After a political roller-coaster ride over several days, the Winder City Council on Tuesday night decided not to move forward with a controversial $4.9 million federal loan for a new public works complex.
It also tabled for further study a proposed storm water ordinance that would have levied a new tax on every developed property inside the city limits as soon as October.
But the council did approve – in a tie vote broken by Mayor Chip Thompson – to implement a new pay scale of up to $132,666 for the next city administrator.
The high-dollar issues carried potentially huge political stakes, particularly for the mayor, after several business leaders joined in the council’s public debate and argued against both the new debt and the new tax.
The appearance of key business leaders was an unexpected wild card in an intense political struggle leading up to the meeting and could signal a sea change in local politics.
As one said after the meeting, their businesses have been hit hard by the recession and they can no longer afford to remain unengaged as cash-strapped local governments talk about raising or imposing new taxes or taking on millions of dollars in new debt.
The first sign of increased political activism from the business sector happened last week, when Jerry Maynard of Maynard & Bartlett Realty Group LLP warned the Barrow County Board of Commissioners at a budget meeting that the recession might linger for years and even take a turn for the worse. He called on the BOC to drastically slash the FY2011 budget and to start working spending back to FY2002 levels, which were about half of what they are today.
Monday night, Maynard warned Winder leaders that other business people agree that the economy is in deep trouble. He said anyone voting to move forward with the $4.9 million federal loan and public works project would come under “tremendous criticism” in years to come if those fears are borne out.
With Maynard at the three-hour meeting were: Bob and Gwen Hill of Hill’s Ace Hardware; Brad Akins of Akins Ford; Wayne Bartlett of Maynard & Bartlett Realty Group LLP; Larry Jones of Larry’s Easy Pay; Greg Lanthier of Lanthier’s Heating & Air; and Jon Greeson, a major commercial property owner.
Those who addressed the council said their companies could not afford to take on thousands of dollars in additional taxes that would be imposed under the proposed storm water ordinance. They asked that the council’s approval be delayed and that the city instead continue absorbing the costs through its operating funds.
Akins said based on his calculations of the square footage of “impervious surfaces” at his car dealership, he could face under the proposed rate of 8.5 cents per 100 square feet an annual storm water tax of $20,000 the first year and $40,000 annually in 2015 when the rate would double under the proposed ordinance.
With his own budget already complete, Akins said he doesn’t have $20,000 to spend on a new tax.
For more on this story, see the August 4 edition of the Barrow Journal or click here to read the full story online when you subscribe to our new e-edition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8SZV0RiSNc
I will say that one of the things that fires me up the most is hearing Bob Dixon basically insult every teacher in Barrow County stating they have "no idea(r) what intensity means." I'd like to see him in a classroom of middle schoolers...see how he handles "no intensity." Oh, and.. The city administrators job become more intense/stressful simply due to the fact that he/she will have to "put up" with councilmen like Dixon..
With increased population comes increased need for services. It would be impossible to go back to FY2002 levels WITHOUT reducing the population back to FY2002 levels.
So anyone who moved here after 2002 -- pack your bags and get out so things can go back to how they were......