From a very savvy reader:
TAXPAYERS' MONEY and ELECTED OFFICIALS WASTEFUL SPENDING:
What a debate in the Tuscumbia mayor and city council race on whether or not Tuscumbia can afford, or need a RV Park (aka Muskrat Villa) at the Spring Park swamp bottom!
I own a business in Tuscumbia and truly hope before Tuscumbia puts us on the hook for such a money pit, they will look at the COUNTY RV park and closely analyze the cost to the taxpayers.
The Colbert County RV Park (the old alloys park) was donated to the County, FREE. Well, almost.......
The County Commissioners approved renovations in the amount of $820,000.00 with $160,000.00 in grants to help with the renovation leaving a debt of $660,000.00 (which includes employee costs and $15,000.00 in attorney fees - that was a hefty charge for reviewing a contract and filing deeds now wasn’t it?).
RECORDS show - past 5 years -
INCOMEis over $318,000.00
EXPENSES (renovation and yearly operations) total $1,146,000.000 - yes - 1 MILLION, 1 HUNDRED FORTY SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS. This leaves taxpayers with a large debt for a “free” RV park.
In the best year - 2016
EXPENSESwere $67,000.00
INCOME a little over $46,000 (Economics 101 would call this careless budgeting and malfeasance.)
EXPENSES WERE $21,000.00 MORE than the income!
What county or city programs suffers to pay the ongoing shortfall for this RV Park? — schools, roads, jail, salaries? Granted, the park in the east end of the county has generated ONE JOB for a caretaker/manager.
There is little hope of ever generating income to cover expenses, or begin to recover the renovation costs and attorney fees of $660,000.00 with yearly losses over $21,000.00 a year.
EACH YEAR this RV Park will go further and further in the RED- creating a greater debt for the taxpayers.
TUSCUMBIA - This is not what we want in our city!
Shouldn’t these hundreds of thousands of dollars be sent to the mayors for infrastructure that would encourage and generate JOBS?
We, the public, are tired of the waste and ready for a change - not a short change.
It’s time to STOP the irresponsible budgeting and wasteful spending on projects that will never grow our economy.
Surely Tuscumbia officials understand finance and budgeting a little better than this county commission. If they can’t see a LOSS of $660,000.00 to date and growing debt of $21,000.00 a year for a RV Park doesn’t pass the smell test, then they all need to be sent home on November 8th!
This ain’t Robin Williams “RV” comedy movie, this is our community’s future!
We need a hero that will step up to challenge the status quo and WORK for JOBS and SERVICES! VOTE for CHANGE that will IMPROVE our ECONOMY, STREETS, BRING JOBS and LOWER our TAXES!!
WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP!!!! WE NEED JOBS!!!!! *****
*****
While we're not endorsing either Clinton or Trump (we pretty much think both candidates are beneath contempt), we're amused that anyone would criticize the investigation into Hillary's e-mail debacle by saying most congressmen have done the same thing. How did that argument work when you used it on your mother?
