IT Watchdog

TRADER Candidate Forum

2007-09-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

The Indian Trail Trader will be having a candidate forum on Thursday October 11th, 2007 from 7pm-9pm at Sun Valley High School Auditorium. I encourage all citizens of Indian Trail to mark their calendars for that evening. If you are concerned about the future direction of the town you should make sure to be in attendance. If you are concerned about our tax rate, public safety, infrastructure, you should make plans to be in attendance.

Indian Trail is at a crossroads with this election and at stake are 3 council seats and the Mayor. There is only one incumbent in the running and that is the current mayor. The other 7 candidates are new to running for office and are making an attempt in the political arena.
Though three candidates for council and the incumbent mayor are all backed by the same special interest backed PAC.

There are many issues facing our town. In no particular order: Liquor by the drink, Public Safety, TAXES, infrastructure, roads, water and sewer, schools, broadening the tax base, the downtown project, the new town hall.

I encourage everyone able to make time for probably the only candidate forum for Indian Trail to turn out. Get to know the issues and where the candidates stand on each. Make an informed decision and then VOTE on November 6th.

Your vote is a terrible thing to waste.

MORE OPTIONS

2007-09-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night saw the IT Town Council vote 4-1 to approve the financing for the Blythe property. The lone dissenting vote was outgoing member Don Helms. Surprisingly enough, it was Mr. Helms that alerted the council to the Blythe property availability. He apparently in the subsequent votes that took place, only provided that for information purposes only not for the council to actually action.

The Mayor strongly opposed the land purchase of the Blythe property. If memory serves she cited the fact that it was too far off the road, was afraid of complacentcy on the part of the town to do a future town hall. She has by far been the strongest supporter of the new town hall or as I like to call it the "monument to government excess" that has been on the council. She also stated that she would not support this purchase unless the Blythe property was immediately moved into, with no improvements, and the existing location torn down and construction of the new facility was begun immediately. Wow!! Let's not worry about the employees or town business being accomplished but let's start an unfunded project of 8 million dollars immediately?

Let's for a moment go back to the dissenting vote of Don Helms. The night the downtown project was approved a couple of years ago, with 44 conditions, Councilman Helms was asked by Mr. Schallenkamp and myself how he could approve a project with so much density? His answer was that they took care of the town and that they really stuck it to the developer. They will have to do all the conditions so the town is protected. (Gist of the conversation not exact quote).

The Raco property was also purchased with a 5-0 vote and no dissenting opinions. Though that property now has to be tested for well contamination? Due dilligence for the proposed purchase of the property.

So what is the problem really with the land purchases and current location? Let look at the pros and cons:

Pros CONS

Town Gains Assets The Mayor Doesn't Like
Larger downtown footprint
Cheaper
No assets given up in trade
Not tied to any one project
Can build town hall on any of 3 locations
Better negotiation position
Fits in the Downtown Overlay District
The Mayor doesn't like it

I think the current council got this right. If the new town hall is built in the project area, this purchase makes sense. Acommodity that continues to go up in price and once development starts the sky is the limit. This purchase allows the town wiggle room if you will and affords us opportunities for the future. The downtown project can proceed just as if the town hall would be over there...in fact I believe it makes it cheaper for the developer especially with the stormwater solutions. Here is an idea. Develop the project and where the town hall was proposed leave as open space and add some trees. It will increase the amount of open space that was lacking on the project and the rooftops may not have to be counted as open space. Just a thought.

No Surprise

2007-09-10T11:01:00.001-07:00

So the other blog has endorsed again their candidates of choice for the upcoming election. No surprise that they haven't changed their minds since the close of the sign up period. They have stated "We will not encourage the election of candidates that are slinging mud. If they can't stand on their own credibility and accomplishments, they're not worth considering." Supposedly, the blog people have spoken with candidates...of course, no one will know if they have spoken to them...since they have yet to reveal their identity. Some may say that they would get a truer idea of the candidates if they don't know they have a blog...maybe, but how do we know they spoke with any candidate other than the ITCFP people? I personally had a person ask me about the downtown project and whether it would be completed. My answer was "yes" the project has approval and its up to the developer to comply. That the sewer and water permits and road problems still had to be worked out but it would be finished.
They asked about the proposed land purchase. I explained it seemed like a good idea. The purchase didn't mean anything to the downtown project and the new town hall could go over there or even be built on the current location. The land purchase gave the town more options.
I had a guy ask me about LBTD in the grocery store yesterday...I explained that from my perspective and what I knew about the other candidates, that the issue would go before the citizens in a referendum and that it would be up to the people. I was not running to be a moral barometer for 24,000 people.
Larry Kindley...I have seen your post on the other blog and frankly I would like to answer your questions but the only way for me to do that is to have you ask them on my blog. Since the other blog censors every comment that does not agree with theirs, I can't get my answers to you. About your concern for the "ditch digging" you called in in Ms. Howe's neighborhood. The meetings I have attended indicated that that was where the most flooding is occurring and peoples homes are actually flooding(we are in a drought and no one is flooding currently.) The town engineer and staff have a list of the flooding in the town and by far the worse was in this particular neighborhood. The other neighborhoods that are having trouble will be fixed as well and the stormwater fees will fix hopefully all the neighborhoods will be fixed.

IT FAMILY FUN DAY

2007-09-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday marked the 3rd annual Family Fun Day. Having attended all three so far I can say without a doubt the event is growing and getting better. The town staff, sponsors, elected officials, and volunteers should all be commended for a job well done. If we could just have had the thermostat turned down a few degrees, it would have been perfect. I know my kids enjoyed the inflatable area and the face painting as well as our own locally owned Hank's Custard.
Since I was doing some campaigning the people I encountered seemed very receptive and encouraged about the choices this election had to offer. The issues I heard most about were the traffic, taxes, and police protection. In a lesser degree the downtown project and LBTD came up but not as much as the other issues.
Job well done to the town for holding an event that is growing each and every year.

Blog By Any Other Name

2007-09-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

It seems that my previous post disturbed some people from the other blog. They make sure to tell everyone that the blog is not, have never, will never, be associated with developers, politicians, candidates and apparently everyone else. They did it because of the current town council and followers *i guess thats me??*
So a few questions come to mind for the other blog.
1. Has it just been in the last 2 years that the actions of the council upset you?
2. What happened specifically that got you to this point?
3. Had you been happy the previous of say...10 years? If yes see #4.
4. If happy previous 10 years...then what made you so happy with the town?

These are just some of the questions I have. I have more, but since you insist on hiding its very hard to ask questions. So we play this cat and mouse via blogs. Doesn't make for a frank and open discussion but thats your choice not mine. I have tried to reply on your blog numerous times using my real name but alas all in vane. Your restrictive response allowance and my normal belief that you don't have the whole story seems to put us at odds.
It was nice to see you deny all associations with politicians, candidates, past and present, groups, and all but still another question comes to mind...Are we just suppose to take your word for your statements? Though the denials have been made, the one thing remains true...no one still knows your identity!!! For me, it sort of takes away from your arguements, just doesn't add credibility.

ANOTHER BLOG

2007-09-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to me the amount of hatred in some people. It may not be hatred as much as it is being un-informed. Since starting this blog I have posted all responses but one. That one wasn't clear to me what they were speaking of and I never posted it. I have a problem with those people that are willing to criticize and name call without the guts to own up to the comments. They hide behind aliases with their acidic comments I guess feeling superior to all and yet not willing to show their identity. The cowardness masks other social problems I believe these people have but thats another story.
There is another blog, associated with my opponents from the special interest group that is trying to take over the town. I don't know for a fact because they also hide behind aliases. They state that they are about sharing ideas and infoming. Neither of which is true. They dot their blog with half-truths and restrict access to making comments to those that only believe or agree with them. Its their right to do so as is mine but I believe if you are going to argue a point you might want to know the facts. The attempt at the sensationalistic banter they allow is vile. Name calling and personal attacks are not arguing a point...if you don't agree with me fine..give me your best argument. Don't make some silly statement and say it a bunch of times and expect it to become true. A lie is a lie no matter how many times you tell it. A person unwilling to identify themselves find it hard to believe that I can mak a judgement about someone in only a few moments. That person is wrong...I haven't met them yet but I have formed a judgement of them. For the record, myself and John Hullinger are not running together. Does that mean I won't help him with his distribution...no because I plan to help him. The word is "synergy". We are not running in tandem similar to the three headed hydra from the special interest group.
I would rather see John Hullinger elected than anyone of the three of them....in fact to me, its a shame that anyone of the three will hold a seat on the council...the damage three of them could do is immense. The only way to take the wind out of their sails is to not re-elect the Mayor and limit them to one seat. Its not up to me unfortunately, its up to the citizens of the town to make that decision. Hopefully, they will make the decisions in Mr. Hullinger's and my favor. We will see the night of November 6th.
Thank you.

Proposed Land Purchases

2007-08-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

The newspapers have run articles recently stating that the town by a 4-1 vote has decided to purchase the Raco and Blythe properties. On the surface it seems like a very good idea for a couple of reasons. The proposed purchase affords the town the opportunity to utitlize the 8,000 sq ft Blythe building as a temporary town hall. This accomodates the staff and space problem that has caused the town to put in the mobile office you see now. It does so at a price that is fair and logistically speaking well positions the town for the future. None of the articles indicated the council voting for the purchase ever ruled out the Downtown project as a location for the new Town Hall. The new town hall was estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $8 million dollars without land and furnishings. Let's just round that number to $10 million. The rushed downtown project has had flaws from the start. Never mind the developer waited 15-17 months after approval to seek easing of 16 of 44 conditions placed upon it by a split council. There has been issues with stormwater, railroad, roads, taking of private lands, and last but not least the sewer/water permit. The proposed land purchase by the town enables them to look at other options for a new town hall especially since there is no guarantee that sewer/water will ever be awarded in the near future and the lack of a workable traffic study may cause more delays.
No surprise that it is reported the Mayor and the towns very own special interest group is against the proposed land purchase. Considering she and the three candidates from the special interest group are being backed by the developer building the downtown project. The mayor stated, "In my opinion, a town hall should be centrally located and a symbol of vision into the future; the heartbeat of a thriving area." Correct me if I am wrong but all three properties in question are centrally located in the downtown area aren't they? I am willing to bet that the distance off the road to the Blythe building is very close to the distance off the road where the new town hall was proposed to be built on the project area. Its not like the Blythe building is off the beaten path and you have to take 3 forms of transportation to get there. Apparently, the Mayor believes the only way for a town hall to be a "vision into the future" is that it has to be built on a grand scale and cost $10 million dollars. Especially if you add in the land swap deal that gives away town assets. The land swap proposed by the Mayor and the majority of the previous council had to be the worse deal in recent history for anyone other than the developer.
The town of Wesley Chapel got a 6 acre gift from the developer doing the downtown project there...we got what? In essence, we gave our assets for an overinflated piece of property to put our extremely decadent new town hall on. The Wesley Chapel project is 44 acres without the 6 gifted, and on it is proposed retail and commercial and not one square foot of residential. We have our 47 acre project with 79% residential (condo, townhomes, and apartments 604 total) and 21% retail/commercial. The Wesley Chapel project has I believe 8 lanes of traffic to afford multiple entrances and exits. We have 2 major lanes and a need to take private land to subsidize the developer for another entrance to a two lane road. If the town hall is not built in the project area, doesn't that enable more retail and commercial space which has been touted as a good tax base? Don't get me wrong, with all its faults that were compounded by the actions of the previous council majority, the downtown project can be good for the town. Since it has been passed, the project will eventually be completed but as the develper stated it will take up to 2 years for completion even if all goes as planned.
So, the current council wants to purchase land reported with renovations $1.6 million dollars. The Mayor and special interest group wants the $10 million dollar white elephant yesterday. The town budget this year was right at $6 million with very little reserve. The question is what does the citizens of the town want to pay for? Is the new town hall more important than public safety? Do you want both? Are you willing to see tax rates at least double to pay for the grandeur of the project?
The vote to purchase the land was not in her favor and she has implied that the process was corrupt...*my words* citizens did not have a say in the process. True..the process has been done so far in closed sessions where land negotiations are done to avoid a run up in price. The council disclosed the proposed land purchase when appropriate and will now have a public hearing on the matter. After that public hearing maybe we should have a public hearing on the proposed new town hall and whether the citizens want it in the project area? We should discuss the infamous land swap while we are at it so we can put this issue to rest once and for all.
The proposed land purchase gives the town options and increases the size of the overall downtown presence. "Downtown" does not have to be located on one 47 acre piece of land or at least 21% of 47 acres. What about the other areas in downtown...existing buildings...they are in the overlay district and subject to rules of the downtown. There are many questions that need to be answered in order to move our downtown forward. Questions some will not want to answer. There are other bigger issues though in our town than the new town hall and project area. Public safety, taxes, roads, traffic, the other villages in the town..will they expect a subsidy for build out? The new town all has to be put into perspective, not allowed to be put on the top 5 issues facing our town.

CROSSROAD FOR INDIAN TRAIL

2007-08-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Indian Trail is at a crossroads this election. The only potential returning person to the council is the Mayor. She has to overcome her less than stellar reputation in order to repeat. Two strong candidates that are fresh and willing to work with the council wait in the wings. Both challengers appear to have integrity, honesty, and the ability to work with others something the current mayor has not been able to display in the past 2 years.
The race for the three open council seats seem to be a David vs Goliath situation. The Goliath in this case is the special interest group called ITCFP that has 3 of their officers running for office. They are well organized, well funded thanks to developer money, they have their opinions just like everyone else on how to run the town and in fact take it a step further with the aire of superiority that is unmatched in this election. Their attitude that their way is the best and that they all have to be elected in order to change the course of the town. Indicates to me that they would be unwilling or unable to work with others on the board to get things done. The other thing to keep in mind is if these 3 are elected to the council the question has to be ..Why would they listen to any common citizen?? They won't have to unless it matches their opinions.
The David's in this group are myself and John Hullinger. Though I don't know Mr. Hullinger well, the two times I have met him, he seems to be very intelligent and able to work with people with a decent attitude. Neither Lee Godwin nor John Hullinger will take donations from people that may want something from the council in the future...ie developers, real estate people, and so on. My campaign is being run on a shoestring unlike that of the well funded special interest group that has already started with color flyers in neighborhoods. They are trying to buy the election for their group and expect a lot more prior to the election. I just won't spend a lot of money for a position that is designed to help the community. Why spend thousands of dollars to claim a position paying $200.00 per month?
To the voters:

1. Get to know the candidates, follow the money. Who stands to reap benefits if they are elected? Ask questions of the candidates.
2. Don't be swayed by slick advertising campaigns just because some can afford such things.
3. Get involved
4. VOTE....VOTE....VOTE Its the most important step in this process. The 3 candidates of the special interest group all live in the same neighborhood, all town business will come through them as will all the solutions. Do you really want to give one area that much power???

Isn't That Interesting

2007-08-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

So under the file of I told you so, it seems we can file the delay of the Indian Trail Downtown project, not on the council, but the current condition of water and sewer in the county. In an article in todays Neighbors of Union County, Charlotte Observer August 9, 2007 under the headline "Utilities board under pressure" seems that developer Dean Harrell sent a letter asking the board to think about his sewer problems. His letter goes on to describe what he needs for his individual projects. It describes a request for the following:

One-third each year of the sewer capacity needed for a mixed residential (79%) and commercial property (21%) project in downtown Indian Trail. He says the project has NO SEWER PERMITS.

The letter also outlined the taxvalue of the projects and their benefits to the community.

The county has had sewer and water permits shut down until the 12 mile creek expansion is up and running. At last glance, that expansion is slated to be completed sometime this month and then requires the state to sign off on the project. Only after the state authorization will permits be able to be handed out. No time table has been established for the state sign off, though the county would like it to be sooner, rather than later. After the expansion is completed, the county will have a limited amount of capacity for new projects and the board is still trying to audit the Public works to get an exact extent of needed capacity. This is important, because without the sewer permit, most municipalities won't let a builder break ground to include Indian Trail. Though Centex homes got approval to build last month or so primarily due to the advance payment of hook up fees and an unusual contract they had with the county.

If you have read previous post on this blog you can see I suggested that no sewer was the real reason behind the delay. Not some trumped up hatred the current council has towards this development. Update: The traffic study was received by the Planning staff on August 8, 2007 for the downtown project. It will be interesting to see what the findings are that come of the Traffic study this time.

And The SAGA Continues.....

2007-08-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

So when we last left the vaunted downtown project, the developer was to get the traffic study to the planning staff the day after the July 10th council meeting. The Planning staff and developer were to work out the final details associated with the project and finally get this thing started. Complaints have been showered onto the Council by an outspoken PAC contingent that believe for whatever the reason the current council has been dragging their feet trying to stall the project from moving forward. It's an interesting assumption, but has no truth in the idea. That however is another argument. The council voted to put this project in the hands of the Planning staff and developer to work out the final details as I stated prior. As of August 7th, 2007 approximately 9:00 pm the Planning staff was still waiting for the traffic study. Apparently, the study has been received by the developer but as of now, the town has yet to see it. Curious that a project so full of potential, tired of being mired in controversy and delay would not advance the next step? Why is that I wonder? Is the delay part of the full court press to gain majority on the Council? Delay, delay, delay until after the election? See if your 4 horseman become elected and then they could rubberstamp any further changes? IF and I mean IF, the traffic study has a favorable solution, it makes no sense to sit on the information, except it just gives more fodder for the critics of the current council. Think about it.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

2007-08-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

The Charlotte Observer ran an article in the August 2, 2007 edition of the Neighbors of Union County. The article "Developer backs PAC in Indian Trail races." The so called non partisan group called ITCFP, now sporting three of the 5 candidates running for Council. In the Mayor's race endorsed the incumbent Mayor for another term. Not surprising 2 of the 3 candidates are officers in the PAC though I believe one is moving to the background with the addition of Mr. Rubin who had signed up to run for council but has quit the race to join the PAC. I have to admire the PAC and their organizational skills.
The story goes to tell that out of the $3,500 dollars raised, $3,000 has come from developer related donations. You don't have to be a rocket scientest to see where loyalties are going to possibly lie in the future? I am sure if asked about loyalty they will tell you as the developer backed incumbent Mayor stated .."she has made no promises to anyone in exchange for donations". Ok so lets just assume she and the 3 headed hydra will do whats right for the town, doesn't seem to be a solid footing to start a foundation with though?
The group of Candidates being supported by the PAC have a main idea in common. They all believe that from their perch atop of the crowd they know what is best for the town. As they look down upon everyone and everything making their criticisms of the people that are also doing what they believe to be correct. Dean Harrell stated, "she believes in her heart she's doing what's best for Indian Trail." I think everyone up there in their hearts are doing what they believe to be best for Indian Trail. Just like the previous council. Do I believe this council or previous councils have done things right all the time? NO. It would be an impossibility. You will never make everyone happy. Abuses from the past will rear their ugly head again if the PAC controls the elections. ALL DECISIONS, PROJECTS, CONCERNS WILL COME THROUGH THE PAC. THE DECISIONS WILL BE MADE BEFORE ANY OF THEM WALK IN THE DOOR FOR THE MEETING. NO INDEPENDENT THINKING WILL BE IDENTIFIABLE.
It is a serious matter, thankfully the citizens of the town have a chance to avoid such a situation by voting for independent people not the like minded PAC candidates.
Follow the money. See who stands to benefit from a PAC sweep. Outside of the Mayor, what has any of the candidates done for the town???? Don't just listen to the sound bites candidates are throwing out there...ask them for details. See if they know what they are talking about or are they just being coached. Above all, get out and VOTE!!! One way or the other this election will change Indian Trail forever and you need to be part of it.

DOWNTOWN PROJECT UPDATED

2007-07-27T05:35:00.000-07:00

In what is and will be an issue in this election is the Downtown Project and the lack of progress that has been seen in the approximate 2 years since its approval. The ITCFP group with their so called "non partisan" stance on everything want you to believe that this council somehow slowed up progress. In turn, a tennant that may or may not have occupied space apparently went south and took the jobs with it. Their view unfortunately seems shortsided and narrow minded in the process. Lets review the project:
1. 1 MILLION plus sq ft of space
2. 600 Plus residences in the form of apartments, townhomes, and condos.
3. Approximately 79 % residential, 21% retail/commercial mix.
4. 2 lanes of traffic with limited ability to increase. *major sticking point*
5. 100 yr flood standards the town required, which in turn the developer lost a community building (non rev producing), had to make the reflecting pond bigger and in turn was not required to put in larger pipes under the CSX railroad and experience their 18 month process of approval or denial.
6. The State/County fiasco with sewer and water availability that I believe is playing a major role in the lack of progress. Happens to be out of the hands of the council.
7. The Traffic study: This above all else seems to be the sore spot of contention for my opponents and their group. The reality is if the previous council had done due diligence the traffic study would have been completed prior to the project being voted on. Instead it has been allowed to be used as an election topic. On July 10th, 2007 the council put the road study problem in the hands of the Planning staff and developer. Only if they can't reach a workable solution will it come back to the council. As of July 23rd, 2007 the Planning staff had yet to receive the traffic study. Again, no slow down on the part of the council. So the question that I have is if the traffic study is complete? Why doesn't the town have it? Maybe if all goes well with the election, then something will progress?
8. Project sold to another developer: New developer taking over, some seem to be surprised but from the first of the project it had been stated this was going to be the case. I suspect they wanted to be farther along in the process. I wonder if the price reflected the lack of progress or the future build out value?
9. The downtown project and subsequent build out of it will not be the solution to the problems of this town. The money generated will be better than nothing, but hardly the cash cow some think.

This project will go through to completion barring the developers going bankrupt and even then it will get done eventually. The downtown will be identifiable. That is what the dowtown overlay and land use documents will accomplish. It won't be tomorrow and without a better road system it won't happen quickly either. It would be nice to have a downtown like atmosphere such as Matthews, but it really has never been like Matthews anyway in the 100years of existence. Our downtown was really nothing more than a train stop with a building to service commerce. There was no hustle and bustle. Change happens, sometimes slower than what others want. If the changes are quality changes then they will stand the test of time. All good things are worth waiting for and sometimes they can be sped up. Sometimes not.

Election Choices for Indian Trail

2007-07-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

The filing period has come and gone and the candidates will be progressing fast and furious to secure the needed votes for victory in the fall. Running for the office of Mayor are

Theresa Allen (business owner in town)
Sandy Moore (i)
John Quinn (current planning board member and transportation committee member)

Running for the 3 open seats for the council will be:

G. D'Onofrio
Hugh Layburn
Jeff Goodall
(It should be noted that the above three people all live in the Brandon Oaks Subdivision and very active in the newly formed PAC (ITCFP).
Brian Rubin (apparently has dropped out of the race to join the Brandon Oaks group in their attempt to take over the town.
J. Hullinger

Last but not least....me William Lee Godwin current planning board member, transportation committee member for Indian Trail.) Oh yea, I live on the same street as Dan Schallenkamp and Mercedes Cass., oh and not to forget the former mayor (now moved) Ed Smith.) Just figured we could get that out of the way and get on with real business.

The citizens of the town need to get out and vote. Get involved and know each candidate. You will have to decide if all the towns decisions will come through the Brandon Oaks subdivision. Whether or not you can live with the results.

Not shocking in the least is the fact the pac group from Brandon Oaks is endorsing Moore, D'Onofrio, Layburn, and Goodall. Interestingly, Theresa Allen is a Brandon Oaks resident but appears to be on the outside looking in with this group. If you have the ability, go to the town website and you can hear the type of comments that citizens will have to tolerate if this pac is allowed to control the town. Go to public comments...its worth the listen.

If any shock comes from the filing period is that Councilmembers Killough and Helms did not seek reelection. Fixtures on the town council for years, they both chose to not run. In addition to Mercedes Cass that stated she was not seeking reelection either. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of them for their hard work, dedication, and committment to the town. Its a tough job when all is going well, its even tougher when citizens don't care for actions by the council. They have to be commended for the abuse taken and handling it with the utmost professionalism.

Questionable Value

2007-06-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

The Indian Trail downtown project has recently had a value quoted as $140,000,000 dollars. Some are very upset that this project is stalled due to what appears to be major road issues. Not to mention all the other previous stuff that some think is more of an issue than it really is. So the question is ...What is the value of the downtown project to the town and the citizens that would venture to downtown? Does this project represent the one and only, the project that will make or break the town? Will it provide enough revenue to the town to keep the tax rate low for others? Strictly looking at the numbers I believe the answer is no. Would the revenue from the project be good, absolutely...beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Sales tax: the state collects the sales taxes then doles them out to each town based on a formula which the town has no control over. I believe the number that appears in the proposed budget is nothng more than an educated estimate. It is subject to change. So Indian Trail receives the benefit from the sales tax say from Walmart whether Walmart is in our borders or not. Same as the revenue from beer and wine sales. Though Indian Trail does not have a LBTD ordinance, the town still partakes in the taxes it produces elsewhere. I believe the number was $75,000. To put that number in perspective, the town of Matthews (LBTD and all the restaurants) brought to their coffers $150,000 for the year. The $75,000 represents for IT basically one officers salary. The value of the Downtown project $140,000,000 is a projection...and has to be projected out about 2-5 years. The project won't go up over night and the value will only be reached if completed and fully occupied, and well maintained. The $140,000,000 number has been attributed to a developer belief. There is no easy way of telling how much sales could be generated from this project to the town. The only thing the town has control over and the number they know for sure is the ad valorem taxes or property taxes. Based on the current $.10 tax rate that project would add to the town $140,000. (2 officers) If the tax rate is raised to the proposed $0.175 cents that would produce $245,000 dollars if my math is correct. Roughly what a one cent increase would produce. A major hurdle facing this project is roads. We have only 2 lanes that can service this road currently. The price tag to widen this road or build another road (one way road proposed by Larry Helms) is $8 million dollars. Based on the above numbers it would take 32 + years to generate enough money to pay for the road based on what the project pays the town. Its simple math, I was shocked when I saw it. Some would have you believe that the town should forget any road improvements and let the project move on. That however is shortsided and just plain stupid. The downtown has an overlay district, standards for that area is more restrictive than anywhere else in the town. A good thing the previous council passed.
Bottom line as I have said in the past. There are no easy fixes for road problems with this project or other projects facing similar road obstructions. In the end, the town is better off for seeking road improvements..not to mention, if you let one get away with special consideration, whats to stop the next development from asking for the same?

COME ON TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

2007-06-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

So it appears that the Dr and Transworld Med have made a run for the border. The South Carolina border that is and if correct, Charleston to be exact. Obviously blaming the delay in construction in the downtown project as a mitigating factor for his departure. Apparently, the state of South Carolina enticed him more than staying near home. I have heard millions of dollars were being offered to him and the company, I am wondering how much the state of North Carolina and Union County offered him? I know the town of Indian Trail did not have that kind of financial pull, but did offer him their endorsement of the idea of him locating in the town.
It is a shame for the town of Indian Trail that the project has been mired in a quagmire of road issues. I know of 3 traffic studies done by the developer and apparently none have met the standards of DOT nor the town.
How does this change the downtown project and Indian Trail? Well, the tech jobs that would have been associated with Transworld Med are gone. The school locating there is probably lost especially without Transworld. That just leaves the project as approved by the previous council with a 79% residential and 21% commercial breakdown. A little over a 1,000,000 sq ft of commercial/retail. This is the same project as was passed by the previous council. Yes it is a shame that Transworld Med didn't work out..but until last fall, no one knew anything about them and this project. You see, they were just tenants in the overall project...the project was only broken into commercial/retail and residential..with some possible town buildings. The project was never approved with Transworld in mind or the school of nursing. In my opinion, the project has not changed from the date it was approved. I still believe that in order for this project to be a success, it will need Liquor by the drink in the town, and roads that allow people to get to the site. The size of this project precludes it from any simple, easy, or cheap answers. Those that are looking for those types of answers are doing the town and its citizens a disservice.

DOWNTOWN PROJECT SOOO SLOOOW

2007-06-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

There have been a group of people very insistent on the fact that the Downtown Project is moving too slowly. They seem to blame the current Council for a project and conditions that the previous Council voted to approve. Take whatever side you want for the time spent on the recusal motion made by the developer against a councilmember. The subsequent bias brought against the Mayor. Not to mention the town fighting for the 100 year flood rules to make sure citizens down stream were not adversely affected. So what is the problem? Why is it taking so long to get the thing started and finished?
1. You have to understand that projects of this size carry long lead times. Austin Village was approved long before land started to be cleared. Its been almost two years and the project at Fincher and Potter still not showing any movement. There are more examples, but the point is just because the project has been approved, doesn't mean construction will start the very next day. Projects like the Downtown Project have a two year window for a start date from approval the way I understand it. Please, check for yourself I'am going off of memory here.

2. The developer himself stated that if all were cleared to go, the project was still 2 years away.

3. The Downtown Project was passed I believe in February of 2005. The previous council attached 44 conditions upon the project so that it could be completed.

4. July 2006 some 17 months later...the developer asked for conditions to be eased and the Planning Board heard the case.

5. August/September 2006- The council was to hear the case but the developer asked for the recusal of Councilmember Schallenkamp. The delay from the council involvement begins.

6. The council I believe agreed to most of the conditions that were presented to them except for primarily 2 or 3. The 100 yr flood restrictions...that provided some delay. The problem solved by involvement on both sides, and in the end, the developer didn't have to worry about CSX and its 18 month delay with no guarantees. Rather the problem was fixed with the reflecting pond.

7. Looking through the files...the big issue causing the biggest delay and headache is the road/traffic situation. Primarily, the construction of this project with current road conditions will make the roads totally impassable. Most intersections rating F/F-. If I understood the paperwork...the requirements call for the improvements to raise the level to a C. A big chore considering only 2 lanes of traffic and a railroad so close to the project.

8. Just for giggles, throw in the Sewer/Water permits...which I believe the state has stopped until Union county gets some capacity...not to happen until late 2007/early 2008...depending on when the state signs off on the expansion of 12mile Creek.

Questions arise from the above:
1. What was going on those 17 months that nothing seemingly took place? Is that the standard delay for a project? Was the project delayed by the original 44 conditions placed on it by the previous council? It is the right of the developer to bring the project back and ask for easing of conditions, but is it prudent to challenge the governing body that way? You can attract more with honey....
2. Did the CSX approval delay the project?
3. How bad are the roads and transportation in that area? Wouldn't it have been more prudent pending the approval to have a traffic study in hand prior to approval?
4. Why was the Medical tennants brought up in the first place? The tennants have nothing to do with the project...not under the control of the town unless the percentages are out of standards that the project was passed under.
5. Does the delay of the potential land swap/building of town hall/ the road to South Fork all play into the delay?

As much as the more vocal group of citizens would like you to believe that somehow the council is preventing this project from going forward, my opinion is that is just not the truth. There are a lot of issues slowing this project. Looking at the file, my opinion is that the overall major slow down of this project is Indian Trail Road, the capacity, the current congestion and the size of the project itself. Not to metion the lack of traditional roads in a grid system of roads. Its all about the roads right now and unfortunately there are no silver bullets that will magically fix the situation.

Stormwater Fee for Citizens

2007-05-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Last night at the Stallings Volunteer Fire Department officials from Stallings and Indian Trail outlined how the towns will implement a Stormwater Utility and corresponding fee for each town. Fortunately for the citizens, 2 members of the press were there and will report in the Union Observer and the Edge. The bad part is that no one outside of officials from the towns, committees other than myself showed up to hear this presentation.
Let me give you the highlights:

1. The government has mandated this action be taken by the towns. In fact 33 counties and 123 cities and towns are included in this GOVERNMENT UNFUNDED MANDATE.

2. If the towns do not implement this mandate they will face hefty fines and no sewer access.

3. The Stormwater utility will collect fees. The fees will go to fix problems related to flooding in the towns.
4. The Utility will charge each homeowner, business, nonprofit owner as long as the land has been improved. Flat fees will be charged in the first year and be charged to the Tax bills coming in October 2007 for the 2008 tax cycle.

5. Each homeowner can look for an additional fee attached to their tax bill of $42.00 this year. Business and $200 for all other non residential parcels. In the future, the town will look at tier costs based on the impervious surface amount. The fees have been recommended by the Stormwater committee and will be presented to the Council at the June 11th meeting. So at this point the fees are only suggestions.

6. The towns have no choice in the matter.

7. More information can be gotten from the town website or town hall.

VFW Needs Help

2007-05-30T12:23:00.001-07:00

It was reported over the weekend that the VFW in Indian Trail is in need of money, supplies, food, and volunteers in order to ensure the moving wall gets here and is a big sucess. This is something that has never been to Union County before and we need to help. Please get the word out and help financially and with volunteering for this once in a lifetime project.
Thank you.

TOO Much of a Good Thing???

2007-05-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

Time has passed and the Downtown IT project doesn't seem to be progressing fast enough for most people. There have been any number of reasons why the project has progressed at the pace it has. Some due to the developer, others due to town requirements, and lets not forget the County, State, and DOT.

The two lane road (Indian Trail Road) and all the traffic that utilizes that road causes the biggest problem for the project. Why do I say that? Because of that road, the DOT is involved, the location of the site to the railroad, and the traffic studies (3 so far) that have not proven favorable yet. In research I have done about the downtown project as well as others in the area I would like to offer a comparison between the projects:

Promenade 450,000 sqft 52.25 acres 8,612 /sqft density per acre 8 lanes of traffic
Stonecrest 467,000 sqft 60.81 acres 7,679 /sqft density per acre 8 lanes of traffic
Arboretum 601,000 sqft 67.75 acres 8,870 /sqft density per acre 8 lanes of traffic
Carolina Place 1,089,161sqft 83.26 acres 13,081/sqft densityper acre 8 lanes + access 485
South Park 1,752,066sqft 95.50 acres 18,346/sqft densityper acre 10lanes of traffic
Village Comm 360,000sqft 44.00 acres 8,181/sqft densityper acre 4 lanes of traffic

Downtown IT 1,026,100sqft 47.16 acres 21,757/sqft densityper acre 2 lanes of traffic

Current ratios 740,500 sq ft for residential or 72.17 %
285,600 sq ft for commercial or 27.83 %
Traffic counts on Indian Trail road range from 10,000 to 15,000 daily trips approximate #.

Delays are inevitable in any project and the Downtown project is no exception. If everything goes as planned this project will take a minimum of two years according to the developer. The micro managing that is talked about so often is more accurately described as quality control by the planning department. The rules are there for all projects, not just the downtown project. Though, all projects in the downtown overlay district will actually have tougher standards to comply to and that is for quality control.
The information was compiled from Char-Meck Shopping Center Study.
The Village Commons Phase II.
Town of Indian Trail =Sup2006-014M_000

Test

2007-05-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

This is a test .

Recusal $$ Uncovered

2007-05-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

The developer in the Downtown project in IT wanted the easing of conditions that were placed upon his project by the previous council. At the same time, he also started a recusal process that in my opinion was done to bully the council into what the developer wanted. Through personal encounters and encounters with Dan Schallenkamp *when a private citizen*, the developer thought he could get the councilmembers power taken out of his hands. Bias was sited and a binder presented to Mr. Schallenkamp about 4 inches thick and his immediate recusal. Mr Schallenkamp refused to recuse himself from the proceedings. At the same time another recusal motion was made for the same bias argument *positive towards the developer* against the mayor. In the end, the council voted 4-1 that Mr. Schallenkamp could participate in the proceedings sighting no such bias against the developer. The subsequent argument against the mayor was dropped without a vote. What does this all mean? Nothing, it was more posturing than anything. The developer trying to gain any advantage possible to get what he wanted...thankfully in the end, the council saw fit to keep the power in the hands of the elected officials and thus keeping it in the hands of the people.

That is not the end of the story though! The intimidation recusal had to be paid for. Due to the fact that the town attorney can't represent any individual council member and the state law that says they are entitled to representation if accused led to both the mayor and Mr. Schallenkamp having legal bills. There is another group of people that have been using this point but never releasing the numbers as if it was some secret.
Both the Mayor and Councilmember Schallenkamp were authorized by the council $5,000 each for legal services. According to Mr. Humphries Town manager, Mr. Schallenkamp's bill was $9,274.80. The Mayor had a bill of $4,612.50. The overage for Mr. Schallenkamp was due to additional legal work done by his lawyer. A vote was taken about the overage and the council voted to cover the overage. I do not know the numbers of that vote other to say a consensus vote occured. Nor do I know the details of the reasons for the overage. I suspect that had the council voted not to pay the overage, Mr. Schallenkamp would have had to pay but that is a guess?
In the end, the recusal was defended by the town at a cost of time, effort, and $13,887.30. The arguments were minor compared to the overall principal that was at stake.

Indian Trail Council OK's MOU

2007-05-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

Tuesday May 8th, the Indian Trail Town Council passed the Memorandum of Understanding as it pertains to the County's APFO by a vote of 4-1. Indian Trail joins Mineral Springs, Wesley Chapel, and Marvin as the towns that have endorsed the political hot topic of the APFO. Stallings at the first of the year voted the against the MOU. Apparently due to the fact they have very little land left develop.
The APFO currently has 2 lawsuits pending and what appears to be very weak support at the Commissioner level. The MOU is not binding and can be revoked by the town. There is no cost associated with the MOU.

INDIAN TRAIL TAX INCREASE??

2007-05-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Those of you that are interested it appears that Indian Trail will have another tax increase this year. Currently, the tax stands at .10 cents per $100.00 of valuation. Last year the rate was increased from .08 to .10 cents primarily to handle the switch of the garbage service from residents paying for it individually to the rate being included in the tax and eliminating town staff from having to dedicate time to printing, sending, retrieving the garbage money.
This year Ed Humphries Town Manager, has proposed a 7 1/2 cent increase in the tax rate. That rate increase accounts for .04 cent for roads, 1/2 cent for parks, and .03 cents for increasing the fund balance to increase support for town operations. The past several years the fund balance has been used to balance the budget. Savings should be used for capital needs and special projects and not general operating expenses as stated by Mr. Humphries.

This 7 1/2 cents does not include the following:

The "New Town Hall" : Currently there is no new money designated for the new town hall, but another tax increase would be needed to make the payment. His plan calls for new money to be added to the budget in the 2008-09 time frame.

Stormwater: The stormwater requirements will be separated and not part of the budget because a utility will be formed. This utility will charge each piece of property a set amount for the month and that money will go to help stormwater projects. Such as flooding in neighborhoods, new pipes, yards flooding, retention and detention ponds and so on. As of April 30th, the proposed fees to the citizens of Indian Trail will be $3.50 per month or 42.00 per year for residences and non residences will be charged $200.00 per year. This is just the recommendation from the stormwater committee and subject to change.

The total recommended budget, not including Stormwater and the Powell Bill , for the 2007-08 is $8,035,255. This includes a tax increase of $.075. This budget will be studied and adjusted before it is approved in June.

Personal Opinion: I sat in on the budget retreat and from all I heard about what the town needs to pay for and why, the tax rate could be jumped to .25 per $100 and it still not be enough to cover the costs of everything that is needed in the town. We will soon be at a cross roads with Police protection. The size of our population coupled with the probable passage of the Curfew ordinance/alarm ordinance will require the town to have more officers. Currently we are at 10 contracted officers, though I thought we were at 8. Plus two more additional officers this year. We pay basically 65,000 per officer at 10 officers that is 650,000. At some point, it will be more economical for the town to have a police force will will add probably .10 to .15 cents to the tax rate. There is a study done by a police organization that the optimum ratio of officers to citizens be 1 to 500. In that case we should have in IT based on our 24,000 people 48 officers. Of course those ratios are not set in stone and I believe the town of Stallings operates at a ratio of 1 to a 1000/1200?

No longer will we be a sleepy little town...we have very big city needs and big city expenses to go along with them. We as citizens need to make sure the money collected is spent appropriately and that each dime is accounted for. The tax increase is inevitable, its no longer a matter of if ? but How much?

Openings for Planning Board and Board of Adjustment

2007-05-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

The town of Indian Trail is taking applications for openings on the Planning Board as well as the Board of Adjustment. The Planning Board is a recommendation board...with the ability to attach conditions on projects that come before them. Their recommendations then go to the Council for a vote approving, disapproving, referring the matter back to Planning Board.
The Board of Adjustment is a more formal board. Matters decided by the Board of Adjustment are not sent to the Council. Anyone seeking to overturn a decision by the Board of Adjustment has to take the matter to Superior Court. Unlike the planning board, the decisions on the Board of Adjustment are fact base only, and in a quasai judicial manner.
If you have the time and desire to participate on either board, please submit your application to the Town Clerk. I believe they are taking applications until sometime in late May. Call to find out more.....

Planning Board Sends MOU Up

2007-04-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

On Thursday April 26th the Indian Trail Planning Board voted to accept the MOU for the APFO as presented by the county with a positive recommendation and send it to the Council for a vote.
The vote was 4-2 in favor of acceptance. Now the ball is back in the hands of the council.
Both sides of the issue were discussed with very legitimate arguments on both sides. The concerns varied from the fee itself, easing of school overcrowding, higher costs to the home buyer. There is no cost to the town, and the MOU can be disoved on our part if any changes to the APFO don't agree with the direction the town wants to go in. The APFO currently has 2 lawsuits against it, both brought by developers in the county.

The MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) is an agreement that the town will work with the county in association with the APFO (Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance). The IT Town Attorney is OK with the MOU. It is not binding to the town and can be voided if the county makes changes to the APFO that the town does not agree with. If...because of using the APFO guidelines, the town happens to get sued by an over zealous developer, the county will handle the defense of the APFO.
The APFO is not designed to stop growth...in fact, it encourages growth in parts of the county that are lacking growth. It attempts to defer/delay more development in the higher density parts of the county where school overcrowding is overwhelming us. Currently, .64 cents of every tax dollar collected goes for school construction. The county is responsible for the school construction and that is why the APFO was designed with schools in mind. The county does not control roads, water, or sewer. That is not to say they are not important, the county doesn't control them. (What they do control of water and sewer is a mess)
The fees associated with the APFO are designed as a deterrant to building right away...the money only represents about 20% of the construction costs.
The APFO is being challenged currently by two lawsuits. The courts could throw the power of the APFO out or not? If that happens the MOU is a moot point. If not, the county will start the implementation and go from there. No one you will talk to will be 100% in favor of the APFO. No one knows if this will work. But it is a start and its better than nothing. We have seen throughout the county how nothing works. If it doesn't work...change it, throw it out or come up with something else. Right now no viable alternatives have been presented and yet our schools become more over crowded every day. Something has to be done to ease the school situation. There is talk of a .01 cent sales tax or a transfer fee from the sale of existing houses, but nothing set in stone yet...the APFO is not the magic bullet that can guarantee sucess, nothing will but it is seemingly worth a shot.

EARTH DAY CELEBRATIONS

2007-04-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend a lot of communities marked Earth Day with all sorts of events such as tree plantings, garbage pickup, parades, and even a dirty sock contest. Indian Trail planted 3 Sunset Maples at the Edna Love park, and hopefully each will live to be hundreds of years old. Saturday the volunteers in Indian Trail went around and picked up trash from the side of the roads. If you notice the orange bags scattered on many roads that will tell you many people were hard at work on Saturday. Hopefully, those that participated can tell a few people what they found and the quantities. If nothing else, we can develop more participants the next time and maybe, just maybe people will throw less out of their cars onto the roadways.
To all the volunteers thank you so much for your concern and hard work.

NEW NAME FOR BYPASS???

2007-04-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

Last night during the Chamber of Commerce Transportation committee prior to road construction, planning, funding, prioritizing or the lack there of, a vote was taken on the naming of the unbuilt "Bypass." Some of the names that were considered:

Coastal Carolina
Monroe Parkway
Monroe Union Parkway
South Piedmont Parkway
Union Parkway
Sen Jesse Helms (something...can't remember)
Plus others I can't remember.

The Monroe contingent favored the Monroe Parkway name, but in the end the majority of the group chose "Union Parkway". There are those that will say whats in a name? Apparently, the name of a road can be hotly contested. My opinion is that we haven't heard the last of the name game and that before it is all over other suggestions will be saddled to the yet unbuilt road.
My suggestion was to narrow the field of names put them in the paper and have the public choose the name. That idea was pooh poohed. My alternate suggestion is to name the road after whoever, whatever can get the road built in a timely fashion. Its been over a twenty year process and still no road. Lets name it for the people that can get the road built.

BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS BEFORE???

2007-04-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

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.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU READ

2007-04-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the internet there are helpful sites and sites that provide information. However there are those sites that don't do either and want to stir up emotion with half truths. Those are the sites that you have to filter the information they are providing. The information is in there, but its surrounded with a thick layer of compost that would make any gardner happy. The internet allows people to create new identities for themselves which enables inflamatory comments to be presented without any real repercussions. I too could have created an alias for myself and spouted so called information at will in hopes of winning people over to my side but I like others chose to do the right thing. I am not hiding behind anything or anyone...the words are my own and I stand behind what I say. I encourage others to do the same thing. If you don't agree with me and want to present another opinion fine, but this is my blog and if you step over the line I am not going to give you the forum to spout. Sorry. I will even post comments from people that insist on remaining annonymous, though I believe it cheapens their comments and is cowardly at best...but if the argument is good...we can go with it.

I have viewed another blog that is attempting to exact change here in Indian Trail by use of deceit and have truths. Its their blog and they have the right to do what they want....doesn't mean everything on it is truthful...its not. A recent post was directed at Ms. Howe complaining about her age and how she went about exacting change. Several things bug me about that post.
1. What does her age have to do with anything? If I had to wager a guess, 3 members of the IT council could be 60 + in age...but yet they only talk about the one.
2. The other comment was that she had a problem, got mad, took action, ran for office and won.
So in essence, they are complaining that Ms. Howe acted as an American citizen and effectively turned a problem into a solution. Exercising her rights as an american to run for public office and winning a seat on the council. I fail to see why this is a negative.
3. They would like to point out the problem Ms. Howe is working on is in her neighborhood...a flooding issue where her neighbors have been flooded repeatedly. (As a note: Ms. Howe has had her yard flood but not her house, nor does she benefit financially if the flooding is fixed. The attempt of fixing the flooding in her neighborhood is not a guarantee of solving the problem and Ms. Howe and her neighbors will still have to carry flood insurance.)
4. There are other areas of flooding that Ms. Howe is working on also, as co chair of the stormwater committee, it is their intention to help the failing infrastructure of the town. Ms. Howes neighborhood was the only one reported as having residences flooding. The future stormwater fee will help to prevent other residences from flooding.
5. The creeks: This seems to be an issue for some, due to the fact Ms. Howe has spent numerous hours trying to get other towns involved so the creeks in the area can be cleaned out. No easy task considering other towns are being involved. Even if she is lucky enough to get other communities to sign on, there is no guarantee it will get done due to cost and so it will be for naught.

You have to make up your own minds...don't believe everything you read...on this blog or others. The only way to know for sure is to get involved. Join committees, apply to boards...meet the councilmembers. ....ALL OF THEM. Not everything in the past that was done was wrong...Not everything this board has done or will do will be right.... I make no excuses or hide my support for the current majority on the IT board...I have supported them all. They are not perfect...nor will they ever be....but the right things they are doing for the town more than outweigh the wrong. Thats just my opinion.

Transportation Committee Meeting

2007-04-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Indian Trail transportation committee will be meeting on Thursday April 19th at I believe 7pm at SPCC. The guest speaker will be Barry Moose from DOT. Hopefully he will explain how and why roads are assigned the way the are...How the money is designated. How to go about possibly speeding up the process. Should be interesting.

TOWN COUNCIL 4/10/07

2007-04-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

The town council on Tuesday heard from the Town Manager that the non payment of monies due to the government for Social Security and Medicare for the past 7 years was $27,499.26. That covers the past 7 years (statute of limitations prevented it from going back 10 years.) The town manager stated in his opinion, the auditing firm should have spotted this discrepancy. I believe that such an oversight could be prosecuted as a legal matter....but at least an attempt to recover this money will go forward. According to the article in the EJ today...only one employee and one elected official were affected. Though members of the council wanted to take this into closed session the majority wanted it spoken about in public. It seems members of the previous council would like their actions, especially negative, to remain in closed session. If something comes up that reflects bad upon these councilmembers they want to forget about the past and concentrate on the future. I can't blame them because if you concentrate on the future you bring no light to past mistakes, errors, or indiscretions.
The Down Town project: It was reported by the Planning Director that the project had just submitted another traffic study but that it was still being looked at...and that the DEVELOPERS were not ready to precede with going forward yet but that they were aiming for the May meeting. The town was posed with the question about a rumor that the town may be facing legal actions by the developers...the town was unaware of any legal actions. Apparently, the person posing the question has more information possibly than that of the town.
Liquor by the drink: The question was brought up again and what I guess has to be considered a request to put the issue on the November ballot was made. No action was taken by the council on this subject. **It is my understanding that the ordinances for the town are being rewritten and until that happens, it seems very unlikely the council will discuss the subject at all, but I guess anything is possible** I assume the request is the 1st step to getting a town wide petition to force the issue on the ballot. Though I would like to see this issue up for a vote, I feel it would be better for the town if the ordinances were finished so as to allow the town to manage the businesses that would want LBTD better. The proper ordinances can enable to the town to do it right the first time and actually make the subject more profitable.

In the coming months there will be several public hearings for items coming in front of the council. Keep an eye out for those dates.....being discussed will be the curfew, alarm ordinances. Along with the budget retreat it will be vital for citizen input into the process.

Any questions contact your councilmembers.

INDIAN TRAIL PLANNING RETREAT

2007-04-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

March 30th and 31st saw interesting coversation and exchange of ideas during the Indian Trail Planning retreat. Topics involved everything from the stormwater fee to the curfew ordinance and everything in between. The bottom line coming out of the session was not whether the town council was going to raise your taxes....but by how much????? The days are gone that this so called sleepy little town can exist on an .08 or .10 cents tax rate. The perfect example of how growth DOES NOT PAY FOR ITSELF can be seen in Indian Trail. Current population is around 24,000 and with approximately 4,600 more homes in the pipeline we can expect another 12,000 people bringing our total to somewhere around 36,000. Major issues are being dealt with in the coming months and an election looms on the horizon for 4 members of the council.

Major Issues:

1. Town Center: Including the new town hall and all that goes with it. $8.2 million.
2. Liquor by the drink: Currently the ordinances are being rewritten so as to protect the town..but this issue will not go away and may influence the next election. Has the potential to bring in quality *non fast food* restaurants....but at the same time will not provide the silver bullet to the town for excess revenue. If done the right way it can help, but there will be added cost to the town to provide extra deputies or added police prescence. I don't believe it will be the boon to the economy some expect. (Unk cost to the town)
3. Police protection: We currently have 8 officers contracted by the town from the sheriffs office. At approximately $64,000 per officer $512,000 budgeted. At some point, the town will reach a point where they have to consider starting their own police department. A year ago or so, there were stats out from police agencies stating the optimum ratio of police to citizens was 500 to 1. Stallings I believe runs in the neighborhood of 750 to 1 or 1000 to 1. Indian Trail at that rate would be a minimum of 24 officers needed now with 12 more to follow. 24 officers would be approximately 1.5 million dollars needed in the budget. 2.3 million for 36 officers.
The town has to enter into a contract with not only the sheriff but the County commissioners due to the fact the county picks up about 10% of the cost for contracted officers...so Iam told.
With the budget crunch at the county level...I can only imagine that the price to contract officers are going to go up.
4. Roads: All are overcrowded. That point can't be argued. Planning for roads in this area are non existant. Due to lack of funding at the state level, towns are now expected to front the money for the road projects with a promise of payback in the future. Towns in order to receive funding for projects have to provide 20% or lose the project. Towns typically operate on a shoe string budget and have a limited amount of money. Roads that are adequate now...need to be put on DOT list for expansion now...in 30 years they will be overcrowded. Dot could help situations if they would just upgrade intersections as populations increase.. For instance, Potter and Chestnut. Increasingly busy, DOT could have put in necessary turn lanes to avoid backups. Then the future businesses that are going to be built could be charged for the upgrades. Instead, all will be done afterwards or during the project itself. Meanwhile, you could sit at that light for 3 or 4 cycles due to someone making a left. Same can be said for Potter and Pleasant plains, or McKee and Pleasant Plains...just to name a couple.

Bottom line, the town could easily go into their budget retreat with an increase from .10 cents to .25 and still not have enough tax money to do what they need to do. Will that happen? Probably not right away but its coming. The lack of past planning and balancing the budget with cash reserves have caught up to this town that never wanted to prepare for the future. Election year politics and all will affect the tax process also....it is conceiveable that the tax rate could go to .15 cents and no one will blink an eye. We as citizens need to expect this increase...not a lot we can do about it. Judging from the turn out during the planning retreat...citizens either are too busy or don't care about the process, and that is not good. The decisions in the next few weeks will cost each person in Indian Trail money. Some will be money people don't have to spend in the first place.

BRING YOUR CHECKBOOK AND SPARE CASH

2007-02-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

March 8th at I believe 7pm at the First Baptist Church of Indian Trail there will be a Town Hall meeting. My understanding the Mayor and Council would like as many citizens as possible to show up and voice their opinions on the direction of the town, what services they would like to see, what they are willing to PAY for, what road improvements are important, town hall construction and so on. This type of meeting can only be of assistance to the town if a good number of concerned citizens show up. The turn out for the discussions on Chestnut bypass and Land Use process were less than stellar. Hopefully, the turnout for this town hall meeting will increase ten fold.
The reason I indicated to all to bring their checkbooks and spare cash is the town is looking for guidance from the citizens. Not surprisingly, the price tag on important projects are going way up. There is obviously, just so much money to go around. Whether from the budget, or the creative measures in order to build roads or buildings.

The price tag for the New Town Hall at the current size of 30,000 sq ft is approximately $8.2 million dollars. $250 per sq foot and that is unfurnished I believe. Tack on about another million or so to furnish. Unless there are changes to the budget we have 1.5 million dollars designated into a NewTown Hall fund.

The other problem facing the town is lack of adequate roads. The Chestnut bypass at last glance had a price tag of $25 to 30 million dollars. Judging from the way DOT builds roads in this area that will be in a minimum of 25 to 30 years unless something like developer build out or private investment occurs.

Monroe Road = If the DOT TIP stays the way MUMPO passed it the other night then we have the potential of 4.3 million dollars for study? Not contruction at this point though the study probably won't require all 4.3 million there might be some construction funds there. The quickest alternative or band aid for this road would be a 3rd lane that would change direction depending on rush hours. Probably 5-8 years out for that fix. Never for the 4 lanes divided that is meant to go there considering its an unfunded project now and 10 other projects ahead of it. Project cost listed at 31 million but probably closer to 40 some million. But...as seen this week anything is possible. Look no further than the Rea Rd extension that with the help of private funding from a needy developer and the help of a lot of influential people, the project jumped 92 spots to become partially funded for a two lane road...though 4 lanes and a larger project is needed in that area.

Faith Church Road extension could be built faster than Monroe Road could be expanded due to the developer activity all the way to Wesley Chapel and beyond. Unknown what the cost associated with that road would be but just for giggles lets say 35 million dollars.

Indian Trail Road....something like 7 to 8 million plus a million or so for the intersection at Monroe Road. Anyone ever traveling that road knows what a backup is, and it will only get worse. I believe that road is scheduled for the time frame of 2008-2010...or so???

I think I can stop at the over 100 million dollar price tag. The road projects typically carry a 20% match by the town so for every 1million dollars 200,000 is needed from the town. Keep in mind that each penny increase in the tax (currently .10 on the 100) has a net effect of putting a little over 200,000 dollars into the bank for Indian Trail. Creative funding and private investment will take care of some of the bill but we the taxpayers are the ones paying for the improvements and that is why this meeting is so very important. What are we willing to pay for services or roads or buildings???? The decisions have to be made because the cost goes up daily. Think about it and share your thoughts and opinions at the March 8th town hall meeting.

$200 REVISITED

2007-02-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

The mayor suggested in the last posting of the $200 a month she was receiving for expenses that I get with the town manager and examine the documents that according to her indicate the $200 a month was valid and justified, and a precedence had been set several years ago for such a practice. I did as she suggested and got the information from Mr. Humphries and also spoke to him at great length in regards to this topic as well as the budget in general.

Here's what we know so far as facts:
1. Mayor Moore collected $200 per month for expenses all totaled about $5,600.00 until stopped voluntarily by the mayor when it was brought up at a meeting in Nov/Dec time frame of 2006.
2. Larry Helms (then Mayor) collected what appears to be $200.00 per month in what started out as Adm. Allowance, then to what was called Travel Allowance to finally entries not being called anything but notated with a check number and a date I believe. All totaled he received about $4,300.00 in what appears to be for expenses from 3/27/1997 until 11/24/1998 when he left for the county.
3. Ray Killough and Ed Smith followed as mayor and neither person received any $200.00 payment for expenses. In fact Mr. Killough never received the salary for serving as Mayor.
4. I have seen and requested the budget for the past 6 budgets. In that time no information was supplied to me that indicated anything resembling a $200.00 per month stipend for the mayor. That is until Mr. Humpries gave me documents the mayor was referring to in her previous posts. I received a Salary Schedule for the 2005-2006 budget that has some handwritten notations in the margin and a line item that indicates (Local travel-line item 31 $2400. Appears under the Mayor's salary and above the Mayor pro tem salary. No other indication that it would be for the mayor. Could actually lead someone to believe the $2400 was for local travel in line item 31 which is named Travel and Transportation. In the same packet of papers was a handwritten sheet of paper 2004-2005 budget prep. Under Admin - 31 incl 2400. Again no reference to anything else.
5. At the last Council Meeting when this item was being officially stopped. It was brought up that Mr. Helms sort of remembers the topic coming up...Mr. Killough had no recolection of it, but stated he might have missed that budget meeting. Ms. Cass was out of the country. Mr. Helms stated that if they had to they could get letters from previous council members that would state they remember voting on such an expense payment for the mayor. In fact Ms. Vickery had already done just that and in her letter stated that the expense was for phone expense. That her memory was clear the motion was made and adopted...though the important thing here I think is there was never a date sited for the meeting.
6. I know I was in attendance that year for all the public meetings and nothing in my memory sticks out that this so called discussion nor subsequent vote ever took place. But I am getting older and my memory is sometimes not what it was so????
7. Lets then go to the minutes for the meeting. Seems easy enough, but nothing is ever easy. Apparently, the minutes for the meetings don't tell the full story and nothing appears that this motion or discussion took place. This is the crux of the argument that apparently prompted Ms. Cass to call for a motion that the monies paid to the mayor be repaid to the town. That motion was defeated 4 to 1. The motion Ms. Howe had for official stopage of the payment passed 5-0.
8. The former mayor Ed Smith having seen Mayor Moores previous post then spoke with Mr. Humphries and told him he knew nothing nor did he ever receive any such expense payment. He even wrote a two page letter for the council to see.

So what we have here is a complete cluster. No records to support the claim only vague memories from people that supposedly made the motion and subsequent vote and the few people in the audience that doesn't remember the vote taking place either. Some handwritten documents with notes indicating a 2400 inclusion into something called Travel and Transportation. I can only assume there is less than that from the 1997-1998 time frame when Larry Helms was being paid. The current Mayor assures the town manager that her taxes were done properly and infact she has expenses for another $1,000 in that same time frame. The last budget meeting the council had agreed the only expenses to be repayed were that of travel expense nothing about office supplies, offices, fax, telephones lines and so on.

The mayor indicated a precedence had been set in the past back when Lary Helms was mayor. That may be true, but.....If that was the case, then why would it have been necessary to have a motion and subsequent vote on the subject if it already existed in the town?????
Why then would Ray Killough and Ed Smith not have gotten at least the ability to turn down the expense payment???? Too many questions exist and not enough answers.

So what to do now???? The council in a 5-0 vote officially halted the payment and will revisit the subject during the budget considerations. During those budget considerations I would suggest to the council to identify authorized expenses for the council and mayor. Maybe establish a stipend to offset cell phone charges for the Mayor and Mayor pro tem. (In case of emergency)and the FULL TIME Town Manager can not be reached. Outside of that, unless compelling information is brought forth that legitimizes more expenses that should be it. The council positions are not full time positions such as exist in large cities so the expenses shouldn't be as great either. Guidelines officially documented for all to see and hear need to be in place for future councils and mayors. That goes for town employees also. Just like a business, there should be a clear understanding as to what is acceptable and what is not.

EQUALITY FOR ALL IN UNION COUNTY

2007-01-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

Since the election a lot of talk has been thrown around about making the Planning Boards and Board of Adjustment more fair to the entire county. The majority of commissioners believe this will be accomplished by disolving the boards and getting one representative from each of the nine townships. The township representation is something that had been utilized several years ago but I believe they had problems with keeping volunteers on the boards. Nethertheless, this current commissioner majority believe that the answer for the future in to go back into the past. A past much like "Mayberry" which never existed but something a bunch of people desire. An old saying comes to mind that "you can't live in the past". It would be nice if we could go back as a county and make things right, but once you open pandora's box, you can't get the stuff back in. A suggestion was made in the UC Planning board meeting that a fairer way of getting members for both boards would be to make it similar to that of the school board and the way they are elected. Lines would change every 10 years as the population shifts...and the entire county would be served also. You could keep the board at 7 regular members and 2 alternates. It seemed like a good idea for these boards though I suspect it will go over like a lead baloon with the commissioners.
So I am proposing that the commissioners expand their board also....to 7 members using the same type of process the school board is elected by. I really dislike the idea of districts and involvement of the feds to control or designate the county, but it is apparent something has to be done to invite diversification into this particular board. This board and the past two boards have indicated they all have a narrow focus when it comes to matters for the county. Too often a small influential group of people are served by a three member majority. This county, at the rate of growth, needs to expand to 7 members in hopes of different ideas, focus, concerns, and representation.
The present group of commissioners like to talk a good game, lets see if they are willing to take the extra step and admit that an expansion is necessary to move this county forward???

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

2006-12-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!!!! This has been a very interesting year especially in Indian Trail and Union County politics. From one extreme to the other change has occured via the vote of the citizens. Good, bad, or indifferent the outcomes from the previous year will be felt into the years to come. Hopefully, the changes that have taken place and will come in the future will be to help the citizens of Union County and Indian Trail.
No matter what side of the fence you are on it has been an interesting year. The hope is that Indian Trail and Union County will continue to move forward and become even better than today.
Politics done for the right reasons will serve all residents now and in the future. Only those policies that are done for the selected few seemingly have adverse affects on every aspect of our lives. Hopefully, the elected officials will do what is right for the right reasons and remember all the citizens they serve.

FLAWED DOWNTOWN PROJECT STALLED

2006-12-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

The downtown project that the council has been hearing for the past few months was stalled again at the latest council meeting. The agenda items were mutually agreed upon to remove from the agenda. Seemingly at odds with the developer and the council appears to be:
1. Question of the 100 year flood sign off that the town is requiring and that the delveloper appears can't find an engineer to sign off on the requirement. The question of cause of the down stream effect from the developed property and the pipe size from 27" to 78" seem to be causing trouble. Not to mention the CSX railroad permission that has not been attained by the developer to put in this size pipe or the encroachment on the 50' right of way the developer wants. He stated in a previous meeting that they were in the 8 or 10 th month of an 18 month process by CSX.
2. The traffic study. Apparently the developer has gotten a completed traffic study for the 2nd time. The first time incorporated the Chestnut by pass in the formulations. The 2nd traffic study is being analyzed for the numbers and exact details and information should be forthcoming.
3. The already mentioned CSX process.

These appear to be major stumbling blocks as well as condition 44.

Since this downtown project was pushed hard to get passed, I have been vocal mainly against the approved residential density. Over 500 to 600 residences in the 47 acre project. My thought was also the existing traffic on Indian Trail road that should have been a warning to a project with such density. With that said, the downtown is in need of a nice project and the looks of the approved project are nice. Recently, the Observer reported on the Marvin project that has been going back and forth for 2 years now. Glaring differences from the Marvin project and Indian Trail project stand out for instance the Marvin project is on 186 acres and only has about 1/3 of the residences that the Indian Trail project has. If memory serves me correctly, the Marvin project has about the same amount of retail as the Indian Trail project. The difference is the amount of open space. There seems to be a lot more in the Marvin project. Thus a main reason I believe the Indian Trail project was flawed from the begining. Too much in too small of an area. It is too bad the density can't be renegoiated to a level that is more acceptable. The process is what it is...they seemingly took the time to do it right in Marvin and the residents there should be thankful. Here in Indian Trail, the council is having to fight with the developer on conditions that were made by the previous council on a project that was rushed from the start. So what happens going forward is anyones guess. Maybe the Indian Trail project will shine for years to come if they can get past the landmines that have been placed along its path.

Mayor Receiving a Raise???

2006-12-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

Recently in the County Edge, there was a story citing the fact that the current Mayor of IT was receiving $200.00 extra each month for expenses in addition to her salary of $350.00 per month. This extra income was given to the Mayor without any backup documentation and regardless of actual expenses. This particular Mayor has received the extra funds for all but the first 6 months of her term and was started by then manager John Munn. Interesting note was that no one on the council seemed to be aware that the mayor was receiving these funds. Further searches have not produced documentation that shows the council voted this into place. The Mayor of course is pleading innocence and seem to believe that this was how it was done. Apparently, not all the previous Mayors have had access to this slush fund. The previous Mayor, Ed Smith stated he never received dime one of the so called expense money. The payments will now be stopped to the current mayor.
This is not an attack on the current Mayor but more as an attack on the previous councils that allowed this to happen in the first place. The so called stewards of our tax money appear to not pay attention to such details. The citizens of Indian Trail should be outraged. Personally, if the Mayor incurs such expenses then she or elected officials should be able to get a reimbursement, but only in proper documentation is followed. They should be legitimate expenses and should not be considered a perk to the office of Mayor. I have to believe that companies in the US operate the same way, so why should an elected official be able to collect tax money with no documentation? This action may not be illegal, but for sure it falls short of moral or ethical in nature. Elected officials need to be held accountable for their actions and responsible enough to handle the nature of the office.
I wonder if any other towns allow such expenses to be paid? Or is Indian Trail the only one that has allowed this behavior? What do you think?

D- DAY IS UPON US

2006-11-01T12:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight November 1, 2006. A day that will live in infamy.....well maybe not. The Town Council will do their best to get through the requests for recusal and not to mention all the legalease that will occur.
The Mayor will have to answer charges about her bias to the Downtown LLC group, and I suspect the bias she has towards Councilmember Schallenkamp also. My belief on the latter is that Mr. Schallenkamp to state the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, and the mayor would argue with him.

Councilmember Schallenkamp will have to address his recusal request also. When it goes to the council for a vote the decision could rest in the hands of the above mentioned mayor. Of course, there is the hope that the council would not go to a tie, and not have to involve the mayor. Considering what is at stake for the developers, I find it hard to believe they would stake sooo much on the possibility of a vote by a supporter of theirs??? But anything is possible.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the Downtown LLC is trying to have Mr. Schallenkamp recused for ANY projects that they bring before the council. Bonterra, Downtown, Potter and Fincher....or any project brought by Moser or Harrell. Basically rendering Mr. Schallenkamp useless for those specific project, ultimately, taking the power out of the hands of the voters that put him into office. Or at least until the numbers on the council favor them again.
The sad part is that this won't be rectified tonight....surely which ever side loses this battle will ultimately take it to superior court for another round of fighting.
In the mean time projects by Harrell and Moser would sit until the court rules. We all know that time is money.
Of all the conditions that Harrell and Moser want changed, condition 44 seems to be one of the more important ones. They in essence want the town to use their power of eminent domain to acquire access on a road from park rd to south fork road. I happen to know that no offers have been made by the developers in question to the land owners in question...or at least not all of them. The question then becomes if eminent domain is used by the town to provide access to the developers then who really benefits from such an act???It won't be the people that are having the land taken. Or the majority of residents in this town. It would be done at the benefit of the developers...plain and simple. They are hoping beyond hope, that the use of eminent domain would serve as a catalyst for getting a favorable road study. Which they don't have one yet. There is other issues that could be costly for them just not as costly...I am referring to the open space criteria of 15% as opposed to the 10% they are at currently.
Questions that may be answered tonight are as follows:

1. Will the council back fellow councilmembers and keep the power in the hands of the voters that put them in office?
2. Will the developers get their way and continue to control every aspect of this town?
3. Which group runs to the Superior Court first?
4. How much longer will the Conditional Use/Special use permits via quasai judicial means continue????
5. When will the council tell a developer "NO" resoundingly so as to make the conditions they place on a project permanent? Why place conditions on a project if you are only going to let them come back and ease into something more acceptable to the developers?
6. Will the backing of the mayor "pay-off" for the developers in question?
7. Will good triumph over evil?
8. Will anything really be answered tonight?
9. Will this ultimately be a test case for the town, county, and state?

My opinion is this "Peyton Place" will continue one way or the other. The next election will be huge for the town. Three (3) Councilmembers and the Mayor will be up for election. The developers will surely back those candidates willing to do what they want on a regular basis. It will be up to the citizens of this town to elect people that will listen to all, make good decisions based on whats best for the town as a whole. The last election started the trend, and the next one needs to continue to elect those people that are not influenced by the developers and big money people.

The FUN Continues.....

2006-10-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

The "fun" continues in IT especially when it comes to the Downtown Project. October 10th IT Council Meeting saw Shirley Howe and Dan Schallenkamp motion for additions to the agenda. First up was Mrs. Howe. She made a motion to recuse the Mayor from any possible vote dealing with the Downtown project and to include any potential vote on the Dan Schallenkamp matter brought by the Downtown Indian Trail LLC.
Next Mr. Schallenkamp asked to be put on the agenda so he could respond to the Downtown LLC's charge that he could not make an unbiased decision. Mr. Schallenkamp made a quick statement that he would not recuse himself from the proceedings associated with the Downtown Project.
It was determined after some conversation that the Mayor needed time to review the accusations from Ms. Howe and have the chance to retain legal council, and that the council would need to read the so called evidence against Mr. Schallenkamp that was in a two inch binder just handed out. After some discussion it was determined that November 1st, 2006 at 6pm would be the date that all items would be heard and decided on. I don't believe that included hearing the Downtown project and the 16 conditions the developer would liked changed. That will probably be done at the regularly scheduled November 14th council meeting? Stay tuned it should be very interesting to see what is decided.

NEW TOWN MANAGER NAMED

2006-10-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Its official, the new Town Manager of Indian Trail has been hired. Ed Humphries takes the reins from interim Town Manager Fern Schubert, who replaced John Munn in December 2005. Mr. Humphries is 60 years old and has been a mayor, banker, and of course a Town Manager. He will hit the ground running and help make Indian Trail a better place for all citizens. His salary will be 77,250 per year in a full time position. The vote from the council was unanomous and fully backed by the Mayor also. Lets wish him a lot of luck. Thanks should also go out to Fern for filling in during a very rough time for the town. I would caution this council as well as future councils, keep an eye on your town manager this time around. It doesn't pay to let them run roughshod over the town and its people. The town manager works for the council, not the other way around. We elected you the council to oversee our interests. Thanks for the time you put into this decision...I am sure going over all the applicants had to be time consuming.

IT FAMILY FUN DAY

2006-10-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

After a weather delay the 2nd annual IT Family Fun day went off without a flaw. Several hundred people enjoyed the games, music, food, and demonstrations. The weather was perfect and everyone seemed to have fun. I know my children particularly enjoyed the air filled slide, they were on it most of the time. The town gave out quite a few prizes with a free drawing on what appeared to be hourly. $100 gift certificates were among the gifts from local merchants. Peggy the Town Clerk worked very hard as did the staff involved. Dan Schallenkamp and Mercedes Cass were the councilmembers in attendance. The question is ... Did you visit the free family fun day???? If so lets hear from you.......

APFO PASSED BY COUNTY

2006-10-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

At their meeting October 2, 2006 the county commissioners passed the long awaited APFO. In an attempt to manage growth by timing developments to the school capacity or have the developer pay a 15,000 plus fee per house the commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of the APFO. The APFO committee and UC Planning Boards passed or agreed with a stricter version of the APFO than that of the commissioners. It is my opinion that the commissioners passed the "watered down" version because it represented the most defensible document. The APFO is not designed to stop developement only to slow it down and manage it so that school capacity can catch up. The fees involved are voluntary to the developers and my impression is the county would rather not collect dime one in fees if they could get the timing adjusted. Besides, the fees don't come close to paying the $ needs of the schools and is kind of like spitting into the ocean. Being on the UC Planning board...we passed the stricter version and sent it to the commissioners. The stricter version of the ordinance was not perfect and certainly the one the commissioners passed was not either. However, it is a starting point to manage growth that can be altered as we go forward. It is now up to the towns to adopt the APFO and certainly there will be those that will not adopt it and if enough town follow suit would render this ordinance useless. Some opponents of the APFO have stated it has holes in it, it was the watered down version, it was this, it was that......blah...blah...blah.
Reality is, those that opposed the APFO do so with no alternate plan...no recommendations other than to stall.
Is the APFO perfect....NO and no ordinance like this ever will be.
The APFO is a start to manage growth...not to eliminate it, or to collect fees. It can be changed as the powers see fit to change it. Much like other ordinances that evolve over time.

IT Population

2006-09-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

It was stated at the last Council meeting that the current population estimate now stands at :

22,000 plus a big jump from 16,900 plus estimated just a year and half ago.

The town still has approximately 5,000 homes in the building pipeline which based on the 2.7 per house average will be another 10,000 plus people. The moratorium hasn't necessarily slowed the current building down...just the pipeline building. It would be hard to imagine the amount if there had been no moratorium.

FAMILY FUN DAY

2006-09-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

The town of Indian Trail will have the 2nd Annual Family Day on October 7th at Indian Trail Elementary School. There will be a band, vendors, and fun and excitement for children of all ages. Time will be from 3pm to 7pm.

November 26, 2006 will be the Rotary Christmas Parade starting at 4pm....mark your calendars.

DEVELOPER CRIES FOUL

2006-09-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

The IT Town council met for their September 12th meeting and when it got time to hear the Quasi Judicial project for the Downtown LLC group (Harrell, Moser, Edwards)on the 16 conditions they wanted to have amended they were met with the Lawyer Mr.Goodwin. He stated that he represented his clients and was officially asking that Councilmember Dan Schallenkamp recuse himself due to the fact they believed that an unbiased decision could not be reached by Mr. Schallenkamp thus denying his clients of their due rights in this process????? Mr. Schallenkamp and his lawyer stated that they had not had time to review the so called evidence against him and at this point insisted he be given ample opportunity to review the binder they had put together. The council voted unanomously to table the downtown project for another month so as to give the councilmember ample time to respond to the charge. That didn't sit well with the Mr. Goodwin or Mr. Harrell who insisted on the matter being heard in 2 weeks due to the fact his clients had waited 2 years to get started...again the council voted unanomously to give 30 days(personal comment OH BOO HOO!!!) as if another 2 weeks will kill them.
Suffice it to say I believe their case to be very weak and this is just an example of bullying the council into actions they may or may not want to take.

When this project was approved by the previous council it was done so in what many believe to have been done in haste so as to get them approved. In that process the previous council attached 44 different conditions to the project. Supposedly, all have to be achieved prior to the project getting started or completed. The petitioner has the ability to come back before council to ask for changes to the conditions, though the council can vote to not change anything, vote to change some or all the requests being presented. A note that should be made is that the there was very little opposition by the members of the Downtown project when these conditions were placed. The current council does not have the ability to establish tougher, restrictive, or more conditions. They can vote to keep it the same or to make it easier on the developer.
So what does this all mean???? It means that developers that feel they are not getting a break (their opinion) can apparently ask an elected official to recuse themselves from the proceedings...if they feel the person in question can't make an unbiased decision. If that person refuses to recuse themselves then the remaining council gets to vote on this topic....this is a change from the previous law that basically stated you only had a conflict of interest if there was a financial gain in the decision.
If they succeed in getting Mr. Schallenkamp recused this could have far reaching affects everywhere in the state. A lot of people run for office because they believe that they can make a difference. A long the way whatever topic got them started they were passionate about and that kept them fired up. Mr. Schallenkamp from everything I have ever heard opposed that downtown project primarily for 2 reasons. The density of the residence (604 apartments, condos, townhomes)on part of that 47 acre parcel. I believe it topped out at something like 20 per acre...very high density. That led to the 2nd part the safety issue. Putting all those people in that small of an area onto Indian Trail road which is overcrowded as it is without adding anyone to the mix. Funny thing though...Mr. Schallenkamp is not able to change the density of this project. In fact he represents 1/5th of the vote...his vote alone won't send the LLC into financial ruin. The rest of the council could vote for the condition leaving Mr. Schallenkamp all by himself??? This action also takes away the ability to speak out against any developer without possible repurcussion later. In order to be a candidate you won't be able to have an opinion of any kind or even be able to read a newspaper because that might make you opinionated.
Worse yet, it will take the power of the people out of their hands. Mr. Schallenkamp was elected for a number of reasons...one was his stance on high density housing. The people of IT that cared enough to vote, thought he was right for the job after the previous 4 years of uncontrolled growth. Mrs. Howe ran on a very similar platform...so whats next get her too??? Apparently, the developers and their interests aren't interested in fair play as much as having the odds in their favor. I hope the voting public pays attention to what is happening and reacts accordingly...any comments????

PLANNING BOARD HEARS CASES

2006-09-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

On August 15th the planning board heard a couple of cases. One dealt with the Downtown project and Mr. Harrell presented his case for why he would like changes to the conditions the council had placed upon him back when they passed his project.
16 conditions of the 44 Mr. Harrell was seeking modifications. I believe in the end, the planning board did a wonderful job expressing concerns and beliefs of what needed to happen.
One condition dealt with the open space on the project. The town stated 15% was needed and the developer wanted less. The recommendation of the planning board was to allow the open space to be counted that maybe municipal land and then mitigate a dollar amount for the other 5%. Value will have to be set by the council if they even approve our suggestion.
I won't go into all the conditions but they can be seen via the towns website or by visiting the town and looking at the council packet.

The other major case was a retail area over on Secrest Shortcut road. The developer wants to put a grocery store and some out buildings that would be maybe a retail restaurant type and some office buildings. The map looked nice for the area and many neighbors showed up to voice approval of the project. One sticking point for the developer is that there is no sewer access at this time. May be slow in the near future also. Because of that and the fact he doesn't think enough rooftops exist now, he would like a 5 year window instead of the normal 2 years. The planning board sent its recommendations to the council for approval with conditions attached.

Both cases will be up to the council to decide on September 12,2006 at 7pm. If you have time please make yourself available.

****Also, the town is seeking interested people that would like to serve on some committees to volunteer their time and help the town. Interested??? If so contact the planning department or go on the IT website.

TOWN COUNCIL MAKES IT OFFICIAL

2006-09-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Indian Trail Town Council on August 8th made it official. They are now a Town Manager/Council form of government. Due to the hiring of a town manager it was unclear if IT operated under a town manager/council form of government or a mayor/council form of government. Upon further investigation it seemed that at least for the last 10 years (John Munn era) they (council) considered themselves a Town Manager/Council form of government. The charter for the town was not clear and so the decision was made to formalize the decision. They were unanomous 5-0 with Mayor Moore also stating that she was in agreement also. A few citizens questioned why this move was needed. The reality is that the precedence had been set 10 years previously. Though the town manager was a part-time position (soon to be full time with the next hire) he ran the day to day operations of the town and staff. Ultimately, this was right for the town, the staff, and the organization of IT government.

NEW PLANNING BOARD MEETS

2006-07-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

July 18th saw the new planning board get together since myself and two others replaced long time sitting members. Judging from what I experienced last night it promises to be an interesting board. The old and new members seem to have a good mix of knowledge and experience to rely on and of course the planning staff is still there to make sure we don't get out of line. The new Chairman and Vice Chair were named last night and the planning board members are listed below. The planning board meets every 3rd tuesday of the month at 7pm and the citizens are encouraged to attend.

Russell Whitehurst- Chairman
Dave Anderson - Vice Chairman
Gary Vaughn (new member)
Roy Lewis (new member)
Lee Godwin (new member)
Richard Harper
Patricia Cowan
William Medlin (alternate)
Brenda Evans (alternate)
John Quinn (new member and alternate)

ARE ALL RELIGIONS CREATED EQUAL?

2006-07-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

Since the liquor by the drink issue came up briefly at the council meeting the other night it led me to wonder about the religions on the board. My guess that we have 3 Baptists (4 if you count the mayor) and 2 other (Catholic) I believe...
Of the Baptists, 2 indicated they were against LBTD no matter what. 1 Non Baptist stated the same. The other non Baptist and 2 other Baptist stated they would like more information. Which leads me to the question: Are all Baptists factions created equal? How is that 2 members of the council believe so staunchly about LBTD when 2 others don't feel the same? Is there different teachings in the Baptist church? Don't they all use the same type of bible? I just thought I would ask the questions.

JUST CURIOUS ABOUT MONEY???

2006-07-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

So at the July 11th Council meeting the town presented the Sheriff with I believe the amount was $11,600.00 to help pay/or pay for 8 defibrilators for the deputies cars in IT. The money was given to the town by Walmart, the amount I believe was $26,000.00. I was just wondering what did the town do with the remaining money? What do they have planned for the remainder $14,400.00 if my math is correct.
Please in no way think I am complaining about the purchase of the defibrilators. That was a purchase with town money all of us should support. Lets hope the rest of it is spent in such a great way.

INDIAN TRAIL: To Drink or NOT?

2006-07-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

July 11, 2006...saw a lot of people show up for the council meeting. The headliner for the evening was the planning boards request for the council to explore putting the item of liquor by the drink on an eventual reforendum. Everyone that spoke on the subject during the evening all had very valid points for and against the issue. A lot was made about the Morality vs Economic issue. I believe it to be more of an economic issue than about morality. If an area has liquor by the drink...you morals guide you whether you should drink or not. If you drink, you are by no means an immoral person. Their are temptations all around us everyday...you have the choice and should have. Same goes for liquor by the drink....the people of a community should be given a chance to voice their opinions. Not just 5 people that were elected. Each person above the age of 18 has the ability to decide for themselves.
It is an economic issue, but only if you discuss the tax dollars if they leave Union County. Other communities in the area have liquor by the drink, those tax dollars come to the ones that don't the same way if the establishments were in the particular town. Restaurants like Chilis, Applebees, a fine steakhouse or any big box type restaurant won't come to a community without LBTD>. Just won't happen, they make too much profit on the drinks and the bottom line is made on alcohol sales. This will affect the downtown project as well, considering they are looking for a restaurant or two, to anchor their project. Though you will build your tax base also, the cost associated with LBTD has to be looked at also. There would have to be an increase in police protection which negates any ad valorem tax brought in by the restaurant. In the end 3 councilmembers ( Cass, Killough, Schallenkamp) voted to not explore the request for liquor by the drink.
The other highlight had to be the town giving Sheriff Cathey $11,600 dollars to put towards defibrilators for the cars that patrol IT. Very good use of the money..you don't ever what to have to use them, but if you need it and the sheriffs deputies arrive with them your chances of survival go up.
Three presentations were heard for the update to the ordinances. Five total were heard and a contract award should be forthcoming.
Extreme Ice told the council the Checkers would be utilizing their facilities for the next 5 years. The grand opening elebration would be in the September time frame for the facility though they would open in the August time frame.
I am sorry I had to leave early and have nothing else to report at this moment.

A FINE MESS WE HAVE IN STALLINGS

2006-07-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

Since the election in November, attitudes have apparently gone into the dumpster between the Mayor and the Town Council. In the last couple of weeks though it has truly hit new lows. The last volley was an ordinance passed by the council to basically outline the duties and responsibilities of the mayor. Some actions since her election have supposedly upset members of the council as well as employees of the town. Both sides firing shots at each other as if in an old time ship battle. Unfortunately, the ordinance really had no need to be passed. The town of Stallings has operated under a Manager/Council form of government for years. The mayor in that type of setup has only a few official duties such as presiding over the meeting, voting in case of a tie, ceremonial head of the town. Under NO circumstance does her power authorize the mayor to authorize money to be spent, contracts to be signed, employees to be hired or fired or in that matter reprimanded. That is a duty designated to the Manager for day to day operations of the town by the Council. The mayors duties and responsibilities are clearly explained in the state statutes thus the ordinance was never really needed. That however is only one part of the story and had either side or both, backed off a little and communicated better with one another the councils actions may not have come to this. The mayor coming into office made a lot of statements about eliminating costs with staff, police, and the likes. She never had such power but made the statements. There was talk of a tax cut...again, a nice idea but hardly something she could really follow through on. Letters to Mr. Black praising him when he took $6 million of our repair fund and designated it to Mint Hill. I could go on but why? The council is not completely innocent either. For their part, they could have drafted a letter expressing the understanding that the Mayor was overstepping her boundries and outlined the statutes for her. Especially before all of this mess escalated. The people of Stallings deserve better than a power struggle between the elected officials. Everyone should know and understand their own duties and responsiblities and at the same time understand conflict of interest, eithical standards, and the open meeting laws. You all are adults and should act like it. Not everything in Stallings need to be a media event. You all have to learn to compromise and work together in order to get anything accomplished in the next couple of years.

IT TAX INCREASE FINAL

2006-06-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Last night the IT council voted and passed with a 3-2 vote in favor of a tax increase for the town. Mr Killough and Helms were the dissenting votes. It unfortunately looks as if they were unwilling to increase taxes at all for any reason. Insisting on burying their heads in the sand and that all would be fine going forward because that is what has happened in the past. Due to the influx of people, housing, traffic and the likes the town can not rest on what has been done in the past. That idea is fiscally irresponsible, outdated, with no forsight into the future. No tax increase that had been discussed this year would have created anything that could have been described as a windfall for the town. Any increase was based on a needs only basis and not loaded with luxury items. The senior members of the council never shared with the council or manager anything other than the belief that a tax increase was not warranted. Never once suggesting ways to cut the proposed buget. I am sorry, Mr. Killough did state that the increase of $50.00 for each council member was a way to save money. (Total= $300.00) The new members of the council, wanting to reach some sort of agreement within the group tried to come up with different ideas that the other two members could go along with, I am guessing however that the upcoming reelection for both played more into their opinions that fact. There is an old saying, Don't confuse me with the facts when my mind is made up. Apparently a mantra Helms and Killough live by. The increase is for .02 cents per $100 valuation, making the new IT tax rate .10 cents per $100 valuation. Basically a break even for most persons in the town. At the same time the council authorized the trash service to be rolled into the tax base thus eliminating the billing for citizens 4 times a year totalling the $60.00 fee. The original .04 cent increase was dismissed as too large and the idea of no increase could have crippled the town. Especially if anything requiring a large cash outlay would have occurred. This puts into question the $1.5 million dollars that the previous council had designated for a new town hall, the land swap contract, road funds, parks, and general infrastructure problems being faced by the town.
This means that a person whose house is valued at $100,000 will pay taxes of $100. a difference of $20.00. That person will not have to worry about writing checks to the town for 60.00 throughout the year. A savings of 40.00 per year.
$200,000 house will pay 200.00 per year instead of the 160.00 previously and the 60.00 garbage fee for a savings of $20.00.
$300,000 house will pay 300.00 per year instead of 240.00 and the 60.00 garbage which is the same. No increase or decrease.
If you itemize your taxes, a percentage of that tax can be deducted.
Mr. Schallenkamp stated last night in a very good way that he believed it was possible to overfund a government but at the same time you can be worse off if you underfund the government. I believe that statement to be 100% correct. The entire council was concerned about raising taxes. No one on that board took the matter lightly. In the end, three of the members had the forward thinking to do what was right for the entire town, not a select few. I believe it is better to have the cash and pay for things without having to tap credit whenever possible, unfortunately, in the future we may not be able to have that option and could pay extreme amounts in the future for not planning today.

If anyone knows me, they know that myself and the Mayor don't seemingly get along. We tend to be at odds more than not. Last night, Mayor Moore was very articulate when she stated her opinion about getting along with each other, the need for roads, town hall, staff, and the likes. The Mayor hated the idea of raising taxes also, but sees a need for the town and understands an increase was needed. I support the mayor in her statement last night. She hit the nail right on the head.

Budget meeting are contentious at best and last night was no exception. Two members chose to not support the tax increase or for that matter participate too much in the process. That is their perogative. Them voting no, was not a no vote for the good of the town as much as I believe a begining to campaign fodder down the road. The tax increase will not create a cash windfall and luxury items will not be purchased. In fact, lets hope we do not incur unexpected expenses for the year because I doubt we will be able to sustain much of a cash hit before reserves are eliminated totally.

INDIAN TRAIL TAX INCREASE

2006-06-06T06:07:00.000-07:00

June 13th will mark the Indian Trail council meeting that will explain more about the proposed tax increase from .08 to .12 cents on the $100.00. The newspapers have indicated the .04 cent increase will enable the town to do a few things and make it more beneficial to the citizens in the town.
One cent is going for road reserve funds...definitely needed when DOT says you need to have $1 million for this $5 million dollar project.
The other .03 cents distributed among other things new town hall, and other general increases in planning staff, vehickles and the like.
I am unclear but believe that the 60.00 per year garbage service fee would then go away so ulitmately depending on you house value it will cost a little more for normal homes in the area. The more expensive homes will pay more overall.

Main questions facing the town as I see them include but not limited to:

1. Land swap deal. Being reviewed by the attorney unknown if the original contract will hold up or if the town will be held to the contract. Either way a decision will have to be made and action will have to start. Personally, it was a bad idea to swap the land when an outright purchase of the land would seemingly make better sense. What happens if the land deal is null and voided? Then what?

2. New Town Hall. Too many questions and not enough answers. The paper reported that an $8 million dollar tab for the new town hall. Questions include: Is that $8 million for the original 30,000 sq ft structure? Does that include all the furnishings and new technology that will ultimately be needed? How will we finance the remainder (1.5 million sitting in reserve fund)? Depending on the above land swap deal, a decision and construction will have to start very soon due to the conditions of the land swap deal.

3. Police Protection: Reported by the Sheriff that IT needed 2 more officers even if the Walmart hadn't been built. Apparently it was assumed we had 24/7 coverage when in reality we didn't. According to the Sheriff, the 2 additional officers give us the 24/7 coverage. Kind of remarkable, and I asked this question last year....the sheriff had previously stated that the Walmart on Tom Short would require 4 to 6 officers. Why is it that when IT gets a Walmart we apparently need no officers? Sheriff stated IT needed 2 officers even if the Walmart wasn't there due to call volume. I still believe that police coverage is lacking even with the addiitonal 2 officers especially with the Walmart. There was an article in a crime prevention publication stating that a 500 to 1 ratio was optimum citizens to officers. I believe Stallings tries to operate in that realm. That would push us to 39 officers based on a population of 19,500. Even at a 1000 to 1 ratio that would put us at 19 officers. If you go by what the Sheriff says and our 8 officers in effect are like having 75 or so then our numbers I guess are ok. In IT what is the response times for calls? Does anyone know? It might be a good question to ask.

The garbage costs seems to be spiraling out of control. I am glad they are taking steps to control those costs and we should see improvement in the future. Having attended the budget workshop it was my understanding that the garbage fee would have to be increased also to offset the deficit it was creating. I find it difficult to believe that the other 3 cents will offset the garbage costs?

I am just asking the questions. Anyone got other thoughts? If you can attend the June 13th meeting you should to find out for yourself. Also, go online to the IT website and get a copy of the budget for yourself.

UNION COUNTY DECIDES

2006-05-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

So on May 30th the voters of Union County decided on two candidates to join Mr. Baucom as commissioners. In electing Lanny Openshaw and Parker Mills, the voters threw out the incumbents in what can now be called a pattern throughout this county.
My personal favorite of the newly elected group would be Lanny Openshaw, I think his work ethic and intelligence will serve the citizens of Union County honorably. Not just one part of the county either. I unfortunately don't know the other two very well and can't really speak about them. I hope though, the new board is able to work together for the sake of Union County.
I suspect there will be a lot of talk about how Lanny was elected based on the overwhelming numbers he received in 2 precincts and that Stony votes represented more of the county as a whole...but the numbers are what they are and Mr. Openshaw will do a good job for us.
The question then becomes how will Mr. Baucom and Mr. Mills react from the groups that backed them. Will they do what is right for the county as a whole or for a select few? Will the farmers in the eastern part of the county want to sell vast acreage at top dollar to developers that will only buy for the right deals? Its anyones guess. It will be interesting next year when a possible APFO is up for debate, a moratorium could still be in effect, and what about sewer? All questions that will be answered and affect Union County for years.
I hope the new board will be able to work through their philosophical differences and maybe "compromise" rather than taking the extremes on issues. Its just a hope!

LIKE SANDS THROUGH THE HOUR GLASS....

2006-05-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

Indian Trail Town Council on Tuesday May 23rd saw another moment that seems more like Peyton Place than an actual government meeting. The Mayor decided after the secret email fiasco and subsequent authorization of tax money to go on the offensive. She consulted with an attorney and called the Institute of Government in regards to her "power" granted or perceived. She stated that the town of Indian Trail operated as a Mayor/Council form of government and that she was the CEO of the town and therefore had done nothing wrong in regards to the email spying and money authorizations. In a proclamation heard through the room a defiant Mayor told the crowd that the council could not keep her from reviewing the mail logs and that blah, blah...I am sorry I lost it after that. In summary: she was in charge (aka Alexander Haig when Reagan was shot). She was doing what was right and therefore there was nothing wrong with her actions. NOTE: IF I have missed the gist of this I encourage others to contribute>>>> The town attorney countered by saying that the Charter for the town was vague when referring to a Mayor/council or Manager/Council form of government. The charter did have a provision that the council could institute a Town Manager with personnel controls at their will. Apparently, this was done some 10 years ago when Mr. Munn first came on the scene. Since then, the precedence appears to be Indian Trail has operated under a Town manager/ Council form of government. The town attorney stated that since no specific form was set it was open to interpretation (other than that of the Mayor)and that is why we have JUDGES. So what does this mean to the citizens of Indian Trail? Conflict with a light at the end of the tunnel. After coming out of closed session, the council, with Shirley Howe having written an ordinance with the help of the Town attorney, adopted the Powers of the Mayor ordinance. The unanomous vote indicated that the mayor would be the ceremonial head of the town, could chair the meetings. Under no circumstances was she given the power to authorize tax money expenditures, could not enter into contracts and only spoke for the town at the direction of the council. Period. She is not suppose to direct employees of the town either, that afterall is a function of the Town Manager position. A logical solution, to an illogical problem. NOTE: Again I may have missed other details in the ordinance, if so please share.:::::
I am curious though, has there been talk of having the Mayor reimburse the town for the money that it took to setup the secret spy email account? I personally think it should be, but that could be like beating a dead horse.
What are the sanctions that can be placed on the Mayor if she defies the ordinance and continues to promote upheaval?
I understand the Mayor will be gone at the June 13th meeting, but I can't help but feel the last has not been heard from her on this subject...again stay tuned.

MAYOR AND TOWN MANAGER STILL AT IT

2006-05-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

The Union Observer did an article about the Mayor and Town Manager feuding over what appears to be everything possible. This time the subject is very serious and deals with authorization of tax dollars being spent on "things" the Mayor has deemed necessary. Rather than taking any blame for this or other items mentioned in this blog, she consistently justifies her actions. Explaining that you did wrong for what you thought was a good reason doesn't make your actions correct. Technically speaking, the Mayor has broken no policy due to the fact that up until a couple of months ago they never followed an official policy. The fact is that under the Manager/Council form of government that Indian Trail exists under no where is the Mayor authorized to pay anyone for anything at anytime.
I was curious and asked a couple former Mayors of Indian Trail and Stallings. Lucy Drake indicated that with authorization she could spend up to $500, but without authorization NOTHING. Ed Smith stated that in the four years he was Mayor he never authorized any money payments and in fact was reimbursed partially for candy that was given out at the Stallings VFD one Halloween.
The disturbing thing about this abuse is that somewhere along the line, though never officially stated by council, the mayor was allowed to get away with such money authorizations. Either the process by which payments are made is flawed, or some of the people in the process have flawed. Either way the money has to be tightened to ensure our tax dollars are not spent in a frivelous manner.
I don't believe any one party in this escapade to be totally at fault. If Ms. Shubert wanted to speak with the vendor about his bills, she should have made the calls. If Sandy Moore did indeed receive a call from her friend asking about payment, she should have inquired with the Town Manager about payment. Never, ever should the Town Manager be left out of the loop on a payment such as this. The finance people should have known better also...the Mayor is primarily a figure head position, votes when a tie occurs, and conducts the meeting. No financial ability exists unless it is given to the Mayor by the council.
The games people are playing should stop. Its not healthy for the staff, citizens, or the town as a whole. The previous Town Manager is GONE...period...not coming back...move on. The previous town clerk...same thing. Tighten up the process by which we pay bills and get on with other important projects. Soon it may not be just a technicality about an arguement between legal and ethical... Fiscal responsibility is very important especially with tax dollars and with a tax increase coming someone could possibly be sued for such acts.

SHOULD ELECTED OFFICIALS BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

2006-05-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

The question is should elected officials be held accountable? Do we as citizens care when a politician is caught doing something not necessarily illegal but a moral issue arises? At what point do we as citizens demand better from elected officials?
Recently the Mayor of Indian Trail appeared to not only deny when confronted about an email account, but had a secret email so as to monitor all emails to include all employees, but then used tax dollars to pay for such a maneuver. Politicians across our country have decided to do things not illegal but in a grey area of trust and morality. I only site the Indian Trail example due to it being so new. There are many issues associated with politicians that make this example look meek at best...but where do you the citizen draw the line? Let me know?

Of the things the Mayor of Indian Trail was accused of the money issue is most severe with me. The council, mayor, and Town Manager especially should be good stewards of our tax dollars. The most should be done with the least amount of money for the good of the town. Frivilous expenses such as setting up secret email accounts does not strike me as a good expenditure for the town. Thats just me. Tighter controls need to be placed on the tax dollars, limited access, safeguards and monitoring in place....it seems like a no brainer.

ONE STEP AT A TIME FOR WILLIAMS RESCUE

2006-05-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

June 9th council meeting also provided a recap of the history behind Williams Rescue Road. Having listened to it, I feel very safe in the fact that a lot of things have been going on and a lot of people playing a role so much so that certain details become very garbled. Even though, the council authorized staff to start implementation of Public involvement in the process (without going through MUMPO though they will advise and observe the process.) Nothing else has been authorized but some things should be considered when going forward. Important note: Forget the past what happened a few years ago with this road should be forgotten. Look at the now and future.
1. $25 million price tag (approximate)
2. Primary stated reason: Get traffic off Indian Trail Road and make it more pedestrian friendly.
3. Primary UNSTATED reason: If traffic volume lessens on Indian Trail Road maybe the Harrell Moser project will get a favorable road study? What with the 600+ residences they have scheduled.
4. Traffic at both ends of Williams Rescue Road will still dump on to Monroe and 74 that currently have traffic levels that severely overcrowded.
5. NO APPARENT RELIEF IN SITE FOR OLD MONROE AND 74.
6. NO TELLING WHEN BYPASS (IF EVER) WILL BE BUILT.
7. Traffic will increase on Chestnut, Potters, and Weddington Road. (Which helps Austin village greatly)
8. No money in DOT, Town, State, Federal for building this road. NCDOT has no road money for new projects and the town has only about 2million in Powell bill funds. DOT repair money depleted by 6 mill due to MR.Black. for road in Meckenburg County.
9. Williams Rescue Road will do no good if you can't severely limit the access on that road. In order to get developers to build the road, they will want something in return, USUALLY HIGER DENSITY for housing projects. Way too many in pipeline now.

MAYOR PROTECTING INDIAN TRAIL?

2006-05-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

I wrote recently that the Town Council had been getting along with each other and working seemingly together to accomplish town business. The council had a recent meeting on June 9th and what had been a very quiet time since the John Munn firing has now gone into another realm. During this meeting Dan Schallencamp asked Mayor Moore about an email address located in the family of email addresses. He asked a couple of different times. The answer that he got was that the Mayor didn't know but would ask the computer admin person about it. Shirly Howe advised the Mayor that she had called him earlier and was advised that the email address in question was the Mayor's secret account designed so she could view all emails in the towns system. The mayor admitted this to be correct at that point, justifying her actions by saying that John Munn had been fired without cause and she didn't trust Fern Shubert. Please let me stress what the Mayor did was not illegal in anyway, however it does call into question what I will call "morality" of her actions. Seemingly lost in all this, but not ignored was the fact that the Mayor also believes she is entitled to spend town money without authorization. Which could be considered criminal though to my knowledge the town has no rules regarding this and may technically not be illegal? The whole episode brings a lot of questions to the surface and some underlying points have to be made.
1. Until recently the council had never adopted rules of procedures.
2. I am not sure if the Mayor, Council, and Town Manager quite understand their roles and responsibilities, and if so nothing has ever been put on paper.
3. In the past, the Mayor, Council, Town Manager seem to operate on "perceived power" or "perceived responsibilites" rather than the actual.
4. The council has to draft rules and responsibilities for all parties.
5. Authorization for spending has to be clearly outlined and understood. Check writing ability requires 2 signatures but in mind opinion should be very limited except in a time of dire emergency.
6. Mayor should have some ability to discretionary purchases say up to a maximum of say $500.00. Should be authorized by the Town Manager prior to purchase if possible and all receipts logged and submitted via expense reports.
7. The Town Manager has to be able to run the town. Period!! That is why you pay that person so handsomely. There should be limits on that purchase power also..and then council should be advised to monies spent and authorization from the council should be required on budget items. The manager can move $5,000 between accounts already.
8. All people using the town email server should understand that emails are normally not confidential, and you have no right to privacy. Depending on what you do with your computer you could possibly lose your job.

So what does all this mean?? It means there are more bumps in the road for this council. It means there is a definitive split or separation between the old and new. Some will be solved with learning a new way of doing business. Adapting and working for the good of the town. It won't be easy, due to the fact there are distinct philosophical differences. Don't get me wrong, I believe the Mayor thinks she did nothing wrong. You will never change her mind about that. Just won't happen. The thing to do is move on. More likely, the next meeting or two will be about her trying to get even from what she will perceive as a personal attack. She will probably attack in the form of what I will call her "soapbox" with a lot of backing from her supporters in the audience. It will be shame but history tends to repeat itself and probably will again.

NEW TOWN HALL

2006-05-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Apparently as early as mid 2004 the town manager and council had an idea of the cost of the new Town Hall that when questioned stated they didn't know how much it would cost. Seems the number was $8.0 million dollars. Seems they also had meetings with people as to how to finance the deal. That was a couple of years ago, and of course the cost has gone up not only with materials but borrowing of the money also. It could potentially add .07 or .08 cents to the tax base. No one wanted to talk about it in 2004 or at least the gory details, just the idea of a new town hall. (I support the idea a new town hall is needed.) My disgust comes from the way the town hall has been handled, secrecy. When questioned on numerous occasions and in the ITFYI web site never was there an answer given. After all, its our money being used, don't we as citizens have a right to know what is going on?
More citizens of Indian Trail need to get involved with every aspect of our government. We have to hold our elected officials accountable for our tax dollars. It is imperative they show fiscal responsibility. It is up to us as citizens to hold their feet to the fire though...if allowed to run amock they probably will.

INDIAN TRAIL BUDGET AND TAXES

2006-05-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

May 5th and 6th marked the first time that the Indian Trail town council seemingly spoke at length about the town budget and actually welcomed citizens input. Not sure why it hadn't been done in the past, but it was a process that was long overdue. Judging by what I saw and heard on May 5th, the citizens of Indian Trail have a rude awakening waiting for them. Due to the fiscal strategy of the past, the bills are coming due in the present and future. What was a yearly expectation of 400,000 to 500,000 dollar budget surpluses have now changed in to a need for tax increases. I could sit here and tell you it was the fault of the previous town manager and previous councils for not monitoring more closely the budget, and I would be right. The blame also lies with the citizens of the town for a lot of the same reasons. No public involvement. In the past, it was impossible to get public input due to the manager and council. Now given the opportunity to participate there was a disappointing turnout at the meetings from the public. The garbage collection fiasco alone should generate public outcry since its costing the town more and more money with every additional house brought into the fold. It will be interesting to see what the town has come up with in order to stem the outflow of your tax dollars. If you are interested, you need to visit the town and get a copy of the budget and the tax increases as soon as they become available. Get involved.

MAY 30, 2006 RUNOFF ELECTION

2006-05-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Coming up on May 30th Union county still has a decision to make about the make up of their board of commissioners. Four candidates are vying for 2 spots and it seems very clear that there are 2 distinct factions. Seems like people are dividing them by Openshaw/Stone against Mills/Rushing.
Three of the four candidates are currently or have been commissioners. The lone person (Openshaw) is a Marvin councilmember. Each candidate has good and bad points depending on who you speak to about them. Below is a breakdown of each as I see the them:

Parker Mills: Previous commissioner, won't tell anybody if he is for the APFO or not. Not sure if its the APFO he doesn't understand or like or the idea of it or what. Criticized for previous tenure as commissioner, not sure if we could expect anything different though time has passed.

Richard Stone: Senior member of the commissioners 12 years I believe. Seems to be the best politician of the bunch to have lasted this long. Seems to work well with others. Strong stance for schools and APFO.

Stony Rushing: current commissioner and probably the most negative person I have ever seen on a board of any kind. Voted no on just about every item on an agenda. Even voted no on expanding 911 services!! States he is conservative, but seems like its his way or he pouts. Served as the foil to Mr. Hughie Sexton (not in runoff election) and will argue seemingly anything. For some of the same reasons people didn't vote for Sexton he shouldn't be reelected either.

Lanny Openshaw; the only one of the four with no county political experience. Well prepared, knowledgeable, can seemingly reason a difficult decision for the betterment of the citizens. Came in 2nd just missing the cutoff for enough votes and should definitely be a commissioner. Strong supporter of schools and APFO.

There you have it as I see it...trouble is will anyone bother to vote besides a few people? That is the main question? It is imperative that we vote whenever given the opportunity. Our country was founded with that right and too many people gave their lives to preserve that right for it to be ignored. I'm too busy, don't care, those are not answers but they are excuses. It takes a couple of minutes. Don't make excuses get out and VOTE>>>>>>>>>>

NC SURPLUS

2006-04-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

So according to the news NC has a $600 million dollar surplus!!!! Apparently from the story they don't seem to understand how they got it either or what to do with it. I have an idea for them, why not put the past few years worth of ROAD MONEY you took to cover your shortfalls in the general budget back into the DOT budget so we could get roads built, repaired, and even possibly get the Monroe Bypass completed without being a toll road before I get too old to drive on it??????? For years the state has been taking road money ($80 million) the last time for their mismanagement of the states budget...its time to pay back the money. Of course that brings up another conundrum the DOT would have the money and we all know that organization has questions about honesty. So choose your poison? Which one will it be? Any other suggestions about the $600 million surplus?

INDIAN TRAIL TOWN COUNCIL GETTING ALONG?

2006-04-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Having attended the Town Council meeting April 25,2006 it seems that the members of the council are seemingly getting along. At least on the surface, it seems they are now concentrating on actions for the betterment of the town rather than fighting on every occasion. It shows great strides on all the members to try and work together rather than fight, and I for one am glad to see it. Unknown what lies just below the surface though, and hopefully nothing bubbles to the top. Its important to be able to agree to disagree and then get the job done. Seems the new town clerk (Peggy) has hit her stride and is performing above the satisfaction of the council. After a 3-2 vote to hire Mr. Canseler as the attorney, it seems that after hearing him speak and his knowledge the town made a wise investment to get him. Seems the entire council favors the new attorney rather than just the 3 members that voted for him originally. I realize that the interim town manager (Fern Shubert) brought with her baggage from all over the county but it seems for the most part she is doing what they brought her in to do and rapidly getting the budget set for the coming year. I say baggage because due to her outspoken nature, she seems to have as many detractors as supporters. Now if we could just get some sort of sound system in that place for meetings we would be doing excellent. We have to be able to afford some wireless microphones for the podium and council table. I think there must be a way to do it even if we buy the stuff through ebay...Anyone have ideas????Please contact me or comment on this blog.

Education Forum

2006-04-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

The candidates for County Commissioners were grilled with questions from 3 students of SunValley High school on April 20th. Judging from the response of the candidates they stated the questions were thoughtful, insightful, and deeply meaningful and nothing like this had been experienced throughout the other forums. Instead of rehashing old topics, the students represented themselves, their families, their school, and County with honor. The disappointing part of the evening was the lack of voter turnout to hear the candidates speak. The education topic is at the forfront of the county responsibilities and affects everyone in this county due to the fact that .60 cents or more of tax dollars go to schools. They people that were too busy, didn't care, or just didn't want to get involved missed a fast paced and some heated discussions. Unfortunately, Apathy in this county has been the big winner so far in this election period.

ROAD MONEY NOT WHAT IT APPEARS

2006-04-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

In recent days the press has indicated that Indian Trail is sitting on millions of dollars for roads. Mr. Larry Helms indicated in the town hall meeting that the town should use it or lose it (friendly threat). That in turn caused citizens to start complaining of road issues. Trouble is that the money used for roads is clear as mud. I am not an expert on this subject but know a little bit and will gladly share it. The town of Indian Trail receives Powell Bill funds which are to be used on town maintained roads (Indian Trail has 6+ miles). Those funds can be used for new road projects, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and repair of said roads. Thats it...if the state maintains a road that is in disrepair the town can't use that money. Through the DOT the town has 4 million dollars of money designated for Indian Trail road...problem is that the DOT would like to 4 lane it but there is not enough room and the previous council didn't want it so the money has sat there unused. This is not free money either, the town has to put up a million dollars for a project for a total of 5 million in order to get the DOT share (4 mil). The money is designated for Indian Trail road and nothing else. In order for it to be moved to another project, the town has to do a resolution and send it to DOT and hope they go along with the new ideas for the money. The way I understand it, that would not include repair of existing roads. That again is a function of the DOT and if you have read articles in the paper, you would know that the repair budget for this area took a 6 million dollar hit that to Speaker Black (he gave it to Mint Hill). So you see the road money is anything but crystal clear. Bottom line is if there is a road repair issue more than likely you should call the DOT representatives and express to them what your concerns are.

Indian Trail Road Money

2006-04-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday April 11, 2006 the Town of Indian Trail was politely told by Larry Helms (DOT) representative that monies the town has will have to be used soon or face losing it back to the state. After years of hoarding the money (John Munn former Town Manager) the DOT now states that the money has to be spent? Seems odd that this type of warning happens shortly after the firing of John Munn? Maybe Mr. Helms is going around telling all the towns their road money has to be spent? Needless to say the few millions of dollars that Indian Trail has will only go so far. It would only be a drop in the bucket for something like Williams Rescue Road estimated at $25 million or more. Monroe road could use all the money it can get but problem with that is you have to involve Matthews, Stallings, and Indian Trail to accomplish anything on that road. It seems that if road conditions are to improve in this area, the bypass has to be built as soon as possible. There are 3 sections A, B, C. B and C are supposedly funded and A has everything in place to fund but details are being worked out and nothing is set in stone yet. Section A in my opinion needs to meet up with B and then connect to 485. Limited access off the bypass, and no dumping traffic into Indian Trail and Stallings because that doesn't make sense.
Unfortunately, there is no telling how traffic will be affected by the bypass until its built. Until then, there is no money in the system for new road projects and MUMPO is having to look at eliminating 50 million dollars more from projects already scheduled. Can you say MISMANAGEMENT!!!

COUNTY POLITICAL RACES

2006-04-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

The primary is May 2, 2006. I am encouraging everyone that is able to vote in the primary to do so. It is imperative that as many people cast votes as possible Republicans and Unaffiliated alike. The state of the County is up for grabs and could go back to set up much like the late 1990's. In case you forgot or don't know, that is when the developers were running everything. The actions of the past board are directly responsible for the overcrowded schools, roads, and higher taxes.
Please get involved, do your homework and VOTE.

Another race not getting much attention is the race for Clerk of Distrit Court. In this primary republicans Lucy Drake and J.R. Rowell face off to see which candidate will face the Democratic incumbent Tripp Helms in the fall. This office has been held by a Democrat for the past 30+ years that I know of. Mr. Helms was given the job in September 2005 after the long time incumbent left office before the term had ended. Which ever candidate comes out of the primary the fall race will definitely be an interesting one. With the commissioners race over in May...not many races will be decided in the fall. The Democrats will be working hard to retain this seat.

BLOOD DRIVE IN STALLINGS

2006-04-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

If you are willing and able to give blood, the Red Cross office in Stallings will be having a blood drive on April 18, 2006 from 2pm - 6:30pm. The last time they held a blood drive all of 8 people gave blood. Please make an effort to give blood, it only costs a little bit of your time.

Question #1 from the Edge, kind of Dull

2006-04-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

I happened to have read the EDGE (3/31/06). In the paper was question #1 for the Candidates for Commissioner. The question: "Amid the concerns that Union County has become increasingly divisive, leading to narrow votes and bickering among the Board of Commissioners, further pitting an east versus west mentality, do you support district representation and/or expansion of the board that you seek? Please explain in your response how better county equity could be obtained."
All the candidates but two answered in a way that makes you think they could work with others on the board. The other two seem to dance to the beat of a different drummer. In particular, Clayton Loflin. He stated early on he was going to "bring common sense back, laugh with the board, not at...and something about civility." Trouble is he hasn't missed an opportunity to attack others in the race and on the current board. He stated "the quick and easy way to bring harmony to the board is to elect 3 conservatives(one being him)" Its important to look at "quick and easy" there are no quick and easy alternatives and anyone telling you that might have swampland to sell you. Apparently Mr. Loflin knows where "friction on the board" comes from and will "show him the door on May 2." Funny thing, I thought he was friends with Stony Rushing? Now apparently he wants to show him the door. Go figure!
That brings me to my next candidate, Mr. Stony Rushing. Instead of answering the question in a mature manner and actually answering the question he does exactly the same thing he does on the board, he trots out 3 year old emails? Apparently showing that Hughie Sexton has strong opinions about people and issues. (Strawberry Queen or not, I have seen Mr. Sexton and Mrs. Anderson at MUMPO meetings and they seem to work together) I am not sure what Mr. Rushing is trying to prove? I have watched the Commissioners meetings on TV and ok I get it you and Hughie don't get along. Move on, grow up...focus on the job at hand. Burying your head in the sand, not taking classes and voting "NO" on most everything is not the answer. Correct me if I am wrong but Mr. Rushing voted NO on expanding 911 operations? How is that possible, 911 (wouldn't that help the citizens of Union?) I could go on but why? You get my point. An added note, Mr. Rushing and Loflin are against districts. Mr. Loflin is against expanding the board and Mr. Rushing never answered that part of the question.

May 2 is very important to the citizens of Union County, voters should listen and exam questions being posed to the candidates. Do not fall for the "OZ Politics" where they are saying one thing so you won't look behind the curtain. Do your homework and make good choices on May 2.

Majority is Majority

2006-03-28T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last night I attended the Stalling Town Council meeting, there was a comment made by Linda Paxton (Mayor) about the constant 3 to 2 votes in neighboring Indian Trail. It struck me that there is such hoopla associated with a 3 to 2 vote. Whether in Indian Trail, the County Commissioners, or other boards especially when it represents typically a majority of the voting members. Is it better to have a 5 to 0 vote? If so why? Does the item being voted on have any more credibility if the vote was 5 to 0? Does the item in a 3 to 2 vote make it any less important to the particular community? I think not!! I think it makes more sense that a board have 3 to 2 votes than constantly having 5 to 0 votes. The boards are made up of INDIVIDUALS. They were not voted in as group so as to achieve a 5 to 0 margin. Each person supposedly has an opinion and experiences that they can call their own. Typically, if you put 10 people in a room and present them something, you have the potential of receiving 10 different opinions even though they have seen the same presentation, so what makes elected officials somehow different. Nothing, they are people too and as such are apt to different opinions. Does a 5 to 0 vote signal uniformity and harmony, I think not. Judging by what I saw at the Stallings meeting last night, each motion had at least one disenting opinion, or statement of I don't understand yet when the vote was taken it was unanomous. It might be frustrating to see 3 to 2 votes but at least the elected officials stand by their votes and beliefs...right or wrong you can learn a lot more by dissenting votes than a constant 5 to 0 outcome. Just for the record Mayor Paxton...Indian Trail may have started off rocky, but the last two meetings have seen a lot of unanomous votes, maybe 3 to 2 can be looked at as a learning opportunity afterall majority is majority.

Stallings Attorney Caught? or Just Set-up?

2006-03-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

Seems the town of Stallings is fast becoming the "Peyton Place" of Union County. According to the newspaper and TV reports, the so called news is that the Stallings Town attorney after finding money at a Harris Teeter has somehow created a major moral oops by wanting to make sure the money got to the rightful owner? Seems there is a lot more to the story than is actually being reported. Such as what is really behind all the noise? Is this something more than a witch hunt? Part of a larger picture to insert a new attorney (one to the mayors liking?). I don't know for sure but ther is quite the scuttlebutt floating around. Anyone care to chime in on the situation in Stallings?

May 2, 2006 Very IMPORTANT to UNION COUNTY

2006-03-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

May 2nd is the primary and unlike other years will be the election at least for the Union County Commissioner candidates. Since all 10 are republican the top 3 vote getters will move on in the fall to become our next commissioners. All the candidates have seemingly been divided up and put into one category or another. The main one being Developer endorsed and Non Developer endorsed. There also seems to be other sub group classifications also but as a voter the important thing to remember is 1. Get out and vote. 2. Get to know the candidates. 3. Don't let others influence your vote by believing everything you hear. Its your decision to vote or not. If not you don't have much room to complain about the happenings in the county. You have basically forfeited your vote to those who cared enough to vote. If you are unhappy about the outcome, complain to those who voted.

Williams Rescue Road = $25 million

2006-03-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

Does the town of Indian Trail need Williams Rescue Road? Approximate cost is $25 million.
Supporters of the new road would like you to believe that safety, traffic, and reviatalization were the core of the road being built. All of which would better the lives of residents.
Opponents to the road believe that the road would be built to benefit a handful of developers that stand to make millions developing not only the downtown area but areas near the road itself. They see traffic easing on Indian Trail road but only as a minor benefit and for a short time due to the 600+ residences planned for the downtown project. The traffic would still end up on an overcrowded Monroe Road and without massive changes to Monroe Road what real good would Williams Rescue Road do? The immediate benefit would be apparent with the downtown project recently approved by the previous council as well as Austin Village at Potters and Chestnut. So I am asking is Williams Rescue Road needed? Who should build it? Does it solve existing problems or create new problems?