Shotzbury Visionary Studio

♦ Photo Galleria: Salisbury, N.C.–“THE PARIS OF THE PIEDMONT”:

Tour of Salisbury, N.C.

RFP Staff

♦ Flash: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department wants to hire as many as 125 new officers and 80 civilian employees!

Salisbury Police Officers are YOU tired of being grossly underpaid and under appreciated? Tired of having Ruth and Zack at Salisbury Human Resources deciding who is fired and why, instead of your competent and trusted Interim Chief of Police? Motor down to Charlotte and get a Power Ball Salary and real benefits.  CMPD appreciates experienced officers and doesn’t claim Fibrant employees on their police rolls. You can answer a call and actually get backup.

Question: Salisbury Police is it true that Salisbury H-R and their patroness, Maggie Blackwell not only will fire you, but forever destroy your career in law enforcement? Tired of “gag orders” about saying anything negative about a city running an alleged broadband and as a sideline, runs a police department? Tired of being caught in a crossfire for 30K per year? Help is on the way! As our own County Commissioner Mike Caskey discovered: the real law enforcement money is down I-85 in Charlotte, NC.  It’s well known that with all the special events and extra duty in Charlotte, it is not hard for Char/Meck LEOS to earn 100K per year! CMPD just announced they are about to add 125 new officers!

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department wants to hire as many as 125 new officers and 80 civilian employees. They want YOU!

An Independent Tribune Article on the Charlotte Police Looking to Hire:

http://www.independenttribune.com/charlotte-police-look-to-hire-more-than-new-employees/article_a9ff0381-f31a-5121-a623-5b7de02f50e4.html

http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/CMPD/organization/Administrative/PoliceTrainingAcademy/Pages/apply-now.aspx

RFP Staff

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE is hereby given that the Rowan County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing in the J. Newton Cohen, Sr. Room on the second floor of the J. Newton Cohen, Sr. Rowan County Administration Building in Salisbury, North Carolina, beginning at 3:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard, on Monday, February 1, 2016 on the following:

In accordance with North Carolina General Statutes §158-7.1(c), the purpose of the hearing will be for the County to consider an economic development project for the development of speculative industrial buildings. The County will consider the sale of up to approximately 65 acres of land located along Chamandy Drive currently owned by the County, and will further consider specific terms of such sale.

The proposal consists of an offer to purchase +/- 65 acres of County owned property located along Chamandy Drive and County consideration of seller financing and tax rebates and/or other terms and conditions. The proposed project is expected to (1) create investment in real estate improvements exceeding $10 million, (2) will create new inventory of available industrial building(s), and (3) increase the marketability of and job growth for Rowan County. Rowan County will recover any costs associated with the project, and the public will benefit through future property, business taxes, stimulation of the economy, promotion of business, and the creation of jobs in the County.

All persons interested in this Incentive are invited to attend this public hearing and present their views.

This public hearing will be held during the regular meeting scheduled for the County Administration Building at 130 West Innes Street on Monday February 1st at 3 p.m. in Salisbury, N.C.

ROWAN COUNTY COMMISSION AGENDA
Call to Order
Invocation
• Provided By: Chaplain Michael Taylor
Pledge of Allegiance
Consider Additions to the Agenda
Consider Deletions From the Agenda
Consider Approval of the Agenda
Board members are asked to voluntarily inform the Board if any matter on the agenda
might present a conflict of interest or might require the member to be excused from
voting.
• Consider Approval of the Minutes: January 7, 2016, January 8, 2016 and
January 19, 2016
1 Consider Approval of Consent Agenda
A. DSS Grant for Trauma Counseling From DHHS/SAMHSA
B. Training/Orientation Document for Fire District Tax Commissioners
C. Consider Modification of Fire District Name for Rockwell Rural Fire
Department
D. Dental Clinic Reduction in Force
2 Public Comment Period
3 Public Hearing for Project Spec
4 Presentation Regarding Proposed Scope of Services for Feasibility Study and
Ecnomic Impact Analysis for Proposed New Sports Complex
5 Consider Approval of Board Appointments
6 Adjournment

Citizens with disabilities requiring special needs to access the services or public meetings
of Rowan County Government should contact the County Manager’s Office three days prior
to the meeting by calling (704) 216-8180.

Chuck Hughes, Salisbury, N.C.

♦ Lobbyists for passing the state’s $2 billion bond (I believe it may have been a $2.8 billion offering at one time) in March, charitably state that, “No tax increases would be necessary given the state’s strong revenue growth and ample debt service capacity.” Hopefully, NC tax payers will understand that tax money will ultimately pay the bond debt and the required dividend payments over the next 20-25 years.

My concern with the bond, of which two-thirds is directed to the needs of higher-education, is not the debt the state will incur (although looking at the recession we may soon be facing, we have reason to be concerned), or the worthy projects it supports. It is the fact that state incurred debt ultimately translates to debt for each of NC’s 100 counties AND their residents.

While school districts depend on the county to finance their major capital projects, county governments often depend on bonds to fund these projects; projects such as Rowan/Salisbury’s desperate need to replace 90 year-old schools while attempting to keep 40 year-old schools running in order to provide basic comfort and safety for their 20,000 plus wards. State-bond-debt indirectly limits the ability of counties to pass their needed bonds.

Although no formal request for a $100,000,000 school bond dedicated to building three or four new schools has been presented to our County Commissioners, informal conversations suggests a school bond issue will be trumped by a county bond issue for water and sewage expansion, unless grant money from the state becomes available.

Although I appreciate other county needs, without a school initiative bond, R/SSS’s limited capital funding will not be adequate to start any new school project for the next 10 to 15 years.

VOTE NO ON THE CONNECT NC BOND IN MARCH

Todd Paris, Salisbury Attorney

♦ Readers may remember the East Innes Street Waffle House window blowout a few weeks ago when a window was shot out during a children’s party. This problem was “solved” by a sign that bans all weapons from the property including the parking lot. It must be working. Don’t see many customers down there in the evening. Certainly none sitting by the windows.

On Saturday, January 30, at closing, the perpetrators must have been frightened by the Waffle House “no weapons allowed” sign into cruising over to East Innes to newly renovated Wendy’s right next door. Wendy’s suffered a projectile impact of it’s own to the glass windows while the employees were present on the premises. Fortunately the Wendy’s glass was tempered and double-paned and was able to withstand the impact without allowing a projectile to enter the building. Police on the scene “claimed” that just like the Waffle House shooting that this was some sort of “BB gun” or gas pellet rifle. The projectile hole looks pretty large to us. It would seem that if the laminated glass is double paned and only one shattered, that any projectile might be trapped between the panes of glass.

Do our Salisbury Police actually have an experienced investigator capable of judging a ballistics glass impact? Investigator Sherry Curry left the big team sometime back. Lately shootings and murders are being downplayed or are not being reported in the Bury. Kinda disturbing.

The bullet hole at Wendy’s:

Lest we forget the Waffle House window:

RFP Staff

♦ Video: Rowan County Commissioners Met at 3 P.M. Monday February 1st at the County Administration Building in Salisbury, N.C.:

http://rowancountync.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=570

Rabbi Will McCubbin, China Grove, N.C.

♦  Several years ago Salisbury City Councilman William “Pete” Kennedy prophesied that one day Salisbury would become the Silicon Valley of the East. He might’ve been talking about Fibrant, but sometimes the Almighty works in strange and mysterious ways.  Saturday Pete’s prophesy came to pass when silicon went flying from shot out windows at Wendy’s and at Captain D’s Seafood Restaurant on East Innes.  Both are up the Street from the Waffle House whose window glass went flying from a similar shooting.

Is the Bury on a permanent mischief night?  Or were these errant shots from someone with bad intentions desiring to leave a victim facedown in a stack of waffles or a pile of fish sticks?

What is chilling to many people I’ve spoken with in the Bury are that they believe the Salisbury Police are downgrading crimes or not even bothering to record reports so the city will look better statistically.  Bad game to play.  It puts people in harms way by creating a false sense of safety where none is deserved.

I even hear people in Fulton Heights tell others the crime in the Salisbury is the same as anywhere else.  Denial or cover-up?  Make no mistake 11 unsolved murders are on the books in Salisbury.  Likely more if that 77 year-old woman, who was murdered, doesn’t get spun as a “falling” accident.

Salisbury has become a place to avoid.  The violence can’t be hidden.  If you have to go there, carry heat.  Get a concealed carry permit.  Learn how to effectively utilize your firearm so you will know what to do in the tight space.

CEDmagazine.com/Djana Goovaerts/RFP Staff

♦ Report: 1 in 10 Consumers “Cut the Cord” in the Past Year:

http://www.cedmagazine.com/news/2016/01/report-1-10-consumers-cut-cord-past-year

Updated: IPTV and Antenna TV–the Money Saving Switch from Cable and Satellite TV to Antenna, Roku and Kodi IPTV Boxes:

UPDATED: IPTV & Antenna TV: The Money Saving Switch from Cable and Satellite TV to Antennas, ROKU, and KODI IPTV Boxes

RFP Staff

A racial imbalance was demonstrated in NCDOJ traffic stop records for the Salisbury, N.C. Police for 2014 and 2015. The NCDOJ records data reflect that Police Officers stopped blacks 2x and 3x more often than whites in traffic stops and searches. Know that Blacks presently are still a minority in the City of Salisbury which makes the traffic stop records even more telling.

Is it any wonder why non-white persons are upset or don’t respect the Salisbury Police Department when they experience getting stopped more than whites?

N.C. DOJ Traffic Stop Records for the Salisbury Police Department 2014 and 2015:

For Additional N.C.DOJ Traffic Stop Records for Salisbury or any other city in North Carolina:

http://trafficstops.ncdoj.gov/Default.aspx?pageid=2

RFP Staff

♦ The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office are adding two Salisbury area men to its Most Wanted Criminals List: Perry Quintin Simmons, 52, of the streets of Salisbury and Donald Clair Reynolds, 28, last seen in Salisbury.  Simmons is sought for failure to notify law enforcement of his change of address as is required by all registered sex offenders. Reynolds is sought for indecent liberties with a child.

Simmons is 5’10” and weighs 160 lbs. has a lengthy mixed-bag sex crime history of an assault on a female, indecent exposure, child abuse, and attempted 2nd degree rape.

Reynolds is wanted for indecent liberties with a child. Said to weigh 170 lbs, Reynolds is 6’2″.

Perry Quintin Simmons’ Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0370153&searchLastName=simmons&searchFirstName=perry&searchMiddleName=q&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

Donald Clair Reynolds’ Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1299448&searchLastName=Reynolds&searchFirstName=Donald&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

Perry Quintin Simmons:

Donald Clair Reynolds:

If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Simmons or Reynolds they are asked to call the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office at 704-216-8700 or call Salisbury-Rowan County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5345.

RFP Staff

♦ Rowan County, N.C. 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR PDF.)  This is a yearly audit showing Rowan County’s financial health:

http://www.rowancountync.gov//DesktopModules/DNNCorp/DocumentLibrary/Components/FileDownloader/FileDownloaderPage.aspx?tabid=995&did=d2xsRG9iRXJad28lM2Q%3d-cELCyL67ct8%3d-MDIvMDMvMjAxNiAxMDo0NzoxMQ%3d%3d&pid=0&lrf=/DesktopModules/DNNCorp/DocumentLibrary/App_LocalResources/DocumentLibrary&cl=en-US&mcs=%2fDesktopModules%2fDNNCorp%2fDocumentLibrary%2f&uarn=Administrators&cd=false&tmid=6175&ift=1

Kenny Hardin, Salisbury, N.C. City Councilman

♦ RANDOM MORNING THOUGHTS: Yep, I can name a few I no longer have respect or have use for. Some will deny it to their last breath, but whatever helps you sleep.

Loyalty and integrity have no meaning for some, but I will never turn my back on a friend just to be liked or accepted by another or for personal gain.

In the two months I’ve been in Office, I’ve been encouraged to take positions that would mean turning on my community. Both times I responded that it is more important to me that I can walk through my community with my head up and feel the love and respect from within than from those outside.

My loyalty and commitment are not for sale.

RFP Staff

♦ Rudy Sylvester Caldwell, 60, of Keyway Blvd. in Charlotte, is being sought by the Salisbury Police for the alleged January 12th K-Dee Jewelers Robbery at 112 East Innes Street in Salisbury where several thousand dollars in jewelry, necklaces, and watches were stolen. Caldwell’s alleged accomplice, a well dressed Black woman, who walked with a cane has not yet been identified.

A warrant was issued for Caldwell’s arrest and he is charged with larceny (felony).

Rudy Sylvester Caldwell’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0062240&searchLastName=caldwell&searchFirstName=rudy&searchMiddleName=s&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

If you have any information about the identity or whereabouts of Caldwell and his alleged female accomplice please contact the Salisbury Police at 704-797-4253 or call Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.

The January 20th RFP Article:”K-Dee Jewelers Robbed on 112 East Innes Street in Downtown Salisbury, N.C. Security Cam Stills of Alleged Robbers Here”

On Tuesday January 12th K-Dee Jewelers on 112 East Innes was allegedly robbed by a well-dressed Black couple masquerading as customers. The couple allegedly helped themselves to expensive rings, designer watches, necklaces, and other jewelry related items. The robbery was not discovered until two days passed and the stolen inventory was noticed missing.

During the robbery, the couple allegedly distracted employees by separating and questioning store employees about various items in cases and behind the counter. In the security video the alleged male robber deftly removed a key, stepped around the counter, and lifts out the jewelry items before he shuts the counter door. All this was allegedly done while his female companion continued to distract a store employ with questions and requests.

Description of the alleged male robber: Black male, in his 50’s, wore a gray blazer, white dress shirt, eye-glasses, and dark slacks.

Description of the alleged female robber: Black female, in her 50’s, sported a cane (may be a prop), dark jacket and pants, eye-glasses, and purse.

K-Dee Jeweler’s security cam stills:

RFP Staff

♦ Kevin Tyrone Davis, 26, of 701 W. Monroe Street (Livingstone College Campus) in Salisbury was arrested Monday by the Salisbury Police for alleged prescription drug fraud.

Davis was charged with obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or forgery (felony), larceny (misdemeanor), and failure to appear comply (misdemeanor). Under a secured $6,313 bond, Davis was detained at the Rowan County Detention Center and then released after making bond.

RFP Staff

♦ Tuesday during Salisbury’s City Council meeting the city’s mid-year financial update was delivered and it sent collective shivers through those watching on the city streaming website and the few unfortunates remaining in the audience. Another “no turning the corner” year for the city’s hopeless 10 gig albatross being brutally stomped by the city incumbent internet and TV providers. You know TWC, AT&T U-verse/DirecTV/Gigapower, and DISH. Being run as deep-pocketed and highly successful businesses, the big 3 are outcompeting weakling Fibrant with better prices, advancements in technology, and extreme high-speeds for both residential and business customers.

Fibrant for 5 straight years of horrific losses was drowned in the incumbent’s tidal wave of marketing. Time for Fibrant to bale up its squirrel eaten fiberoptic cable and return its buildings to the banks. Nobody will buy this pitiful network and until 2029 they have to keep paying off the debt and interest. Meanwhile the City of Salisbury has no real police force (badly understaffed), provides skeletal city services, and has among the worst public schools (Ds and Fs) in the state. The first two problematic conditions are directly attributable to Fibrant doing the “big gulp” on the general and enterprise funds.

During the presentation of the city’s mid-year financial update we learned Fibrant cost the city a whopping $3.7 million dollars in just the first half of fiscal year 2016. Fibrant chugged
the city’s general fund and the general fund capital reserve to the tune of $1.8 million. Yo! The cost to the enterprise fund was in the vicinity of $1.9 million. The tote is an UGLY $3.7 million. The finance director Teresa Harris said something to the effect that they “expected” to pay it back during coming half of this fiscal year.

F. Lane Bailey, the City Manager, told the council the financial numbers were not where city hall wanted them to be. Somehow a strong fund balance would help, but that was not explained. After 5 years of staggering losses hidden behind wild claims of “turning the corner”, city hall has only unfounded high hopes for the future of Fibrant in an impoverished and violence-torn city with its working class and upper class folks melting away.

David Post raised questions about Fibrant having a deficit for its five years of operation and Bailey said it was. Post also said it was important for Fibrant to become self-sustaining because not doing so took funds from other city projects. The city, according to Post, needs to develop a strategy for its fiber optic network and treat it like a business. Fibrant needs to be a business and compete. The challenge is Fibrant lacks the very deep pockets of corporate incumbents often stuffed with billions of dollars.

Fibrant is hopelessly over its head in competing for residential and business customers. The corporate incumbents don’t have the major drawbacks that a municipal broadband has.

The city continues to duck public information requests about their actual numbers of residential and business signups. Fibrant’s claims for its numbers appear grossly exaggerated. Claims from Fibrant are taken with a grain of salt due to the fact the City of Salisbury previously made wildly fallacious claims about “turning the corner” and showing a profit.

Last fall our Associate Editor Todd Paris went public with the allegation that the City of Salisbury was funding Fibrant from the General Fund and not just the Fibrant Fund. He stated that Fibrant wasn’t really making a profit, but a loss when we take into account the amount of money being siphoned from the General Fund to keep Fibrant solvent. He specifically stated that this was being done to the tune of $1M or more per year. Councilmembers Karen Alexander, Maggie Blackwell, and Brian Miller stayed silent as Paris made his comments. They were focused on touting the city’s new 10 Gig Speed in order to get re-elected.

At the February 2nd City Council meeting, the Salisbury City Council finally disclosed that Associate Editor Todd Paris was correct during the city’s quarterly financial review. City Manager Lane Bailey took management of the city’s finances away from Assistant City Manager John Sofley and gave them to a new employee Teresa Harris. As a result, Lane Bailey and Teresa Harris studied the allegation and found that the actual amount being siphoned from the General Fund to fund Fibrant was nearly $3 million per year, with $1.8M being siphoned off from the General Fund in the first six months of the fiscal year alone.

General Fund money should not be spent propping up Fibrant. It should be spent on services such as bolstering our city’s police force. For comparison purposes, if the $3M a year being spent on Fibrant was spent to hire new police officers and outfit them with training, uniforms, weapons, and vehicles, the city could hire 30 new police officers. For comparison purposes, if the $3M a year being spent on Fibrant was spent to give police officers raises, each officer could receive a raise in excess of $30,000 per year. City Council would be wise to pursue a mix of the two options above, which would go a long way to resolving this city’s challenges with the police force.

We applaud City Council for finally coming clean, but we doubt they will take any action to fix the problems with Kenny Hardin and David Post having only 2 out of 5 votes on the board.

Video: Magic Math Theater:

Video: Magic Math Theater with Maggie Blackwell and John Sofley Defending Fibrant’s “Turning the Corner”.

Who was on City Council in 2010?

RFP Staff

♦ Meghan Lofgren Salter, 31, Salisbury felon and “huffer” living at 226 North Long Street, was arrested outside of K-Mart at 815 East Innes Street in Salisbury for alleged “huffing” and shoplifting on Wednesday. She was alleged to have shoplifted air duster from Walmart.

Salisbury Police responded to a dispatch to K-Mart where they found Salter allegedly intoxicated and her face and fingers badly scratched from from laying in the bushes. In her possession was a can of air duster allegedly shoplifted from the nearby Walmart. Salter has a lengthy history of inhalant intoxication arrests.

Salter was charged with inhaling fumes for the purpose of causing intoxication (misdemeanor) and larceny (misdemeanor). Under a secured $500 bond, Salter is being held in the Rowan County Detention Center.

For more information on huffing/inhalant intoxication:

http://www.inhalants.org/final_medical.htm

Meghan Lofgren Salter’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1296314&searchLastName=salter&searchFirstName=meghan&searchMiddleName=l&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

Public Announcement

♦ Rowan Republican Breakfast for Men and Women Meets Saturday February 6th Ryan’s on 730 Jake Alexander Blvd in Salisbury.

Breakfast at 8 a.m. Discussion starts at 9 a.m.

Enjoy political discussion over breakfast. Bring your friends.

Discussion topic: What changes to current school policies and curriculum would you like to see added or removed and why?

RFP Staff

♦ Rowan Free Press exclusively received new information regarding the City of Salisbury’s inner financial workings and an ongoing SBI investigation into the City of Salisbury, N.C.  This is the first article in a series.

In an email dated May 17, 2015 Mayor Pro Tem Maggie Blackwell disclosed to an auditor from Martin Starnes that an individual committed fraud in the city’s Customer Service Center, and that the individual had been terminated and examined by the SBI. Maggie’s email is below:

Rowan Free Press Associate Editor Todd Paris requested the amount of fraud committed in the Customer Service Center from the City.  In an email, City Attorney Rivers Lawther refused to provide the amount or relevant public records claiming they were part of “an ongoing investigation involving the State Bureau of Investigation and will not be released until the investigation is complete.” Lawther’s email below:

In another email dated April 14th, 2015, City Finance Director Wade Furches directed another city finance employee Mark Drye that he fully expected Martin & Starnes to “test internal controls at the CSC (Customer Service Center.)” Furches directed Drye on how to handle the auditor including asking him to do anything else he could think of that “would prove that we have stepped up our game would be great.” Email from Wade Funches below:

Rowan Free Press will continue to investigate this matter to determine just how much of your money was embezzled from the Customer Service Center.

Steve Mensing, Editor/Cedmagazine.com/Djana Goovarts

♦ Listen up.  I’m going to be “Mr. Positive” today about Salisbury’s city hall and their massive sinkhole Fibrant.  I’m not going to mention today that some folks employed down in city hall will likely practice their ping pong serves in a State or Federal can catering to white collar criminals.  Not today.  I will withhold saying that the current Fibrant honcho is spreading manure when he claims that Fibrant hasn’t gone down since 2012. Most of us recall Fibrant’s internet and telephony going down for lengthy periods since 2012 (Although less so recently).  Will not say a blessed thing today about the glaring “magic math” appearing in Teresa Harris’s Tuesday “presentation” (No surprise–she was John Sofley’s lackey for years). 

I’m going to be “Mr. Positive” today.  I’m going to propose that Fibrant follow Google Fiber’s example and bring FREE Gigabit fiber to public housing throughout Salisbury.

For a moment reflect on high-speed internet’s potential effect on Salisbury’s 27.2% folks, Black, White, and Brown, living below poverty’s margins.  Think of the vast Alexandrian Library of stimulating, interesting, and invaluable information waiting to impact young and aging minds alike.  No buffering on YouTube.  Thousands upon thousands of FREE books and information repositories waiting to be discovered.  Engaging interests to turn young men and women toward literacy, lifelong pursuits, superior work situations and away from drugs, crime, and other forms of self-destruction. Think of the legacy it would leave our alleged “visionaries” and Mr. Winrich and our noble city manager who got clocked by “Frosty the Snowman” and ended up in a career ending job. Fibrant could claim thousands of new signups (even though they are gratis)! Who pays for this? Consider that taxes are better spent on uplifting young and old folks than on paying for poverty’s very expensive aftermath.

Here is an article on Google Fiber’s initiative for bringing FREE Gigabit Fiber to low income housing:

http://www.cedmagazine.com/news/2016/02/google-bringing-free-gigabit-fiber-low-income-housing

P.S. I have countless ideas for saving Salisbury from the clutches of the LGC steering the big ship. Mr. Postive would rather see prosperity and than punishment. It’s all up to you. I’ve tossed the ball into your end of the court.

Wire Clancy Hills Apartments Now!

RFP Staff

♦ Last year city officials celebrated the city’s Fibrant Fund turned a small profit. This was true on a modified accrual basis, but on a full accrual basis the Fibrant Fund lost money.

In an email dated December 12, 2014 City Finance Director Wade Furches asked Martin and Starnes auditor Tonya L. Marshall if he “can change the enterprise fund presentation to modified accrual (budgetary) basis? We think this is what our Council will understand.” Auditor Tonya L. Marshall responds “absolutely, whatever is more meaningful for them.”  December 12th 2014 email below:

In a follow up email dated December 15, 2014 Furches emails Marshall again stating, “Here is the full, revised PP (power point) presentation for the CAFR tomorrow. I changed the enterprise funds slide to modified accrual basis.”  December 15th, 2014 email below:

This is the presentation presented publicly to the Salisbury City Council, main street media, and on Access 14 by the auditor from Martin and Starnes.

The change was important. On a modified accrual basis the Fibrant Fund showed a small profit because it did not include all Fibrant related costs. On a full accrual basis, which showed all Fibrant related costs, the Fibrant Fund showed a loss.

We at Rowan Free Press understand that City Council was not consulted about this change.