Art 10- Cleveland County Commissioners Not Paying their Bills!!! Some County Debt Turned over to a Collection Agency!!! Class Action Lawsuit against County being considered!! Is the County Broke?? Or just harassing their debtors??? Report and commentary by Robert A. Williams

All the while Cleveland County is shelling out big bucks for a fence at the County Fair and the Fair never came. All the while Cleveland County is shelling out big bucks on “laser grading” the ball field at Shelby High School for the American Legion World Series and the ALWS never came. All the while Cleveland County is spending big bucks to enlarge the Shooting Range and the Shooting Range can’t generate enough income to pay for itself. Neither can the Earl Scruggs Center or the Don Gibson or the Arts Council without major taxpayer grants from the County and the City of Shelby.

With all this discretionary spending, one would think Cleveland County has plenty of money just to throw around.

Now we find out that Cleveland County is NOT paying their bills to a number of creditors.

Former Coroner and Medical Examiner Robbie Morgan has given up on the County paying him what they owe on their own, so he hired a Collection Agency to collect what Cleveland County owes him. Other Medical Examiners that the County owes money to, but won’t pay are considering gong together in a Class Action Lawsuit against Cleveland County.

I personally blame the financial mess the Commissioners got themselves into when they abolished the office of Coroner on the loser and former Commissioners Jason Falls and Eddie Holbrook. Coroner Robbie Morgan’s wife had made a post on Jason Falls’ wife’s Facebook page criticizing the commissioners for taking a boondoggle trip with their wives, husbands and significant others to Washington, DC. (Perhaps similar to what School Board candidate Roger Harris is doing as we speak with his boondoggle trip to Raleigh for so-called essential training when such training is available on-line at home for $10. Other School Board Candidates Shearra Miller and Richard Hooker are also infamous for their boondoggle trips, coast to coast and everywhere in between.

Anyway, Falls’ wife gets mad at the Morgans and complains to her husband Jason Falls. Sneaky Jason teams up with Eddie “Massa Eddie” Holbrook to get back at Heidi Morgan by attacking husband Robbie Morgan. By elimination his Coroner position. Which they did. Claiming that they could save big money. I have told this story many times fully knowing it is true as I watch the Commissioners at their Commissioner’s meeting pull off this stupid and spiteful maneuver.

So, the Commissioners eliminate the Coroner’s position and adopt a plan that others counties had done in the past and regretted their decision. But the Cleveland County Commissioner’s refused to consider the new program was not working despite being told not to by other counties who believed the State Medical Examiner and eliminated the office of Coroner and then learned better. No, Jason Falls wife was made and the other Commissioners were also mad because their boondoggle trip was paid for by taxpayer funds and the Commissioners ended up having to pay the County back for the cost of their wives and significant others when I found out about the financial misdeeds and made a public records request for the trip expense records.

So, now we have Cleveland County having a Collection Agency breathing down their necks as well as a potential class action lawsuit. What do you think will now happen to the County’s credit rating? Especially since the County has to borrow from already high interest financial institutions. Such debt includes over $30 million that was given away for the Clearwater Expansion Project. Another $6 Million to build a third building on the speculation that it could be sold to a business that would bring jobs to Cleveland County. My information is the County had to give away the first two “Spec” buildings to get companies interested in the speculation.

So, here it is right before the 2020 Elections. Commissioner candidates Ronnie Whetstine, Johnny Hutchins and Kevin Gordon are all set to raise property and sales taxes in 2021. All the School Board candidates besides Samantha Davis, Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries and Rodney Fitch advocate raising taxes. (HINT-vote for Samantha Davis, Robert Queen, Ron Humphries, Joel Shores and Rodney Fitch for the School Board-They ALL said they would NOT raise taxes!!)

But folks, don’t believe a word I have said in this article. Check this out for yourself. The first person that can show me anything wrong with what is written in this article wins a $100 Prize. If you are brave, make that a $100 wager. I can always use that $100 I win off of you to pay a part of my next tax bill. LOL all the way to the bank!