To the Editor,
With all due respect to the county commissioners, the public is very concerned about spending, from the federal level to the county level. Spending is out of control and this country is broke.
Why do the Robeson County commissioners have higher pay and benefits than most, if not all, of the other counties in the state? We are the poorest county in North Carolina and have some of the highest taxes.
It is obscene to hand out $320,000 a year of hard-earned tax dollars to be spent as individual commissioners see fit, without a vote or discussion with the other commissioners. If there is a legitimate need for tax dollars, then there is a legitimate need for the commissioners to discuss and vote on funding this need.
I personally do not trust any politician to hand out tax dollars without oversight; it is to easy to give to the person or organization that will back you in an election, rather than seriously consider the need. Having been done this way in the past is not a reason to continue the practice.
The needs in this community are great: Our schools are suffering from lack of funding; teachers are paying for supplies; mobile units need replacing, security should be updated etc., etc.
Since the commissioners refuse to address discretionary funds, salary and benefits, this problem needs to be on the ballot the next election and let weary taxpayers speak.
Evelyn Smith
Lumberton
With these so-called leaders one thing comes out their mouth, but their actions are totally different. We need some women to start running for commissioner spots. They got more sense any day than a conniving, double- talking excuse for a boy.
Watch what they do, not what they say! When some of these folk have to spend some jailtime for stealing citizens money through lack of transparency, some respect will come back to the office of commissioner. It;s like my momma tol me,it'll all come out in the wash!