N.C. goes to the drawing board over stimulus funds

The North Carolina Office of Economic Recovery and Investment (OERI) is holding a workshop for citizens across the state to provide their two cents on how federal funds should be spent in North Carolina.

Governor Bev Perdue made the announcement on Monday of this week and will speak at the workshop being held today, June 18, at 2:30pm on the Harris Campus of Central Piedmont Community College. The meeting is number six in a series of workshops being put on by OERI to provide information and guidance to local city officials, businesses and interested citizens.

OERI Director Dempsy Benton will lead the two-hour workshop where attendees will have a chance to hear from state and federal agency representatives. They will be on hand to discuss the status of their agency’s funds, what projects are in line to receive funding and what mechanisms are being used to keep the processes honest and open.

“North Carolina is set to receive more than $8 billion in federal recovery money, and I intend for our state to not only be prepared to use this money to put our people back to work, but also to spend the money with the utmost accountability and transparency,” Gov. Perdue said in a statement. “These workshops will build the bridges between state, local and county governments – and anyone else interested in utilizing recovery funds – to ensure this money is used to benefit all of North Carolina and our people.”

Previous Economic Recovery Workshops recently have been held in Winston-Salem, Clyde, Kinston, Raleigh and Wilmington.

“The economic recovery funds are purpose-driven, rather than place-driven,” Mr. Benton said. “It’s important that attendees understand the funded programs, so they may actively participate. It’s also important for participants to understand the expectations for efficiency, transparency and accountability in the investment of funds.”

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