Editorials
The Jackson Herald
December 1, 1999
Property taxes
outdated
Levying a tax against real property in order to raise money for
local government operations is an archaic and outdated system.
No where is that more evident than in a county like Jackson where
growth pressures and a multitude of taxing districts combine
to paint a confusing and ultimately inequitable picture.
Property taxation is bad because it requires an ever-growing
bureaucracy to manage and keep updated.
It is bad because it requires the intervention of subjective
criteria in establishing property values.
It is bad because it can, and has been, amended with a slew of
special exemptions for special interests, thus shifting the tax
burden ever more toward homeowners and those who are not part
of an organized lobby.
It is bad because it cannot be equitable no matter how much we
attempt to make it so.
It is bad because from the desire to have a balanced property
tax base, government officials are led to make a variety of other
economic decisions that may not be in the best public interest.
And finally, property taxation is bad because it taxes a value
even if property hasn't been sold, thus taxing people on speculative
wealth. In economic boom times, that trend is always up as property
values rise, but in recessions, the values do not drop on the
tax books as they do in real life.
For taxation to work, it must be equitable. Unfortunately, tradition
and a fear of change has led state lawmakers to continue propping
up property taxation in Georgia.
It's time for that to change. As we get ready for another session
of the Georgia General Assembly next month, lawmakers should
move Georgia away from this inequitable system of generating
local government revenue.
Our ancestors threw tea in the Boston Harbor for lesser concerns
- would that we had a harbor into which property taxes could
be tossed.
Letter
The
Jackson Herald
December 1, 1999
Concerned
that mobile home parks will hinder progress
Dear Editor:
Several months ago, I noticed some beautiful land on New Kings
Bridge Road being cleared. I was sad to see this land opened
up for road viewing, but reconciled myself to the fact that this
is the price we must pay for progress.
As clearing proceeded, it became obvious that this acreage was
destined to become a subdivision; hence, the name New Kings Bridge
Estates was borne on a sign at its entrance. As I talked among
friends, we grew excited because our end of the county was finally
establishing its growth potential - a protective covenant built-from-the-ground-up-home
subdivision complete with sidewalks was the hope. With the Bear
Creek Reservoir plans progressing just down the road, Gwinnett
County homeowners spreading toward Jackson County, we began looking
forward to sharing the prosperity and increased tax base that
other areas of the county have already experienced.
Well, so much for the excitement and so much for the built-from-the-ground-up-home
subdivision. Guess what? It's going to become a trailer park
(tp), or if you want the politically correct term - a "multi-sectioned
manufactured home community." Within a five-mile radius
of this new "subdivision," there are at least five
other mobile home communities (tps). Why is it that the land
owners and/or land developers seem not to have the foresight
to realize that people who sell their homes in other counties
do not want to relocate to Jackson County and have endless "mobile
home communities" to choose from? As the owner, you may
develop your land as you wish, but some owners need to use forethought
and stop the economic revolving door of selling, repossessing,
and then the re-selling of land/mobile homes. Prosperity breeds
permanence. Let us not accept this cycle of transience.
Do we not realize that development calls for upgrading the surrounding
community, whether it be in housing or business? An increase
in the tax base has a trickle-down effect to all areas of our
community - from bettering the education system for our children
to increasing incoming revenue for the county, resulting in improvements
in our local livelihood. A just-released 1999 report shows that
Jackson County has become the second fastest growing county in
our area, second only to Barrow County. Land developers and local
rezoning should heed this growth call by not using more of our
local lands for mobile home developments. Enough is enough.
Someone better wise up and realize that the majority of incoming
people and long-time residents want built-from-the-ground-up
protective covenant home subdivisions not factory direct
trailer homes that are pulled in by a truck.
Sincerely,
Rita Baggerley,
"Concerned for our community's
progress, not staleness"
|
Column
By Mike
Buffington
December 1, 1999
Dynamics
of county growth
Lawsuits against the county government over zoning disputes have
become as common as dirt. Two more were filed last week and no
doubt others will come in the future.
At issue is how far governments should go in regulating land
use by private property owners. On the one hand, there is a compelling
need for there to be some order in how raw land is developed.
That's especially critical in a county like Jackson that is facing
outside growth pressures.
On the other hand, private property owners do have some inherent
legal right to develop their property as they see fit. Too much
intrusion by government in that process begins to trample on
those rights.
There are scores of books on this subject. Although new to Jackson
County, growth and land use conflicts are old news in many places.
But although many want easy answers, simple solutions do not
exist. The dynamics of growth evolve and change and it's impossible
to have a plan today that will work forevermore.
As we prepare to enter the new century, there are a number of
forces that are converging on Jackson County which will determine
how the county will grow in the coming decades. Those forces
may generate even more lawsuits if county leaders fail to understand
the dynamics of change.
1. Topping the list of forces on Jackson County will be the start
of the Bear Creek Reservoir. Not only does that project make
additional water available in Jackson County, it also generates
a tremendous pressure on county leaders to sell that water for
debt service payments. Water sales require customers and the
county needs lot of paying customers fast. The upside is that
the situation may create an atmosphere for greater cooperation
between the county government and its towns since the allocation
of water resources is important to everyone. The downside is
a pressure to lure high-volume industrial water users to generate
income. That's a short-term solution, but could be a long-term
problem.
2. Second on the list of forces hitting Jackson County is the
move by the county government to get into the sewerage treatment
business. While a necessary move, the long-term effect of sewer
is profound. Although current county leaders have vowed to put
sewer services only for industrial and high-volume residential
projects, future leaders may decide to make that service available
more broadly. But when a sewer line goes into the ground, it
forever changes the value and direction of the property nearby.
Management of sewer services will be a key to how Jackson County
grows in the coming years.
3. The third force hitting Jackson County is the change of its
county government in 2001. In the long-run, the change will undoubtedly
be for the good. But in the short-run, the transition could be
difficult. If the new board gets distracted by the transition,
the other major issues facing the county could get put on hold.
It will be critical in 2001 that the new board not get lost on
an internal focus, but rather keep an external view.
4. The fourth force hitting the county will be the continuing
need for additional classroom space in local schools. As more
people move to Jackson County, the pressure for schools will
grow. That is an obvious conclusion, but what's not so obvious
is the effect such building projects have on school system leaders,
both hired and elected. Building projects take a huge amount
of leader time and thought, much of which distracts from the
academic focus of those leaders. It's a tough balance, but somehow
these infrastructure projects have to be put in balance with
all the other day-to-day matters.
5. The fifth force hitting the county in the coming years will
be with major changes in the local road systems. All local major
roads are in the middle of changes, or will soon be. As new roads
open, new land is opened for development. That could have a profound
effect on growth in Jackson County, especially in terms of where
major commercial centers will be located. New roads also redefine
the limits of a community, both physically and psychologically.
All of these forces are very important to how Jackson County
will grow in the future. But the most important force may be
the one that currently doesn't exist - that is, a common vision
by local leaders that ties together all of these issues in some
manageable way. With nine towns, three school systems and a large
county geographically, it may prove impossible to really have
a true common vision.
But somehow, local leaders at all levels will have to come together
more in efforts to respond to these forces of change. That is
being done to some extent already, but it has a long ways to
go to be effective.
Mike Buffington is editor of The Jackson Herald. |
