Time Flies
Hello All,
As you have probably noticed, it has been awhile since my last post. This is not because we have given up but rather because there has not been much to update. However, this past week we were able to get a glimpse of the recommendations coming from the reorganization committee. You can find a copy of their initial draft here: Reorg-Comm-Status-Report-9-21-09-Final
Please take a few minutes to read through this initial draft. You will notice that there are not a lot of details at this point, but you will also start to see where the proposal is heading. Rather than give you my opinion now, read the draft and formulate your own. I encourage you to go to the reorganization meetings, ask questions and receive answers straight from the committee, not through hearsay, conjecture or media outlets. Challenge them on the details and more importantly, provide them with suggestions. Despite what you may have read or heard, this group (of normal citizens just like us) has put a lot of effort into the reorganization effort. We owe it to ourselves, and frankly to them, to take a few minutes out of our day to read what they have and will be proposing. While reading the plan, remember this, you could be looking at the future of our area.
I have said all along that I am for our area being incorporated, one way or another. Why? First, our community pays a large portion of the taxes collected by the county. Those same taxes are then spread like peanut butter across the entire county, with a disparate amount being returned directly to us. In other words, we subsidize the other townships of Johnson County. If we become incorporated, our tax money will come back to us. Secondly, and this is harder for some to grasp, but without proper planning and focus, our area could someday become less desirable to live in than it is today. When this happens, our property values will begin to drop. Right now, we only have two choices: reorganize with Greenwood or not. The self-incorporation effort has always been intended to provide a third option for us.
Since my last post, several of you have contacted me expressing your desire to participate in the self-incorporation effort. If you have volunteered, I will be touching base with you in the next few weeks. Remember, we have plenty of time. The public vote is not until May next year. Meanwhile, please consider my advice above. Read the reorganization plan, ask questions, and get engaged.