by Elissa Yount
Since July 4, 2009, I have made a request of the Janet Cowell, the Treasurer of North Carolina and the head of the Local Government Commission (LGC), to clarify and confirm the understanding that the LGC has concerning money that the Embassy Cultural Foundation is suppose to pay back to the City of Henderson.
The Embassy’s 2007 tax return, specifically pages 4, 13, 18, 19, 25, and 25 contain important facts about the Embassy’s finances. The document referenced above clearly shows that the $1.7 million received by the Embassy Cultural Foundation from the City of Henderson is considered by the Embassy to be a gift or grant.
The tax return also shows how pledges are coming in and how the money is being spent.
Previously the LGC communicated to the city that it was their understanding that this money was to be paid back. It is vital that Henderson has a resolution about this debt. If the city has a different arrangement with the LGC now, then the taxpayers are entitled to know what it is. After all, it was our million and more that the city gave Embassy, and the city should not allow this debt to quietly fall off their books.
A request was also made to the State Auditor, Beth Wood, and to the Secretary of State, Elaine Marshall, and to Pam Glover, the Henderson City Clerk, for the audit reports and the LLC Annual Report for Embassy Cultural Foundation. It is important to know how much debt the Embassy has that remains to be paid and if their audit and report shows the outstanding debt to the city. Knowing the amount of outstanding debt and knowing when this debt will be paid is important to all taxpayers in Henderson. Here is why:
The Embassy Cultural Foundation is suppose to transfer the deed for the library to the city when they clear their debt. The city will then own the building and at that time they could negotiate to sell the building to the county. Presently, the county has not paid for any part of that building to be constructed, nor does the county pay for the use of that building. They are getting it rent-free, so to speak, while the taxpayer in Henderson, who has borne all of this debt, continues to pay double for the operating expenses.
But there are more flies in this ointment. The ownership, upkeep, and utilities for McGregor Hall must be spelled out. In addition, it is long past time for the ownership of the land adjoining McGregor Hall to be established. Unless Variety Wholesalers has deeded the land to the city, they still control that property. As you can see, the taxpayer in Henderson has a lot to worry about.
Our city fails to provide many needed services, even though we pay very high taxes. Our entire region depends on Henderson to run its water system, yet we do not have a city engineer as is required by our City Code. We do not have enough code enforcement officers to keep our city safe from hazards. According to Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson, we do not have enough firefighters. And as good as our police are, we know that we could double that effort. We should have a full time attorney to go after tax deadbeats and start foreclosures and enforce codes. We need to tear down buildings right in the downtown, but none of this is getting done because the city government pushes other priorities.
When the Embassy Foundation pays back the city the money advanced, and if the city can sell the building to the county when they acquire ownership, then the city will have money to put in their fund balance. Now, you may think this is beating a dead horse, but when you receive your city tax bill, you will see the necessity of it.
We pay plenty in taxes, but we are paying plenty because we are taxed twice for some un-essential services. We also are owed plenty because of the extent of these un-essential services. This is our money, our city government, our mess. We need to fix it and fix it now. Ask for and get the answers you deserve.