Friday, April 5, 2002
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Friday, April 5, 2002 |
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Rep. Cox defends requiring unanimous council vote to sponsor local legislation By JOHN
MUNFORD
Fayette State Rep. Kathy Cox has defended her policy that requires a unanimous vote from municipalities before sponsoring any local legislation. Last week, Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown took Cox to task about that policy in a letter, complaining that it keeps the city from enacting a Community Improvement District for the Ga. Highway 54 West area. The CID would allow business owners in the area to "vote" on whether to assess special taxes among those businesses to fund projects for the area, requiring a majority vote both in number and land value before the tax could be collected. The City Council passed a motion for the CID program 4-1 at its Feb. 7 meeting, with Councilwoman Annie McMenamin against. But without the enabling legislation, the project cannot go forward. In a reply to Brown dated March 27, Cox said her policy requiring a unanimous vote from a governing body before introducing local legislation began with advice from "several experienced legislators." "In my opinion, it is an admirable trait in any elected official to be cautious about change and skeptical about tax proposals," Cox wrote. "I too was elected by the people of Peachtree City and Fayette County and therefore I have an obligation to be sure that anything I do at the state level is in fact in their best interest." Cox said she has a number of questions about the CID proposal that haven't been answered yet, such as how property taxes will rise in the area and what the funds would be spent on. "The answers to these and many other questions were not provided to council or to me before you called for a vote on granting the city the authority to create this district," Cox wrote. "The devil is in the detail, Mr. Brown, and the details of this entire concept were not thoroughly discussed or made public." Cox said several small property owners in the area weren't told about the CID plans "and they are the ones that are hurt the most by increased taxes." "If in fact a CID is the right idea for the development of the 54 West corridor, I have the utmost confidence that the property owners in this city and all their elected council members will support this effort," Cox said. In a reply letter, Brown informed Cox that he hopes to fund projects identified in the city's Liveable Centers Initiative study that was conducted by a volunteer group of citizens and developers in the area. Brown also pointed out that the commercial development in the area will be different than other locations in the city since there are multiple land owners and no building covenants on the property. "Having a higher standard for aesthetics, architecture and landscape would produce some high-end shopping opportunities and reduce the changes of a visual commercial blight in the area," Brown wrote.
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