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Land Ho!

7/31/2013

Psst! Have I got a deal for you!

A couple of weeks ago all the documents relating to the sewage plant land purchases made by The ‘Ommissioners on Hester Rd and Cannadys Mill Rd were requested, including the appraisals. All the documents requested except for the appraisals were received.

The appraisals were of particular interest because The ‘Ommissioners paid such an exorbitant price ($18,750/acre) for the Cannadys Mill Road tract, when all recent comparable land sales have been in a price range of $3,000-$5,000 an acre.

So, it had been a while, and thought it was time to follow up.

This email arrived today from Tom Currin, City Attorney for The ‘Ommissioners. Thought everyone would enjoy reading it.

From: Lori Dutra [mailto:oxfordlawld@embarqmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 11:37 AM
To: Robin Reif
Subject: Inquiry by Ms. Blaine

Ms. Reif:

You have asked us to review our file on the options/purchases of the Hester tract and the
Cannady Road tract by the City for appraisals done.

The City negotiated these options and purchases at arms length with each owner and no appraisal
was necessary to reach an agreed price. There are no appraisals to release.

Lori A. Dutra
CURRIN & DUTRA, LLP

You know there’s a lot of land for sale In Granville County for $18,750 an acre at “arm’s length” especially without an appraisal!

“Arm’s length” has nothing to do with determining market value. An appraisal is the way a government or anyone determines fair market value. So, how was fair market value determined?

Certainly appears to be poor public policy, worse legal advice. Looks like an “over/under” rather than “arm’s length” real estate deal – overpriced/under the table.

And that's why...

Something Stinks In Creedmoor!

2 Comments

Stealth Tax! Under the Radar!

7/31/2013

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Stealth tax rate bombs Creedmoor!

If you haven't checked out the www.savethe tar.org website yet, PLEASE do. It's got lots of excellent information on it. One of the best tools is from UNC, the UNC’s Water and Wastewater Rates Dashboard.

Play with it a bit and you will realize that Creedmoor water and sewer customers pay the second highest rates in the entire state of North Carolina.

Compare these numbers for a water and sewer bill of 5,000 gallons a month

$131.57 Creedmoor Customer
$84.80 SGWASA Customer

That's a $47 a month overcharge current Creedmoor users pay for water and sewer. That's almost $600 a year more that Creedmoor upcharges to profit from Creedmoor's citizens.

On last year's, 2011 budget, those overcharges amounted to $721,612 that Creedmoor used for general purposes. A cash cow for The 'Ommissioners, a slush fund; a stealth tax courtesy of The 'Ommissioners for the citizens of Creedmoor.

Creedmoor has the second highest water and sewer rates in the state and Creedmoor citizens pay the highest tax rate in Warren, Vance, Granville and Person Counties.

If The 'Ommissioners have their way and build the sewage plant on Hester Road, Creedmoor can be number one in both!

2 Comments

Tongue Tied?

7/29/2013

2 Comments

The Mayor

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King

Mayor Moss claims that it is in the best interest of the citizens of Creedmoor for Creedmoor to join SGWASA and drop the plans for a sewage plant on Hester Road. But he is strangely silent on it whenever he talks to the press (see WRAL here and News and Observer here) and says Creedmoor is pursuing a “dual strategy.”

It’s time for Mayor Moss to stop this forked tongue approach – saying one thing to his constituents and working toward a different purpose against their interests behind the scenes.

The mayor certainly seems to be at cross purposes as to what is best for the citizens of Creedmoor. Why can’t he come out and honestly advocate for what is right?

Why the silence when given the opportunity to make his case for the citizens of Creedmoor? Who is The Mayor working for?
What is the content of his character?

Something Stinks In Creedmoor!

2 Comments

Save the Tar River!!

7/27/2013

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Upper Tar River

Great new website with lots of important information on this wasteful, wrongheaded sewage plant The 'Ommissioners want to build. Check it out NOW!!

www.savethetar.org

But The 'Ommissioners don't care what happens to the Heart of Granville County...

Something Stinks In Creedmoor!

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Thrown Under the Bus!

7/25/2013

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DWI? Driving While Inept?

Mr. Ed Mims, Granville County Commissioner for District 5 and resident of Creedmoor, attended the Creedmoor Commissioner’s meeting Monday night.

After the meeting, Mr. Mims told The News and Observer Reporter, Sarah Barr, who was also in attendance, that Creedmoor’s proposed sewage plant will place a $58 million dollar debt burden on the citizens of southern Granville County.

Mr. Ed Mims made it clear, “We can not afford this plant.”

The Southern Granville Water and Sewer Authority has a loan for $30 million to upgrade its existing facility to meet Falls Lake Rules for Water Quality and is already in that process. Creedmoor’s intent to build a new, unnecessary sewage plant will fragment the regional approach and place an unsustainable level of debt on all the citizens in southern Granville County.

That’s why reasonable political leaders know…

Something Stinks in Creedmoor!

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'Ommissioners' "Baa!"

7/24/2013

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"Baa! Baa!"

The sorry saga of the $27 million dollar sewage plant boondoggle reached a new low last night. Yet, The ‘Ommissioners soldier on in hot pursuit of this economic and environmental disaster for southern Granville County despite the proof that the sewage plant is unnecessary, financially and environmentally harmful.

Hidden government dealing will inevitably breed distrust and lead to outbursts of citizens’ outrage. Here is an example from The ‘Ommissioners’ Meeting last night.

An irate citizen rose to address The Mayor and The ‘Ommissioners,

“Who is benefitting from this inside deal? Which one of you sitting at that table is benefitting?”

As if to confirm every citizens’ growing suspicions, The ‘Ommissioners’ unsealed minutes from 16, (yes that is not a typo), 16 separate, secret meetings concerning the under the table, behind closed door dealings about the plant. What else do The Mayor and The ‘Ommissioners have to hide?

Sealed minutes, secret meetings, secret negotiations lead to suspicion and distrust between the government and its citizens. Operating a government behind closed doors seems to be the norm for Creedmoor. And that’s why…

Something Stinks in Creedmoor!

1 Comment

Flaming Out!

7/23/2013

1 Comment

Oh, no! Not AGAIN!

Here we go again. Mayor Darryl Moss just keeps having a time keeping his facts straight.

In the WRAL piece on the financially wasteful and environmentally harmful sewage plant, Mayor Moss says

“When you get new information, I think you have an obligation to re-evaluate.”

The “new information” Mayor Moss is referring to is that last AUGUST, yes AUGUST 2012, SGWASA offered to pay $13.5 million dollars to Creedmoor for Creedmoor’s water and sewer infrastructure, making the proposed plant entirely unnecessary. Prior to November 2012 The Mayor also knew the US Fish and Wildlife Service had declared the plant environmentally unsound.

The Mayor knew all this BEFORE Creedmoor applied for the $27 million dollar (politically earmarked) boondoggle loan from the US Government.

But even worse The Mayor has publically stated that he knows that building the new plant will cost each constituent he is elected to represent $70 more per month for water and sewer service.

The citizens of Creedmoor burn financially while The Mayor Fiddles.

That’s why folks are certain that

Something Stinks in Creedmoor!

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Commissioners Meeting!

7/22/2013

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Creedmoor Commissioners Meeting Today!! July 23, Tuesday, at 7 PM at Creedmoor Town Hall.

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Down Wind?

7/22/2013

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It's spreading!

WRAL just got wind of the goings on up here and in case you missed it, here is the link to Beau Minnick's story. It ran Friday on WRAL's 6 o'clock news.

As you can see, news of The 'Ommissioner's wrong-headed, financially and environmentally harmful plans has spread. It's not only the folks on Hester Road who know this sewage plant stinks, now folks statewide know it, too.

Creedmoor town government - laced with good ole boy, under the table, closed door dealings - is definitely NOT the way to enhance the reputation of Creedmoor. It is certainly not the way to encourage more people to move to Creedmoor. Especially when they can see that

Something Stinks in Creedmoor!

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Meow! Meow!

7/19/2013

1 Comment

Roar! Roar!

Here's the #1 problem with The Creedmoor 'Ommissioners and their visionary sewage planning...

Reasonable folks don't see it that way.

And that's why reasonable folks know

Something Stinks in Creedmoor!

1 Comment

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