This is Freida for Truth Radio News your ONLY LOCALLY OWNED Politically Incorrect News Source bringing you Four LOCAL High School Basketball games ON MOBIL TV weekly, throughout the Season LIVE from Truth Radio dot TV. WHY Special Called Commission Meetings in Blount County? Is it to avoid public awareness, by not having public input through the usual and customary rules of the Commission? Commission rules call for an Agenda meeting 10 days prior to the commission business meeting to discuss and vote on items to be included in the County’s business meeting, the third Thursday of each month. At each of these meetings anyone may be recognized by the Chairman and given 3 minutes to speak on items either on the agenda, before and/or off the agenda after. Not allowing the public to participate by speaking on ANY of the Items of the Special Called meetings reminds WBCR at this time of the year of Grinch that steals Christmas by dressing up like Satan Clause and robs everyone of their gifts of self government and then redistributes those gifts to his fellow good old boy Grinches. Mayor Mitchel has used his office to call Special Called meetings in October and December most recently. The December meeting included 20 Resolutions with over $2 million in Budget INCREASES, in a year when over 500 county workers got $4000 each in pay raises, from taxpayers who according to the Blount County’s website on East Tn Economic data at the time showed Blount Co. family household income 15% lower than it was in 2000. In a year when Property Taxes were raised 17%. Commissioner Monroe is investigating if, over $ 560,000 of the INCREASES passed in December are due to a deliberate under estimation of workers compensation costs in order to pad the budget in other areas that would not be popular if added to the budget at increased cost but by underestimating fixed mandatory expenses these new costs get are included unnoticed. Adding insult to injury the December Special Called meeting passed without public comment and only 5 days notice a County Purchasing policy changing the competitive bid PROCESS from purchases OVER $10,ooo to $25,000 and all the purchasing agent is required is to call write down three price quotes and send decide who gets your money. Not requirement that the lowest bidder get the business. The resolution says …Blount County Purchasing Department to obtain at least three (3) written quotations, whenever possible, for purchases costing less than $25,000 but, greater than $10,000. Tell your commissioner and Mayor how you feel about less transparency and public input into your LOCAL government that is costing MORE and giving you less. MERRY Christmas.
