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This Cent makes No $en$e
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| N O S P L O S T |
http://www.macon.com/2010/06/27/1175867/the-splost-proposal-is-flawed.html
Sunday, Jun. 27, 2010 Opinion of the Macon Telegraph Editorial Board The SPLOST proposal is flawed and should be defeated The voting has already begun, and will end July 20. There are 14 candidates hoping to emerge as their party’s nominee for governor, including Dublin’s Dubose Porter. Two Republicans and five Democrats want to be secretary of state, and two Democrats are vying to unseat Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in November. There are competitive primary races for the U.S. Senate, state school superintendent, labor commissioner, attorney general and Public Service Commission. And, the insurance commissioner’s race has drawn nine Republican candidates. To say the least, there are plenty of reasons why turnout will be higher than usual rather than the dribble of voters who approved the last ELOST. And that’s just one of the reasons this Editorial Board advised months ago to delay the vote on a $180 million special purpose local option sales tax to fund a new courthouse and other projects until November. That advice was not heeded, and here we are, staring down the barrel of a SPLOST defeat not just because of timing but for lack of cooperation. County leaders have not wanted to make a connection between the city’s desire to have a service delivery agreement in place before a SPLOST vote was held. An SDA sets in writing what services each government is responsible for to avoid double taxation issues. City leaders contend its residents have been subsidizing county services for years while getting little in return. For example, the city pays the county $55 per day, per inmate, to jail city residents. Why? City residents are county residents, too, and pay county taxes. Still, the county says the SPLOST and the SDA are two separate issues. Really? There are several parts of the SPLOST that are troubling. The need for a new courthouse is not one of them. We should all be able to agree with Superior Court judges that safety is an issue with the present facility. It’s only a matter of time before something tragic occurs there. Building a separate juvenile justice center is appropriate, and we don’t fault the desire to build an attractive facility. We only construct such a building once a century. Stormwater drainage, while not as sexy as a courthouse, must be addressed, and the only way to pay for such an expense is through a SPLOST. Unfortunately, the troubling parts of this SPLOST outweigh its positives. While the county says it is working off a list of projects submitted by the city, that list was a preliminary working document for negotiations and had not been fully vetted by City Council. The SPLOST would address many recreation concerns, from repairing city facilities to creating walking paths to ball fields to possibly gymnasiums in the county. Hallelujah, but without an intergovernmental agreement or revised SDA, the responsibility for operating those yet unnamed facilities, wherever they might be, comes out of city taxpayers’ wallets. Possibly the most troubling part of the SPLOST question concerns “cultural facilities.” That means the failing Georgia sports and music halls of fame. We can’t blame county leaders for trying. No one wants these anchors of downtown to be shuttered, but it goes back to the issue of city/county cooperation. The city wasn’t at the table when the proposal to purchase the two museums with SPLOST funds was discussed and is the idea to make the halls of fame locally self-supporting through a $50 million to $100 million endowment over the next 20 years a good one? Can we pull that huge sum of money out of this community? And if we can, wouldn’t education and crime prevention be better recipients of our largess? The most glaring example of a fractured city/county relationship lies in the poison pill of state law. In an effort to encourage cooperation, the Legislature said that if there were no intergovernmental agreement, SPLOST projects defined as tier 1 (the courthouse, juvenile justice center and parking deck) have to be funded first. That simply means other city and county projects can’t proceed until the courthouse is paid for, probably a term of three years. So what should happen? To borrow Bibb County Commission Chairman Sam Hart’s signature saying, we should, “Think Community,” and this SPLOST proposal does not do that. City and county residents would actually see their projects funded sooner if this SPLOST fails and another is approved at first opportunity. That would give the city and county time to work through service delivery issues and come to a joint agreement over SPLOST projects. This situation is more evidence for the need to consolidate. We will continue to have SDA and double taxation issues as long as we have two governments. Approving this SPLOST only extends the unsustainable status quo. Charles E. Richardson, for the Editorial Board  |
Friday, Jul. 02, 2010
Latest SPLOST workaround is full of haints and boogers http://www.macon.com/2010/07/02/1182847/latest-splost-workaround-is-full.html The Bibb County Commission with the acquiescence of the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority came up with a novel idea to counter factual claims that other projects recreation, stormwater abatement, debt relief or a law enforcement communication system could not be funded until the new courthouse, juvenile justice center and adjacent parking deck are paid for with special purpose local option sales tax funds, a period of three years or more. The plan would have Macon and Payne City borrow money through an intergovernmental agreement from the Urban Authority to jump start the projects of the municipalities’ choice. Such a deal. Macon Mayor Robert Reichert opposes the idea and well he should. None of the details are known, such as the additional costs to borrow. Yes, bond rates are low, but they aren’t cheap. Every dollar spent on attorneys, fees and interest, is a dollar taken away from the projects. And those dollars add into the millions. While perfectly legal, this plan is an attempt to do two things: 1.) To get around the spirit and letter of the law governing SPLOST proposals that encourage city/county cooperation and is punitive if agreement is not reached. It requires the county to identify Level 1 projects (courthouse) with those projects receiving money first to the exclusion of any other SPLOST projects. 2.) It is to cover up a mistake, actually two. The county could have included the law enforcement communications system as a Level 1 project. That system, according to the Bibb County Sheriff and his chief deputy, is crucial for public safety. Somehow, the county missed that one. The second mistake was taking the issue to the voters despite not having the city as a partner, rather, the county said take-it-or-leave-it. The city had asked the county to negotiate an overdue service delivery agreement before putting the SPLOST on the ballot. The mayor suggested the November General Election. The county refused, and now its leaders have to be concerned that the SPLOST will fail, as it should, until a less contentious proposal is jointly formulated. The crux of this convoluted Urban Authority plan is that city residents are in no better position if the SPLOST passes. They would have to incur more debt for something that should be theirs by right of being Bibb County residents, creating just another instance of double taxation. The county has thought out of the box with a not-so-clever ruse. While they would have to wait a year for another SPLOST to come to a vote, conceivably, the city and county could present a unified front when selling the issue to voters. Simply, city residents would be better off if the July 20 SPLOST fails. The question must be asked: Why has the county taken such an hard line? Delaying the vote by three months would have been so much easier and fostered city/county cooperation. While the county foists the concept that a July 20 vote has a better chance of winning because of lower voter interest, summer vacations and the like (there is something wrong when strategy is more important than the merit of the question), there is a good chance turnout will be atypical. There are 14 gubernatorial candidates, seven from each party, on the ballot and the turnout percentage may surprise county prognosticators. However, more likely it seems, the county is running from service delivery negotiations that could force it to raise taxes, if in fact city residents are carrying more of the burden than county residents. Just because county leaders say the SPLOST and the service delivery agreement are separate issues, does not make it so. SPLOST and the SDS are as connected as the fibers of the collection basket at church. Charles E. Richardson, for the Editorial Board |
| From: "Erick Erickson"
<erick@erickerickson.org> Subject: NO on the SPLOST Dear Friends: There is a lot of noise coming from the County Commission about the SPLOST on the July 20th primary ballot. But the rhetoric from the County Commission does not live up to the actual SPLOST. The SPLOST will not somehow be used as an economic engine. In fact, none of the SPLOST projects can even be started for three years except the Courthouse construction. Despite what the county says may possibly might, maybe, woulda-shoulda-coulda be possible if they can get a loan with everyone signing off to pay for things that otherwise couldn't be paid for there is one unescapable fact: killing this SPLOST and starting over next year will still fund all the SPLOST projects quicker than this SPLOST. Once the courthouse is constructed, the county will need to raise our property taxes to pay for operations. Why? Because SPLOST dollars cannot fund operations and the County has not budgeted to operate two courthouses. In addition, the County thinks it will somehow be able to buy both the Sports and Music Halls of Fame and privatize them. Go downtown and look at the rusting skeleton of the future home of the Tubman Museum. Do we really think the County will be able to pull this off? Of course not. Because of the three year delay in the present SPLOST, voting NO on July 20th and redoing the SPLOST year will actually get projects funded faster. Why? Because the County screwed up and doesn't want to admit it. PLEASE VOTE NO SPLOST ON JULY 20TH. All the best, Erick Erickson Macon City Council, Ward 5, Post 3 2923 Thornwood Drive, Macon, GA 31204.  |
When the IRS opens the books at the Peyton Anderson Foundation and NewTown Macon, the organizations will probably have a lot to answer for. While the tax code allows non-profit organizations to educate voters on issues, the organizations specifically cannot engage in political activity. The money spent by these organizations in conjunction with the principal officers of the organizations collaborating with the county and Chamber of Commerce to promote the special purpose local option sales tax put these groups in serious jeopardy of losing their non-profit status. Why would these organizations and so many prominent men and women in our community risk it all for a SPLOST that puts off funding of every project save the courthouse for three years? There are a two big reasons. The first is a profound belief that we should always have a SPLOST. That is understandable. Georgia communities are growing and using their SPLOSTs. Bibb County remains virtually alone without a SPLOST. Once a SPLOST is instituted, the momentum to keep it will be easier than getting it started. The problem is these groups and people want to restart the SPLOST with a profoundly bad idea waiting three years to begin funding virtually everything. The county itself gave away the game on this one. County leaders want to fund a new police and fire communications system with the SPLOST because, according to them, we are “one thunderstorm away” from a catastrophic failure of the existing system. We better hope it does not rain for three years because the way the county structured the SPLOST, the new communications system cannot get funded anytime soon. The county says it will come up with alternate means. But the rhetoric does not meet the law. The second is a profound belief in their own failed idea. This is troubling and suggests our local leaders have collectively become Captain Ahab chasing their white whale. Those backing the SPLOST came up with what they thought was a great idea. They decided to bet the farm on a museum district downtown. If we built it, tourists would come. There’s just one problem the museums were built, the downtown revitalization began, but save for the Cherry Blossom Festival and the obligatory annual Southern Living spread, few people have come. “If only we spend more money,” they think, “people will come.” So now they want to buy the sports and music halls of fame. Never mind that even our local delegation thinks the idea is cockamamie. Georgia is not going to sell them, let alone return the money as an endowment. Even were the state to do so, it remains wholly implausible that a change of ownership will magically result in tourists visiting. Buying the museums will further dig our financial grave. Along the way these same groups and individuals are giving short shrift to other projects. The Fillmore Thomas recreation area remains a mud pit. The Tubman Museum’s future home remains empty and unfinished. But just you wait three more years and then something will happen. Just wait. Maybe. Maybe not. Passing the SPLOST will, our leaders think, absolve them of their sins, while Fillmore Thomas remains a mud pit and the Tubman remains empty. Captain Ahab drowned chasing Moby Dick. His ship sank and his crew perished. NewTown Macon, the Peyton Anderson Foundation, the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, and the Bibb County Commission will drown us, too, should the SPLOST pass. They have a lot to answer for to a lot of people. They cannot admit they got it wrong. Erick Erickson is a Macon city councilman and CNN contributor |
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 2. No funds for anything besides courthouse for 3 years.  print-out a fact sheet here to share (here) |
| Red Man |
Erick
"The
RED
State"
Erickson |
Red Man |
| Friday,
Jun.
25,
2010 http://www.macon.com/2010/06/25/1174713/the-economics-of-splost.html ERICKSON: The
economics of SPLOST
The Bibb County Commission, NewTown Macon, and chamber of commerce have a very special and important announcement for the people of Bibb County. The chief economic activity in Bibb County is crime. That, therefore, is what they will invest in. It would be funny were it not true. For weeks, the commission, NewTown, the chamber and others have been touting the SPLOST’s economic benefit to Bibb County. Umm . . . we’re building a courthouse and juvenile justice center for about $80 million. Anything and everything else must wait three years to be started. When we get to that point, the projects will include buying two state-funded museums that cannot, with state resources, keep the lights on, and a host of recreation projects. Either the chamber, NewTown Macon and the County Commission think we are more foolish than they, or they really believe the SPLOST makes economic sense. More troubling, if they really believe the SPLOST makes economic sense we are left with the startling conclusion that they all believe crime is the chief business in town. Were he still alive, this would kill Milton Friedman. You do not spent $80 million on a courthouse and juvenile justice center, prevent any other money from being spent for three years, then praise Jesus and the taxman for the economic benefit to the community. It is not that this cent makes no sense none of the people supporting it make sense. Let’s just take the courthouse complex. No SPLOST dollars can be spent until it is paid for throgh tax receipts. That will take three years or so. SPLOST dollars can only be used for capital improvements, not operations. As a result, our property taxes will go up, despite with Sammy the Bull says, to cover the operations and utility costs of two courthouse buildings. When the taxes go up to cover the costs, businesses will have less of an incentive to locate here and people will have less of an incentive to stay here. Those of us who have practiced law know we do need a new courthouse. But, the capital improvement projects the SPLOST will fund will have no long term job creating economic impact outside of government. It is a local version of the Obama stimulus plan: government tax dollars used to expand the size and scope of government without any investment in the private sector to offset the tax burden needed to keep it all going. This will collapse under its own weight and you and I will be left to pick up the pieces. After three years, SPLOST dollars will be used to buy the Georgia sports and music halls of fame. Sammy the Bull and the commissioners claim they’ll raise private money to keep these museums open. Somehow, once they’ve raised our sales taxes and property taxes, they’ll privatize these facilities. Kindly direct your attention to the empty shell of a building at the end of Cherry Street known as the “Future Home of the Tubman African-American Museum.” There with your own eyes you can see how well the privately funded museum district is working out. It is not the Taj Mahal of a courthouse that is our future. It is the overbuilt empty shell of a future home of a museum that is our future. There is no credible economic argument to be made in favor of this particular SPLOST. It will not create jobs. It will drain resources. It will leave us worse off. It makes no sense. Erick Erickson is a Macon city councilman and CNN contributor |
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SPLOST-Watchers Meeting Wednesday June 2, 2010 at Calder Pinkston's office 3496 Vineville Ave  Reviewed in News Articles: http://www.macon.com/2010/06/03/1148817/group-outlines-strategy-to-oppose.html Contact us by email - Tax-Payer@Macon-Bibb.com Thank-you! |
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News
Articles: 13wmaz.com - Macon Lawyer Heads Anti-SPLOST Campaign (video) view the judge's order for the courthouse (pdf format) |
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| Phil Dodson -
Macon Telegraph |
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| Phil |
http://www.macon.com/2010/06/17/1165152/decision-time-is-here.html Posted on Thu, Jun. 17, 2010 Decision time is here Thirty-three days and counting. That’s how long it is until Macon and Bibb County voters’ decision whether or not to pay an extra one cent sales tax to fund several major projects, the most immediate being an $83 million Bibb County judicial complex, will be known. The complex, local Superior Court judges insist, is necessary because security at the courthouse is insufficient to ward off potential disaster. Supporters and opponents of the proposed special purpose local option sales tax have come out swinging. The Bibb County Commission, the driving force pushing the proposed SPLOST, has made a desperate gamble it hopes will sway voters to check the “yes” block. The commissioners voted to dip deeply into the county’s rainy-day fund to balance a multimillion dollar budget shortage, forestalling the necessity for a property tax increase. This risky move is based on the presumption — almost certainly correct — that neither city nor county voters would approve a one cent tax increase on top of a county property tax hike. This is a gamble because residents may interpret this as a sleight-of-hand move designed to lull voters into approving a tax to build a courthouse complex the commission has deemed necessary. In Macon, the city government, which would receive none of the proceeds of the SPLOST for three years, continues to insist that the proposed tax would not be in Macon’s best interest. Mayor Robert Reichert and a majority of City Council continue to question the timing of the SPLOST vote because it will precede a city-county service delivery agreement. Such agreements spell out how tax revenues will be divided between the two governments and on which projects they will be spent. The county, ignoring the city’s request that the vote be delayed until November to permit time to conclude a service delivery agreement, set the vote for July 20. Macon attorney Calder Pinkston has spearheaded an anti-SPLOST campaign with the motto, “This cent makes no $en$e,” a position gaining support as the opposition becomes more vocal. According to The Telegraph, City Council President Miriam Paris and Councilwoman Nancy White have allied themselves with Pinkston’s organization. Councilman Erick Erickson, who has taken a strong position opposing the SPLOST, says he also will join the opposition movement. Pinkston’s position touches the heart of the issue: First, is the construction of a new courthouse necessary, and two, is now the best time to move ahead with this project? His answer is “no” to both. He argues the timing is wrong and the cost of a new complex too high — the present courthouse can be revamped to meet security requirements. While I understand our judges’ desire for improved security, Pinkston’s arguments seem compelling. And I can’t help feeling the commissioners have given, by ignoring Macon’s request to delay the vote until a service delivery pact is in place, short shrift to city residents, whose support is crucial for passage. Consider security. It came to a head following the 2005 murder of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes by a prisoner who overpowered a guard, took her gun and killed the judge and three other people. This was a terrible tragedy, and the slayings shone the spotlight on courthouse security. It raised the specter such an incident could happening elsewhere. The tragedy, I believe, was more the fault of a system that allowed a large and extremely dangerous criminal to be in the custody of one person — a smaller, female deputy who unshackled him prior to a court appearance. He easily overpowered her. That said, I imagine this vote’s outcome won’t hinge on a perceived need for courtroom security, but on taxation. Will the public buy the suggestion that spending Bibb’s financial reserves will ward off a tax increase for any longer than a year? There’s little to suggest the economy is going to suddenly improve; unemployment remains above 10 percent, and reports suggest Bibb’s financial picture continues to dim. I’ll be surprised if this SPLOST wins approval, and frankly, I don’t think it should. E-mail Phil Dodson at d2732@aol.com |
Dodson |
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POTHOLE TRUTH There have been several reports from around town that some officials are promising that the SPLOST will immediately begin work on potholes and road problems. These officials are not being straight with the voters. We want to correct the record so voters have the real facts. There is no money in the SPLOST for roads. Some of the SPLOST supporters are saying SPLOT will fix potholes. That is not true. Supporters of the SPLOST are distorting the truth to fool voters into voting yes. This ¢ent makes no $en$e ! PROJECT SCHEDULE Because of the way Bibb County has structured the SPLOST, the only project that will be funded for years is the Taj Mahal Courthouse. Money for ALL other projects will be delayed until the cadillac courthouse is paid for - at least three years. That’s right - no money for drainage or recreation until at least 2013 or later. We can get all projects moving faster by voting NO in July and forcing the County to redo the SPLOST next year. This ¢ent makes no $en$e ! JUDGES ORDER Another myth about the SPLOST is that Bibb County has been ordered by local judges to build a new courthouse. That is simply not true. The judicial order raises concerns about courthouse safety and orders the county to address safety matters. The order specifically says that the decision to renovate the existing courthouse or build a new one is left up to Bibb County. The Bibb County commissioners are trying to hide behind this order and say “The judges made me spend $90 million of your money...”. Folks, that is not the truth! Anyone who says we are under a court order to build a new courthouse is either uninformed or outright misleading the public. Now you have the real facts. This ¢ent makes no $en$e ! COURTHOUSE KICKBACKS We have heard rumors of the county promising business to local firms who will support the SPLOST. We do not need this kind of “vote buying”. This is another example of the poor business practices of the County. Voting NO on the SPLOST is our way of ending these “courthouse kickbacks”. This ¢ent makes no $en$e ! HOW YOU CAN HELP Talk to your friends, relatives, and co-workers about why the SPLOST is a bad deal for all taxpayers in Macon and Bibb. Ask them to vote NO on July 20. Tell them about our web site at http://www.Macon-Bibb.com/SPLOST We are continuing to build our email list with your help. Please send names and the email address of your friends and colleagues to frankp0@cox.net We will add them to our mailing list. Working together we can defeat this ill-advised tax increase. Vote NO on the SPLOST on July 20! This ¢ent makes no $en$e ! |
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| -Truth in
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Sales Tax Supporters claim visitors will pay 70% of the tax. It's not true. An internet search shows that "Tourists and visitors pay an estimated 20% of sales taxes in Santa Barbara County (California wine & beaches). Escambia County, Florida (Pensacola beaches) says "non-residents of the county pay an estimated 34% of the total sales tax." In Jackson Hole, Wyoming (Grand Tetons skiing), "60 percent of sales tax is paid for by residents" [visitors pay 40%] "It is estimated that approximately 10.4% of all taxable sales taxes paid in Arizona are paid by tourists." (Grand Canyon & Phoenix) The Bibb Board of Education paid for and used a flawed study to promote their tax and now it is being used to sell another tax. The study combined data from two studies whose income categories didn't match and failed to adjust them. But, most importantly, they credited sales taxes on all business and government purchases toward visitors. They also disregarded the economic cost of withdrawing all this tax money from the local community. In contrast, Arizona proposed a 1% state sales tax and acknowledged the down side by stating "The direct impact on retailers is a reduction of 4,283 jobs and $180.5 million in labor income. Including the multiplier effects, the one percent sales tax is estimated to reduce jobs (man-years) by approximately 7,383 jobs." Why can't Bibb County have such honesty and openness? All opportunities have costs. If they can't sell something by telling the truth, we shouldn't be buying it. VOTE NO. - John Wilson <maconga1@cox.net> 2340 Clayton St. Macon, GA 31204 478-972-2439 Supporting
information:
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| The final word on Tuesday’s SPLOST proposal: Vote no | ||
http://www.macon.com/2010/07/18/1199097/the-final-word-on-tuesdays-splost.html Sunday, Jul. 18, 2010 The final word on Tuesday’s SPLOST proposal: Vote no On Tuesday, July 20, Bibb County voters will have a final say on taxing themselves an additional penny for six years. The question on the ballot reads as follows: “Shall a special 1 percent sales and use tax be imposed in the special district of Bibb County for a period of time not to exceed six years for the raising of an estimated amount of $183,000,000 for the purpose of funding the acquisition, construction and equipping of the following capital outlay projects within Bibb County: (a) for Bibb County (i) a new county courthouse and parking facilities necessary for the courthouse, a new juvenile justice center, and renovations and improvements to the existing courthouse, (ii) recreation and cultural facilities and capital repairs and improvements to existing facilities, (iii) the acquisition of various items of equipment leased by the County through the 1998 Georgia Municipal Association lease pool, (iv) improvements and upgrades to the 800 mhz radio transmission system for law enforcement and emergency management, (v) storm water management improvement systems, (b) for the City of Macon (i) storm water management and drainage improvements, (ii) recreation facilities, (iii) improvements and upgrades to the 800 mhz radio transmission system for law enforcement and emergency management (iv) the acquisition of various items of equipment and other property leased by Macon through the 1990 and 1998 Georgia Municipal Association Lease pools, (v) construction, renovations and improvements to governmental buildings, and (vi) equipment for the Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority, and (c) for Payne City, (i) renovations and improvements to its city hall, (ii) repairs, upgrades and improvements to water, sewer and storm water drainage systems, and (iii) street and sidewalk improvements? “If imposition of the tax is approved by the voters, such vote shall also constitute approval of the issuance of general obligation debt of Bibb County in the principal amount not to exceed $50,000,000 for the above described new county courthouse and parking facilities necessary for the courthouse, the new juvenile justice center, and for renovations and improvements to the existing courthouse.” That’s the question, but as always, the devil is in the details. By law, since there is no intergovernmental agreement between the city and county, only “(i) a new county courthouse and parking facilities necessary for the courthouse, a new juvenile justice center, and renovations and improvements to the existing courthouse,” can be funded initially. Barring a costly bond issue, all other projects have to wait until the courthouse projects are paid for. That could take three years. The tax is expected to raise $30.5 million a year, and if the estimates are correct, the courthouse complex and its associated projects will cost more than $70 million. We have no quarrel with the projects for the most part. We need a new courthouse. Safety is an issue. We need repairs and rehabilitation to recreation facilities. The only items we disagree with are the “cultural facilities.” That translates primarily to mean the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, but could apply to the Tubman African American Museum, the Douglass Theatre or anything else dubbed “cultural facility.” No one wants the halls of fame to close. That would be a tremendous blow to the downtown area. However, the way the proposal is worded, those “cultural facilities” and the county’s recreation projects are lumped in the same basket. We don’t know what the state will accept as a purchase price for the halls of fame. It is unlikely it will accept a plan to pay for the halls with $15 million and then return the money in the form of an endowment so the halls could operate. That circumvents the spirit and letter of the SPLOST legislation. It is an understandable act of desperation. However, the law is the law, and no SPLOST money can flow to the state for the halls for at least three years. If the Bibb County halls of fame plan does meet state approval, what’s next? How do we run them? How do we raise the money to operate and maintain the facilities after the initial jolt of cash runs out? For an answer, look in the mirror, Mr. or Mrs. property owner. And there is another question, “If there’s not enough money to finish all the listed projects, what gets short shrift?” Our guess would be recreation. We did not make our decision to oppose this SPLOST on the willy-nilly. While we agree with the new courthouse and ancillary facilities, no one has put pen to paper to figure out how much these facilities will cost to maintain and operate. Yes, we need a juvenile justice center, but it will cost money beyond the construction expenses. Programs to steer wayward youth away from crime cost money. Right now we spend more, by far, on inmates with mental challenges than we spend on prevention initiatives. Will the juvenile justice center, for lack of funds, turn into just another court for juvenile offenders? Please understand, whether this SPLOST passes or fails there is a property tax increase in our future. Let’s face it, this SPLOST has been hijacked. It’s no longer about the projects but about winning and losing, damn the consequences. The city is rightly concerned that if the SPLOST passes, the city will be saddled with maintenance and operational costs of recreational facilities in the county. It wants to negotiate the service delivery strategy. The county wants to delay those negotiations until after the vote, so here we are, having a crucial vote in July rather than November. And that is another major objection to this proposal. At the end of the day, this is not about this SPLOST. It is about how our city and county can consolidate. It is about city residents being taken for granted. It is about double taxation. It is about the attitude that city residents are lesser citizens of the county (although they pay more) than residents outside the city’s limits. Decide what you will by Tuesday. Our recommendation stands. This SPLOST should be defeated. The city and county need to be on one accord when it comes to creating a tax burden for all the county’s residents. Defeating this proposal, and passing a SPLOST next year instead, would actually provide funds for the other projects beside the courthouse on day one, rather than years down the road. Yes, there will be challenges to a SPLOST even next year. However, the service delivery strategy and double taxation issues will be settled. The mayor and council will be able to submit more than a preliminary list to be included in the question. The city and county can present a united front and get the proposal passed and that could be a precursor to greater cooperation between the city and county and could offer a glimpse at what a consolidated government could look like. If the proposal passes Tuesday, we will get the projects listed eventually, however, bringing the two governments together will be hopelessly postponed until one or both are at the cliff’s edge of insolvency. Charles E. Richardson, for the Editorial Board |
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Why is it important that any SPLOST must have great oversight by independent citizens?
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Vote "NO" to secrecy. Vote "No Confidence" in the Bibb
Commissioners. |
| Newsletter #1 |
Voters must Insist on full disclosure and oversight of meetings of
the
Bibb County Commission.
Commission must webposting of all minutes - both provisional and final.
Insist
on
taping and television broadcast of all meetings.
<<-->> Send these
elected
officials a message <<-->>
Vote "NO" on SPLOST - July
20th, 2010.
Contact us by email - Tax-Payer@Macon-Bibb.com
Thank-you!
