The new year is here and it comes with several changes for us in our community. Be it in Blytheville, the county, or other towns in the area, we've seen a lot of change in different offices and we have heard many plans for what the future will hold from these officials.
In Blytheville, Mayor Sanders says we will see infrastructure improvements and that the nuisance abatement board will finally be set up. In Gosnell, Mayor Walker wants to see more community involvement in town and says she wants to get a grip on the city's spending. Across the county, the QCs want everyone to extend a tax for a number of years to pay for the renovations of the Blytheville courthouse. It is sure to be an interesting year.
I don't think I've talked a whole lot about the proposed renovations and I would like to take some time to do it here. First of all, I will say that I support the plan and when February rolls around I will be voting in a way that reflects that support.
With that being said, I do have some issues and I want talk about them. I am really sick of hearing one particular line from QC members concerning this project. The phrase, “this is not a new tax.” is very disingenuous. They use that language because it is an extension of a current tax and not an additional tax. However, if a tax is set to expire and they extend it for 30 years then it is the same as a new tax; just because we are paying it now doesn't mean it isn't new.
I'm also really concerned about the QC’s apparent lack of a location to host court duties while the project is occuring. They have stated that they have several locations that are possible, but I find that answer to be vague and lackluster. We need to know what is going on and we need to know that they know what is going on.
My final concern is that the QC has stated, or at least a member of the QC, that they have no idea of a back up plan should the vote in February fail. As a supporter of the project I would hope it doesn't come to that, but simply saying, “we don't want to think about that.” is not a good enough answer. We need real answers to these questions and we need them soon.