Outsourcing of Services
The Mayor of Farragut said here that the town is not in the School Business, Police Business, Fire Protection Business, Utility Business, Garbage Disposal Business, etc. Well, I'd say that the town is an agent in those businesses, even if it decides not to be in those businesses. It simply decides that it prefers to outsource them. That is well within the town's right, but at what cost to it's residents?
I'm not saying that the town needs to implement a property tax.
However if you look at the current effects of outsourcing our services, we have--
1. Increased homeowner/auto insurance rates.
2. No real law enforcement/prevention (oh sure, we get a nibble here and there from our KCSD (and I'm not saying that they're doing a bad job, either), but nothing's been done to visibly cause change in speeding/crime in West Knox County)
3. No regulation on increases in Rural/Metro membership fees (which my HOA said went up AGAIN this year)
4. Over crowded schools with no plans for putting in new schools to increase capacity
5. Utility costs which continue to increase without any impedance from the town (I may be wrong here, but my costs have almost doubled in the 3 years I've lived in Farragut).
I believe it's time our leadership evaluated the real costs of outsourcing and determined if its better for us as a town to bring them partially or wholly in-house. If not, then we'd better start getting more value for what we as residents spend. After all, we as residents are spending real money here, aren't we?
If we want to continue improving our town, we need to start somewhere and I think bringing in new retail businesses (from which we can collect our portion of sales tax) is the way to go as this provides revenue for our town without impacting residents. That is, as long as we can get shoppers to spend time and money here in Farragut. After all, we've got vacant businesses that need to be filled, so we're not having to develop any new land for it. And as for the signage ordinance, I think the signs need to be more consistent (and maybe the town should provide some financial incentives to do so, like a tax credit equaling the cost of bringing the signs up-to-date).
Well, maybe y'all can think of other things to help our town (or say what you think is wrong with it), and maybe you can voice why I'm wrong in my perception. Comment and let me know.
Just remember, this is only an opinion, and if I can be convinced, it may change....
--
Anonymous comments are allowed, but keep them clean, o.k. We don't want to become the editng police!
I'm not saying that the town needs to implement a property tax.
However if you look at the current effects of outsourcing our services, we have--
1. Increased homeowner/auto insurance rates.
2. No real law enforcement/prevention (oh sure, we get a nibble here and there from our KCSD (and I'm not saying that they're doing a bad job, either), but nothing's been done to visibly cause change in speeding/crime in West Knox County)
3. No regulation on increases in Rural/Metro membership fees (which my HOA said went up AGAIN this year)
4. Over crowded schools with no plans for putting in new schools to increase capacity
5. Utility costs which continue to increase without any impedance from the town (I may be wrong here, but my costs have almost doubled in the 3 years I've lived in Farragut).
I believe it's time our leadership evaluated the real costs of outsourcing and determined if its better for us as a town to bring them partially or wholly in-house. If not, then we'd better start getting more value for what we as residents spend. After all, we as residents are spending real money here, aren't we?
If we want to continue improving our town, we need to start somewhere and I think bringing in new retail businesses (from which we can collect our portion of sales tax) is the way to go as this provides revenue for our town without impacting residents. That is, as long as we can get shoppers to spend time and money here in Farragut. After all, we've got vacant businesses that need to be filled, so we're not having to develop any new land for it. And as for the signage ordinance, I think the signs need to be more consistent (and maybe the town should provide some financial incentives to do so, like a tax credit equaling the cost of bringing the signs up-to-date).
Well, maybe y'all can think of other things to help our town (or say what you think is wrong with it), and maybe you can voice why I'm wrong in my perception. Comment and let me know.
Just remember, this is only an opinion, and if I can be convinced, it may change....
--
Anonymous comments are allowed, but keep them clean, o.k. We don't want to become the editng police!
posted by Mike at 6:37 AM
16 Comments:
Well, of course not. But that's because the town as a whole hasn't been fair to the county school board, either. That's one of those two-way streets that we need to fix!
Without implementing a property tax, how would you plan on paying for the services that you desire?
We may be last in per capita school spending...but I'm not sure how....FHS's football stadium looks like that of a small college and the classes offered exceed those at other schools in the county.
Regardless, we made the choice to live here and can't expect others to pay for our production of cost-ineffective sprawl.
Jon
After yesterday I am ready to pay a property tax and I will tell you why. My neighbor down the street needed an ambulance. What we got were two cop cars speeding in the subdivision without the lights or siren on and the ambulance was lost in the upper part of the subdivsion. I am mad as hell at these jerks. It took twenty minutes for the ambulance to arrive after in got into the subdivision and why on earth would the cops be driving 50 mph in the subdivision. Children play in the streets and these monsters are spining tires and fishing tailing for no reason. What could the cops do. We needed and ambulance not police. It turned out the ambulance driver from Rural Metro was lost because the streets sounded alike. Idiots. I say fire them all and create our own ambulance and police and I will be the first to pay the new property tax. What are we getting for our taxes?
The city of Knoxville has one of the best, if not the best, response times in the state. Farragut can have the same but must be willing to pay for it...probably along the lines of ~$150 per month for the average household...this of course will not happen as it would be political suicide. Farragut is the prototype for sprawl yet we complain?
Jon
Without implementing a property tax, how would you plan on paying for the services that you desire?
Well, let's see, we get shared-tax dollars right? Take a look at the Town Budget and see where it's being spent--Roads, Roads, Roads, and the occasional park. Well, first of all, if the town planners had focused on building the right roads to begin with, we wouldn't have to be fixing those problems now. The more I look at it, new developments should be paying impact fees to cover the necessary improvements to their new $$$ making venture.
Next, we have how many boarded up businesses right now? Count them. I'm not going to tell you, but drive around--You'll be amazed at how many there are! You fill those businesses up with retail space and other tax-generating ventures and as long as they are successful, the town should have no problem coming up with money for it's needs. One caveat, we as residents have to spend our money here! But shouldn't we be doing that already?
Lastly, annex all of the land west of Lovell Road in Knox County! Take it all. No execptions. Let Knoxville have the rest of the county for all I care. Keep the zoning intact and don't raise taxes for 5 years and I bet the town would still have enough cash to fund those services and MORE! Come on, Turkey Creek by itself is going to provide 10% of K-town's budget this year!
As a community leader I have many years of experience in building roads and more roads. Once the roads are finished the citizens can get to the retail outlets in Farragut faster. I am sure there will be more retail in the community as soon as the Campbell Station connector is finished. Rest assured I am working on that every day. Wow! What a view from up here.
Mayor you are just too funny. Someday the TBI will look in your basement for the cash from all these road projects. We will all have a good laugh when you do the perp walk John Ford style.
Let me get this straight...one of the appeals for many Farragutians was escaping the Knoxville property tax or annexation threat thereof. So you didn't want to pay for the services and now you're griping? Are you stupid or just evil?
Let me get this straight...one of the appeals for many Farragutians was escaping the Knoxville property tax or annexation threat thereof. So you didn't want to pay for the services and now you're griping? Are you stupid or just evil?
Neither stupid or evil thank you. I am sure your mother is very proud of your social skills. What value do you present here? Any fool can call names. What do you bring to the discussion?
So much envy from the urban yugo driving anti-sprawl stop global warming gang. I guess your secular viewpoint does not include the part about not coveting your neighbors wife, car, etc.
You must have a high feeling about your self to call others stupid. Why don't you go play on some other blog? Take your intolerance some where else.
Hey stupid or evil.
Buzz off.
Other than "stupid and evil", the comment was right on the money though...I live here, but I have to agree that we are seemingly attempting to have our cake and eat it too....
Jon
So you didn't want to pay for the services and now you're griping? Are you stupid or just evil?
They are complaining about services they pay for that are not adequate compared to the taxes they pay. Either adjust the tax rate or provide adequate services. We are not getting what we pay for. As far as new taxes that is not the way to go. It makes more sense to replace the bureaucrats that are not doing their job. Why should other areas get more police service or more school spending per tax dollar when they pay lower taxes? This discussion is about a level playing field. Beating up on Farragut is almost a sport.
Billy said:
"They are complaining about services they pay for that are not adequate compared to the taxes they pay."
The Farragut sprawl model is what caused services to be stretched so thinly; this cannot be undone, but its continued growth can be thwarted via impact fees.
I support impact fees county wide. We should have had them 15 years ago.
I am confused about the Farragut Sprawl model. How is it different from Cedar Bluff, Karns, or Powell? Looks the same to me.
you are correct....it is just bigger thereby having a more negative impact on Knox County and East Tennessee.
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