City of Greensboro Helping Public Notice Laws to 2014 Standards with New Bid Website

The City of Greensboro has made a new public website for construction bid opportunities, www.greensboro-nc.gov/ourbidprojects  , which has helpful links to information for bidders interested in participating on City construction projects.

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This is a real big step for cities and counties all over this state to understand the importance of the internet and not having to pay the local monopolistic paid papers to place public notice bids on a weekly basis.

This past year in the North Carolina General Assembly we have seen lawmakers propose laws to let cities and counties save taxpayer money on public notices for example our own Senator Dr. Trudy Wade in Senate Bill #186   and we also had House member Rep. Jon Hardister House Bill #504  works it's way through the process but nothing was passed because the blowhards from the N.C. Press Association oppose it at every turn with help from N.C. Press Assoc. Head Cheerleader Rep. Marilyn Avila and other lawmakers who are scared they are going to get bad press for actually saving taxpayer money and thinking it is 2014 not 1949 with these antiquated public notice laws.

It is great to see the City of Greensboro be proactive in regards to the bidding process and letting more customers get their information online and hopefully in the future we will see more laws passed that will also help out in the process without having the by state law put a ad in a local paper with font sizes so small you need a magnifier to see the bid or public notice.

N.C. Press Lobbyist Lying To Committee in Regards to Guilford County Public Notice Bill

Greensboro City Councilman Tony Wilkins has heard some interesting news out of Raleigh N.C.where things are coming to a boil in regards to allowing local governments in Guilford County to have the option of using electronic notices to get information to the citizens in this county saving thousands and thousands of dollars each year. Travis Fain from the Greensboro News and Record has a report out today HERE

Here is the exchange between Councilman Tony Wilkins  and City Manager Denise Turner Roth that happened today.

Councilman Tony Wilkins:
Hey Denise,

 

Just wanted to clarify that I have been given some misinformation.

 

I got a call this morning that said the N&R lobbyist in Raleigh stated on the floor of the House yesterday that the city manager of Greensboro, Denise Roth, opposed the Electronics Notice Bill. The bill failed on a 10-10 vote.

 

I replied that could not be true because council voted unanimously to support the bill.

 

It comes back up today and I want to get word to Raleigh the information presented yesterday was false.

 

Please verify that you did not make that statement.

 

Thanks,

Tony Wilkins

 

RESPONSE from Greensboro City Manager Denise Turner Roth

 

You are correct Tony. I was just told the same thing this morning and was very upset. I have never had a conversation with anyone from the N&R about this bill. It floors me that my name has been used by them. I did speak with Rep. Adams this morning and explained that this item was supported by Council as part of its legislative agenda. I also explained from a management perspective, if we had this authority there were likely be some things we would seek to exercise it (posting electronic notices) for but there are some things we would likely keep posting in traditional news papers like rezoning cases. I also had the same conversation with Sen. Wade.

On a related matter, Alfrique with the Carolina Peacemaker called very upset a little while ago that the City Council is supporting this effort. I am preparing a message to go to all of Council as a heads up.

 

Denise Turner Roth, City Manager

City of Greensboro  

 

 

Triadwatch is trying to get to the bottom of this to find out which N.C. Press Association lobbyist member if LYING to the committee stating that a local Greensboro City Manager is opposed to this bill when in reality she works for the City of Greensboro and their legislative agenda for 2013 is for them to have the ability to use electronic notices without going through the mandated and outdated law that states you have to provide public information only in a paid paper of weekly circulation to qualify.

When can we see some legislators understand that it is time to think ahead for a change and start allowing counties who want them to provide public notices electronically to do so.  Senator Trudy Wade has been a stalwart on this issue along with plenty of other representatives like House Rep. Jon Hardister  from Guilford County as well. They have been out front with all of these bills and it looks like we might see a pilot program coming out of Guilford County in regards to public notices, they plan on voting on this tonight since it got out of the house committee and all the BLOWHARDS from the N.C. Press Association who are LYING to a committee to make this bill go away should be ashamed of themselves since all they are thinking is the mighty taxpayer funded state mandated dollar nothing else.

Can the N.C. Press Association understand that their government assisted state law gravy train is slowly coming to a end  and it is time for local city and county governments to provide this information to their constituents as they see fit and save taxpayer dollars to boot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guilford County Rep. Jon Hardister Files Public Notice Bill #504 in House Side of North Carolina Legislature on April 2, 2013

 

Guilford County North Carolina State Representative District #59 Jon Hardister is a primary sponsor of House Bill #504 titled "local electronic notice". This bill on the house side along with the help of another Guilford County Representative in Senator Dr. Wade with her being a primary sponsor of bill #186 then to be safe she also filed a local bill in regards to public notice bills for Guilford County in bill #287 .

 

The House Bill #504 is a local bill and will only be a part of counties consisting of BUNCOMBE, GUILFORD, HENDERSON, MECKLENBURG, MITCHELL, PERQUIMANS, STANLY, SURRY, WAKE.

 

Triadwatch has devoted a lot of time to this issue trying to help save taxpayers monies that does not need to be spent. As I was quoted in a news article in the Greensboro News and Record on Monday April 1, 2013 in regards to the tax delinquency bill we pay in this county that cost us for one day close to $97,000, here is what I had to say;

 

"“It’s not 1949 anymore, it’s not 1969, it’s 2013,” Brown said Friday. “This information is already available online 24 hours a day from the tax department instead of one day a year in a newspaper advertisement that costs $97,000. Anyone who doesn’t have a computer or Internet can go to their local library and see this information.”

 

I would like to thank Rep. Hardister for being a primary sponsor on this bill and we see a change for the better in regards to public notices in this state and at the same time saving taxpayers monies on not having to publish in paid newspapers. If you would like to see more on this issue here are a few post

CLICKHERE

 

CLICKHERE

 and

HERE

 

and it also looks like the gloves are off and the N.C. Press Association has their

RED SIREN BILL ALERT in regards to House Bill #504 and Senate Bill #186 and they might need to know about Senate Bill #287 as well.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens but I urge all residents of any county in North Carolina to get in touch with your representative to let them know it is time to save tax money and pass these bills.

To get in touch with your representative you can see this interactive map titled

WHO REPRESENTS ME?