Although the focus of Monday’s public hearing in front of Rowan County commissioners was slated to revolve around the proposed budget, the majority of speakers targeted two items in particular — the county animal shelter and West End Plaza.
Thirty people turned out to sign the petition and support or relay their concerns about the budget.
The majority did the latter.
The commissioners’ meeting room was packed with a colorful crowd, including members of the local animal advocacy group, Fix Rowan, wearing blue shirts. Members of La Resistance sported red berets in addition to red and yellow shirts displaying the words “stopthemalltax.com.”
Following the last speaker’s comments, commissioners voted to push back budget discussions to 5 p.m. June 16.
Some signed up to speak at the budget hearing to express their disapproval of how the county has proceeded in the process of transforming the Rowan County Animal Shelter.
Barbara Garwood said animal advocates cannot bear to see another adoptable animal put down or languish in the shelter without medical care.
“We made headway in March with Commissioner (Craig) Pierce’s proposal,” Garwood said.
The proposal included the end of the gas chamber and the hiring of a veterinarian at the shelter to assess animals received and administer appropriate medicinal needs.
A one-time cost to upfit the animal control center for the necessary equipment for sterilization was supposed to be added to this year’s budget, Garwood said, according to the proposal.
“The proposal passed unanimously. I know it hasn’t been long, but when you look at the county budget, where are the dollars promised to administer all appropriate medicinal needs? Nowhere are dollars allocated for a one-time cost to upfit an animal control center,” Garwood said. “That was promised to be added to the budget.”
As a member of advocacy group Fix Rowan, Jane Felts said the county needs a compassionate and competent animal control director.
“We have the Bandit incident, where the county and the employee under supervision were found guilty of violating at least five North Carolina statutes,” Felts said. “If one person had the guts to come forward and report such an incident, how many more incidents such as this have happened? We have mascots kept at the shelter that are not adoptable and fed and cared for on the taxpayer’s dime. The supervisor makes it sound like these animals are part of a petting zoo, yet no one I know who has visited the shelter with children has been offered to visit these animals.”
Other Fix Rowan members talked about the need for veterinary care at the shelter and having all animal control officers trained in the care of animals.
The overwhelming majority of Monday night’s speakers unabashedly ripped into commissioners on the mall purchase.
Sporting a La Resistance shirt, John Blair was calculating while speaking into the microphone.
“State law says you must present a balanced budget by June 30. The budget draft presented to you includes a presumption that the LGC agreed to give you a mortgage for the money you spent out of revenues,” Blair said. “They didn’t. For an old, dilapidated mall, (commissioners paid) more for it than the asking price and (incurred) the taxpayers with tremendous upkeep expenses.”
Blair urged commissioners to revise the budget figures to include the “real cost of your Fish House mall folly.”
“As a lame duck commission, do not saddle and tie the hands of the incoming commission for years to come,” Blair said.
At commissioners’ 3 p.m. meeting, Larry Wright defended commissioners and attacked the city, saying “it’s all about money and power.”
As a member of the county planning board, Wright said a person, or group, is spending a lot of money opposing the purchase of the mall.
“One would think that Salisbury citizens would be focused on how to fix the mess that the city is in. Instead, La Resistance, Southern Initiatives, Rowan Alliance and a group calling themselves the Dream Team are protesting because the commissioners purchased the Salisbury Mall for $3.45 million,” Wright said. “Their claim is that the price was too high, but no one has produced an appraisal to back up their claim.”
Scott Cannon, a business owner and lifelong county resident, told commissioners to “take a loss on the mall.”
“Sell it, put the money back into the budget to cover the LGC funds that are clearly listed that you are not going to get undoubtedly,” Cannon said.
Salisbury resident Scott Teeter said commissioners are elected by the county’s citizens to serve them in a fiscally responsible way.
Teeter agreed with a former speaker’s remarks the commissioners “borrow and spend, borrow and spend.”
“I have to make a slight adjustment. It’s spend and borrow. Spend and borrow is what you’ve done. You spent money from the general fund,” Teeter said. “Now, your counting on that money you were planning to get from the LGC. It’s in the budget. You don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Spending money that you don’t have for something you don’t need is not fiscal responsibility.”
Commissioner candidate Gene Miller called his disappointment in commissioners’ recent actions “an understatement.”
The mall purchase was not budgeted, Miller said.
“You either have no plan for its total use or you’re not telling anyone. You do not have a plan for renovations nor know exactly what renovations or repairs are needed,” Miller said. “Now, instead of asking for permission or assistance in making the decision to buy, you’re asking for forgiveness in the form of a bailout loan to replace the fund balance. This is the second time in two years you used fund balance to pay for large ticket items that are not on the budget.”
In 2008-09, the county’s fund balance stood at 24.6 percent, or $32 million, Miller said.
In five years, Miller said that number has gone down to 18.26 percent.
“Did you notice that your fund balance had gone from $32 million to $20 million in just five years,” Miller said. “Yes, we have gone through a major recession and you had to spend money to get through the hard times. But, with the fund balance going down every year, why did you think it would be OK to spend $5 million on an airplane hangar and a mall?”