There’s a fiscal crisis facing governments at all levels, but apparently most of Durham’s public officials are oblivious to that news. Only Council member Eugene Brown voted against continuing to pour money down the Rolling Hills rat hole yesterday:
Councilman Eugene Brown, however, voted against continuing largely because he sees little certainty that the federal government will continue offering the two grants.
If it halts them, the city would be on the hook for paying up to $740,665 a year in debt service on the loan.
Brown worries that Congressional Republicans will halt or sharply cut back the two grant programs.
“There’s a totally different group now in Washington,” he said, noting that the GOP controls the U.S. House. “We can bemoan that, we can lament that, but there’s a new normal.”
I look at a lot of newspaper websites and it’s depressing to see how many stories daily tout the spending of federal money that does not exist. Local officials just don’t get it. There are not enough Gene Browns out there who see reality.
Durham has wasted millions on the Rolling Hills fiasco and just can’t seem to let it go. To our benighted council, there’s always a rainbow-hued future full of unicorns on that depressing hill overlooking Durham’s jail.
