The Cherokee County Commissioners’ meeting was standing-room only. A crowd of 9-12ish people assembled to tell the commissioners they did not want new government buildings, and if renovations were needed, they didn’t have to be super fancy. The decision to proceed with a new courthouse was made by three commissioners who lost their bids for re-election in May. Citizens asked what the meaning of the last-minute spending spree was. The commissioners want to have a new courthouse, a new jail, and a new social services building. They claim existing buildings are not ADA compliant, and space is so scarce they are just begging for a lawsuit. They argued construction would cost three times more if government postponed it, and new commissioners would need at least 2.5 years to learn enough to make a decision about the new buildings. As always, government never spends tax dollars. This time, it is spending retired debt. The citizens asked why the money couldn’t be refunded to the private sector. The space wouldn’t be needed if government weren’t so intent on recruiting dependents and increasing its paperwork.
Great American Jerry Kilpatrick told the commissioners, “I am not against government spending, but against reckless government spending. We are your bosses, and your bosses say, ‘Stop this reckless spending.’ ” He called for the commissioners to reverse their decision to build a new courthouse and argued that they should be helping people get off the welfare roles rather than building capacity.
