LUMBERTON — The county commissioners didn’t discuss their pay or benefits during their annual three-day retreat, but on Friday, the last day of the retreat, they did discuss their discretionary funds — and the consensus seemed to be that there is no problem.
One commissioner blamed the media, specifically The Robesonian, for trumping up the issue.
Commissioner Tom Taylor said that he has received two calls from people asking questions about discretionary funds. After explaining his position, both callers were satisfied, Taylor said.
“This is just being used as a divisive issue by the media to divide the community,” Commissioner Raymond Cummings said. “I haven’t had the first call about the funds. The people know that they are helped by these funds.”
Cummings said The Robesonian is to blame for negativity that is now swirling around a practice that has been the norm in Robeson County for years.
“This is just negativity from the newspaper,” Cumming said. “This is not a paper that tries to support unity.”
The Robesonian conducted an unscientific poll at robesonian.com last year, asking readers: “Do you think that each county commissioner should have a $40,000 discretionary fund?” There were 733 responses to the poll, with 85 percent saying no, 11 percent saying yes, and 4 percent saying they don’t know.
Kellie Blue, the county’s finance director, defended the county’s system of administering discretionary funds, saying that to try to create a general account code and budget line item for each group that receives discretionary funds has the “potential to be a nightmare.”
“There are other counties and cities that have discretionary funds, although they may call it something else and do it another way,” she said.
Blue outlined for the commissioners the way that discretionary funds are recorded and distributed. She said the process is the same as with any other check, and those who receive any of the funds have to file a W-9 form.
“We don’t have different books for discretionary funds,” she said.
The commissioners each receive $40,000 a year in a discretionary fund, a bump of $10,000 each for the current fiscal year — $320,000 a year total. The money is disbursed without a vote of the board, often to nonprofits such as fire departments and schools. If a commissioner does not spend all the money during a fiscal year, it rolls over to the next fiscal year.
The Robesonian last year looked at other counties and couldn’t find another with a discretionary fund for its commissioners. The city of Lumberton has a more modest fund, with each council member receiving $4,000 a year, money that can only be distributed with a full vote of the board.
During her presentation to the board on Friday, Wendy Chavis, director of the county’s Parks and Recreation, emphasized the importance of the discretionary funds to her department.
“If I didn’t have discretionary funds, our kids in the county would be without recreation,” Chavis said. “Recreation is a big part of everyday life.”
Chavis said that she uses the discretionary funds, along with whatever financial and labor donations she receives from the community, to provide for programs, equipment, and other expenses that are not covered in her budget. She said her current budget of $806,330 includes $400,000 in salaries for 11 full-time employees and two part-time employees.
Chavis said that her department funds all of the county’s sporting activities and maintains all of the county’s 27 parks.
Blue told the commissioners Friday that the county is in “good fiscal shape.” She said that for the fourth year in a row, the county is receiving a clean audit.
Blue encouraged the commissioners to think “conservatively” as they begin preparing the county’s 2013-14 fiscal budget.
“I know there will be some capital needs to fund, but try to keep the budget about where it is now,” she said.
Blue also told the commissioners to encourage departments to provide realistic budgets during the beginning of the budget process so that when the fiscal budget is adopted, the departments will not have to come back mid-year requesting more money.
“We want to be able to work within our budget with no surprises,” Blue said.
During the last day of the retreat, in the commissioners also heard reports from Jimmy Williamson, the county’s communications director, and Cathy Graham, executive director of the county’s Cooperative Extension Center.
County Manager Ricky Harris and interim Assistant County Manager Charles Britt made presentations.
“This is the only county that I know of that has cut taxes each of the past two years and still given employees a raise,” Harris said.
If the truth being reported leads to negative vibes in the community then what does that tell us?
Again, I hope that Cummings puts more thought into matters that concern the citizens of Robeson County than he did his comments for this article!
The discretionary funds are only one small issue that I have with our current commissioners. I also do not have strong opinions either way about a couple of the commissioners and I know that they can't accomplish much alone.
It appears obvious to me where the weak spots are and since I consider myself of average intelligence, I have to believe that those weak spots are obvious to most county residents, if they are paying attention.
I believe I can fly...Trust me.
On his behalf, I think that he has done about as well as he could, given his lack of leadership skills and business understanding. He is a follower, a pawn for some of the other commissioners to use to get a majority vote. Why didn't Chairman Noah Woods issue this statement?
We, as citizens, are just as much to blame for our problems as the commissioners. Maybe more!
We elect them and then we we don't stay in touch and make them accountable for their actions. We don't take action to effect change. Maybe because we don't quite know how to start or maybe because we don't know if we will be successful in our efforts or just become another person who gets ridiculed for not conforming.
I think we need some changes!
You couldn't pull this stuff over on Republicans, we'll fire em, but when we do, we end up with democrats. That's the problem in American politics, we Republicans will hold a Republican's feet to the fire and when they slip, we fire em. Democrats on the other hand wouldn't even fire Bill Clinton after he was impeached, or Kennedy after he killed that girl years ago, or even get rid of Robert Byrd after admitting he was a wizard in the KKK for years. You dems are pathetic and the politicians know it...
So just shut up and take what you deserve...
Please read this post with an open mind! If you want to use the discretionary funds that have been allotted for you to use please consider using them to help put a new roof on the west side building at South Robeson High School. Sirs, this building has been leaking profusely for a little over a year now and the ceiling tiles are falling in. This has been brought to the attention of the public schools administration, but they have consistently stated that they do not have the funds needed to repair it. But you commissioners have about what it would take. Please consider this request because, if one of those tiles were to fall and strike one of those children this county is going to be sued and that will be a shame on you and our school administration. Step up and show everyone that you are really concerned about our county. Thanks!
Corrected Version
Please read this post with an open mind! If you want to use the discretionary funds that have been allotted for you to use please consider using them to help put a new roof on the west side building at South Robeson High School. Sirs, this building has been leaking profusely for a little over a year now and the ceiling towels are falling in. This has been brought to the attention of the public schools administration, but they have consistently stated that they do not have the funds needed to repair it. But you commissioners have about what it would take. Please consider this request because, if one of those towels were to fall and strikes one of those children this county is going to be sued and that will be a shame on you and our school administration. Step up and show everyone that you are really concerned about our county. Thanks!
By the way whatever happened to his son losing his job at the jail? Wasn't it for sneaking in contraband or something to the inmates?
Thank you to the Robesonian for doing your job for the PEOPLE and holding our elected officials accountable to the hardworking citizens.
PS. Do you think Capone thought the IRS was being "divisive" when they shut him down?
People, something doesn't smell right, and its getting fishier and fishier as the months go on. We should have known they wouldn't do right when they took our money to pay themselves after leaving office from the proceeds of methane gas at the landfill! Only they didn't pay for the landfill, we did! that is OUR MONEY!!
As to Commissioner Cummings suggestion that the fund has been going on for years and he's never heard a complaint and that the Robesonian was crating a divisive issue with "negative" reporting, I can only say the following.
1. I've lived in Robeson County for over 10 years and I was NEVER made aware of this "discretionary fund" until I read it in the Robesonian.
2. Newspapers are SUPPOSED to make sure that citizens are aware of such things. In that sense, the Robesonian and Donnie Douglas were doing EXACTLY what a newspaper is SUPPOSED to do. He should be congratulated on sticking with this story and compelling an answer from the Board (even though I'm not satisfied with the answer personally) as to how money, that isn't voted on in public meeting, is spent. Perhaps the Commissioner forgets...it isn't HIS money. It's OUR money.
3. I still don't understand how the poorest county in the state can afford to simply ALLOCATE $320,000 a year with NO responsibility to the taxpayer on how it's spent.
Example: If one area of the county desperately needs major repairs to a County Fire Truck that can easily exceed $60,000 while other areas need more optional or deferrable things like backstop fences at ball parks, and the need occurs AFTER the routine budget has been established for the year, are the citizens who's area needs fire fighting equipment simply supposed to have their houses burn down because THEIR commissioner "only" got $40,000?