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Resident criticizes $420,328.65 courthouse security expense and calls for transparency
Summary
A legislator and longtime resident raised concerns about an apparently unbudgeted $420,328.65 courthouse security project, questioned specific line items and urged clearer public disclosure of spending and decision rationale.
During public comment, a Sullivan County resident who participated in the roll call criticized an unbudgeted courthouse security project described in the transcript as costing $420,328.65 and urged the legislature to scrutinize the expenditure and provide clearer public reporting.
The speaker listed several line items recorded in the meeting transcript: two officers with a combined figure of $111,000, a fingerprinting expense of $78,000, a system purchase of $94,000 and a software figure recorded in the transcript as "$17.05" (the transcript's software amount appears unclear). He called the project a "total waste of money" and said it infringed on people's rights, urging the body to consider alternatives and public views.
The chair responded by saying the legislature would not "put a price on safety." The exchange focused on transparency and budgeting for security-related capital and operating expenditures; no formal budget reversal or amendment was proposed at the meeting.
