The Duplin County Board of Commissioners meeting this evening was a full house after the board faced some scrutiny recently. This comes after the county purchased a corporate golf membership which they say was an effort to expand tourism, but community members are not so convinced.
We are not going away, we are not backing down, and the more you ignore us the louder we will get.
Monday’s Duplin County Board of Commissioners meeting brought a full house. Not only in the boardroom, but in the hallway, and the front room.
The board did not address the topic during the meeting, and neither did the County manager Bryan Miller.
I’ve never seen our community so united.
Community advocate Jessica Thomas says they will get answers.
Taxpayers have every right to ask for this information and receive this information about where our tax money is going.
She says that when she first inquired about the numbers, she was met with resistance getting answers.
And that the 5400 dollars for golf membership was the final nail in the coffin.
Transparency’s the law in North Carolina, it shouldn’t be an option, especially in our government.The reality is, if we all paying better attention, it would not take a Facebook hissy fit to implore people to participate.
The social media reaction following the post on Duplin County’s Facebook page pushed the county to react.
Uploading another post that the purchase was part of a broader program, but Thomas is not so convinced.
So when I started investigating and um—I was met with resistance. It’s a lack of accountability, a lack of transparency, that sent up every red flag for me.
She encourages the community to remain diligent.
We have rights as taxpayers, and we should know about those rights and use those rights to benefit our community.
Following the meeting, the board went into closed session, and I was unable to ask the Commissioners or county manager any follow up questions.