Search the ArchivesNavigation Contact InformationThe Citizen Newspapers For Advertising Information Email us your news! For technical difficulties |
Keep your November vote simple: No trust, no SPLOST If you have money to invest, I think that all of you would demand that anyone you have managing those funds would have to be someone you trust totally. Within some level of reasonableness, that should apply for any government as well. We have a basic expectation that elected officials will properly manage tax dollars entrusted to them. It is my opinion that we have made a mistake with this set of Fayette County commissioners. We should not vote to put any more tax money into their hands. A year or so ago, when I first became involved with issues related to the West Fayetteville Bypass, I learned just how bad the situation was with our leadership. Now, other than a few of the county departments, I find very little to trust when it comes to the Fayette County government. Following are a few of the reasons why I do not trust them with my tax money. Perhaps you will agree and vote a resounding NO to their request for more SPLOST dollars this November. 1. Fayette County has an ordinance that allows for what is known as a Conservation Subdivision. The zoning section specifically states that the resulting conservation area “... shall reserve the Conservation Area to conservation uses as defined herein in perpetuity.” Several times I have seen statements by the commission wherein mitigation for damage from the West Fayetteville Bypass will come from one subdivision with property that has a conservation designation. Evidently the word “perpetuity” doesn’t mean anything to our commissioners. Their intent is to take a legally protected greenspace for use as compensation for the losses incurred from the bypass, a form of double-dipping. 2. Fayette County has a standing policy of doing everything possible to protect our streams and wetlands. But then they plan the West Fayetteville Bypass through or over at least eight wetlands and streams. If there were a clear need for the road, and no other alternative existed, then this might be the route to select, but no such need exists and there are alternatives nearby that have almost no impact on our natural resources. 3. Fayette County has a standing policy of protecting greenspace areas, to include a significant number of acres to protect these areas for future generations. But the West Fayetteville Bypass and other phases of the bypass plans would blast through several potential greenspace areas that will be lost forever. 4. Fayette County also has a policy of enhancing multiple transportation modes, including pedestrian and bicycle lanes, especially as directed by Georgia Department of Transportation and the Atlanta Regional Commission. But the Fayette County Commissioners expressly requested a variance from compliance with special bicycle lanes along the proposed bypass segments. 5. For months, county representatives stated, emphatically, that the purpose for the West Fayetteville Bypass to Ga. Highway 92 at Westbridge Road was based on an Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) traffic model. In response to my Open Records Act request, ARC said “no such model exists.” 6. The new SPLOST request is being “sold” to us as a huge savings of tax dollars since, according to them, paying off the Justice Center will save $21 million in interest. I highly recommend that you revisit some of the past editorials in this newspaper by Mr. Claude Y. Paquin who makes a very strong case that such logic is nonsense. Re-read what he has to say or ask your own financial expert and they will tell you (or should tell you) that saving future dollars in this fashion is smoke and mirrors as those dollars represent very different levels of value. In addition, pre-payment by us now means that future citizens pay nothing for this resource; we pay for what they use. Good deal for future generations, not so good for us. 7. We recently learned that not all of the commissioners were aware of the project list for the planned SPLOST prior to voting on that list. I, for one, would expect that commissioners would be smart enough to vote on such an important issue only when they have a clear understanding of what the vote is about. 8. When the Hood Road bridge was questioned at a recent meeting, the discussion quickly demonstrated that money raised in a SPLOST tax can be allocated to whichever project they think is highest priority. In this instance, they could move it away from the Hood Road bridge to other “higher priority” projects. Sounds OK until you consider that the supposed interest savings project they included in the SPLOST list was to get your vote (see point 6 above) and they could simply conclude that this is a low priority and transfer the money to build other phases of the bypass. 9. County staff stated that no properties would be acquired until all appropriate permits were in place. But many properties have been acquired, with no permits issued, and more properties are being negotiated. 10. The county is proceeding as though the federal permits that will be required are a sure thing. They also appear to believe that some federal statues do not apply since they have set up some phases of the bypass with SPLOST-only money. Evidently their belief is that they can get around the laws by avoiding outside funds. This point will be addressed in the legal challenge I am leading against the county, but their actions demonstrates an attempt to avoid compliance with some of our environmental laws. In my opinion, any one of these 10 examples are enough to say, “We do not trust you!” In my opinion, we should give them a resounding NO SPLOST vote in November. I suspect that if each of you give this some thought, you could add to my list. Perhaps the result would be the Fayette County top 100 reasons for saying “No trust equals no SPLOST.” Equally important is that if any of these current commissioners decide to run for office, our choice should be for whomever runs against them. A sad commentary on how we select our next commissioners, but they leave no other options. [Dennis Chase, now retired, was a fish and wildlife biologist with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for more than 26 years. Since retiring, he has worked as a consultant for Fayette County on environmental concerns, is a volunteer with the Line Creek Association of Fayette County, and has published numerous newspaper columns.] login to post comments | Dennis Chase's blog
|
Copyright 2010 - Fayette Publishing, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Policy
Server 4
