I am writing to address topics that were the subject of a recent letter to the editor of The Caroline Progress. I want to first emphasize that both the Board of Supervisors and county staff welcome and respect input from citizens. All opinions expressed by citizens are important and factor heavily into the decisions that affect the day to day lives of county residents. Government at all levels always benefits from the input of the citizens it represents. Local government, in particular, needs more citizen involvement and participation.
Having said that, I do believe it is important to offer a response to some of the characterizations recently made. Many of these assertions are based on opinions and misinformation, and in the interest of space I will not offer a point by point rebuttal. Instead, I will limit my focus primarily to correcting misrepresentations that I believe present a distorted picture to the public.
The first issue is the claim that the planned county visitor center on Route 207 near Carmel Church comes at the expense of more important priorities. This is simply not true. No general tax payer funds are being used to pay for the construction or operation of the visitor center. Instead, construction is being funded from $950,000 in federal TEA-21 grants, land donated by Union Bankshares (appraised at $420,000) and $1.1 million in proffers from developers of Belmont at Carmel Church.
Operation of the visitor center will be paid for exclusively from the Tourism Fund. This fund generates approximately $150,000 per year from transient occupancy tax (“hotel/motel tax”) revenues charged to visitors who stay overnight in the county’s motels.
More importantly, we believe the addition of a visitor center will actually generate additional tax revenue for the General Fund where the bulk of county services are paid for. Each day, thousands of vehicles pass through Caroline County on Interstate 95. This presents endless opportunities to attract visitors into the county to spend money and then leave. Sales tax, meals tax and BPOL revenue obviously increases with more tourists coming into the county. Spin off businesses such as restaurants and other retail establishments often result from increased visitors. Most motorists, however, have no idea what attractions and opportunities are available in a locality. Visitor centers are widely regarded as a significant marketing tool for all available attractions and retail establishments. Tourism opportunities are increasing dramatically in Caroline and we need a visitor center to help market them.
Caroline has many tourism opportunities to promote including the 4th of July celebration, the Sports Spectacular, the Harvest Festival, two beautiful new golf courses, the Civil War Trails, John Wilkes Booth Trails and other local fairs and festivals. Many people know that the State Fair is coming to Caroline, but do they know it will host a large number of events year round? Do they know that the Virginia Sports Complex will also feature year round events? There will be other tourism attractions to come as the county continues to increase its visibility. In short, more tourism means more tax revenue and more money for the General Fund for items of importance to the public. The visitor center gives us the best opportunity to fully capitalize on it.
Exception has also been taken to the new YMCA slated to open in Ladysmith next summer. This is another project that will require no General Fund money to construct. Proffer money will be used to help build a new state-of-the-art recreational facility right here in Caroline. We believe that it is prudent to take advantage of this rare opportunity to provide a badly needed recreational facility that many citizens have long clamored for. Children especially will benefit from all the YMCA has to offer, regardless of their family income. No longer will they have to go to other localities to take advantage of amenities like indoor swimming pools, basketball courts and countless other recreational and social opportunities.
The charge has also been made that upgrades to the county’s water and wastewater systems are an unnecessary extravagance at the expense of more essential county services. These improvements, which are in part driven by environmental regulations, are being made to meet both the needs of our existing population and to take advantage of the unprecedented residential and economic development opportunities coming our way. Citizens in existing communities such as Lake Caroline and Lake Land’or will also benefit. Lake Caroline residents will receive a reliable back up water supply through an agreement between the County and the water company serving the lake. Lake Land’or will receive additional wastewater treatment capacity at the County’s wastewater treatment plant. Only by taking advantage of these opportunities will the County achieve the type of economic development, increased tax revenues and job creation it needs to pay for required services and provide the types of amenities many of our citizens are seeking. For this to happen, infrastructure improvements are a must.
Further, essential county functions are not being shortchanged as I believe the following points help illustrate:
- Spending for public safety is up 8.2% in next year’s proposed budget. The County has funded nine new deputies for the Sheriff’s Office in the past four years. Nine new paid full-time emergency services personnel have been added since 2002 with five more proposed in the upcoming fiscal year
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- The Emergency Services Commission (ESC) is expected to propose a plan to charge for ambulance services in the coming months to help pay for additional fire & rescue services
- Library funding is up 25% and a new Ladysmith library will open this summer. Construction of the library will be paid for entirely by proffer funds.
- Full funding is included in the proposed budget to build a new animal shelter.
Finally, there is the issue of funding for county schools. The Board of Supervisors has made a significant investment in a new elementary school in Ladysmith scheduled to open in 2007. This includes significant cost savings achieved by working with the developers who proffered the land for the school to correct landscaping deficiencies at the site. Strategic planning is underway to evaluate the need for more new schools in the future. Local funding for schools continues to exceed state Standards of Quality guidelines. This trend continues in the proposed budget for FY 2007.
In closing, County Administration has made a commitment to operate the most efficient and effective government possible at the direction of the Board of Supervisors. Public input is very welcome and valuable, but such input must be accurate to further the cause of public debate. It is my hope that my comments will help clear up some of the recent inaccurate statements made regarding the issues outlined in this letter.