HAMLET — City Manager John Terziu is asking the state Department of Justice to investigate alleged legal and ethical violations made by the Richmond County Government.
Terziu sent an email on Friday to Attorney General Jeff Jackson, members of the State Ethics Commission and state Rep. Ben Moss requesting “an immediate investigation into Richmond County’s allocation of $375,000 in public funds to Rockingham Speedway, as well as retaliatory actions taken against the City of Hamlet for advocating for essential public services.”
The allocation, approved in a 4-3 vote Thursday during a special meeting at the Richmond County Airport, raises “ serious legal, ethical, and constitutional concerns,” Terziu said.
NOTE: The RO has reached out to county leaders for a response in a separate story.
The city manager says the county violated the open meetings law by “Failure to provide proper notice and agenda for the meeting at which this appropriation was approved.”
A notice of the meeting was sent out by Board Clerk Dena Cook late Monday afternoon.
Terziu goes on to claim a Constitutional rights violation.
“Citizens, including myself, were denied the right to ask whether the meeting was a public hearing, violating First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment protections,” Terziu says in the email.
No public hearing or opportunity for public comment was listed on the agenda for the meeting.
When Commissioner Andy Grooms first made the motion to approve the funding, Terziu asked, “Can I ask a question,” he was told no by several people, including Chairman Dr. Rick Watkins.
“Is this not a public hearing,” Terziu continued.
“No, you’re out of order,” Watkins replied.
The third concern on Terziu’s list is “possible violations” of the statutes regarding conflicts of interest and ethics, “with the County Manager reportedly benefiting financially from Speedway-related revenue and the County Chair executing a contract prematurely.”
Terziu also alleges misuse of public funds, citing a statute that “requires a properly noticed public hearing and findings of public benefit before allocating public funds to a private business.”
The final complaint in the email alleges “retaliation and threats” made by County Manager Bryan Land and Watkins related to his request for the county to provide more funding for the services provided outside the city limits by Hamlet Fire and Rescue.
According to a list provided by Terziu, half of the department’s 666 calls were outside of Hamlet. 300 were in the city and the other 33 were in Dobbins Heights.
Terziu also provided several emails he sent to county leaders over the summer.
NOTE: Any possible responses to Terziu’s emails were not included in what has been provided.
In an email dated June 10, Terziu said the county’s decision to reject Hamlet’s “reasonable and modest request to increase the fire fee per structure is not only disappointing — it is unacceptable.”
According to Terziu, the city gets $300,000 from fire fee revenue and the annual operational costs of the Hamlet Fire Department exceed $1.4 million.
Terziu said the decision undermines the city’s ability to provide critical emergency services to properties outside the city limits “that solely benefit your county residents and businesses.”
“Our request wasn’t just denied, it was rapidly dismissed,” Terziu said, adding that Watkins publicly stated that the recent property tax revaluation “should be enough.”
“That statement reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the real and immediate risks we are facing,” Terziu said. “Failing to recognize those risks is a failure of leadership and a failure to meet the responsibilities of public office from someone who is additionally a resident of Hamlet.”
Terziu continues, saying an unidentified “official” expressed support for the fee increase, but proposed a cap for large industrial developments.
“That would have shifted the burden of funding critical emergency services onto small businesses and homeowners — the very people in our community who are least able to absorb the cost,” Terziu said. “Meanwhile, a $2.6 trillion-dollar corporation like Amazon would effectively be shielded from paying its fair share toward the emergency infrastructure needed to support its own operations.
“This approach is not only inequitable — it’s unconscionable.”
The future Amazon Web Services data center complex is in the Energy Way Industrial Park on Airport Road, a few miles south of Hamlet, but in the city’s fire district.
Combined with the Duke Energy power plant, Terziu said “these developments represent a significant and complex public safety risk.”
“And yet, despite these facts, the County has offered no additional support — effectively leaving the City of Hamlet solely responsible for protecting this high-risk zone with no new resources,” Terziu said. “This is not just a funding dispute. It is a serious lapse in planning, responsibility, and governance. I personally believe this is a gross neglect of duty by the County.”
Terziu also sent an email to county leaders Thursday morning, several hours before the special meeting, questioning “the justification of even considering a $375,000 grant to a private corporation while the County has not met its obligation to fairly fund essential emergency services.”
“Public safety is not optional, and it must take precedence over discretionary support for private business ventures,” he said.
Terziu states that, after speaking to an Amazon representative, “it has become clear that Richmond County has asked Amazon Web Services to provide additional financial support to Hamlet to offset the County’s own obligations.”
NOTE: Terziu claried to the RO that he "directed that there be no increase in rates, only that the County cover the cost of the services rendered with revenues they already bring in."
“Respectfully, this is not Amazon’s responsibility, it is yours,” he continued. “The County says it does not want to raise taxes. Then don’t. Simply pay the City of Hamlet directly for the services we already provide to your residents.
“If this Board can consider spending $375,000 to bail out a private speedway from a lawsuit, then surely you can commit the same resources to faulty funding the fire protection and EMS services that safeguard the lives of your own citizens every day.”
In the Aug. 21 email, Terziu also claims that Watkins threatened to sue the city when “I raised these concerns in good faith.”
“Does this Board authorize its chairman to make such statements on behalf of the entire body?” Terziu asks. “To be clear, I will not be intimidated from fulfilling my duty to protect Hamlet’s taxpayers. It is troubling that raising factual concerns about public safety and fiscal fairness was met with the threat of litigation rather than constructive dialogue.”
Terziu closed that email urging the board to reconsider.
In his request to the attorney general, Terziu ask for: a formal investigation into the legality and ethical propriety of the speedway allocation and related conduct; a review of conflict-of-interest disclosures by Land and Watkins; a determination of violations of general statutes), including potential criminal liability; and “enforcement of statutory compliance and protective measures to ensure municipalities are not retaliated against for advocating for their residents.”
“The people of Richmond County deserve a government that operates openly, lawfully, and in the public interest,” Terziu said in his closing, “not one that threatens municipalities and prioritizes private gain over public safety.”
NOTE: This story has been updated to include a clarification. 3:16 p.m. 8-22-25.
