{"id":2346,"date":"2011-03-05T13:15:41","date_gmt":"2011-03-05T18:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/03\/noaa-weather-radios-wasteful-spending-richard-raines.html"},"modified":"2011-03-05T13:15:41","modified_gmt":"2011-03-05T18:15:41","slug":"noaa-weather-radios-wasteful-spending-richard-raines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/03\/noaa-weather-radios-wasteful-spending-richard-raines.html","title":{"rendered":"NOAA Weather Radios “wasteful spending” –Richard Raines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/a>\nAre NOAA Weather Radios “wasteful spending”?\n

\nWe’ve already seen staff present the case<\/a> for\nabout 5,000 NOAA Weather Radios at $21.50 each, paid for out of grant money.\nThey made that case at the 8:30AM 7 Feb 2011 Lowndes County Commission Work Session.\n

\n\n<\/a>\nAt the regular session the next day (5:30 PM Tuesday 8 Feb 2011),\ncitizen Nolen Cox spoke against the NOAA grant and more generally said\n\n“just say no to grants”<\/a>.\nHe also went on at some length about how he didn’t believe in climate change.\nNevermind that the fifth U.S. or British board of inquiry has\n\nreconfirmed yet again that the data and analysis for climate change\nare solid.<\/a>\n

\n\n<\/a>\nEMA Director Ashley Tye summarized the case for NOAA Weather radios,\n\naccording to the minutes,<\/a>\n

\nstating Lowndes County had been awarded $107,500.00, in Hazard Mitigation\ngrant funding for the purchase of 5,000 NOAA weather radios to benefit\nall of Lowndes County. Mr. Tye added that Alert Works had presented the\nlow bid in the amount of $21.50 per radio.\n<\/blockquote>\nFinally, the Commission had some discussion.\nAccording to the minutes:\n\n\n
\nCommissioner Raines thanked Mr. Tye for his efforts related to the recent\nrecovery at Ocean Pond. Commissioner Raines added that he could not\nagree more with the comments of Mr. Nolen Cox and that he was interested\nin the money being spent on something other than radios. Commissioner\nRaines further stated that he was not against all grants, but that he was\nagainst wasteful spending, adding that this request presented a unique\nopportunity for Lowndes County to set an example. Commissioner Raines\nclosed by saying maybe the money could be applied to teacher furloughs or\nto pay down some other debt.\n

\nCommissioner Raines made a motion to reject\nthe bid and the $107,500.00 in grant funding, Commissioner Powell second.\n

\nEvans opposed, motion carried.\n<\/blockquote>\nYou can\n\nwatch it for yourself:<\/a>\n

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