guestview: Alderman Bob Markli
Farragut has done well for itself in its comparatively brief existence, surpassing in many respects its older and more experienced competitors in the region and even the state.
It is a very desirable place to live. But the time is far past to believe we are the only ball game in town and that people will gladly pay whatever price we ask to live here. We were once in the path of progress and could seemingly do no wrong, but as other parts of the area develop, progress has begun to bypass us and we now have many competitors.
Hardin Valley is building new retail centers that dilute the hegemony we have developed almost in spite of ourselves, and their schools are now as desirable as our own. Oak Ridge has an ambitious new retail center well under way and Lenoir City has been quietly siphoning off our tax dollars for years. You cannot buy a car, motorcycle or even a 2x4 in Farragut.
As property values increase in these up-and-coming areas, ours will stagnate unless we
intentionally maintain and exploit our advantages. In a world where change is the only constant we can ill afford to rest on our laurels.
Our location astride two major Interstates makes us uniquely positioned for commerce.
The level of services we provide from an incredibly efficient small government with enviably low taxes is a formidable advantage. Our schools are among the best and our parks are second to none.
Our neighborhoods are clean, beautiful and safe. Our major streetscapes are uncluttered and attractive.
But as our fair Town approaches middle age, we have decided to raise the standard on our few remaining old unimproved county roads which we find still languishing in the last century; the unintended consequence of which has been to render the
last few remaining developable tracts of land in town along
these roads undevelopable until those roads are brought up to the new standards.
We are also conducting our first survey of our aging storm water infrastructure, much of which pre-dates the Town itself.
Faced with these looming costs Town leadership is seeking ways to fund them. As we consider new taxes in the form of Impact Fees and Hotel/Motel taxes that are road blocks and disincentives to the very people who are already contributing to our success, we need to be very careful that we do not reinforce the negative image many in the business community already have….and kill the goose that laid the golden egg in the process.
In the case of Impact Fees, trying to put this cost off on the few remaining owners of developable tracts in town is manifestly unjust and the very definition of discrimination. Our attempts to foist the cost of road improvements onto them has already resulted in lawsuits that could have financially devastated the Town had we not relented.
We must always remember that 95% of all the streets that have been built in Town since its incorporation have been designed, engineered, built, bought and paid for by the land owners and developers who built the beautiful subdivisions we all live in, along with the storm drains, underground utilities, curb and gutter, sidewalks, street lights, walking trails, landscaping and all that goes with them.
They all pay their fair share and carry their own weight. And we cannot ignore the fact that the 9 hotels in Town with 725 rooms in a broad spectrum of price ranges have chosen Farragut because of the tax advantage that makes them more competitive and allows them to bring more people off the Interstates to shop, dine and lodge here and support our economy.
In determining that we will have superior streets, we presented our staff with an un-funded mandate, choosing rather to focus our resources on high profile amenities for the entire 4-county region that these features serve such as athletic fields, parks, splash-pads and outdoor classrooms, historic restorations and other “want to” items.
How many more of our inexperienced young teenaged drivers will die on our windy, dangerous old county roads before we step up and re-prioritize our budget to address these “have to” items in a responsible and equitable manner that shares the burden equally across the population?
It is unconscionable that we continue to attempt to shift this public safety burden onto a tiny minority while we continue building parks and attractions.
We have the resources it is simply a matter of ordering our priorities, rolling up our sleeves and getting down to business.
We must give people a reason to choose Farragut if we are to maintain the value of our existing homes and attract the high quality businesses and development we need to sustain us. If we continue to build a great Town and focus on our founding principles that got us to our enviable position we will succeed.
We must provide a fair playing field with quality delivery of services, and nurture business and development by making it easy, equitable and consistent. Then we can set our standards as high as we choose and still find ourselves a Mecca for quality. Everybody wants to Live closer, Go further.
Bob Markli
Alderman
Ward I (North)
As an Alderman on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, Bob Markli is one of five Board members, also including Mayor Ralph McGill, who alternate submitting a column to farragutpress the first issue of each moth.
