I don’t like paying more for things anymore than anybody else does. I don’t like it when my power bill exceeds what I budgeted for it and I have to adjust the figures.
On the other hand, I like having city services like water, sewer, power and garbage collection. I would really enjoy good roads, streets and alleys and I am sure other residents would like it if they didn’t worry about their yards and houses flooding with every hard rain, if there is one ever again.
It’s that old saying in action – “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” I believe if we want the town to thrive and grow, empty buildings to be replaced with businesses and eateries, we have to be able to offer those business owners something good. Like clean water, sustainable infrastructure and streets that aren’t in shameful condition.
And I believe it is time to fish or cut bait. The old holding pattern isn’t holding anymore. We as a city can’t wait for times to get better before we get our piece of the pie. The businesses aren’t going to come here and hope the things they need to make a business succeed will magically appear.
But what if? What if we could offer a clean town with nice streets and good infrastructure? What if there were more decent housing instead of derelict buildings and dilapidated houses on every corner?
What if tourism, ecotourism and shopping were a significant part of the economy? What if expanding facilities could easily house their employees? What if the schools didn’t have to jump the housing hurdle to hire more great teachers to fill the great school buildings the community said it wanted and ponied up with a bond issue to build?
What if the new jail could easily find, train and keep employees? What if we as a town looked more like our more affluent neighbors and lived better lives for it?
That isn’t going to happen overnight. It isn’t going to be free, either. The city has in hand a capital improvement plan to get the hardware on the right track. It prioritizes what is needed to catch up the deferred maintenance of the last however many years, and it also prioritizes what is needed for future growth. It also shows how much that is going to cost.
Yes, the citizens will have to pay for part of it. The government, both state and federal, will pay for some of it. But residents can do a whole lot on their own.
We can clean up the streets. We can haul off old appliances, mattresses and furniture that have been dumped on the alleys and elsewhere, creating a health risk and eyesores, even if we aren’t the responsible parties. We can cut lawns and plant flowers and trees.
No one can do it all alone. But we can all do something, and whatever we do helps everyone else. Employ the golden rule here, folks, and we’ll be getting somewhere.