By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
Salisbury businessman Rod Whedbee think’s he’s hit upon a way to help the county with its budget woes.
Whedbee, also a property-rights activist, handed each county commissioner a N.C. Education lottery ticket Monday night.
Whedbee included a lecture with the tickets, chiding the board for plans to fund nearly $20 million in projects with a quarter-cent sales tax referendum.
“Our current budget is already overextended. We’re getting ready to purchase items we cannot afford … but that’s OK, the taxpayers have a bottomless pocket,” Whedbee told commissioners.
During the board’s annual planning retreat last week, some members, most notably Commissioner Raymond Coltrain, urged the board to go forward with the schools’ central office project, having faith that the economy will improve.
And commissioners tied a new jail and $12 million in emergency communications equipment to hopes voters will approve the sales tax hike in November.
“I have as much faith that one of these tickets is the big winner as I do in our current budget plan,” Whedbee said.
“Go ahead and start spending the millions now. These tickets are as good as money in the bank,” he said. “You can now buy more buildings for school administrators, fund a much-needed literacy program, honestly help our schools with teachers with effective classrooms and purchase whatever big ticket items you want.”
Just in case the tickets aren’t big winners, Whedbee suggested commissioners dip into the county’s $20 million fund balance and pay cash for the big-ticket items instead of taking more money from taxpayers.
If the tickets are winners, Whedbee said, the money goes into the county coffers.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.