ROCKINGHAM — The attorney for Richmond County is refuting claims of legal and ethical misconduct made earlier in the day by Hamlet City Manager John Terziu.
Terziu, who came to Hamlet earlier this year after serving as the town planner in Aberdeen, sent an email Friday to Attorney General Jeff Jackson — along with the state Ethics Commission and state Rep. Ben Moss — requesting an investigation into recent actions by the county.
The city manager accused the county of violating the state’s open meeting law, Constitutional rights and misuse of public funds, related to a 4-3 decision at a special meeting Thursday to grant $375,000 to a vendor to help pay for the SAFER barriers installed at Rockingham Speedway.
For the misappropriation complaint, Terziu cites General Statute 158-7.1, which allows a municipal government to make grants or loans for the rehabilitation of commercial structures, whether it is publicly or privately owned.
However, the statute goes on to read: “Any appropriation or expenditure for economic development purposes pursuant to this section must be approved by the … governing body after a public hearing.”
County attorney Michael Newman says Terziu is citing the wrong statute.
“We understand that the city manager claims that the County failed to comply with the open meetings law because it did not hold a public hearing ‘as required under G.S. 158-7.1.,’” Newman said in an email to the RO Friday afternoon.
“The city manager knows full well that the statute he cites has no application whatsoever, and that yesterday’s Board action was not taken under G.S. 158-7.1,” Newman continued. “Appropriations for grants — like the action taken yesterday by our Board — are made through G.S. 153A-449. That statute does not require a public hearing.”
The statute cited by Newman pertains to contracts with private entities.
It reads: “A county may contract with and appropriate money to any person, association, or corporation, in order to carry out any public purpose that the county is authorized by law to engage in. A county may not require a private contractor under this section to abide by any restriction that the county could not impose on all employers in the county, such as paying minimum wage higher than the statewide wage in Chapter 95 of the General Statutes or providing paid sick leave to its employees, as a condition of bidding on a contract.”
“We have no idea why the city manager insists on citing the wrong statute,” Newman said.
Terziu also claimed that Dr. Rick Watkins, chairman of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners, had threatened to sue Hamlet “simply for pleading for support for emergency services that directly benefit county residents.” He said the County Manager Bryan Land has also made threatening statements.
Hamlet wants the county to pick up the tab for fire and rescue services provided outside the city limits.
“No threats were made to the city manager by either the Chairman or our County Manager regarding ‘emergency services,’” Newan said. “Instead, the city manager was told that the County is working towards enacting a county-wide emergency services fee which will assist all municipalities in Richmond County.”
In his email, Terziu also asked that the A.G. investigate “possible violations” of statutes related to conflicts of interest and ethics, “with the County Manager reportedly benefiting financially from Speedway-related revenue and the County Chair executing a contract prematurely.”
“Neither our Chairman nor our County Manager has engaged in any ‘ethics’ or ‘legal’ violations of any kind,” said Newman. “Such allegations have no basis in fact whatsoever.”
