Iredell County commissioners voiced their displeasure Tuesday at the way the state government is helping to trim its own budget by passing some costs on to the counties.
During their regular meeting, commissioners reluctantly approved a matter regarding the renting of office space for the North Carolina Department of Corrections Intensive Probation & Parole Division.
The plan calls for the spending of $36,000 of county money for a one-year lease of offices located on Cooper Street.
But, because it is a state-run department and division that the county plays no role in overseeing, commissioners voiced displeasure at having to be involved in the matter at all.
"This is crazy," said Commissioner Ken Robertson. "It's nuts. It would be like us telling Statesville that they have to take care of all the courthouses located in their city."
Added Robertson, "The state has their hands deep in our pockets and this is one way to shed expenses and shift it to the counties."
Commissioner Steve Johnson even brought up the New Jersey governor's race from earlier this month.
"The reason property taxes were the biggest issue in the New Jersey race (earlier this month) is because states do this all the time," Johnson said, and added, "If this keeps up, you're going to see the rates of property taxes being determined in Raleigh."
Robertson entertained the idea of simply not voting to approve paying the rent.
But County Manager Joel Mashburn said the state gave the county three options, and rejecting the matter was not one of them.
"It's the law," Mashburn said. "You must select one of these three options."
Also at Tuesday's meeting:
+ Among the good news in the 2008-2009 fiscal year audit was that the county collected $3.3 million more in that year than it did the year before for a total of more than $89 million.
The county also has just under $37.5 million in its General Fund reserves, which amounts to approximately 15 percent of the annual budget, and is enough to cover about two months worth of budgetary expenses.
Two weeks ago, County Finance Director Susan Blumenstein told commissioners that, in light of the flagging economy, things in Iredell County are not as bleak as had been anticipated.
She said then that the county would only have to use about $535,000 of the General Fund reserves.
Early estimates by Blumenstein and other county leaders had placed that number at $2 million.
"This is a good report for these economic times," said Board of Commissioners Chairman Godfrey Williams.
+ Commissioners touched on an issue related to prayers that are said at the start of meetings.
After referring to an article that appeared in the R&L and other newspapers regarding the invocation of sectarian religious language, Commissioner Scott Keadle pulled out a copy of the U.S. Constitution and read parts of its First Amendment.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," Keadle read.
He then added, "I understand that people in robes sometimes read things differently. ... But, number 1, this is not Congress and, number 2, Mr. Johnson (who typically offers the meeting prayer) is not making any laws."
Johnson implied that knowledge of American history was an important part of one's sense of self.
Paraphrasing famed American historian George Bancroft, Johnson said, "If you do not teach your children their heritage, they will grow up to despise you."
+ Board Vice Chairman Marvin Norman was absent from Tuesday's meeting as he recovers from an open-heart surgery procedure performed last week.
Norman had triple bypass surgery and also had a valve on his heart repaired.
Mashburn and Williams both said they had spoken to Norman Tuesday and said his spirits were good and he had started walking the hallways at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, where the surgery was performed.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement