At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston and the mayors of the cities and towns in the county met to discuss spending plans for the millions of dollars the local governments will get in federal COVID-19 relief money and other issues.
Unlike a similar meeting held in early March, this meeting was not announced or open to the public.
Alston said on Wednesday, just before the meeting, that he wanted the mayors to be able to talk freely among themselves as they, among other things, look at ways the county, the cities and the towns can coordinate spending plans for the maximum positive impact of what collectively will be a very large amount of money.
Alston said other matters of common interest could be discussed at the meeting as well.
He said the money will see the highest and best use if everyone is working together.
Like a meeting held in early March between Alston and the mayors – and some top staff from the county, cities and towns – the April 14 meeting was a virtual one.
Though the Wednesday evening meeting wasn’t open to the public as the March meeting was, Alston said he would be releasing a statement on Thursday, April 15, that would reveal the major points of discussion at the meeting.
Some residents of Summerfield who caught wind of the virtual meeting before it took place stated that they were concerned that some of the money would be used to build a water system in that town. Though city and county attorneys are still working out exactly what the money can be spent on, the latest round of COVID-19 relief funds can be used for infrastructure in some cases.
Perfect. Unannounced and closed to public. “that he wanted the mayors to be able to talk freely among themselves”? Why would our Mayors be unable to talk freely at a public meeting?
“Shenanigans Skip and the Absence of Transparency.”…sounds like a Trudy Wade book title.
Sounds like we “Skipped” the transparency, eh? Anything to fleece John Q. Public.
Secret meeting so they can”speak freely”–They can’t “speak freely” in the hearing of the people who are paying them?
Just what top secret information could possibly be discussed only in secret by our elected officials?
This is pitiful
All of you should be ashamed; or at least embarrassed.I doubt you are.
I don’t suppose Skippy will be contemplating tax relief for us regular folk…
The Democrats are the party of government, not the party of the people.
Who voted for SKIP,please raise your hand so that we can see what an ignorant person looks like!!!!!
Complete Coliseum Blvd sidewalks.
Secret, money,mayors and Skip. What could possibly go wrong?
Mr. Alston says the County needs $2 BILLION in funds to fix schools. And they don’t have money for after school programs. But he wants to use federal relief money to help a wealthy developer brings water to Summerfield? So the developer can build “low income” houses that begin at $250,000 and up and help the developer make more profits and skirt the development ordinances? That makes no sense.