CCTA WATCHDOG ALERT

June 12, 2014

Watchdog Alert! "Gay Rights" flag flyes over the American Embassy inTel Aviv

Fellow CCTA members and friends of CCTA:

Rick Hopkins, Chairman of CCTA, just received an email stating that the "Gay Rights" flag is being flown today over the American Embassy in Tel Aviv indicating support for the LGBTQ community according to US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro.

I did a Google search to verify that and found this article on The Times of Israel. Here is the web address of that article:http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-embassy-raises-flag-in-support-of-tlv-pride-week/  

Rick asked me to get out a notice to our membership so that they can express their displeasure to the President and the Secretary of State.  Here's contact information for the White House and the Department of State:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments 

Call the President

Phone Numbers

Comments: 202-456-1111

Switchboard: 202-456-1414

Contact information for the Secretary of State:

http://www.state.gov/contact/

Call the Secretary of State

·  Phone Number: (202) 647-4000.

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Let President Obama and Secretary Kerry know CCTA's displeasure!!!!

Hal James

CCTA Watchdog Chairman

CCTA   WATCHDOG Report

  Continuation -Part Two-NEW BERN BOARD OF ALDERMEN CALLED MEETING OF 

7 Aug 13

·       At 6:19 PM the Mayor solicits Board discussion.  The first question is from Alderman Bucher.  He wants to understand something about any vote for approval the Mayor has just referred to.  He  says that "the Board took a straw poll, no motion, no second.  So, we didn't vote to do this, but we voted to proceed and investigate it.  Is that the recollection the rest of you have?"  Bettis interjects before any of the Board members can answer Mr. Bucher.  The Mayor says, "In order to explain that, I presupposed you'd ask that.  Veronica has printed copies for the Board of the minutes of that meeting (the 2-16-13 Retreat).  Section C of the minutes of February 16, 2013 reads: 

·         

·        "C. Dscuss application for 146-12 waterfront easement

·       The waterfront easement was discussed.  The Board directed Mr. Epperson to look at purchassing the marina and applying for the 146-12 easement."      

·        

·       Alderman Bucher retorts, "I don't recall voting, specifically.  I'm interested in what the rest of the Board recollects".  Mayor Bettis shoots back, "the only way we direct the City Manager is by a vote".  Alderman Outlaw offers that "this is exactly what happened verbatim...I was in the minority - I was not in favor... but there was a majority vote to direct the City Manager to proceed..."  It was kind of a direction, not necessarily a vote.

·         

·         

·       Rhonda Taylor

·       CCTA Watchdog Reporter for NB Bd of Aldermen

·      Ward 6  

CCTA Watchdog Report- 7August 2013

Craven County Board of Commissioners Meeting 5 August 2013

5 AUGUST 2013

My Petition on behalf of CCTA

Petition to the Craven County Board of Commissioners Meeting - 5 Aug 13

I'm Hal James, and I am a spokesman for the Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association. I'm here to ask you not to set up the non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization for economic development that has been proposed by County Staff and the consultant hired to evaluate our economic development program.

These non-profit consortiums between government and private companies have a miserable record of failure everywhere they have been tried.

Let's start with the one involving the state of North Carolina, the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center. Auditors (thank God for auditors!) found that the nonprofit agency failed to provide proper oversight of millions in grants while paying its president $221,000 annually.North Carolina pays the State Secretary of Commerce $96,394. Additionally, the Center's vice-presidents were paid $130,000 and $120,000 annually. The center had earned $20 million in interest on taxpayer money placed in private banks and was holding it in reserve to pay salaries and benefits to its staff. Now the state of North Carolina is determined to get it back. HEY! IS IT ANY WONDER THESE STRAP-HANGERS LOVE NON-PROFITS!

The Governor called for the president of the center, Billy Ray Hall, and the Board Chairwoman to be replaced. There is a new Sheriff in town!

And what about the wonderful boondoggle of the Randy Partin Theatre in Rocky Mount? Another 501 (c) 3 consortium of government and private enterprise, it wasted God know how much taxpayer money!

Close to home, as a result of what auditors found, the president of the non-profit economic development agency in Lenoir County has been charged with embezzling close to $800,000. After an audit of the local Eastern Carolina Council of Governments, the president and the treasurer (who also ran a non-profit that contracted with these non-profit economic development agencies) resigned. Out of the hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars that had been loaned out, only 4 of the loans had been repaid! It's only Taxpayer money!

Now we come to the North Carolina Eastern Region which is the inheritor of the legacy of Global TransPark. Its grant writing and business loan talent are no longer in demand, and its staff is fighting to stay alive and employed. They're choosing to do this by transforming into yet another non-profit 501 (c) 3 consortium of government and private companies with the ability to obtain taxpayer money.

I don't know how the various county Boards of Commissioners around the state have escaped culpability for failure to provide oversight of the 501 (c) 3 organizations after taking part in establishing them and then appointing members to serve on their boards.

Just look at this record of these 501 (c) 3 economic development agencies and the multiple ways they have misused and stolen taxpayers' money, and run don't walk away from this.

Thanks for listening.

No action was taken by the Board in regard to my petition.

The Board considered the Language Access Plan

This Plan is to comply with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It affects all "programs or activities administered by Craven County." It benefits people with "Limited English Proficiency (LEA)." It requires the County to:

1)    Promptly identify LEA people.

2)    Obtain qualified interpreters.

3)    Provide written translations.

4)    Provide notice of availability in writing in a language they will understand that assistance is available free of charge, and the free service includes an interpreter.

5)    Monitor language needs and implementation including procedures, reporting, and monitoring.

6)    Resolve any complaints.

Of Course, the Board had "no choice" but to adopt this plan to avoid the wrath of the federal government.

The Board also considered Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)

Fair Housing

This program is also covered by the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Language in this policy statement includes: "Craven County desires that every citizen be afforded the opportunity to select a home of his or her choice."

Obtaining these grants requires the county to accept the following Fair Housing Policy:

1)    Receiving, acknowledging and informing the NC Human Relations Commission of all housing discrimination complaints, then assisting the commission in the investigation and reconciliation of the complaint.

2)    Publicize that the Planning Director is the local official to contact with housing discrimination complaints.

Conduct of Officers, Employees, or Agent

No employee, office, or agent of the County will:

1)    Solicit or accept any gratuity intended to influence contract awards.

2)    Participate in the selection of contractors or contract with family members, partners, etc.

3)    Accept gratuities from contractors.

4)    Discipline offenders.

5)    Take action to punish contractors who violate the policy.

Scattered Site Program

Local Economic Benefit for Low and Very Low Income Persons Plan

Requires the County to adopt the following resolutions, guidelines, plans and policies:

1)         Housing Assistance Policy

2)         Housing Work Contract Award Policy

3)         Citizen Participation Plan

4)         Residential Anti-displacement and Relocation Assistance Plan

5)         Local Economic Benefit Plan for Low and Very Low Income Persons

6)         Equal Employment and Procurement Policy

7)         Policy Concerning Code of Conduct

8)         Fair Housing Policy

9)         Policy Prohibiting Use of Excessive Force

10)           Temporary Relocation Policy

All these policies, etc., require the county to do the federal government's bidding on a lot of subjects. The requirements are written on normal printing paper that when stacked together are about a half inch thick. I won't bore you with more detail, but I do have a copy if you want to pursue it.

The feds will spend $750,000 of taxpayer money in Craven County this year on their CDBG Infrastructure Program. That program comes with many strings attached.

911 Radio Equipment Purchase

The final subject I want to cover is the request by Stanly Kite, Emergency Service Director, to obtain funding for 911 radio equipment. This request was for $256,305. Stanley told me after the meeting that vendors pressured him to replace all our 911 equipment with the latest and greatest equipment at a cost of around $4 million! It gets hard to be a good steward of taxpayer money, I am sure! We owe Stanley our appreciation for his efforts to get taxpayers the most bang for our bucks.

Respectfully Submitted,

  

Hal James, Watchdog Committee Chairman

Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association

New Bern, North Carolina, 28560

Craven County Board of Commissioners Meeting 15 July 2013

CCTA WATCHDOG REPORT

Craven County Board of Commissioners Meeting 15 July 2013

Settlement of 2012 Taxes

Roughly $47 Million taxes were levied for 2012. 98.4% was collected, putting Craven County in the top 15% of counties in North Carolina in collection efficiency.

Assistance by the County Manager's Office.  

The two presentations discussed below were presented after the regular meeting of the Board, and the County Manager's Office very graciously provided me with the Power Point slides used. (I can present them at a CCTA meeting if you want more detail.)

Public Health Cost Containment Plan

Isn't it interesting how appropriate our study of The Marketing of Evil is? The plan presented is anything but "Cost Containment," though we all now recognize how words are systematically used to make bad things sound good.  Scott Harrelson, Director of the Health Department, gave the presentation. He started with a chart that showed that, over time, the county's share of the Health Department budget has gone down to about 22%. He then showed a chart that showed that "Clinic Revenues" are replacing the county tax dollars. Of course, "Clinic Revenues" are provided by Medicaid, Medicare, insurance, Grants, and a little from the patients, meaning, of course, that most of the revenue is gained on the back of some taxpayer somewhere. He then showed a chart that showed the federal taxpayer financial support was way the heck up at 47%! This is progress?

Then came the pitch for the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). The first advantage listed on that slide was that the Defined Service Area could keep undesirable FQHCs out of our area. Meaning competition would be stifled. Great, huh?   Remind you of anything?   He then added to Medicaid and Medicare income the advantage that employees could pay off their taxpayer student loan debts by working off about $25,000 per year of their debt to the taxpayer by their service to the FQHC.   Wonderful, huh? Good for government employees and bad for taxpayers.

The FQHC would also get 340 B drug pricing. I guess that is good because it is high and not paid by the patient. Wow! How great is that?

Then the real kicker, base funding by the federal taxpayer is $650,000. But, Mr. Harrelson warns, that might not materialize. DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP!

Next Mr. Harrelson told the Board what they would have to do:

            Provide $22,000 to the grant writer. A great grant writer will do it for that!

            Set up a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization as a co-applicant for the public entity application. (The Health Department will also be a co-applicant). I think I am beginning to hate "501(c)(3)" as much as I hate the word, "grant."

            Set up a separate board to oversee services under the FQHC.

Bottom line...

EVERY MEMBER OF OUR CRAVEN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS VOTED TO PROCEED WITH THE PLAN AND APPLY FOR THE FQHC CERTIFICATE OF NEED.

WOW! ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL?

Now let me give you the real kicker. Before the meeting, I asked Mr. Harrelson if all this profit the county could make (like New Bern does on its electricity utility company) would make it feasible to "privatize" the venture. He said some localities in NC are doing that. The idea never got mentioned in the meeting. I guess staff is not ready for that.

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategic Plan   

I will say it surely is "comprehensive."

A presentation was made about this "compressive plan" by Kyle Talente, Vice-President of RKG Associates. No mention was made of North Carolina's Eastern Region, AKA Global TransPark or the potential to recover roughly $1.5 Million dollars of Craven County taxpayer's money to be used for economic development in our county. BUT there was a huge push for funding and staffing (up to 4 staff positions were mentioned, most sounding pretty high salaried).

After working hard to get County control of economic development within the County, and to get rid of the regional approach that had expensive staff and showed very little results, the Board of Commissioners appears to be bent on creating a similar situation again! Without even having received a written report from the consultants hired to make recommendations on economic development, and based on conversations with the consultants, and a slide presentation, they appear ready to buy this expensive venture hook, line, and sinker!

I also suspect, but don't know, that they will want to take the $1.5+ million received from departing NCER and put it into this new 501 (C) (3) joint venture with government and private entities. The consultant advised them to go slow and give a contract (any idea who wants it?) to a consulting firm to provide services until it would cost more to extend the contract than to directly hire staff.

The recommendations made under the title, "Workforce and Asset Development," are either already being done in Craven County or have already been tried and proven ineffective:

            Create a development site inventory- already tried out at Clarks. (This tends to be expensive, a waste of money, and it will be done FREE by a developer when the time is ripe for such a move to be economically feasible.)

            Build a shell building- Didn't we try this once? (Same criticism as the point above.)

            School to work connectivity- Already being done.

            Tie-in Community College- Already being done.

            Implement a business needs survey- Already being done.

The only thing new I saw was a formal existing business retention program. Good idea! Get tax and regulation off their backs! That works every time.

There is to be a meeting this evening at the Convention Center in New Bern of "stakeholders" to receive the same sales pitch as the Board of Commissioners got this morning. Everyone and his brother appears to be a

"stakeholder" except the taxpayer. How does that work? Even though three members of the Board of Commissioners are members of CCTA, so presumably they recognize our perspective as that of taxpayers, we have not been invited. Oh well, I've heard all I want to hear about it anyway. Our Board of Commissioners is tuning up to greatly enlarge government in two ways. So here we go again. And as Raynor points out, the economic development aspect could be handled by decent industrial/commercial real estate agents/brokers for FREE if the tax/regulation/transportation network/workforce elements were handled properly by government.

Respectfully Submitted,

Hal James, Watchdog Committee Chairman

Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association

New Bern, North Carolina