Editor’s Note: Shelby Star article title reads Cleveland County gets federal funding for COVID relief. Only thing is, did we, Cleveland County, need any COVID relief???
As I recall, Cleveland County declared an emergency due to the coronavirus when there were zero
cases of the coronavirus in Cleveland County. I was at the Commissioner’s meeting when they did this and heard Commissioner Johnny Hutchins say that by doing this, “we can collect on whatever money becomes available.” According to the Shelby Star, Tim Moore just brought in $1.8 Million for Cleveland County out of a $150 Million grant from the Federal Government to North Carolina.
Now, the County Manager’s Office is working hard trying to figure out where and how to spend this EXTRA money.
According to the Star, the county met with community partners to see what the needs are in the community and how the money should be used. (A sure indication that the so-called “Partners” were meeting to figure out how to spend the unbudgeted money) According to the plan, funding would be used in various ways including:
• Sanitation stations which would offer masks, gloves and sanitizer. (Where these Sanitation Stations will be located is questionable.)
• Personal protective equipment (Where will this equipment be stored and for and for whom??)
• Operational reimbursement to the county which had to move quickly to shift to remote work (What remote work??? And by whom?? An obvious hiding place for money!!)
• Outreach marketing (What is this Outreach Marketing? “Come to Cleveland County where there is little COVID-19 to begin with??)
• A portion of funds will be set aside of the fall and will be used either for a future resurgence of the virus or a vaccine. (Set aside money in a special account and then funnel it somewhere else when nobody is looking?)
$1.8 million for these questionable uses appears ridiculous. But bureaucracies are like that. There will certainly be people hired to manage this money and what happens when this grant runs out” Taxpayers will pick up the tab. That is how bureaucracies work. Always expand into whatever grant money is available and raise taxes when that money runs out.
In the end, Cleveland County taxpayers will be on the hook for more and more. Perhaps we would be better to just give the money back to where it came from.
Especially when the new tax and spend County Commissioner candidate Kevin Gordon comes aboard. And he will as the Democrats only put up one candidate for the Commissioners 2020 election. A black male homosexual at that. Normally unelectable in Cleveland County. But, Hey!!! I say Single-Shot Protest vote for Shawn Murphy for County Commissioner in the 2020. He will probably be the best Commissioner Candidate on the 2020 ballot. At least he is honest about who he is.
