LUMBERTON — The Robeson County Board of Commissioners charged the county more than $5,600 for meals after board meetings between Jan. 3, 2012, and Jan. 17 of this year.
The Robesonian reviewed receipts for 18 restaurant visits at five Lumberton restaurants that totaled $5,619.14, an average of about $318 a visit. The most expensive visit totaled $431.32 at Outback Steakhouse, with the least expensive visit, totaling $90.52, at Denny’s.
Other restaurants patronized by the commissioners and administrator during that time period were Texas Steakhouse, Ruby Tuesday and Megami Japanese Restaurant. Outback was the favorite, with commissioners going there eight times.
If a commissioner had an alcoholic drink with his meal, he picked up that tab, not the county.
It has been a standard practice for years for the commissioners, along with the county manager, assistant county manager, county attorney to go out for a dinner after the board holds its regular monthly meetings. The commissioners charge the county for their meals despite having the highest stipend, $700 per month, of any county commissioners in the state. The county has no policy in place regulating how the stipend is to be used. It is paid each month as lump sum, and commissioners are not required to turn in receipts.
Members of the Lumberton City Council and the Public Schools of Robeson County Board of Education enjoy catered meals before their meetings, but council and school board members do not receive a stipend. The meal for council members averages about $175, according to City Manager Wayne Horne. The average cost of the meals for the Board of Education was not available on Friday.
The Robesonian attempted to contact all the commissioners to ask them why the county pays for their meals when they are receiving a $700 stipend each month. Commissioners Lance Herndon, Hubert Sealey and David Edge responded, and Commissioners Noah Woods, Raymond Cummings, Jerry Stephens, Tom Taylor and Roger Oxendine did not return a reporter’s phone call.
“I really haven’t given this much thought. It’s something that was already in place long before I came on the board,” Sealey said. “But if this is something the board wants to look at and change, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
Herndon also cited the long-standing tradition of county commissioners going out to a restaurant after their meetings.
“It’s always been a tradition and I just picked it up when I came on the board. This is a good opportunity for us to socialize,” he said. “Should the stipend be used to pay for meals? I would rather see the stipend be used to cover miles traveled and time spent doing county business.”
Edge said he doesn’t see it as a “problem” when the county picks up the tab for his meal after a meeting.
“It’s not that many times a year and it benefits the commissioners to have a chance to get together,” he said. “When I take my employees out to dinner, I always pick up the tab.”
I don't know about you, but my children and grandchildren have to be QUALIFIED and actually APPLY for jobs they want. Not have it HANDED to them because of POLITICAL CONNECTIONS.
And this other guy on the board, if he has one more trip to the Outback, duck, because buttons will be popping off and flying everywhere. Heck, I;d like to eat a meal with MY MONEY sometimes. Reckon if I pulled up a seat, they'd let me get a few bites? heck no, they'd tackle me and rob me of more money is what they'd do.
And whats with all these silent commissioners? you'd hear from them all the time at election time. you couldn't get them to shut up. Now, nothing but--- silence----. cover your tracks guys, investigations are coming to Robeson County for LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND LACK OF INTEGRITY! 'Leadership', get fitted for your custom handcuffs! and sleep in a small room so you get used to your future accomodations with Bubba.
Wait, does he pay them salaries without providing them stipends? Could it also be that he'd frown on them using his (their employer's) money as their own private account?
I support him mainly because he campaigned on a platform of running the county as a businessman has to run his business but I fear he's let himself stray from that path and finds it easier to join the crowd. I for one wish he'd get back on it.
Thank you.
If everyone of you had the opportunity to spend those funds you would too... Stop hating and talking junk! Just as soon as you see Mr. Woods and these guys you are smiling and shaking hands... Now you are bashing!! Common... But you act like you are perfect!
Don't cast these stones from your glass houses!
I've got a modest proposal...lets make a deal with them that we the taxpayers would tally up the money spent on everything last fiscal year, and then every dollar that they DID NOT SPEND this year versus last year, they would get 50 cents of it and te rest goes back to the general fund. What do you all think would happen.. You would see the purse strings pucker up like a mouth full of alum or lemon!!! Lets try this "modest proposal" a d see what happens. After all, they have NO incentive to save money! Humans only generally act in their own elf interests, so we have to find some other bait to use to get the behavior out of these proverbial dogs that we want. Since kibble won't do it, greenbacks being split might!!
Yes, I'm making a joke, but hopefully you can all see what is going on. The old incentive of being reflected wont work any longer as we all know the elections are a fraud. Anyone have a better idea to put a muzzle and lease on this pack of wild dogs?
Now we must do our part to make sure ALL of these commissioners are replaced when their time is up. If even one of them is able to retain their seat, then we deserve to be the worst county in NC.
Sooner or later you've got to wake up, well... this IS Robeson county, scratch that part about waking up.
Let the LIGHT continue to shine brightly where the taxpayers can Look and SCRUTINIZE more closely and continuously at how OUR FAT CAT COMMISSIONERS live high on the hog!!!!! This culture of entitlement has GOT to stop. Has any ONE of them ever heard of the art of "sacrifice" as it relates to public service? I bet they are FED UP with Robeson County taxPAYERS just like someone posted that they were TIRED of reading about the Robesonian's criticism of them (probably someone who has GREATLY benefitted from OUR taxpayer money)...and to think that RCC had to lay off custodians awhile back for lack of funding from the commissioners .....I bet those custodians' families were scrambling to look for new jobs and feed their families...HMMMM...this is the season for the light to shine...shine on! Let's be accountable fellow Robesonians...no better time than now!! And I just wonder why they thought that they needed 10,000 more in discretionary money EACH this year? Answers folks! Justification? Communication is a 2-way street....thank you Robesonian for doing your part!
Until they start hiring based on qualifications, this entity is gonna continue to do as they please. Keep it members..
I would guess that there is a strong enough staff at LREMC to cover for him so that the daily operations would not suffer too much right away.
If this move happens then it will be the most egregious political slap in the face to the citizens of Robeson County in history.
Cummings is not a quality candidate for that position and he isn't even qualified to be in his current job. The voters put him in as county commissioner so they will have to live with his incompetence until the next election.
Woods should retire and Oxendine should go home to the farm.
They have done enough damage to the county but they probably can't even conceive the damage that they have done because they are so caught up in their politics.
I really hope that we have real leaders to choose from in the next election.