Wednesday, March 23, 2011

If the Metro Council had been more progressive on stormwater fees 2 years ago, how many projects would be done now?

I wonder how those self-styled progressive council members, Megan Barry, Erik Cole, and Ronnie Steine feel about their vote 2 years ago this month against a real progressive attempt to remove Mayor Karl Dean's arbitrary stormwater fee cap on businesses. I wonder what they think about the fact that less than 250 stormwater projects have been completed in 2 years. I wonder how many of the 3,200+ undone stormwater projects might be completed now had they opposed the regressive Dean fees and helped Jason Holleman and Emily Evans drum up more votes to draw the demands on paved-over businesses equal to less-paved residences:

Two years ago, Councilman Jason Holleman proposed a fee structure that would have charged commercial landowners in direct proportion to the amount of impervious surface they own.

While the current system caps the monthly fee at $400 for landowners with 1 million square feet of paved surface, Holleman's proposal would have removed the cap.

"Put simply, the more you pave, the more you pay," Holleman said, adding that his proposal would also reduce the monthly fee for owners of small and midsize commercial properties ....

"Obviously we need to do more, and the May flood highlighted how much infrastructure work there is to do to meet the backlogs and meet the needs of our citizens," Holleman said.

Finally, I wonder why the news media won't hold CMs who vote with the Mayor accountable for unrealized expectations.

1 comment:

  1. Mrs. Barry and the rest are only concerned with doing things that can be part of their PR campaigns for whatever office they decide to run for next. Getting down and dirty with the real issues of the city doesn't count for them.

    Mrs. Barry mistakenly thought that filing the legislation to raze the race-way would prove a nice bullet-point on her next campaign one-sheeter. ("Look at me! I'm the pro-business Dem!") To her, razing the fairgrounds and raceway just meant more campaign contributions from a select few as she works her way up to Senator.

    I voted for Megan Barry because I thought she'd get down to the nuts and bolts of running our city. Instead, she's just laying paper stepping stones to her next political station.

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