7/16/14

A blast from the past that sounds like present Greensboro; "Fox failed to inform the board of numerous key actions"

"...Fox created a new county department by joining court services and child support services – and then created a director's position for that department and advertised for it without informing the board.

Fox also took rent money out of the Sheriff's Department budget meant for one of the department's satellite offices, without bothering to tell either the sheriff or the commissioners.

She also signed off on the county paying around $40,000 to XMG Online for a new website, even though XMG didn't deliver a usable product.

The Board of Commissioners only learned of the XMG fiasco in the press.

Fox also failed to inform the commissioners of serious concerns that county law enforcement and emergency workers had about a county fuel contract.

...In 2010, other highly egregious failures to inform the commissioners occurred when Fox failed to tell the board that she had created a new high-paying administrative position that seemed custom-made for her friend, who was then vice chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Steve Arnold.

...also in 2010, Fox entered into a highly questionable real estate contract that was potentially worth millions in county money to the real estate broker – who happened to be one of Arnold's friends and former employees.

That secret deal called for the broker to perform duties Guilford County already had an entire department set up to handle.

...in recent years, county staff has become famous for offering an agenda to commissioners that buries important items in the consent agenda – which is a list of items usually reserved for noncontroversial housekeeping-type matters.

Staff also has a reputation for wording agenda items in a way that prevents the commissioners from understanding the full implications of their actions.

...Yow said the DMV office effort and the failure to adequately notify the board that the petition against the High Point City Council was being filed were only the most recent examples of a lack of communication."

Scott

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