It's called your own back yard. I wanted one, so I had one built. Cannot afford one so now you want the rest of the taxpayers to build you one.
THE ISSUE
On Nov. 4, Columbia County voters will be presented with an $18 million bond referendum to build an aquatics and tennis center. The bond would be repaid with a property tax increase.
During a series of public meetings to discuss the proposed 2011-16 1-cent sales tax, some swimming enthusiasts argued for the inclusion of a natatorium as a part of the tax package.
Saying the county had too many infrastructure needs to include a swimming pool, county commissioners excluded the natatorium from the sales tax package and opted for a separate bond referendum.
Some homeowners complained during meetings that it would be unfair to burden them with a tax increase to pay for the aquatics and tennis center. Some argued that too few people would use the pool to justify the cost.
RECREATION USERS
Using the Columbia County school system enrollment as a basis for comparison, The Augusta Chronicle attempted to calculate a percentage of children taking part in recreation department programs and the approximate percentage of Columbia County residents on the competitive roster of Greater Augusta Swimming and Aiken-Augusta Swim League, two of the area's largest swimming organizations.
Because most sports programs at the recreation department begin for children age 6, Director Charlie Beale said, The Chronicle used 22,338 -- the number of pupils enrolled in first through 12th grades -- as the comparative number. That figure excludes pupils attending private schools. Figures from the recreation department are from 2007.
THE COST
Though there is some variance in the percentage of participants, the cost difference varies more.
It costs about $48,500 annually to maintain Patriots Park and nearly $26,000 annually to maintain Blanchard Woods Park, according to Mr. Beale.
In a cost analysis conducted by county officials, the estimated yearly expense for the maintenance and operations of an aquatics facility is more than $830,000.
County officials, however, are considering a public-private partnership for operating the aquatics center. The private entity would assume the cost of maintenance and operations.
In the proposed 1-cent sales tax package, about $14.3 million would be spent on recreation projects. That is nearly $4 million less than the cost of building an aquatics and tennis center.
| Sport | Number of Participants | Percentage Compared with School Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | 703* | 3.1 Percent |
| Spring soccer | 698* | 3.1 percent |
| Spring baseball | 1,092 | 4.9 Percent |
| Fall soccer | 1,102* | 4.9 percent |
| Fall baseball | 316 | 1.4 percent |
| Softball | 372 | 1.7 percent |
| Football | 874 | 3.9 percent |
| Cheerleading | 120 | 0.005 percent |
| Swimming | 220 | 0.01 percent |
* Denotes that both boys' and girls' teams are included.
Comments
It's called your own back yard. I wanted one, so I had one built. Cannot afford one so now you want the rest of the taxpayers to build you one.
Tax assessments were up this year increasing this years tax bill by several hundred dollars. Next years tax bill will increase several hundred dollars to include the property tax relief bill that Perdue withheld this year. Now they want to add a property tax increase on top of all this to pay for an aquatic center chosen few will use. Wake up CC.Commissioners. Citizens are being taxed to death and we're tired of it.
Stay in your house and watch reality TV. Get fat on fried chicken and mexican food. Oh and if you can't build it then get a bailout from W. Reduce taxes & increase spending? It's just living beyond your means and that's why we're in this mess. Just how is that W working for you now?
Jeez, I want Columbia County to be beautiful and offer great facilities, but this is definitely a bad time to propose more taxes. We can wait for the economy to rebound a bit before saddling the community with more taxes.
Seemingly some of our county's bureaucrats and politicos are infected with "Wish-list Disease." We Columbia County voters can cure them of it on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Don't many of the subdivisions in Columbia County already have swimming pools and tennis courts??
Notice how the reporter says the County officials are "talking" about a "private/public partnership." But they do not have an agreement, and they will not by election day. If you vote "yes" then you are likely be on the hook forever for the operation and maintenance costs.
Don't you folks vote on these 1 cent sales taxes? Just vot NO if the pool and tennis courts are included. Same for A/RC and the down town ball park. They can't spend what you don't give them.
Our taxes have gone up around $700 a year since we moved here in 2000. Almost $2,400 per year is too much already. You can bet I won't vote for anything that is going to increase property taxes even more. Make smarter decisions about spending in Columbia County. Not everyone in Columbia County is wealthy!
Does columbia county really want to become Richmond County that bad? If so, maybe we could all split the cost of a trolley system that would run from the new downtown stadium in RC to the aquitics center in CC since all 3 projects should be considered theft of taxpayer money.
Warning! The Aquatic Center in Douglas County is a money pit. It cost taxpayers over $700,000 per year to operate. This type of facilities will never generate enough cash to cover cost. Also, the general public has trouble using the facility because swim teams have the lanes booked up.
Don't vote for a money pit, unless your county has deep pockets.
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