Justice Center tour leaves out key local leaders; attempts damage control

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

OPINION — In the wake of a legal letter written by the county, earlier this week the county held a tour of the long-anticipated new Justice Center, the largest and most expensive project ever conceived and constructed by Cleveland County government.

However, in its intent to rein in public scrutiny, after having the panel of a local political show first try to cover for an embarrassing reveal of information, the county then published a statement dedicated to being more transparent with county residents.

The next step in this publicity stunt involved getting elected officials, such as Congressman Tim Moore, along with current NC 110 House Representative Kelly Hastings, who said he never received a formal invitation, but nonetheless was invited, and a well-established old local media outlet to tour the Justice Center construction site.

Having been able to pull Moore from Congress seemed like a bigger challenge than just inviting Commissioner Berry who is usually close-by at most all times; even failing to invite Republican front-runner candidate for County Commissioner Wayne King.

King verified to The Shelby Independent that he and Berry were not invited.

While the public was upset at county government over the costs, the county and its proxies and supporters kept moving the goal post, based on previous reporting from other news outlets that gave different financial costs in each news story over the last several years.

As the cost of the Justice Center either kept rising, or meeting its actual number that was kept from public scrutiny until recently, the county and its cheerleaders kept insisting that’s the actual cost - whatever that was at the time and now is what it’s always been.

Now, at just shy of $210 million, as if that’s what it’s been all along, Cotton stated in a different local outlet’s feature news story that the project is 1.5% under budget — it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow at such a statement when, according to the legal letter obtained and released by the Shelby Independent, the county clearly stated on July 8, they didn’t know how much the project was actually going to cost...

So, who are they rebuking and who are they trying to convince when their own legal letter to Yates-Metcon’s legal council stated, “…the County still does not know what the Project will ultimately cost, and that cost is now trending upwards of $187,000,000…”

Yes, in their own words July 8, 2026.

But now, less than 20 days later and after five years of planning, it’s now suddenly 1.5% (one and a half percent) below budget. And it cost $210,000,000.

How does this happen?

Well, we don’t know because in the county’s statement released Friday evening vowing to be more transparent and provide updates to the residents of Cleveland County they still won’t respond to any of The Shelby Independent’s requests for more direct information, answering questions or providing a comment — not even as a private citizen of Cleveland County since they won’t respond to the journalist hat - but they won’t respond to the resident hat neither.

Not a single response to any of my emails is coming across as blatant blacklisting of The Shelby Independent during a time when the county should be more transparent, as they stated the would in a press release from last Friday evening. Yet, not a single reply was received from anyone; not from the county manager, the chairman nor even the public relations and marketing department. I have those emails, not sure why they are pretending they never received them. They can be release with those it was sent to, if needed.

However, what really would have been nice was to get an invitation for The Shelby Independent to tour of the Justice Center - well… that boat has already sailed … but it would have been nice to have written about it to inform our loyal local readers.

But that was the point - to try to pull readers away from The Shelby Independent as a punishment for actually serving the people, as is the job of news to inform the public.

The letter of July 8, written by the county government, published by The Shelby Independent, speaks for itself — or for the county, as they dispute their own document and having company yes-men and another local news outlet desperate to do some actual journalism-ing, doing the bidding for the county government.

But I will compliment the article hidden behind the paywall. It was a good feature story; I enjoyed reading it. It was simple and had a few quotes, such as from County Manager David Cotton, who still hasn’t responded to my emails last week.

The feature story was honestly good, if not akin to something the county would have written themselves. I suggest you read it and decide if what was said sounds acceptable or if the county government moved the goal post, again - but while the county gives tours and talks about how the project will be fully completed in 2027, and is suddenly amazingly under budget, I’m wondering why they’re trying to convince everyone what they wrote in the July 8 letter isn’t actually what they wrote in that letter?

Legal letters are complicated, even though many of you have read it yourself and it made sense, but apparently we didn’t read what we thought we read even though the numbers were there and the English was in American English.

As one local political show wanted you to understand on this week’s episode, filmed last week: attorneys have their own jargon / language; you’re not supposed to understand it.

I suggest you read the letter and decide for yourself (if you haven’t already). Seemed pretty straightforward to me.

You can read it here: https://www.shelbyindependent.com/post/july-8-2026-letter-from-the-county-government-to-yates-metcon

I’m just pleased that the county worked out its beef with itself and settled the matter and the project suddenly is 1.5% under budget and absolutely nothing at all like when they said, “…The County still does not know what the Project will ultimately cost, and that cost is now trending upwards of $187,000,000…” - JULY 8, 2026.

Things sure do move fast, don’t they? Unless you’re building a 340,000 square foot government building spanning over 8 acres that rivals Spartanburg County SC, which has three times (3x) as many people as Cleveland County and cost only $120,000,000 (almost half) and opened not long ago, in 2024.

Feel free to go look that up yourselves.

However, Spartanburg County, SC has 380,000 residents; that’s probably why it’s almost half what our justice center is going to cost. Cleveland County only has a apopulation of bout 103,000. If that doesn’t make sense to you it’s because it’s not supposed to.

But look at the bright side of this Domus Flavia Basilica, Spartanburg finished their project on budget and ours is now 1.5% UNDER BUDGET - since last week … when they didn’t know the true cost.

Spartanburg can’t claim such a victory of fiscal responsibility as Cleveland County.

Anyone interested in beach-front property in Tennessee?

Also, did I mention they spent $4,200 on three trash cans for the new building, and $407 per chair for waiting areas and $877 for a side table to go with those waiting chairs?

That’s just to name a few.

Oh- that reminds me: If you’re sitting behind a desk right now, look at it carefully and ask yourself, “Am I sitting behind a $7,000 desk right now?”

If you’re not then you probably don’t work for Buckingham Palace or Cleveland County government.

They’re getting a few new $7,000 desks.

Let’s be honest, it takes a seven thousand dollar desk to be able to sit there and make wise financial decisions. I get it. You can’t run government from a $999 desk and a $229 office chair. You need a $600 task chair to go with the $407 waiting area chairs and your $7,000 desk to make government run efficiently.

It’s Cleveland County. Only the best for our property owners on social security and retirement benefits that have to take out a loan to pay their property taxes on a house they paid off years ago.

As the county might remind you sometime, keep this in mind:

They’re the professionals, not us.

As were the crew of the Titanic.

Ironically, in closing of this opinion piece, Kenny Roger’s song “The Gambler” is now playing, and he has a point:

“You've got to know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

And know when to run

You never count your money

When you're sittin' at the table

There'll be time enough for countin'

When the dealin's done.”

He’s right, there will be time to do the counting of the total cost when the dealing is done.

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Chuck Thompson is the founder, reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.