Things have been rather hectic for me the past week or so, and I haven’t had the time to post much. I am planning to discuss the cost of government in the next few days, but will be waiting for a very important meeting Thursday morning at 10:30 at the Government Center - we begin to talk about the budget.
At this meeting, the staff will be presenting to the board the various scenarios that will result from three tax rates: Keeping the 63 cent rate, going revenue neutral by making a significant reduction in the overall tax rate, to compensate for the recent revaluation, and some rate between these two.
Once we get these figures hand, I will be able to share a few more things with you about our spending.
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Subscribe via E-mail
4 responses so far ↓
1 Justin Thibault // Apr 24, 2008 at 9:44 am
Bob - I just read this article about cuts and school funding.
We’ve got the hold the line on school funding and construction. Also, a May 2009 referendum on the bonds - bad idea. These bonds will pass if there’s a President at the top of the ballot, and if the bonds don’t pass what happens? The schools get built using funding methods that are more expensive anyway.
Keep that in mind during this most fun time of being a Commissioner.
2 Steve Smith // Apr 24, 2008 at 10:52 am
Bob
Good Luck my friend. Your’e gonna need it….
3 Brian Freeman // Apr 26, 2008 at 1:18 am
Commissioner Carruth,
this past week was small business week and it seemed relevent to talk about small business owners and the issues we face. We have had a lively discussion about the cabarrus county prescription discount card, which 5 businesses in Cabarrus County thought was unfair, not because of the disputed discount, but because it gave complete exclusive rights to a discount card to CVS/Caremark. the County allowed a private company to use the county logo and media power to promote its private product. I find this very disturbing, because there are many products out there, and you allowed one big company rights to the entire county. CVS/Caremark has converted some our our local residents to get medications from out of state, which is unsafe because they lose the interactions with their pharmacist. It also has cost some payroll hours that would have stayed local. the board, on this issue, completely ignored every small business in the pharmacy business (Moose Pharmacy, Cannon Pharmacy, Medicap concord, Medicap harrisburg, Martins drug store) within Cabarrus County and sided with CVS/Caremark, a fortune 500, out of New Hampshire. Even Walgreen’s and Rite=aid pharmacist wrote you to explain how discount cards hurt customers at the chain pharmacies. Its just the independent pharmacies care more for their patients, and thus take this “discount” card as a insult to the services we provide. Should Free home delivery, vaccinations, nursing home prescription preparation, compounding, be discounted? CVS thinks a prescription is 30 pills in a bottle handed to a patient by a cashier, with no questions. That service probably can be discounted. When you fill a prescription, put it in a 30 day blister pak, deliver it to a nursing home, then go once a month to review accuracy, does that deserve the same discount you approve of?
this discount card approval was equal to big business getting a free swing, with big club, at the head of small business. the big business issues a card that the small business must accept and then the small business will pay the big business 1.35 each time it is used. to top it all off, the patient saves nothing, honestly. Its a scam for cvs/caremark to make millions nationwide with the help of NaCo and counties like Cabarrus. Mecklenburg has said no to this card, hopefully b0ecause they understand that its not the role of gov’t to get involved in private business issues. CVS/Caremark card was chosen as the card of the county for one year. Maybe then we can have a round table that will come up with some real ways to help our seniors.
Grace Mynatt, and Coy Privette have reservations about the card because it really is a private company promotiing a private product and it gets free county logo approval and television play.
County employees have been working on this project, at tax payers expense, to help CVS/Caremark pass out their cards so they can collect $1.35 from every card use at local pharmacies.
If Commissioner Carruth would join them soon, the Discount card would be delayed and then we coud have a real discussion with all sides. Also, I will go to the manufacturers to get the discounts directly to the citizen that CVS/Caremark gets under the current deal. We can make a better deal for our citizens but not if we are locked into a year contract.
A discount card is a third step in the healthcare structure. Its a middleman, than collects high fees and does nothing. When do you ever benefit from using a middleman. I want to launch a counter offer, we will give anybody $5 that turns in their discount card. because they don’t work many have already given them back. We will save them and mail them to the 3 commissioners that think its a good idea. I think I can get a garbage bag full. Any suggestions?
brian freeman, Cannon Pharmacy
4 Steve Smith // Apr 26, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Brian
Give it a rest!!!!!Lets move on to something that is more important. Coy Privette is for what ever every one else is against. We all know how you feel about the Drug Discount Card. Most of your arguements won’t stand the “smell test”, however , be that as it may, with Coy on your side you are bound to lose your arguement. I rest my case and speak no further on the subject!!!!
Leave a Comment