Parks and Cummings answer FAQ's for Lenoir County Commissioner, District 3
Recently the Lenoir County Economic development office folded into the Global TransPark. Does this benefit Lenoir County, why or why not?
Parks says…
“I think that’s good, in fact my understanding is that some other counties have merged into having an economic plan so that the TransPark will be available to surrounding counties as well as Lenoir County, so yes that’s a good thing.”
Cummings says…
“Yes – it very much benefits Lenoir County because we will be part of a regional approach to economic development. We worked on this agreement extensively in an effort to expand our outreach while still protecting the interests of Lenoir County. We see the Global TransPark as an economic engine that will benefit us greatly because it’s located here and will also give us access to other resources throughout the region that we can benefit from. It will help our partnerships with community colleges in the region who will offer training for the specialized skillsets that will be needed.”
Lenoir County recently completed a salary study for its employees showing that many staff members aren’t paid as much as their counterparts in other local governments. How can we improve the pay scale for Lenoir County employees?
Parks says…
“One of the things that I’m running on is that I think our county employees need to be paid more if the pay is merited. It’s discouraging to have employees start in Lenoir County … we train them in the county and another county will hire them. We need to look at our employees’ pay and make sure that we do all we can to keep them from being hired by another county after we train them.”
Cummings says…
“The salary and benefits study did show some serious levels of difference in the salary structure. What it didn’t show was the comparison of the other pieces of the compensation package such as benefit retirement leave policies, those kinds of things. These are of a great deal of value for some people. We have to do further study that does a true comparison of our total compensation package with other county governments. We still know that it’s extremely important for retention and recruitment to offer the best we can do in terms of actual salary. One of the things that we have learned is that many young people coming into the workforce really aren’t worried about their retirement plans, really aren’t concerned with what kind of leave they are going to have. They just want to know how much money they will have in their paycheck. These are important things as well. We are going to be seriously considering implementing some of the findings within the pay scale study but then COVID 19 hit. We chose to postpone any changes to the salary structures until we can fully examine the economic impact that the pandemic has had on Lenoir County revenues. We are hopeful that as the picture gets clearer we are able to do some adjustments overall as was recommended in the study but specifically as we look at the more difficult to recruit and the more challenging roles where our turnover is very high. We are going to do further study and we will look at this I’m sure in the spring as we begin to work on our budget for next year, we should have a clearer picture at that time. In addition, Lenoir County has some of the most qualified dedicated professional committed employees of any place I’ve ever known. I’ve worked closely with many of them with each of the departments or several at least, and they deserve the best because they are the best.”
Lenoir County recently in an emergency meeting voted to remove a Confederate statue from the visitor’s center to the Wil King Memorial site. What do you see as the correct balance between historic preservation and cultural sensitivity?
Parks says…
“I know that moving the statue was a move made by the county commissioners and I think it was the right move. I think they compromised and unanimously agreed to have it move. I personally think that the statue should have been out at the battlefield previously instead of at the visitor’s center. Being at the visitor center for visitors coming for the first time. We need to make sure we don’t have anything sensitive to those that feel the way they do about certain things. I have no problem with them at all and I thought the county commissioners did a great job in deciding it and keeping the controversy to a minimum.”
Cummings says…
“That decision required a great deal of thought and a great deal of study. It was unfortunately one we had to make on a rather hurried basis, because of the times and the pressure that was occurring. I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I don’t have any problem with taking down the Confederate memorial statues. They aren’t things I notice. They didn’t offend me, but I know they offend a lot of people and the association of those statues of painful times for people in history. Again I didn’t have a problem with removing it but I did have a problem with the implications of our tourism when we don’t have the places for people to visit who are very interested in the study of the Civil War in Lenoir County because it was a significant area. It was the tourism aspect that gave me a great deal of pause but we live in the now and we need to be able to be fair and concerned and sensitive to the feelings that are arriving now. As I do with most issues, I truly gave prayerful deliberation to this one and, although our decision did not satisfy everyone, the Board of Commissioners worked together and the vote to move the monument was unanimous. We must improve our communication across racial and economic lines in order to fully understand the needs and concerns of all of Lenoir County citizens.”
Do you believe Lenoir County Government adequately funds the Lenoir County Public School System? How could this be improved?
Parks says…
“I think the county commissioners handled school money in the best way possible under the current circumstances we have. I think Brent Williams does a great job with the funds that are available. Not being a commissioner before I’m not really sure just how it’s determined how much money the county gives to the schools. I need to learn more about that before I can state if it’s adequate or not. Approximately 65 or 70% of the county budget is mandated by the state so therefore I feel we’re doing as good a job as can.”
Cummings says…
“When you look at the breakdown of expenditures across the many responsibilities of Lenoir County, I believe our school system is treated fairly. Would I personally like to see more investment in all of our schools and particularly in those who face academic performance issues, the answer is yes. I believe that investment in education at all levels is the answer to improving economic opportunity for everyone in our county. As we assess our revenue picture for the upcoming year, I hope to be able to support an increase in that area.”
Our current tax rate is $0.845 per $100 evaluation. Is that rate adequate to support the needs of Lenoir County government?
Parks says…
“That’s a good question. We need economic growth in order to keep our tax rate down. I am not in favor of raising taxes, however, there’s so much uncertainty with the COVID issue that I really don’t know if the current rate is going to be adequate in the near future. I intend to look at our budget if elected and try to help figure ways to cut unnecessary, if any, expenses to help hold our tax rate where it’s at and not have an increase.”
Cummings says…
“In evaluating what is requested from our county departments versus what we have available in revenues, there are many needs and wants that are not currently being addressed. I believe the current rate is reasonable due to the obligations we have incurred in past years and the impact of multiple hurricanes on properties throughout the county. At this time, I do not see a need to change the current tax rate because of these factors and that many of our citizens are facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. Many of our county expenditures are due to mandated responsibilities and cannot be easily changed. We must prioritize public health in order to keep our citizens safe while continuing to invest in economic recovery. We have an excellent county manager and I have confidence that he will provide the best projections available for our budget planning.”
