BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS BEFORE???

A recent post on another blog stated something to the affect that the current IT majority needs to go and we need to get back to where we were....or something like that (you get the jist, not really worth getting the exact quote.)

What exactly do some of these people want to go back to? Lower taxes?? That would be nice, but hardly achieveable considering all the things the town need to move forward.

In the recent past the town of Indian Trail has seen :

* unmanaged growth both new and incorporated
* no planning for the future
* no public comment (thanks to a state law, the town had no choice but to have public comment)
* had a town manager that worked 25 hours per week and made over $77,000 per year. (nice work if you can get it I suppose) Town council members had no idea of salary and benefits.
* inability to get information (re: budget and expenditures)
* no open government...you got what they wanted you to have
* Improper record keeping (actually broke the laws with this one) Lost files.
* Improper payments of Social Security and Medicare for at least 7 years and more like 10years.
(laws broken on this one also)
* unable to attain verification of so called approved expenses (goes to record keeping again)
* secret email accounts using public funds
* land swap that gave would give away town asset
* town hall project that up until recently no details of cost were ever brought forth
* downtown project (nice on the surface) but with flaws.
* No liquor by the drink
* no budget forcast or view to future
* land use plan and map (very good thing)
* Planning director fired after favorable comments about him.
* Assumed town was building Chestnut road extension at a cost of 25 million.


With the current council:

* no liquor by the drink (same as above) hopefully an issue to be decided by the citizens.
* budget forcast (plan for the future)
* town hall project with actual numbers 8.2 million at present time 30,000 sft.
* land use plan....updating the ordinances.
* land swap from above that hopefully will be made null and void and the town can keep asset
* open government....try getting information now...website, in person, you get the info.
* hired interim town manager (former Senator) to manage town until permanent manager was found. Would not have been my choice but after the firing the town needed a manager.
* new town manager...A full time manager that the council knows how much he actually makes.
* no secret accounts expense or email
* proper record keeping
* other very good employees...ie town clerk and town attorney.
* higher taxes but the tradeoff is that the money is actually being used for town services and infrastructure where it had been ignored in the past.
* Curfew ordinance in progress
* Alarm ordinance in progress
* Code of ethics and rules and procedures in place for council
* Defined town as a Manager/Council form of government after Mayor exclaims she was the CEO of the town.

The above are differences between the current board and previous boards..not to imply that it is better now than then, that is for the individual to decide on their own. I personally think its better now but thats my opinion.

I am sure there are issues on both sides I have missed...I will be more than happy to have them added. This is all verifiable and in black and white also.