The Interactive Resource Center (IRC) received its seventh surplus vehicle from the City of Greensboro by an 8-0 vote of the City Council on Tuesday, April 6.
City Councilmember Michelle Kennedy, the executive director of the IRC, was recused from the vote, but not from the discussion. This is following in the footsteps of City Councilmember Yvonne Johnson, who participated in all the discussions about awarding the contract for Cure Violence to One Step Further where she is the executive director. Like Kennedy, Johnson was recused from voting on the $500,000 Cure Violence contract, but she fully participated in the discussions.
Kennedy asked to be recused from the vote on donating a 2005 Dodge Caravan to the IRC and the City Council voted unanimously to recuse her, but then when a question was asked about the donation, Kennedy went into an explanation about how the donation of this particular surplus vehicle would benefit the city. The IRC operates a facility for the homeless population from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Kennedy said that the IRC needed the 2005 Dodge Caravan to transport homeless people. She did not explain why the IRC could not transport homeless people in the 2007 Toyota 4Runner, the 2009 Ford Escape, or the 2008 Chevrolet Impala that the City Council donated to the IRC in 2019 or the 2004 Ford E150 van that the city donated to the IRC in 2015.
In 2019, the city also donated two John Deere Gators to the IRC, but these would not fit the bill to transport people.
Councilmember Sharon Hightower raised the ire of some of her fellow councilmembers by asking if there was a specific process to go through if another nonprofit wanted to request a surplus vehicle from the city.
Assistant City Manager Chris Wilson said, “A specific process, no.”
Wilson said that when the city had a contractual agreement with a nonprofit that the request would be considered in light of that agreement.
City Councilmember Goldie Wells, who is on the IRC board of directors, said, “I’ve been involved with the IRC since its inception. This is way of helping some of our citizens.”
Mayor Nancy Vaughan said, “I think this is money well spent in regards to helping them help us.”
The City Council has in the past two years donated six vehicles to the IRC and none to any other nonprofit, whether that nonprofit had a contract with the city or not.
More follow-up questions:
How many people work for IRC?
How many people regularly volunteer there?
How many people get real services there?
Where are these vehicles?
Where are they kept overnight?
Who operates them and how are they utilized?
Did we all really just get fleeced again by the goons?
At the minimum there needs to be a city policy for donating items to non-profits or any other entity. Our tax dollars purchased the equipment initially and it is irresponsible to not have a written policy to establish parameters for “donations.” This ensures “equity,” a word that our council and multiple other entities love to throw around. They apply this word to promotions, hirings, transfers within city departments, and distribution of funds. It is the responsibility of the city government to create a policy so that equity exists in donations.
How dare you to ask the council to follow their own guidelines. . . .don’t you realize their policies don’t apply to them and they can whatever they want? 🙂
I say do away with the “donations” and accept bids for them. Highest payer wins.
To all who comment-I make the observation that our elected officials DO NOT CARE what any of us think.We can type comments to the RT till our fingers bleed and NOTHING is going to CHANGE.It seems obvious we are helpless to vote these Boss Tweeds out out of office.We are just whining to each other.It is a sad thing to see what is happening in this community.
Soon I will be moving to another state,by choice.I feel badly for those who aren’t able to run away from this mess.I hope it’s better where I am going-couldnt be worse.
I’d consider leaving, too, but as a native California Girl who has lived here 40+ years while watching CAs decline, I figure I’ve already lucked out. Thankfully, I’m in the County so not being harassed by the City’s decisions (although I pay attention and care due to its proximity).
You don’t need to leave the state. I saw this coming and moved my family to Onslow County 15 years ago. Hated leaving my home town, but it was clearly the Wright decision. Bubba. Ecclesiastes 10-2
She’s quite beefy…
This has gotten out of hand! Its time for this conflict of interest to stop.
Where are the gators I’ve been told that they are never at the irc. Just curious
Who pays to keep these vehicles up. Also who drives them, who is paying the insurance. Is the City responsible if someone was seriously hurt.
Presumably the city no longer holds the pink slip, so the city would no longer be liable for any of that after the donation. Just think of the mess if the city tried loaning out the vehicles. Still a rotten situation all around.
It’s all in the grant funds they give the IRC. I presume you can ask for a copy of their last audit which the city requires, or did require. Would be interesting to know the relationship of the employees of the IRC (or other non-profits) to those who head up those non-profits. My guess is there’s several with relatives employed.