How ’bout ANOTHER expensive govt.-funded web site?
Poor, poor Moore County. We’ve got some of the best schools in the state. We’ve got one of the lowest crime rates. We’ve got a load of world-class golf resorts, including that little-known one called Pinehurst. We’re seeing such population growth that school officials are fretting about their facilities and county officials are seeking additional water resources. We’re in such “BAD” shape that both the men’s and women’s US OPEN golf tournaments will be played here in 2014.
Some politicians, government bureaucrats — and some public-private nonprofit partnership types eager to justify their paychecks — have decided that we need YET ANOTHER expensive taxpayer-funded web site to promote our fair county. Some of these folks went before the county board of commissioners this week asking for $125,000 for web site development costs — in addition to recurring yearly maintenance costs of $25,000 to $40,000.
For those of you who may not be aware, we already have a few web sites out there marketing our fair county: The Moore County Chamber of Commerce, Moore County Partners in Progress, Moore County government, Southern Pines government, Pinehurst government, Aberdeen government, Southern Pines Business Association, Moore Forward, Pinehurst Business Guild, Southern Pines-Pinehurst,-Aberdeen Realtors Association, Moore County Convention & Visitors Bureau , and SandhillsNC.com among others. Take all of that into account — plus all of the publicity generated by the Pinehurst Resort — and you’d have to conclude that the general public is saturated with information about this area.
As you may know — I do a little web site work myself. And I KNOW you can get some quality work for a lot lower price than what’s being thrown around here. A lot lower. I don’t spend — or charge — anywhere near those figures. (If that is what the market will pull — maybe I need to bump my prices up.)
Investing tax dollars in YET another expensive web site is a mistake. It’s terribly disrespectful to taxpayers trying to survive during terrible economic times.
“$125,000 for web site development costs — in addition to recurring yearly maintenance costs of $25,000 to $40,000.”
Seriously? I know a thing or two about web development myself and I absolutely concur. Even IF there is a real need, those numbers are outrageous for a county promotion website.
Watched the video. One commissioner nearly came out of his seat. Not to say, are you out of your mind, but to say, yes we need to do this now, tonight, this minute. Unbelievable! Over 1 million toward promoting a growing county already, and this succubus wants more???