Gentlemen (Dear Commissioners, September 10, 2012) | Eastern North Carolina Now

    The Quick Start II building is now offered for sale at $1.5 million. This is $900,000 beneath its construction cost and the loss must be increased to include financing, maintenance and depreciation of the structure due to age.

    Rumor has it that you have only have had one actual bid for the property in five years and that this bid was so low that it was rejected to avoid its becoming an election embarassment for QSII and EDC's supporters now running for election.

    The potential loss to the taxpayers, on this one building, is potentially nearing $1.5 million, yet there is no frank and open discussion of the size of the problem.

    Buyers can only be attracted by an open and above board offering of the property. Secrecy speaks to favoritism and favoritism discourages inquiries from honest buyers.

    In fairness to the taxpayers, the building should be widely advertized in commercial real estate journals and in the newspapers of Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington. The rejected price should be published, in order to alert buyers as to what pricing is seen as being to low. The county commissioners need to put the best interest of the taxpayers ahead of their own. This mess has been created because the county and city leadership has refused to keep the public informed of the disengenuous machinations of the county's development lobby. Closed meetings, favored relationships and secret negotiations have been the bane of this process. Far too much has been tolerated for far too long. It is time for full disclosure and open dissemination of information.

    Regards,

    Warren Smith


Quotation of the Day...

    ... is from page 15 of Thomas Sowell's 1979 essay "Adam Smith in Theory and Practice," which is Chapter 1 in Adam Smith and Modern Political Economy, Gerald P. O'Driscoll, Jr., ed. (1979; footnotes as well as page references to Smith's Wealth of Nations eliminated; ellipses original to Sowell):

    To [Adam] Smith it seemed unlikely that the "artificial direction" given to the economic efforts of society would be better than the direction it would have taken "of its own accord." But here as elsewhere in The Wealth of Nations, the question was ultimately not one of theory but of fact.

    History showed that governments habitually mismanaged economic affairs, that such mismanagement was difficult to correct (in contrast to the market's swift correction by bankruptcy), and the the whole bias of government projects was toward things that were big and showy rather than useful. A government will often create works "of splendour and magnificence" to be seen by those whose applause will flatter its vanity and promote its political interests but will neglect "a great number of little works" which may have "extreme utility" but present no "great appearance" to "excite ... the admiration" of passers-by. Down through the centuries governments have been prone to operate at a deficit, often using tricky fiscal devices to conceal just how much they were in debt.
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N.C. Could Save Billions With New Medicaid Approach County Commissioners, Government, Governing Beaufort County Climate In Tar Heel State For School Choice Improving


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Latest Governing Beaufort County

North Carolina's Rate Bureau has requested for 2024 an annual increase of 42.2%, whereby North Carolina's Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has exhibited a great willingness to take a firm stand against such an exorbitant increase.
I reckon one could always argue that ignorance rests in the eyes of the beholder, but, I'm not taking that bet ... not in these Orwellian times, when so few of our fellow travelers know so little of what is real, and far too much of what otherwise might be terminally fake.
There were numerous local professional and educational opportunities showcased on Wednesday at the Beaufort County Job and Resource Fair.
Please click on the link to access the agenda for the Monday, February 12, 2024 City Council meeting
The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners will hold a special called meeting with the Beaufort County Board of Education on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 3:30 PM at the Professional Development Center located at 845 Pierce St, Washington, NC.
The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners will meet at 121 W. 3rd St, Washington, during the following times for their annual Planning Retreat:
The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners will meet in regular session on Monday, February 5, 2024 at 5:30 PM in the boardroom located at 136 W. 2nd St, Washington, NC
This morning’s update included very minor changes to timing of today’s forecasted impacts.
This afternoon’s update from the National Weather Service (NWS) included another increase in the forecasted wind conditions for Beaufort County.

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This morning’s update from the National Weather Service (NWS) included an elevated threat of severe weather, to include the possibility of tornados, as well as an increase in the forecasted wind conditions.
Our office is continuing to monitor an approaching cold front that is expected to bring high winds, elevated water levels, rain and the potential for severe storms to our area Tuesday and Wednesday. Forecast details for Beaufort County can be found below.
Please click on the link to access the agenda for the Monday, January 8, 2024 City Council meeting.
Our office is currently monitoring the forecast of an approaching cold front that is expected to bring windy conditions, rain and the possibility of severe storms to eastern NC on Tuesday.
The Beaufort County Finance Committee will meet on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 3:00 PM in the conference room located at 136 W. 2nd St.
This afternoon’s update continues to trend towards a strengthening storm system for our area Sunday and Monday.
This morning’s update continues to trend towards a strengthening storm system for our area Sunday and Monday.
The Beaufort County Commissioners meet each month for one general meeting to do most of the People's business here in Beaufort County, and we present that meeting in full review here on ENC NOW.
The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners will hold a special called meeting on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 4:00 PM in the Commissioners boardroom located at 136 W. 2nd Street.

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