RALEIGH – On Thursday, State Auditor Dave Boliek sent Gov. Josh Stein the following response to his request for Council of State concurrence on Executive Orders No. 1 and 2:
Dear Governor Stein,
Assisting with Hurricane Helene storm recovery is a shared goal of ours, and I concur with the two executive orders with the minor modification my staff discussed with your team. You and I agree that there is much that needs to be done in Western North Carolina, and I trust recovery will remain a priority throughout your tenure.
That said, we intend to hold your office accountable. Through the executive authority granted to the State Auditor’s Office by the North Carolina Constitution, and the legislative charge contained in Senate Bill 382, I will be instructing my office to account for every dollar that is spent in fulfillment of these orders, and to report on the effectiveness and efficiency of these orders. Elements of the executive orders will be questioned with a focus on accountability. We will be asking for specifics that include, for example:
Where will the money to purchase the 1,000 Transportable Temporary Housing Units come from?
How much will it cost to purchase 1,000 units and how will they be deployed?
How will it be determined that the units are going to those who are most in need?
Where will the “emergency assistance funds” to the Director of the Division of Emergency Management come from?
How will the Director of the Division of Emergency Management determine what is necessary to complete repairs for private roads and bridges?
Given past failures to effectively provide hurricane relief to Eastern North Carolina, it is in the best interest of Hurricane Helene victims that our office takes such action. I look forward to collaborating with you, and the other Council of State members, in the future as we work toward a recovery effort that leaves no family behind.
Sincerely,
State Auditor Dave Boliek
Great letter, we all want to help the Hurricane victims. But as mentioned, our previous Governor staff failed miserably on hurricanes that hit eastern NC and he refused to hold anyone accountable until the November 24 and after there was a 220 million shortfall in the NC Rebuild budget.