Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/651000
8 MARCH 9-15, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OPINION I would like to educate you about the upcoming bond referendum without using $50,000 of your hard earned tax dollars. This information will be for free. First of all, the Fayetteville Cumberland Parks and Recreation Department is a merged department providing services for both the city and the county residents and for any visitors who come along. So the question is, "Why are the city property owners the only chosen funding source that city council is asking to pay for this Parks and Recreation Bond?" Did you notice that city council did not ask for the county commissioners' partnership on this bond? City property owners have helped to pay for approximately 90 parks and green spaces, recreation centers, a river trail, Linear Park, Festival Park, sports fields and even a dog park. Why is it always just the city property owner footing the bill? There is a better, more visionary way for Fayetteville to start collecting money to invest in itself. The solution is a sales tax where everyone — city residents, county residents or visitors will pay a very, very small amount that will balloon into a very, very large amount that in turn can be invested into capital projects for our city. Do not let anyone be so shortsighted to tell you it cannot be done. It can be done and it has been done. Second, the $35 million bond is only paying for the bricks and mortar of the proposed projects. It does not cover the operational cost, the maintenance cost or salaries of increased personnel. The estimated cost to pay off this bond is in excess of $53 million. Third, there are no pools proposed in this bond referendum package. Fourth, city council just approved $1.5 million to reconfigure the third floor of city hall because one council member is whining for an office. That money could have paid for four splash pads at four recreation centers that probably would have been ready for children this summer. Shame on them and just where are their priorities? Fifth, to say businesses will not locate in Fayetteville because we do not have a pool or skate park is the most ridiculous hullabaloo I have ever heard. I have sat in on negotiations and all that is ever discussed or asked are what incentives and tax breaks can the city or county give to companies to try to convince them to decide to come to Fayetteville. Companies, CEOs, their spouses and employees are looking for a safe and clean city with high ranking education opportunities for their children. Sixth, to attract businesses and job opportunities we must lower the crime happening in our city. We must clean up the trash, the litter, the filthy intersections, speeders, panhandlers, boarded up buildings and houses turned into businesses in our neighborhoods. Seventh, the bond referendum is a tax increase. You are giving city council permission to raise your taxes to pay this "loan" off. Remember the tax rate was raised three cents last year and is still in place every year until city council chooses to remove it. The city manager is already proposing a tax increase for the upcoming budget and an increase on your vehicle tax. There will be no more talk of that until after March 15. (wink, wink). Then, let's not forget our big county reevaluation is coming up in 2017. I don't know about you, but I have run out of money! Eighth, Fayetteville needs to tell its story. Fayetteville has grown into a thriving city with its own beauty spots and lots of amenities like parks, pathways, trails, tracks, recreation centers, botanical gardens, art center, theaters, museums, organized sports, community concerts, festivals and most of all, we have the best patriotic community ever. Tell our story, like we did when we were an All-America city. Promote our uniqueness of a melting pot of people, cultures and lifestyles. Ninth, Fayetteville has many citizens who live on fixed incomes. Fayetteville has many citizens who work two and three jobs just to make ends meet and feed their children. A lot of these citizens are property owners. Why should only these property owners be made to carry the tax burden of this bond? Do not be bamboozled by inexperienced council members, a rogue city manager, a chamber that is funded by the city council (your tax dollars at work) or by big property owners who will be selling their land for some of these projects. Isn't it amazing that the most bombastic city council member who represents citizens in the Big Bang Annexation is pushing this bond when his own constituents do not have the sewer pipes installed yet but are paying city taxes that he wants to increase? Tenth , please educate yourself about this bond and how it affects your taxes before you go vote. We all want the best quality of life we can have to live each day and raise our families but we need to be able to live within our means. To have only city property owners pay tax increases for this bond is unfair. We need to vote NO for this bond referendum and work together for a better solution that puts everyone in the tax paying game. A Vote Against Parks & Rec by JUANITA GONZALES JUANITA GONZALES, COMMENTS? news@upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, As a private, not-for-profit, economic development agency serving 28 counties in eastern North Carolina, we are dedicated to improving the capacity of our region to sustain and attract companies that will create quality jobs for our residents. In doing so, we often advocate for actions/ activities that will improve the condition of our region — supporting sensible education initiatives is high on our list. Several months ago, our Board of Directors approved a resolution in support of the ConnectNC bond referendum. We revisited this decision recently, after the legislature approved a $2 billion bond issue that did not include funds for transportation projects; our board unanimously endorsed the action of our legislature to move forward with a bond issue supporting critically needed investments in higher education, clean water systems and our state parks system. The legislature's decision to reduce the magnitude of the bond issue, eliminating the transportation component, was a result of their action to end the practice of transferring money from the Highway Trust Fund to the General Fund, freeing an additional $216 million each year (that's more than $2 billion over the next decade); a huge step towards improving our connectivity. We have lost many jobs over the past decade as a result of global shifts in manufacturing, but we are experiencing significant growth in STEM- related manufacturing jobs such as aerospace, life sciences, motor vehicle parts, value-added agriculture (food, wood products) as well as healthcare and financial services. The life science sector, for example, includes several biopharmaceutical companies located east of Raleigh that announced expansions totaling more than $2 billion in the past two years that will result in nearly 2,000 new jobs. These expansions will also drive job creation by their suppliers, which exist in small cities and towns deep within eastern North Carolina — Ahoskie, Battleboro, Washington, Kinston, New Bern, Elizabeth City and several others. Many of our major employers also have an aging workforce who will be retiring over the next five or so years. Our community colleges and universities play an oversized role in providing the technical talent needed by these employers, not only in educating the next generation, but in retraining adults that have lost jobs and need to improve their knowledge and skills to qualify for new economy jobs. The $200+ million of bond proceeds slated for eastern North Carolina universities and community colleges will allow these institutions to build, renovate and equip new science and other facilities needed to meet current student needs. We urge voters in our region to support our businesses and the ConnectNC bond package by voting 'yes' on March 15 in recognition that this as an investment in our people and our future success. John D. Chaffee President & CEO NC East Alliance Dear Editor: I want to tell you how much I enjoy reading Up & Coming Weekly each week. I especially like reading the Publisher's Pen. Your publisher and I have the same mind set on nearly all issues. And recently I read the opinion written by Karl Merritt. I was very impressed. I liked what he said. I really wish you (Bill Bowman) and he (Karl Merritt) would consider running for either city council or county commissioners. They are both in dire need of some leadership and some clear minds. Unfortunately, the people who should run for office here never do, and we wind up with the dregs that we get. And it certainly shows in how our city and county are run. I am serious, I hope you will both consider running for office. We certainly need you. Thanks. Royce Carroll Is ConnectNC Right for the Sandhills?