#DavidsonElection2017: Bonds, eminent domain, and a side of slaw

Davidson Town Hall is in full swing in support of the $15 million GO bond package on the ballot this election.  The bonds were a topic of conversation at last week's Board meeting.  There is a piece in the recent Town Message newsletter that went out as well.  The Town has even paid for a glossy campaign style mailer to presumably every household in town.

This of course is all in the name of "education" on the ballot initiative (wink, wink) and in no way should be considered promotion (wink, wink, wink).  You see, education using official resources is legal, but promotion not.  (If you are wondering about the yard signs and flyers promoting the CMS bonds also on the ballot, those are done by an outside organization.)

What hasn't been mentioned as part of this discussion on Davidson Bonds is the potential use of eminent domain to support any of these projects.

Property acquisition is very much part of the overall discussion of the Potts-Sloan-Beaty connector project which will be getting some funding from these bonds.  The PSB project will require property acquisition and if landowners/homeowners don't want to sell or want more money, what happens then?  Since NCDOT is driving this project eminent domain is certainly an option.  One big piece of this project that would receive bond funding is the "Big Wide Sidewalk" (aka multi-use path) the Town wants to put along the PSB route.  This will make the PSB connector project intrude on private properties along the way more than it would otherwise.  How willing is the town to intrude on private property for a "Big Wide Sidewalk"?  Well, the town hasn't "educated" the public on that.

At the last Board meeting, there was also a lot of channelling of former Mecklenburg County Commissioner, Parks Helms.  When it came to tax increases resulting from things like bonds, Helms was famous for minimizing them.  Once he equated them to a chicken salad and a side of slaw.  Well, in Davidson, the potential from tax increases from the spending proposals on the table are a LOT more than that.  Including these $15 million in bonds plus the planned new Town Hall, Davidson town property tax bills could go up as much as 25% by 2022/2023.  That is per the presentation given at the August 8th Board meeting when the Board voted to move both of these spending plans forward.

There were multiple points thrown out last Tuesday in attempts to minimize the concern about tax increases such as saying the funds will be used to leverage grants, implying all of the bonds might not be spent even if approved.  Commissioner Cashion even equated bonds for long term capital projects to a line of credit.  Bonds are long-term debt.  Lines of credit are typically used for short-term cash flow needs.  They aren't the same thing, but a line of credit may sound better.  In the recent Town Message it was even stated that "if increased revenue from growth does not allow for bond repayment, a tax increase may be necessary to cover the cost of repaying these bonds."  So you the taxpayer have a choice, the continued accelerated pace of growth or more taxes.

Are there some good projects on the list for the proposed bonds?  Yes.  But until we know exactly what the impacts of these projects will be and exactly who will be making these decisions after election day, voters would be advised to not give this Town Hall $15 million to spend, and those voters should vote "No" on these bonds.