his uniform). He also met with me at the invitation of Sergeant Steve Wallace to discuss the Electronic Offender Monitoring program. I also got a good tour of the jail. Man, what an eye opener! Sgt. Wallace asked me to invite you all on the tour too. Would you like to form a group visit?
Here are a few facts:
70% of the people wearing ankle bracelet monitors work at a job. Often low paying, but they work.
85% of jail inmates have been declared "indigent" therefore, are not required to pay any of the cost - i.e. jail expense, legal defense expense, medical expense, etc.
No prisoner has cut his ankle bracelet in the 3 years of their use by the Sheriffs office. Other agencies have lost some, though. You might have heard about those.
Most cases where the bracelets are used are "child support cases."
Respectfully Submitted,
Hal James, Watchdog Committee Chairman
Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association
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