Catoosa Vision

Primary Election Comments

2006-07-19T08:29:00.000-04:00

State House:
Ron Forster won his primary election against LC Cripps. Not too much of shocker there (just a little, though). In hindsight, the people had already voted LC out of office once. I suspect they remembered why they didn't like him.

What I don't understand though, is this:

Why is Ron celebrating with "YMCA" from the Village People? That's a very festive tie, too, by the way.

County Commission:
Ron Gracy lost his primary reelection bid to Dewayne Hill, who I know almost nothing about. So, I'll just say "Thanks Ron for your service to the county; best of luck." Ron was a big target from the NeoClarkes; although I'm not terribly sure why, other than just for the purpose of a power grab. Good luck against Chris Scott... Rather, good luck to Chris Scott (D).

Bobby Winters won his primary bid again. To his credit, during his first term, he didn't do anything offensive. It's just that he didn't do anything remarkable either... Advice: Strive to lead. We'll have to see in what light the county remembers Pat Page during the general election.

State Offices: Lt. Gov.
Good bye, Golden Boy Ralph Reed! Thankfully the state citizens have enough common sense to cast aside a corrupt, facing indictment, hypocritical, power-grabbing political ladder-climber.

State Offices: Governor
I'm surprised that Sonny's challenger (what's his name again?) got 15%+ of the vote. That's a lot of racist flag voters against Sonny.

I'm not surprised that Cathy Cox lost to Mark Taylor. For weeks, I've said that I thought Cathy had a good chance to beat Sonny Perdue, but that I didn't think she could get past Mark Taylor. Now that Taylor has won, I don't think he can beat Sonny. Mark has way too many skeletons in his closet and has made way too many enemies over his career in this state.

Good try, Cathy. Don't give up!

OK. That's all for now... I'll sign off thinking of "YMCA... It's fun to stay in the YMCA!"

Kinda creepy...

Shuffle Up and Deal!

2006-07-16T18:06:00.000-04:00

The Catoosa News article, "Catoosa GOP Shuffle," (here's the link) says that the local GOP kicked out two people (Levi and Tomanio) and voted back in Brad Scott as Chairman and Winford Long as First Vice Chairman.

All I have to say is... well, probably not all... anyway... all I have to say is this: Didn't Brad resign citing something about working on the Reed campaign? Wanting to devote all his time to that, and not wanting to create any potential conflicts with the local party?

Guess that's not an issue anymore...

Religion + Politics = ???

2006-06-22T16:25:00.000-04:00

Recall that the last time that we mixed religion and politics in America, we ended up
burning people at the stake...

Just a thought (or reminder).

Religion and Politics

2006-06-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

On this blog, I typically avoid any broader, national-scale discussion of politics. However, given the down-home evangelical nature of our local GOP, I thought I'd mention something I read earlier this morning.

Randall Balmer, a professor of religious history at Barnhard College and an avowed evangelical, recently wrote an essay about the current state of Republicanism and Religion in America. Specifically, he talks about what has the religious right -- in control of all three branches of government -- done with their power? Here's just one excerpt:

And what has the religious right done with its political influence? Judging by the platform and the policies of the Republican Party — and I'm aware of no way to disentangle the agenda of the Republican Party from the goals of the religious right — the purpose of all this grasping for power looks something like this: an expansion of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, the continued prosecution of a war in the Middle East that enraged our longtime allies and would not meet even the barest of just-war criteria, and a rejiggering of Social Security, the effect of which, most observers agree, would be to fray the social-safety net for the poorest among us. Public education is very much imperiled by Republican policies, to the evident satisfaction of the religious right, and it seeks to replace science curricula with theology, thereby transforming students into catechumens.

Here's a link to the full essay in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Here's more...

If evangelicals believe that God cares about the fate of a fetus, it shouldn't require a huge leap in logic to surmise that God also cares about people of color or prisoners or immigrants or people with an orientation other than heterosexual.

Finally, an evangelical social and political ethic would take into account the pluralistic context of American society and recognize the genius of the First Amendment. That requires respect for the canons of democracy and for the importance of public education to ensure its future. It acknowledges, for example, that the proper venue for the teaching of creationism or intelligent design is the home or the Sunday-school classroom, not the science curriculum. It means refusing to identify the symbols of the faith — the Bible, prayer, the Decalogue with the political order. In short, our best hope for the recovery of an evangelical social and political ethic lies with recognizing that the faith functions best independent of the political order. (emphasis added)

I could not have said it any better. I highly recommend reading the entire essay. I'm pleasantly surprised to hear such rational thought from an evangelical conservative christian.

How rare, and how refreshing. Maybe there is hope in our society.

Ballot Battle

2006-06-19T14:39:00.000-04:00

Finally, the Catoosa County News picked up the scent of a story here... They ran an article today online citing an apparent attempt to have the ballot questions removed and the entire ballot replaced. There's a possibility that local attorney Renzo Wiggans (sp?) (Boy, that would earn a lot in Scrabble!) has either filed or threatened to file (on behalf of whom?) a suit demanding that the ballot be pulled and changed.

Apparently, the ballot questions were added without the express approval of the (R) Party Executive Committee. Boy Wonde(R) Brad Scott, who has since resigned from the party leadership, said that he emailed everyone on the Executive Committee and didn't get any responses.

How Gen-Y.

Any-hoo... We'll have to wait to see how it plays out. I agree that it doesn't matter that there are partisan, non-binding questions on the ballot. I, like others apparently, simply object to the manner in which the questions were added to the ballot -- done from behind closed doors (or, at best via email to a select few), originated/written by who knows whom (but most certainly including the Puppet Master himself)... we are left to wonder just who the (R) party is trying to represent?

Good Knight, Mr. Scott

2006-06-09T17:19:00.000-04:00

In perhaps the first demonstration of sanity in years, the Catoosa Republican Party's top two officials "stepped down," citing differing reasons -- but, both of which are related to party in-fighting, bickering, dissention, whatever...

Here's the link...

Electing Brad Scott as Party Puppet... I mean, Chairman was just insane. (Or perfectly sane, if you buy the widely-held "puppet" theory.)

Here's what I find fascinating though... I dont' believe in coincidences, especially when related events so conveniently align themselves, to wit:

I've been questioning (even to some elected Republicans, and Party officials) how the heck did those questions get placed on the Republican primary ballot without any public discourse? I mean, everyone I've talked to just say "Well, it's Bill, Brad and Don. Yep. That's 'bout it." Don't get me wrong, I have no problems with partisan ballots with partisan questions.

But Dudes! Come on... The questions are written SO POORLY, making them so obviously transparent. Let me go ahead and tell you what's going to happen:

After the primary, the results from the "non-binding" questions will be tallied. Even if only 5 people answer the questions (or make that three people; see above), certain elected officials (Bill Clark) will be making statements about "You Good People have spoken! You want _______," where one or more of the various issues so clumsily questioned will be inserted. These "straw poll" interrogatories will be used as political kindling to fuel the Anti-Anything Attitude Those Who Are In Power maintain.

Some of the issues on the ballot are (excuse me for not having the ballot handy; it's on my desk at the office):

Sole Commissioner (I mean, why not just go ahead and state the question "Do you think the current five member Board of Commissioners should be reduced to a Sole Commissioner selected by Bill Clark and Co.?")
Colonnade (Of those who would consider voting to remove funding to the Colonnade need to pay attention to the amount of positive publicity and attention generated by the Colonnade, as well as the myriad PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE -- read: not private Country Club -- events are held there.)

By the way, about Ann Knight, based on the comments in the article, it appears that she left because of problems within the Party. Good for you, Ann! I respect your integrity and courage to walk away from a fractious party that is quickly becoming a joke among mainstream (i.e. sane, decent) Catoosa Republicans.

*Sigh* OK. I'm going to log off and write more next week. I just had to get this off my chest after reading the Catoosa County News article.

Immigration Reform

2006-04-18T10:09:00.000-04:00

This morning, Congressman Nathan Deal (R-10, soon to be 9 again) spoke to a breakfast meeting hosted by Fuller Rehabilitation and the Catoosa Chamber of Commerce. Cong. Deal highlighted three subjects as "most important" at present:

1. Immigration Reform
2. Terrorism / Iraq
3. Budget Reform

I have some thoughts on the first topic. In Georgia, this week Governor Perdue signed a fairly tough piece of legislation that will deal strongly with illegal immigration, while not saddling businesses with the unreasonable burden of doing the job of INS or Homeland Security. It's a balanced bill, phases in over time, and involved bi-partisan input.

Congressman Deal said that at the Federal level, they're looking at (and he supports) an approach based on an "enforce the laws first" concept. This would be different from the "give amnesty" or guest-worker approaches. "Control the border first," he says, "else why would an immigrant bother to register?" (paraphrase) Now, I agree in concept. Where I disagree is that all of the currently-debated approaches deal with the symptoms, and not the causes.

The current focus on immigration reform stems mainly from our xenophobic fear of terrorists coming in unchecked across our very porous borders. Since 9/11, we've been afraid (trained to be afraid by the current administration) of similar attacks, preventable apparently only by locking down the borders -- isolationism a la Pat Robertson. However, what we're conveniently forgetting is that for decades, nay generations before 9/11 we had the same basically open borders and didn't have any significant terrorism issues.

We are a country of immigrants, first and foremost. Granted, we are also a country of laws, as Congressman Deal stated. But immigration has never been a problem for America. In fact, it's been just the opposite -- our ability to accept and assimilate the different cultural, personal and professional experiences of immigrants has made us the great nation that we enjoy today. It makes me think that the problem of terrorism (the symptom), especially evidenced by the 9/11 attacks, stems not from porous borders, but from some other cause.

Plain and simple, we were attacked because some people "out there" didn't like us. They didn't like the way we lorded over parts of the world. They didn't like they way we exported, and arguably imposed our culture and values onto other parts of the world. They didn't like being told that their cultural and social choices were bad or wrong. They didn't like us judging them. As a result, they finally said "enough is enough."

Sure, I think everyone out there should be democratic and with mutually-respectful social values that incorporate TOLERANCE for our intrinsic and unavoidable differences. But if other populations accept to live in a society that is different than ours, what right do we have to force them to change?

Imagine this: China has significant financial investment in US assets -- T-bills, real estate, loan portfolios, commodities, etc. China's economic future (current and the sustainable future) RELIES on an uninterrupted supply of raw materials, finished goods and services they receive from the US. China then decides that our current isolationist-leaning policies, not to mention governmental budgetary incompetence, threatens their access to mission-critical resources. China decides to do something about it. China decides to "invade" California and take control of one or two major port cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc.) while creating military bases to protect their interests -- all in the name of "national security."

Does any of this sound familiar?

I suspect that we, as a nation, would react fairly strongly and probably violently.

So, where am I going with this? What does this have to do with the current discussion about immigration reform? I think the true cause of the problems, again, is not access across our borders. The true cause of current terrorism threats is our world policy -- the image we display to (and sometimes impose on) the rest of the world. The terrorists reacted to our "policy" of defending "our right" to protect "national interests" by taking or securing their natural resources. Perhaps if we started treating others with the soverign respect they're due (we don't have to like or even agree with them), they might not hate us so much. Perhaps if we didn't judge them so publicly, they might not hate us so much. Perhaps if we weren't so hypocritcal, they might not hate us so much.

Immigration is both a blessing and a curse. Sure, we have to take some bad people in with the good, but all in all, it's been a good thing for our society. Immigration is not the problem, and severely limiting it is not the solution. The solution lies in our public policy. We have an image problem that needs to be corrected in the world. There have been people in the world who have not liked us and what they deemed as "excessive and decadent freedoms." But something finally pushed them over the edge of dislike to active terrorism. Immigration had nothing to do with that change.

Citizens Committee

2006-04-13T10:07:00.000-04:00

Finally last week, our local newspaper reported on Chairman Clark's "Citizens for Open Government" Committee. Here's a link...

The initial committee members, hand-picked by Clark, and representing the very best and brightest that Catoosa has to offer, are:

Mona Allday (Chair)
Roger Nelson (End Table)
Phyllis Williams (Antique Radio)
Barbara Wilson (Foot stool)

I can't wait to hear some of their sure-to-be-surprising revelations into the workings (nay, spending) of their... oops! I mean "our" tax dollars.

Regional Cooperation

2006-03-15T08:19:00.000-05:00

Last Friday (3/10/06), the Catoosa Chamber of Commerce hosted the first "Community Roundtable," where city and county elected officials and leaders, along with several business biggies (about 40 people in all) hopped on a bus to tour the Chattanooga Business Development Center (the incubator), Enterprise South (the mega-certified industrial park), and finally lunch and talk with Chattanooga/Hamilton County leaders.

Here's an article from the Catoosa County News about the event.

Very impressive was how receptive Chattanooga was to the event. Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey and Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, as well as Chamber President Tom Edd Wilson and Chamber Board Chairman and TN Aquarium CEO , were among several other Chattanooga economic development and business leaders present.

I think the most important aspect of this meeting was the fact that (a) it happened; and (b) Catoosa County leaders took it seriously enough to participate en masse. Kudos to all who participated (on both sides of the state line)!

The big question remaining now is... What next? Where do we go from here? We've all agreed publicly that we need to cooperate regionally for a better and brighter tomorrow.

But, to cooperate on what, precisely? What's the vision? What's the goal?

That's the next challenge.

Oversight Commitee

2006-03-09T07:55:00.000-05:00

I wasn't at this week's (3/7/06) County Commission meeting, but here's what I'm told happened.

Chairman Clark started the meeting by announcing that he's looked into it and the rules allow him, as Chairman, to create an oversight committee completely appointed by him. So, he's created a Citizen's Oversight Committee that, he says, will review ALL personnel hires, and ALL county expenditures. The committee consists of Roger Nelson, Phyllis and one or two more I don't remember right off hand.

Other Commissioners asked "Why wouldn't each Commissioner have one appointment?" Clark just told them "Nope. No discussion is needed. I can do this and that's that." (paraphrase)

Now, I have to assume that the committee will be advisory only -- meaning they have no real power other than to voice their gripes about each and every thing that the county spends money on. So what purpose does it serve, when the other four commissioners don't respect it?

"Good question, Self!" I say. "Grandstanding... that's the purpose."

It's not like we don't already hear from Phyllis, Roger and the other budget hawks on a regular basis... like at every Commission meeting. I respect everyone's right to watch over their government... In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's our duty as democratic citizens to do precisely that.

But, Clark's method in how he's formed and will use this committee is petty, self-serving and divisive.

It's all very "Jerry Springer" meets "Beverly Hillbillies."

Tip O' The Hat

2006-02-22T09:11:00.000-05:00

I'll give Clark one thing, though... He's masterfully set up the other Commissioners to (possibly) take a fall in upcoming elections. Here's the layout:

Remember when there was all the discussion about adding 1-mil to the property taxes? It looked like it was going to pass. I mean, "How could they not pass it?" thought everyone, including Clark. The county finances were in a shambles. It was either raise taxes or hit the reserves. Clark knew there was no other option but to raise taxes. But, he was (genuinely) surprised when the vote came out that everyone else on the Commission voted against it. (Granted, they thought they could slip in a "public safety fee"and not call it a tax ... but that didn't work.)

So, move forward to the Impact Fee debate. Clark has once again positioned himself as the only one looking out for the current residents... asking only that new houses pay their "fair share" by paying a new housing tax. Clark knows the Impact Fee proposal was flawed, ignored economic development requirements, and would likely be immediately challenged -- very expensively -- with lawsuits. But, that didn't deter Clark... No, he knew that it would be voted down. But, by voting for it, he gets to say he's a better man, looking out for the locals.

Mark my word: Clark is going to use this as a rallying cry for the CAVE dwellers, with him as their (hopefully) SOLE COMMISSIONed leader. "The other commissioners wanted to raise taxes," Clark will assert. "And, they refused to make new residents pay their fair share!"

I can only hope and assume that the majority of voters are now aware enough of Clark's regressive and ultimately self-serving agenda (he does own an awful lot of land) so as not to be taken in by his smoke and mirrors.

Look past the blind bluster and see the agenda for all its glory... it's backward... it's hurtful... and it's damning for the future of Catoosa County.

Impact Fees - The Final Battle

2006-02-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the County Commissioners who voted against the Impact Fee Ordinance. They have made the correct decision, despite vocal, if uninformed support for the new fees. Most enlightening about the process, however, was how out of touch Chairman Clark is regarding the issue. Clark acknowledges the upside-down tax base in Catoosa County, being two-thirds residential and one-third business. Yet no one, including Clark and his minions, believes the new fees would do anything to impact the pace of residential growth in the County.

The problem in the County is not residential growth. The problem is in the lack of support for economic development. Businesses pay the way for residents by contributing far greater revenues and jobs than the cost of the services they consume. Houses, on the other hand, demand significantly more in services (e.g. schools, roads, recreation, police and fire protection, etc.) than they contribute with property taxes.

If Commissioner Emberson’s numbers are correct (and I assume that they are), a majority of county residents do not work in the county. Thus, the county picks up the tab for their residential services, but does not receive the benefit of hosting their jobs (i.e. the business). Commissioners Emberson, Gracy, Marks and Winters all understand that the solution to the problems facing this county is not in the form of Clark’s new housing tax. Rather, they understand that the solution must come from elsewhere.

Catoosa County will be able to afford the demands made by its residents only by stimulating local economic development. Cutting County services can only go so far before the community suffers. This County must invest in tomorrow, rather than simply trying to pay for today.

Several groups, lead by the Chamber of Commerce, the local Homebuilder’s Association, and the Economic Development Authority, are attempting to focus the community discussion on positive, constructive ideas for shaping a better tomorrow for Catoosa County. Discussion about county-owned industrial parks, long-term visioning, regionalism and other future-oriented issues are all on the table.

Chairman Clark, as evidenced by last night’s vote, demonstrated his willingness to be a sole commissioner (Be afraid!) wanting to take the County down a path that neither solves a problem nor creates opportunity for a better future. His leadership, devoid of vision and insight, ignores the obvious solution: Instead of cutting the budget for Economic Development, this County needs to invest heavily in attracting, growing and retaining new and existing business to Catoosa County. Such investment may require realignment of near-term priorities. However, the long term rewards will more than make up for any short-term sacrifices.

Final Score on Impact Fees:

Citizens for a Positive Future: 1
Blind "Sole Commissioner" Wannabes: 0

By the Numbers

2006-01-13T07:42:00.000-05:00

This is from the January 2006 "Business Tennessee" magazine, page 13:

Hamilton County's Commuting Connection

Georgia Counties (inflow/outflow)
Catoosa 12,320 / 215
Dade 3,091 / 183
Walker 9,098 / 1,695
Whitfield 807 / 2,133

I feel so used...

Our own Jerry Springer Show

2005-12-02T07:33:00.000-05:00

I've said this many times before... what goes on in Ft. Oglethorpe, and especially at the City Council, is akin to our own version of the Jerry Springer Show.

But what happened yesterday really brings the point home.

Councilman Richard Egeland's wife went after Councilwoman Jane Moye, accusing her of having an affair with her husband. Apparently Mrs. Egeland punctuated her attack by hurling candy at Moye. Click here for the full story from the Catoosa County News.

Oh, for what it's worth, Moye denies the affair.

All we need are some folding chairs, thick-necked bouncer goons, and a crowd chanting "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!" and we'd probably make national news.

Bless their hearts...

Industrial Park Possibility

2005-11-14T12:12:00.000-05:00

Kudos to the County Commission and the Economic Development Authority for funding an engineering study to see the feasibility of a 205-acre industrial park in Catoosa County.

Here's an article from the Catoosa County News about it...

Rather than impact fees, increased property taxes, or development-related SPLOSTs, the best way to fund service demands is through increased business and industrial development. As we all know, businesses generate far more revenues than they demand in the form of services (schools, roads, landfill, police/fire, etc.). So, business is a good investment for a residential community.

Oh, not to mention the jobs. Yeah... houses have people. People need jobs. People prefer to work close to home.

Impact Fees... Action Alert!

2005-11-10T16:52:00.000-05:00

Action Alert!

As many of you are aware, the County Commission has been struggling with how to address the burdens resulting from rampant residential growth in Catoosa County. One proposal being reviewed at present would be to impose Impact Fees on any new development in an effort to help defray the future costs of servicing the development.

This proposal has been fairly widely reported in the local press. What has not been reported is that the Impact Fees would apply to ALL types of development, not just residential. So, what does this mean? And, why is the Chamber getting involved in this issue?

When reviewing the proposed fees on BUSINESSES (both new and existing expansions), it became startlingly clear that this proposal would significantly and detrimentally impact business development in Catoosa County. Catoosa County could find itself unable to compete when trying to attract new business and industry. Similarly, for existing industry seeking to expand their operations, they would face significant impact fees, which might result in either foregoing the expansion or leaving the county altogether.

Perhaps some examples would help. Below is a listing of several real projects and the kinds of fees that would be required under the proposed Impact Fee system:

A 5,000 sq. ft. automotive parts store would pay $17,050.
A major home improvement store (appx 105,000 sq. ft.) would pay $188,324.
A specialty retail center (appx 200,000 sq. ft.) would pay $294,772.
A typical bank branch (appx 11,000 sq. ft.) would pay $118,810.
A 10-plex movie theater (appx 36,000 sq. ft.) would pay $161,140.
A small steel fabricator (appx 32,000 sq. ft.) would pay $20,945.
A major distribution center (appx 1,000,000 sq. ft.) would pay $482,398.

Every business category is subject to impact fees, not just those listed above.

But, what about houses?

Any single-family detached home would pay only $1,347 – regardless of size, number of children, etc.

Imagine adding $1,347 to the price of a 30-year mortgaged home. Would the homebuyer even notice it? Do you think this would impact residential development? Unlikely.

On the other hand, imagine your business as one of the categories above, making a decision either to locate in Catoosa County or expand an existing operation. Do you think these high impact fees would impact the decision? Most certainly!

As a result, the Chamber Board has voted to publicly OPPOSE the Impact Fee proposal currently before the County Commission. We certainly do not have all the information or even any answers at this point. But what is clear is that the current proposal could be devastating to the economic and entrepreneurial prospects for our County. We must tell the Commissioners that they cannot adopt this program, for it would simultaneously decrease our competitiveness to attract and retain industry, as well as fail to achieve any marked impact on residential development.

Catoosa County needs your help!

Action Required:

Attend the public hearing(s), the first of which is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15 @ 7:00 pm at the Courthouse Annex building in Ringgold. Your presence (or your voice!) is needed to let Commissioners know that the Impact Fee program being considered would be harmful to economic development and should not be adopted.
Make a commitment to call, write or personally speak with at least one County Commissioner to tell him how important it is that he vote against the current Impact Fee proposal.

There are many individuals, comprising a very vocal minority, who are opposed to all forms of development. They believe that any development is bad – both residential and commercial. These people are very involved in making sure that the County Commissioners do nothing that would increase the service demands made upon County resources. If you do not show up at public meetings, then theirs is the only voice heard by the Commissioners!

If you cannot attend the meeting on November 15^th, it is important that you send another in your place. You can be assured that individuals in support of shifting the tax burden onto business and industry will be there in force.

Sole Commissioner

2005-10-26T15:55:00.000-04:00

I did some research on the idea of sole commissioner. Did you know that at present, there are only eleven (11) other counties in the entire state of Georgia (total of 159 counties) that have sole commissioners? Here they are:

Union
Murray
Pulaski
Walker
Pickens
Haralson
Chatooga
Floyd
Bartow
Towns
Bleckley

And, I've been told, but not been able to confirm yet, that there are no other states that have sole commissioners. Essentially, the masses have spoken:

We want democratic government!

We want consensus-driven, representative government!

We don't want Sole Dictatorships!

How can we seriously consider a sole commissioner? This coming especially at a time when we've gone to war for the express purpose of spreading democracy throughout the world by eliminating a dictator.

The contradictions in the conservative agenda are astounding. But, that's another post all by itself.

Tackling New Development

2005-10-19T10:32:00.000-04:00

You know... as I'm researching impact fees, I started thinking about some frequent comments I've heard at public meetings. Many people in Catoosa County feel very strongly that they basically don't want more growth... that they would prefer to just keep what they've got now. And, there's nothing at all wrong with this concept.

The difficulty we face, however, is in keeping what we have, which implies keeping others (outsiders... new home buyers... new businesses, etc.) from getting their hands in our cookie jar.

I wonder if the community (and its leadership) would have the political hutzpah to put in place a set of policies, fees, regulations, zoning guidelines, etc., all designed to prevent new growth. This would also require a freeze on expansion of county services -- since we wouldn't need any additional services (with no net growth).

Basically the concept is this: We like what we have. We don't need or want any more. There's no room in our boat for others, though.

The County and Cities could dictate that "No new houses will be built. No new business space will be built. No new development unless an equivalent unit is removed from the county inventory."

Eventually, supply and demand would kick in... as the supply of existing housing and/or business space dwindles (fills up, is consumed), the prices would go up. Now, this assumes that outsiders still want to come to Catoosa County. If so, they'd be willing to pay more for the same existing houses (or business spaces).

It's an interesting scenario to ponder...

Impact Fees

2005-10-19T09:20:00.000-04:00

Questions are being raised regarding negative consequences IMPACT FEES could have on economic development -- recruitment and retention. The County's Consultant says no (or at least said no at a public worksession of the County Commission).

I'm researching this issue... but what I've seen thus far concerns me to the extent that the impact fee structure could significantly impact the costs of new development. This at a time when other counties in the region (Murray, Gordon, etc.) are kicking our Economic Development butt because they appear to offer more competitive and attractive amenities and costs to developers.

Now, when I say "developers," I'm referring to businesses... not residential developers. We frequently take issue with the housing developers because they are building moderately priced homes which attracts more and more families (and their children) to move to Catoosa County, while mostly working in another county (or state). We all know the speech about how houses cost the county money, while businesses generate revenues.

But, insofar as development is concerned, an impact fee on business expansion and/or new placement certainly would influence the businesses' decision. Simply put: if the costs of building or expanding is higher in one county versus another, that's a signficant factor impacting the decision to move forward or not.

As far as new development goes, Catoosa County is clearly competitive in the low-, to moderate priced housing market. Those developers see great opportunity here: there's demand; there's cheap land; there are few costs associated with developing the land; and the county provides high services to the home buyers. Where Catoosa County struggles in competitiveness is with businesses... and if the cost of bringing business to Catoosa County goes up, our relative competitiveness goes down.

The Commission will hold two public hearings in November and December to further explore this issue and receive public input.

I suggest any and all business owners review their near-term expansion plans and figure out what the impact fee would do to their business plan.

The Impact Fee system might just be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

No Child Left Behind...

2005-10-12T17:47:00.000-04:00

I was watching The Daily Show with John Stewart yesterday and he reported about Gov. Perdue's decision to close schools recently because of feared gas shortages. He showed an interview with Gov. Perdue responding to a (real) reporter's questions as to whether or not the decision was excessive or harsh. Gov. Perdue said no.

Stewart's punchline on the story was something like this:

"Well, I guess in Georgia, the program is known as Every Child Left Behind."

(Hey, if we can't laugh at ourselves, then we're taking ourselves too seriously!)

Budget Woes... Redux

2005-10-04T07:54:00.000-04:00

I read the recent article about the Catoosa County Commission's latest "special called meeting" to discuss budget issues. (Click here for the article in the Catoosa County News.) Seems Commissioner Clark brought the Commission together to discuss some proposals that (may have been or) were already voted on at previous meetings. Three of the commissioners had decided to end the meeting before it turned into yet another grandstanding moment for Mr. Clark and his "no government, no taxes, no services" approach to governance. (Those are my words, btw, not his.)

Honestly, I'm tired of watching this community wallow in a pool of disfunction. If it's not Ft. Oglethorpe and Ringgold fighting over unincorporated areas of the County, then it's the County complaining about not having enough money yet refusing to do what's necessary to get more.

I'd love to see a county budget where the dollars are shown along with some information about which of the service areas are mandatory (e.g. required by either state or federal law) versus those that are discretionary (e.g. luxury items for the betterment of our quality of life). I think a lot of residents think that there are lots of areas where we spend money and it's our choice, when the reality is that the items are mandatory for one reason or another. The "No Child Left Behind" Federal mandate on the school system is one good example.

Send out a menu of items and let residents select a la carte what they want to have or not have in the county. I think if more people were faced with the actual decision of giving up certain county services in lieu of getting other services, the results might be interesting. I suspect that more people would say that they don't want to give up most of the services and would therefore agree that the services are worth paying for.

I don't know... we're just wrestling in quicksand, with no one gaining any advantage, while we all sink into the pit.

Two random thoughts...

2005-08-19T09:42:00.000-04:00

I heard this quote (paraphrased by me) this morning on the Atlanta news. It comes from an Alpharetta City Council member as the Council was voting to eject/remove from office one of its members for aggressive, bullying, intimidating tactics:

"There are just some people whose objective it is to destroy this community. I really believe that one of them may have been elected to serve on this Council."

Wow... almost like she's talking about someone else...

Also, I was thinking of how about 4 or 5 years ago, there was a Countywide Leadership Retreat, where everyone came together to talk about long term plans, unity, cooperation... basically, big group hug.

Swing forward to today and the current version would be more akin to a Countywide Retreat from Leadership...

Sad, but true.

Budget woes...

2005-08-18T14:41:00.000-04:00

Do you remember those old "Family Circus" cartoons? I'm recalling ones where the kids would have done something bad and Mom is asking for an explanation. Typically there's a ghost in the background with a name tag that says "Somebody."

OK. So, I'm reading in today's online edition of Catoosa County News the article by Randall Franks entitled "Officials Say Public Safety Fee is a Dead Issue," about how all five commissioners now know that the fee is DOA. They've voted down the property tax increase. Yada, yada, yada...

Then towards the end of the article, you've got Bill Clark and Bobby Winters both saying that "somebody" needs to come up with ideas... "somebody" needs to see what needs to be done.

Hello! We elected SOMEBODY to be a leader in this community. We expect SOMEBODY to work towards compromise with the other elected somebodies to achieve constructive solutions. If SOMEBODY simply refuses to compromise and wants to sit there and pout because SOMEBODY is not getting his way, then SOMEBODY is part of the problem!

The most successful presidents our country has seen have been centrists. They compromised. They understood that compromise is what democracy (and life!) is about.

This "my way or the highway" attitude is not only counterproductive, but more, it's offensive.

If the best leadership that SOMEBODY can provide is to sit back and be a victim, refusing to work with his other elected officials, then SOMEBODY needs to get the h*&% out of office, because SOMEBODY is no longer leading... SOMEBODY is just whining.

We've run out of money ... and I'm not assigning any blame. But we simply don't have time to deal with ineffective and counterproductive politicians.

Look where our current SOMEBODY has taken us: from a $4 million surplus to less than $2 million (after tapping the reserve fund) and dropping.

As Carl Henson said in the article, "It's not a good trend."

How much is SOMEBODY being paid, I wonder...? Whatever it is, SOMEBODY is costing us way too much.

Chattanooga Street Preachers

2005-08-05T14:40:00.000-04:00

This is entertaining. Go read the blog posting by Herman Wang at the Times Free Press... the posting about street preachers going biblical on the City Council the other night...

Here's the direct link.

The funniest part is where (and I'll have to take Herman's summary of the meeting, as I wasn't there) the street preacher apparently rails on the City Council for not letting him/them "preach" near the Aquarium. Now, the City Council claims that the preachers are actually "shouting at passersby and holding graphic posters of aborted fetuses."

Here's the funny part... the street preacher then says, "If someone doesn't like the freedom we have, maybe they should move to France, a godless nation."

Whoa! So let's see how the logic might go... god gave us natural freedoms... like freedom of expression, freedom of assembly... Wait! We wrote those...

Let's try again... In America, we recognize various freedoms in our society, such as freedom of expression (ahh... now we're cookin'!)... and if someone wants to take away those freedoms -- our Constitutional rights -- then they should just go to some other country where...... they don't believe in god...

No wait! That doesn't work...

So, what's wrong in France? They certainly have enough freedom to express themselves when they don't agree with our opinions. And last I heard, they weren't being attacked because of their religious or political beliefs. Maybe tolerance and neutrality are good things... especially tolerance. Seems like we've (in this country) in many ways just as intolerant of those who "don't think like us" as we accuse them of being.

Maybe the problem we have is not that we do or don't recognize Constitutional rights... but rather, the problem may be that some people (or entities) run around the country (and now the world) "banging our Bibles" in the face of those who would rather not be preached to.

The way I interpret our Constitutional rights (to religion, expression, assembly, etc.) is that we all certainly can believe what we want... Where I draw the line is having unwanted, unsolicited views forced upon me in offensive, aggressive ways.

For many who want to "spread their faith," I often wonder, what's the objective: Convert or die?

Public Safety Fees...

2005-08-04T07:29:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to the Catoosa County News article regarding the joint Cities-County meeting on the proposed public safety fee...

Now, I'm not surprised that the cities have already weighed in against the proposal for a public safety fee. It sounds like the main reason, though, has to do with asking lower-income people (or those with lower-level housing) to pay the same fee as higher income residents. Sadly, but not surprisingly, the other reason is that the elected officials fear (a) being tarred and feathered; (b) being hung by an old rope; or (c) all of the above (which is akin to saying, they fear for their jobs more than they fear making an unpopular decision).

First of all, those in the "lower" categories are typically demanding the same, if not more, services than others. Secondly, the higher income residents (with higher level homes) are already contributing significantly more to the budgetary coffers in the form of higher property taxes, higher payroll taxes and higher sales taxes (assuming they're buying more expensive goods, or at least a higher volume of goods).

And, let's not forget that these wealthy individuals represent in many cases the Holy Grail of economic development and success: JOBS! Who's going to employ all of the people to provide the services demanded by the lower income segment?

But here's the quote I loved the most: From staltwart defender of all that is Catoosa, Phyllis Williams said "I think the whole unincorporated area just wants to be left alone."

No roads. No schools. No police protection. No indigent legal defense. No indigent healthcare.

("Indigent," by the way, means lower income and not able to pay for the services demanded.)

If this is the kind of CAVE that some people want, then fine. Just don't crawl out and complain about roads, weeds, ball fields, police, hospitals, schools, or anything else that the other citizens are willing to pay for because they see the value in having them in the community.

Congratulations to Commissioner Ken Marks for having the courage to make the proposal. Whether or not it goes forward, Ken deserves credit for at least being willing to examine some possible, even if unpopular, solutions.

Returning to Reality...

2005-08-02T12:27:00.000-04:00

I was away for a few days of needed rest and relaxation... just returned today, so I haven't had a chance to post anything regarding the Commission's decision regarding taxes...

Well, I suppose congratulations are in order... but for whom...?

I suppose Ken Marks deserves kudos for proposing an alternative to a near-term tax increase... the alternative being paying for the budget shortfall by tapping the "rainy day" fund.

I hope that the time that has been bought with this maneuver will be put to good use by the Commissioners. What we need is a long-term investment strategy whereby we can attract new revenue-generating businesses to Catosoa County. We also need short-term restraint (if not out-right restriction) on revenue-sucking housing development.

Do whatever you have to do to become fiscally solvent: public safety "fees"... impact "fees"... whatever you want to call them... taxes or fees... it doesn't matter. The county is going broke and must generate revenue somehow.

In the long run however, taxes or fees won't solve the problems... what's needed is a long-term constructive vision for this county.

Let's try to be progressive, not regressive, in our vision.

And, while we're talking taxes...

2005-07-21T22:28:00.000-04:00

We learned tonight that Catoosa County's overall millage rate is 6-7 mils below the other comparably-sized counties in Georgia. After hearing reports from the School Superintendent and the Sheriff about their departments' apparently great efficiencies (they're both ranked very high in perfermance versus very low in cost-per-unit, be it student or crime calls), I'm inclined to say that we're very lucky that we have administrators in these departments who are clearly passionate enough about their fields to stretch every taxpayer dollar far beyond what other County departments can accomplish.

Regardless of this, as I undersand it, the proposed 1 mil tax increase BARELY GETS THE COUNTY BUDGET BACK TO ZERO, if at all! What does this mean? Very likely, within one or two years, we'll be facing yet another round of quality-of-life-eroding budget cuts, or ... wait for it... another tax increase!

My suggestion gentlemen of the Commission: You're already going to take a political hit (although not necessarily a defeat) for the increase. If you can produce a COMPELLING VISION for how you're going to invest in a constructive future for Catoosa County.... then, go ahead and ask for 2-3 mils. Earmark at least 1 mil especially for economic development (and then take ED seriously).

The sooner we start investing in the services and civic amenities that are attractive to businesses, the sooner that more businesses (who pay lots more in taxes than they demand in services) will want to locate in Catoosa County. When this happens, the tax burden on the residential taxpayers will lessen.

Just my thoughts...

Public Hearing #2

2005-07-21T22:11:00.000-04:00

Well, this meeting did not start with a public trashing of me... maybe since I was in the room that took the winds out of the sails of the SS Courage.

Kudos to the County Commission for voting (mostly 3-2, and sometimes 4-1 or 5-0) to maintain funding for many key public safety and quality of life expenditures in the County budget. For example, the Sheriff's department has received the necessary funding for the required additional staffing, 911 staffing, etc. -- increases brought on as a direct result of the explosive and thus far uncontrolled growth.

Several citizens voiced their concerns about increased property taxes... legitimate concerns. As I've written before, no one wants to pay more taxes. But, as I said in my (respectful) public comments, we should not look at taxes as sacrifices, but rather as investments -- investments in our future, our quality of life. The problems we face today were not created overnight, nor will they be solved overnight.

But, the solution -- painful it will be -- must begin at some point. We simply cannot forestall the future from overtaking us. Try as we might to "conserve" what we have and survive by continuing to REDUCE COUNTY SERVICES such as police, fire, schools (kids are the future!), adult learning center, etc., eventually, we cut into bone and marrow, doing more harm than good... damage that may become unfixable.

We need two things desperately:

#1 - A LEADER, who has
#2 - A VISION, which is positive, constructive, and motivational.

What we have now is:

#1 - A Leader, who has
#2 - An AGENDA, to cut government services so far that we will essentially have nothing left.

Thankfully, he's only one vote... but WATCH OUT! Speaking of personal agendas, the spectre of a sole commissioner was raised tonight.

Congratulations to Mr. Gracy who challenged Mr. Clark by reminding everyone that, despite the difficulties of dealting with diverse opinions, democracy is still the superior solution over dictatorial despots.

Sigh... I can certainly understand people not wanting increased property taxes, especially those who OWN LARGE AMOUNTS OF LAND in Catoosa County, and would thus be classified as "one of the wealthiest" in the County.

Again, congratulations to the Commission for their courageous votes tonight. Just as one citizen said tonight, I will also remember those who vote in the correct ways and will offer them deserved support.

Like it or not, our future quality of life is at stake here... the choice is simple, vote against the tax increases and watch your quality of life CONTINUE to erode. Vote for the tax increases and buy our community the time to get a true visionary leader -- someone who can solve tomorrow's problems by building a better future ... starting today.

Public Hearing #1

2005-07-21T22:00:00.000-04:00

The Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors was meeting this morning (previously scheduled) for strategic planning purposes. Thus, I was not able to attend the first meeting this morning. Fortunately, one of our Chamber staff was able to attend and report back to me what went on.

Not much, it sounded like.

What was most interesting, however, was the Mr. Clark apparently began the meeting (again, remember that I wasn't there) by reading from my writings. (I suppose I should be flattered that he's reading... and perhaps posting "anonymously.")

Now, Mr. Clark and I have differences in opinions... and I respect that. In fact, we have very cordially dealt with other, agreeing on occasion, disagreeing on others.

What I don't respect is what happened this morning. Apparently Mr. Clark didn't just read from my comments. He went on to attribute the comments not to me by name, but by title only (how very Karl Rove...) and then proceeded to trash me in a public forum.

So much for respecting each other, I suppose. That was pretty unprofessional. But, I suppose I'm not entirely supprised.

In the end, it sounds like that Mr. Clark didn't have enough supporters present to have the grandstanding meeting he wanted... so not much was accomplished in the morning session...

On to Public Hearing #2...

Public Meetings on County Tax Increase

2005-07-19T09:30:00.000-04:00

There will be a series of public meetings to talk about the proposed property tax increase in Catoosa County. These meetings, hosted by the County Commission at the City Hall Annex building are scheduled as follows:

Thursday, July 21 @ 10:00 am
Thursday, July 21 @ 4:00 pm (for the School System)
Thursday, July 21 @ 6:00 pm
Thursday, July 28 @ 10:00 am

All those who have opinions (for or against) should get involved by showing up at these public meetings to make your opinions heard.

Now... about Economic Development

2005-07-12T08:30:00.000-04:00

OK. We've got ourselves a new County Manager... good luck to Mr. Ron Brown. Let's hope that he can make something of the position, if nothing else, make it not an "interim" position.

Also, we're about to bring in more funds via a property tax increase.

Here's my thought: While we're going to the well, so to speak, why not go ahead and get funds for further Economic Development?

The monies to be collected from the 1-mil increase will largely go for currently-allocated budget items -- meaning: pay current expenses.

What we need in order to mitigate and perhaps reduce FUTURE PROPERTY TAX INCREASES is to invest in economic development. This will bring in tax-paying, revenue-generating, job-creating businesses, instead of the revenue leaches that low- to mid-level housing have become.

So, while we're already upsetting the cart by asking for a 1-mil tax increase, why not go ahead and make the case for an additional one-half to one mil specifically earmarked for economic development?!

Now's the time, gentlemen! Don't just worry about our today; we need to be planning for our TOMORROW!

Catoosa Taxes

2005-07-12T08:21:00.000-04:00

Well, well, well... It appears that Catoosa County residents will be facing not one but two property tax increases.

Here's the story from the Catoosa County News...

In summary, the Catoosa County Commission has recommended a 1-mil increase to property taxes. In addition, it's being reported that the School Board will also implement a 1-mil increase.

Now, we all want to keep our money and spend it ourselves. The problem is that we are also demanding more and more services from both the County and the School System.

The Commissioners have taken an EXTREMELY COURAGEOUS step forward in fiscal responsibility by even suggesting a tax increase. Let's face it though: They had no choice! They've already cut as much as could be cut from the county's budget and still came up almost $2 million short.

I wholly respect the cost-cutting binge for what it accomplished. But, I also respect the reality-based decision to raise the taxes -- only after the cost cutting has taken place. They've done exactly what we've asked: Make sure that there's no obvious waste in governmental spending before you ask for more money from us.

We need to support -- not deride -- the Commissioners and School Board for their decision-making process.

Congratulations to both for such a bold step forward!

Chamber Vision

2005-06-06T11:00:00.000-04:00

Lots of change in the works... but, change is good. It means evolution; it means opportunity. Properly handled, change is a positive force. When handled improperly, resisted or ignored, change can be disruptive.

The Chamber of Commerce along with the entire community will be going through some change in the coming months. Now that the current Chamber President has announced her intention to resign and move on (here's the article) the Chamber will seek new leadership.

Again, as with all change, it's an opportunity to break from the past, shrugging off the creative cobwebs of comfort.

I hope everyone in Catoosa County will begin to participate in their own future. Gather information, ask questions of those in positions of influence and advocate for your position.

The future is ours for the taking.

Chamber funding passes four-to-one

2005-06-01T13:57:00.000-04:00

Here's the article from Catoosa County News...

The County Commission voted four-to-one in favor of continuing to support the business community in this County. Only Chairman Clark, who proposed withdrawing funds from the Chamber, voted against supporting the business community.

What surprised me most, however, was when Chairman Clark argued that the county should not invest tax dollars into an organization that "consists of the most wealthy people in the county." I find that statement a bit disingenuous, insofar as Chairman Clark would very likely be counted in that same group of "the most wealthy people in the county."

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Anyway, we certainly recognize and appreciate the support that was demonstrated by the vote. While many in this community may not recognize the direct benefits that the business community provides, especially when roads are deteriorating, sewers need to be extended, etc., the jobs, tax revenues, community partnerships and myriad other programs and direct benefits to the community are considerable. Without a vibrant business community (supported by a Chamber of Commerce) our way of live would be horrible! The conveniences we take for granted would not exist -- except in other communities.

Kudos to the following commissioners who have taken the appropriate and important step in acknowledging the vital role the business community plays and the support provided by the Chamber of Commerce, and for acknowledging the Chamber's contribution by voting to continue the County's investment:

* Jim Emberson
* Ron Gracy
* Bobby Winters
* Ken Marks

Thank you all for your support!

County Manager Position...

2005-05-31T14:14:00.000-04:00

Well, the revolving door that is the Catoosa County Manager's office is swinging again!

If you include all the interim managers, over the last several years, we've gone through about six or seven county managers! Just in a few years!

Running a business, I know that at some point when you have high turnover in a particular position, you have to start looking at yourself for the problem and not the candidates. Why can't we keep someone in this position? Are the CMs not getting the full support and/or resources that, once in office, they realize the need but don't have?

Perhaps we're just looking for a particular personality type that will loyally follow the wishes of an particular County Commission...er...?

We've had some very qualified people in the CM office. Yet, they still leave office, for one reason or another.

I only hope that this time around, we look for a professional candidate, one without known political ties or baggage, and most importantly, one who (a) has a backbone (i.e. not a puppet); (b) is willing to make some difficult decisions on his/her own.

I'm not sure this person currently resides in this County...

CB

Urban Planner

2005-05-27T10:39:00.000-04:00

There's another article from the Catoosa County News about Commissioner Bill Clark wanting to hire an Urban Planner.

First of all, I was under the impression that the impact fee study that we've funded (to the tune of $100K plus) includes a comprehensive land use study -- which would, most likely, be an essential prerequisite for any urban planning. So, let's not get the cart before the horse here.

Secondly, I question what good an urban planner would do without this community having the collective will to establish and enforce true and effective zoning and development controls. Practically every commissioner regularly gets quoted about "smart growth" and "managed growth," so clearly they're all thinking of it. But, when the rubber hits the deteriorating road, the developers seem to hold the cards.

We've been arguing that low-end housing development is out of control in this county for a few years now. Yet month after month, new developments are approved and are nowhere near the level required to even approach break-even for the county (about $250K min. value and above).

The developers building the $100K - $130K average homes have made fortunes for themselves while creating misfortune for the county's finances.

Just go to any of the Potts Bros. land auctions. These family estate parcels will get snapped up usually by some developer who will then begin plans (if not already in the works) to drop as many entry-level homes as possible onto the property.

Now, one caveat: Not all developers are bad! In fact, I know that one developer working on the Swanson Road project has proposed a better class of development including greenspaces, sidewalks and a generally more attractive (i.e. valuable) project concept. Kudos!

Back to the urban planner, however...

We just need to be sure that the county has an appropriate and clear vision of how it wants to develop and has the backbone to enforce it (making some tough decisions along the way) BEFORE hiring yet another government employee who might otherwise become one more expense on the books.

As a general rule, I support the concept of an urban planner. Hiring one just needs to be done at the right time and for the right reasons. Until we're fully committed to a vision that needs to be planned and executed, hiring someone seems... premature.

That would seem the appropriate, conservative approach.

CB

Tax Incentive Program

2005-05-27T07:22:00.000-04:00

On the Catoosa County News, this story about a new tax incentive program is good news for economic development in the county.

The Commission approved, based on a recommendation by the Development Authority, a graduated Ad Valorem tax on improvements made to purchased property. It has the advantage of not lowering the current tax revenues.

Attracting new businesses is a complicated matter. I applaud the Development Authority and the Commission for adding this incentive option to their toolkit.

CB

Anonymous Posting

2005-05-18T15:31:00.000-04:00

I've decided to allow anonymous posting to see how it works. The point of this blog is to encourage discussion. By requiring everyone to register and create user names (even though it's free and the accounts would have effectively provided anonymity), I'm concerned that several people have not or are not posting because of the whole registration thing.

So we'll see how the anonymous posting works.

CB

Catoosa County News Story

2005-05-18T15:29:00.000-04:00

Here's the lin k to today's story about the County Commission considering withdrawing funding of the Chamber of Commerce...

The Value of Enterprise

2005-05-18T13:12:00.000-04:00

What value does business bring to a community? Even in a bedroom community such as ours, we need/want many convenient businesses. Beyond our own convenience however, the government relies on NET POSITIVE tax revenues generated by businesses to pay for the NET NEGATIVE service demands made by houses (think: schools, protection, roads, etc.).

So, it is inconceivable to me that it is even an option that our county would not want to support an organization/entity whose very purpose is to encourage, stimulate, foster, advance, develop, whatever-it-takes for businesses in Catoosa County.

I certainly understand that the County, like any business, must prioritize the allocation of its resources. But in doing so, the County should be looking beyond the financial fires of the moment to the needs of the future. Businesses bring jobs. Businesses generate tax revenues. Businesses pay more to the County than they demand in services. Businesses partner with social and civic organizations, including the schools, the police and fire, etc. Businesses serve as ambassadors to help attract other businesses to the community.

If we send the signal to the business community that the County does not support their own organization, what does that say to the outside world as well, not to mention the message to our own businesses?

Stranded on a beach... your hut is burning. You have one (and only one) bucket of drinking water, and no rain clouds in sight. You use your water to put out the fire.

There are other ways to solve today's problems than by doing away with that which we need to survive and prosper in the future.

Vision without future...

2005-05-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

... is just a nightmare.

In Catoosa County, as with all other communities, have two choices: let the future control us, or take control of our future.

One way or another, some version of a future will arrive. The only difference will be in whether or not that future is one of our own making or not.

"Preserving what we have," "keeping out growth and the problems associated with it (e.g. traffic, air problems, etc.)" are both statements of a vision that says: "We want to be tomorrow what we are today."

Well, that's just not possible. Change is inevitable. And we must adapt to change... nay, evolve with change, or the change will overwhelm us.

What Catoosa needs is a positive, constructive, forward-thinking (not regressive) vision of what our future could be. Once we as a community can embrace some vision, then we will be able to prioritize and evaluate the myriad paths in front of us in light of one controlling question:

"Does this decision/project move us at least one step closer to our stated vision?"

If the answer is no, and no matter how good or reasonable doing this apparently lateral project might seem, then the project is not justified since it does not fit in the long-term vision.

I was reminded today of a study that was conducted in our county a few years back. That study observed that Catoosa county lacks vision and leadership in order to take (and sustain) certain bold initiatives.

What the study said was that we need a White Knight... a Champion.

We need someone (or an entity) who recognizes the need to build teams, even with disparate points of view (in fact, welcome such alternate perspectives!).

We need someone who can see beyond oversimplified and incorrect political party stereotypes, and will not, therefore, become one him/herself.

We need someone who is willing to make tough decisions today that are essential for achieving a positive vision of the future.

We need someone who can sell us on striving for the future, rather than simply trying to conserve the past.

Who will be our White Knight?

Third-Party Blues

2005-05-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

Who says we don't have a viable third political party?!

We have the conservatives; we have the liberals; and we have the Apathetic!

Our system has become so polarized to each extreme that many of us (I count myself in this group) are fairly "turned off" to the partisan messages. The result: members of the Apathy Party simply stay home!

Now, I'm not casting any stones here -- Hey! I'm part of the problem most of the time! (Although, my personal struggle with Apathy is increasingly being resolved as I get more involved.)

What frustrates me is how we allow our elected officials to make decisions based on very limited input (e.g. what they hear from the VVM -- Very Vocal Minority). The VVM, bless their hearts, earn what they get: They get results because they feel passionate enough to get involved. Actually, more power to them! They understand the system and work it well.

The problem is that in the Apathy Party, we sit back and do nothing until the decisions have been made. Let me give you an example from a while back.

A couple of years ago, a developer wanted to build a convenience store on Ooltewah-Ringgold Road, out near Windstone Subdivision. Now, if you don't know this part of the county well, let me tell you that there are no Catoosa-based businesses that would even begin to qualify as "convenient" to the residents of that end of O-R Road. Rather than drive all the way back to Ringgold proper, it's easier to just hop across the TN border to E. Brainerd Road and leave commercial dollars over there. But, I digress...

Several Windstone residents took "informal polls" (meaning, just asked around to their friends) and consistently found that people were in favor of having a convenience store near the subdivision. However, whenever the issue came before the Zoning Board or County Commission, the only people who bothered to show up were those few who were vehemently opposed to this kind of economic development. Thus, the store never materialized.

This is just one example of what comes of Apathy.

I'm trying very hard to get myself more involved, pay more attention and make myself heard. I encourage everyone to do the same.

CB

FairTax vs FlatTax

2005-05-17T17:46:00.000-04:00

There's been much discussion in recent years about the relative merits (if any) of our current tax system.

Some legislators have been proposing alternatives to our current graduated income tax (with a few loopholes :).

The two most popular alternatives are the FairTax and the FlatTax.

US Sen. Saxby Chambliss and US Rep. John Linder have each proposed FairTax proposals, which would repeal corporate and personal income taxes, as well as various estate, gift, Social Security payroll deductions and Federal self-employment taxes. These taxes would be replaced by a national sales tax somewhere in the range of 23 percent, which is about 10 percent less (on average) than what we pay in the current system. What this means is that on each dollar, we currently pay, on average, about 33 percent in taxes. With FairTax, we'd pay only 23 percent, with exceptions for certain "essential" purchases, such as food.

FlatTax, on the other hand, sticks with the income tax model, but sets a flat tax at a uniform rate -- one tax rate for all. The basic premise here is that everyone should pay the same rate, and many (if not all?) of the loopholes and exemptions seemingly unavailble to those in lower tax brackets would be eliminated as well.

I've been following this debate for quite some time, and continue to gather as much information as possible. But, for now, I'm leaning towards the FairTax proposals. I like that this consumption-based system (as opposed to income) would reward savings (by not penalizing dollars as they're earned), and would only be imposed on citizens as we take something back from the economy -- i.e. we make a purchase and "consume" goods and services. There are some who have argued that the FairTax proposals would amount to an "additional 23% of taxes," which is completely false. The national sales tax would only go into effect after the current income-based system is scrapped.

To me, the FlatTax would be preferable to the current system. But, I'm skeptical that the loopholes would be properly eliminated to make the system truly "flat."

FairTax encourages people to earn as much as possible (thus driving inovation and investment), and even subtly encourages savings (as said earlier). We'd only pay "our fair share" when we decide to spend money (i.e. consume). Then, we'd all be paying the same amount.

There's my $0.02 worth...

CB

Veterans & Citizens War Memorial

2005-05-17T12:11:00.000-04:00

Had the groundbreaking for the monument wall at the V&C War Memorial this morning. Great example of the community coming together to support a worthwhile upgrade. Various elected officials (city, county, state, departmental) were on hand, along with civic leaders and volunteers.

I think it's going to end up being a very nice memorial structure.

Although I'll have a company brick because of donating steel to the project, I'm planning on buying one or more bricks (at $25 each, so I'm told) to further support the memorial project.

Call the Chamber (965-5201) or Tonya (Branch Manager, Ft. O.) @ Capital Bank for information about buying engraved bricks to show your support!

Cheers!

Rep. Forster's Blog...

2005-05-13T07:48:00.000-04:00

Congrats to our Dist. 3 State Representative Ron Forster for stepping into the blogosphere. Here's the link:

Representative Ronald L. Forster

The last Presidential election really brought blogs into the political mainstream. So, I'm impressed to see (at least one of) our representatives using this forum.

I'll be reading!

CB

Moratorium on Housing?

2005-05-12T17:17:00.000-04:00

Would imposing a moratorium on housing starts in Catoosa County really solve anything?

If not, what kinds of changes need to be implemented in order to achieve the desired results (assumedly of controlling growth, or elevating the value-point of new housing)?

Zoning and impact fees are other possible options?

All of these (and others) are just pieces of the puzzle that is a "quality growth plan."

Let's take a shot at discussing our thoughts on what are the most significant components of such a plan...

ESPLOST & Bonds

2005-05-12T16:12:00.000-04:00

Kudos to the Catoosa School Board for approving a resolution for needed investment in our schools. The resolution, which will be up for general vote on September 6, 2005, does two things: First, it would extend the current 1% ESPLOST for five more years. Second, it allow for issuance of bonds to pay for the immediate construction of two new schools, among other projects.

First and foremost: THIS IS NOT A NEW TAX.

Second: THIS DOES NOT RAISE TAXES.

Third, and as I understand it, the purpose of the ESPLOST extension is to PAY OFF THE BONDS.

I suppose the big question is whether or not we need new schools in Catoosa County. Sure, new housing starts have been ... err... aggressive in recent years. People want to move to our community for many reasons, including our school system. Going forward, perhaps we can do a better job managing growth. But for now, the kids are here and we have to find a way to educate them properly. Unless we want the kids to be sitting on the floor in the overcrowded cafeteria to eat their lunches, or being crammed into a classroom with teachers facing a 40-to-1 student:teacher ratio, we have to invest in our school system now.

Is there waste in the current system? Sure. No question. Is there enough waste to justify not making further investement in the system. No way!

Kids are our future. The kind of future we create through the education of our future leaders (i.e. the kids) is in our hands right now.

Also, good schools are directly related to the kinds of industry/business we can attract and retain in our community. Businesses pay lots of taxes and don't take much in return. Households offer the opposite scenario. Bad, overcrowded schools mean that businesses will not want to locate in Catoosa.

Come September 6th, we as a community need to send the message that we value our future generations enough to invest in their future today. When the times comes, vote YES for this important resolution.

Welcome to Catoosa Vision!

2005-05-12T15:26:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Catoosa County, Georgia!

I recently started a brother Blog called Catoosa Diaries, where I'm blogging various cultural and recreational adventures in and around Catoosa County. While Catoosa and the surrounding region has many interesting sites and activities, we also have important issues to face regarding our community's quality of life, economic development and general growth. This blog will focus on these kinds of issues.

Catoosa Vision, as a blog, will be about the various issues facing our community. Sample topics could include: Air quality; housing growth; business development; education; etc.

Mostly though, we can talk about where we want Catoosa to be in the future -- what is our vision for this wonderful community? By knowing where we want to be, the path to achieving this vision becomes much clearer. Once we identify our desired future vision, we can individually manage ourselves in a way that helps to achieve that vision.

I think the overall theme will become clearer once we get into the discussions. My main goal, however, is to use this forum as a means for community-wide discussions about important issues -- things that we need to be talking about today, so that they don't become problems to be solved tomorrow.

Let me know what you think. I certainly don't expect for us to agree; but it's the process of discussion that's important.

Cheers!