Report, speculation, eritas, conclusions and opinions by Robert A
Folks, you don’t have to be a Rocket Scientist or a retired Nuclear Engineer sitting on the front row at the June 3, 2025 CC Commissioner’s Meeting to figure out that a hefty new Property Tax Bill will be a catastrophe for Economic Development in Cleveland County.
Cleveland County is already a Tier 1 (POOR) County and Companies these days figure, down to the half-penny, every cost they will incur if they stay in or move to Cleveland County, NC. Or anywhere else. Even the hint of a thought by a Board of County Commissioners about raising property taxes, even by just a little bit, is probably enough to cause the Chief Financial Officer of every business in Cleveland County to consider leaving or staying or just staying away from Cleveland County, NC…
First Casualty:
Formerly FASCO, now Solero is shutting its doors in Cleveland Country after 50 years of smooth and continuous operation. 148 good job employees and ZERO layoffs.
The Shelby Star reported on November 12, 2024; that the former FASCO Plant was closing its doors. This was right in the middle of a CC Commissioner leadership “meltdown” caused by the huge cost increases related to the New Justice Center Project construction and the well understood fact that Cleveland County was “broke” and was going to reevaluate Property Values in 2025 that would surely raise property tax bills immediately thereafter in 2025. This was soon after the FASCO Parent Company Solero had sold all its plants in Europe and elsewhere and was consolidating “strategic repositioning” to the United States, Europe and China. Yet, Solero, saw the long-term “handwriting” on the wall related to Cleveland County and closed down the Shelby plant lock, stock and barrel. Including 148 good paying jobs. Solero basically slammed their doors shut in Shelby because of Kevin Gordon, Deb Hardin, Johnny Hutchins and Doug Bridges total lack of business acumen. A tax and spend attribute that again raised its ugly head at the June 3, 2025 CC Commissioner’s Meeting
Second Casualty:
Consider the longtime Chinese Restaurant near the Shelby Walmart.
The property owners where that Chinese Restaurant once operated, surely knowing that the big “tax and spend” Cleveland County Commissioners: Kevin Gordon, Deb Hardin, Johnny Hutchins and Doug Bridges-all poor stewards of CC taxpayer funds like the $105 Million$ that the State had previously provided to CC for their part of the New Justice Center Project construction.
That $105,000,000.00, has now somehow “disappeared” from the County’s Commissioner controlled Budget and bank accounts.
Which means that these Foolish Cleveland County Commissioners are NOW going to raise property tax bills to historic amounts to make up for those losses. Especially since these nitwit, foolish and wasteful Commissioners were right in the middle of the biggest and totally unnecessary New Justice Center Project were already in financial trouble and a big Property Tax Increase was surely coming in FY 25-26.
So, in anticipation of the worst, the Property Tax increase that was soon coming with certainty, caused the Property Owner to raise the rent significantly on that Chinese Restaurant. Which means that Chinese Restaurant’s closing was The SECOND CASUALTY of Commissioner Chairman Kevin Gordon’s tax and spending ways.
Third Casualty:
The phased closing (at the end of 2025) of the Coats Plant (formally the Patrick Yarn Mill) in Kings Mountain. After 60 years of operation. 173 Employees-to be laid-off in three phases. (No reason for this closing the Coats KM Plant was offered by Coats.)
The Shelby Star recently reported that the Coats Plant in Kings Mountain would be closing its doors at the end of 2025. Its Kings Mountain Plant closing was the result of a “strategic review of the business and in response to structural market changes.” No other Coats Plant in North Carolina was affected by this strategic review. According to the Shelby Star, the IKM Coats Plant will lay off employees in three stages until everybody is finally gone from the Cleveland County plant.
Business Savvy individuals would immediately realize that Coats corporate management personnel would pick up news of a huge Property Tax Bill increase in Cleveland County would affect Coat’s bottom line profit and loss statements and that Coats would NOT leave such power in the hands of rinky-dink Cleveland County Commissioners Kevin Gordon, Deb Hardin, Johnny Hutchins and Doug Bridges. And rightly so. These four tax and spend Commissioners have continued to sink $millions into Shooting ranges, ALWS Baseball games, The Scruggs Center, The LeGrand Center and NOW-the NEW Justice Center Project and the Hundreds of Million$ of cost over-runs and not sense enough to get ahold of their toxic and unnecessary projects in any business-like manner. NO business is going to come in and waste their profits at the hands of Kevin Gordon, Deb Hardin, Johnny Hutchins and Doug Bridges.
FOURTH CASUALTY:
A “Potential textile company (Project Ball) backs out of plan for Kings Mountain Location” Shelby Star article dated June 3, 2025.
84 jobs and $5,292,000.00 per year payroll ($63,000 per year average salary) looking for other places in North Carolina besides Cleveland County.
Folks, on the very day that the CC Commissioners were meeting to “Ordain” the new FY 25-26 CC Budget and its huge Property Tax Bill increases and other fee cost increases, a potential textile company that had already went through all kinds of “processes” to make all the business arrangements to open a new facility in Kings Mountain, just up and decided NOT to touch Cleveland County with a 10 mile long poll. Leaving Kings Mountain with having to return about $500,000 or more in incentives that they had already arranged to pay this “Potential” company. Only a “pig-headed fool” would not understand that this was directly and immediately caused by the new FY 25-26 Budget with the huge property Tax Bills that the Cleveland County Commissioners were bound to approve. And did approve, on a split vote.
Folks, Robert A could easily say,” I told you so!!” because Robert A DID TELL YOU SO!! And Cleveland County was “stuck on stupid” to re-elect Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins!!! And, look what YOU got!!
And, now all everybody can do is pay the new Kevin Gordon, Johnny Hutchins and Doug Bridges Property Tax Bills and cast around for two new Commissioners in the 2026 CC Commissioners Elections to replace Deb Hardin and Doug Bridges. Or get another huge increase in Property Tax Bills in the FY26-27 Budget. Robert A recommends people in 2026 find out who the CCGOP leaders are backing and vote for someone else. Anybody else. (Except for Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Dennis Bailey. Walter Scott Spurling, Ron Humphries, Aaron Bridges and a few others that Robert A will think of later.
