Congratulations to our Mayors-Elect
As I write this semi-monthly column, most of us here on the Eastern Shore still do not know who will be our next mayor. The run-off elections in Daphne and Fairhope will take place simultaneous with the appearance of this issue of Lagniappe. So in a most timely manner I congratulate whoever wins these elections and generously share with each a little free advice on how to make this upcoming term of office better than the last four years. Here goes:
Dear Mr. Mayor of Daphne:
Congratulations and welcome back. You have a chance to start afresh whether from four years ago or just yesterday – so don’t screw it up.
Get control over your city engineer and engineering contractors and be sure – really certain – before a new subdivision is approved or wetlands are intruded upon that what’s planned will do more good than harm. Let’s never again see things like the flooding of nearby homes due to subdivision re-grading or the creation of a drainage ditch from a meandering stream. Not rocket science, just a commitment to good planning and vigorous oversight during execution.
Next, do some house-cleaning in Planning and Zoning. This is within your authority and should be done as quickly as people can be replaced. P&Z is where the future of Daphne is shaped – and it sure is looking ragged. Nobody outside of the mayor’s office seems happy with how this city agency operates. Outcomes are unpredictable and process times seem endless. I’ve observed the operation and discussed its quirks and machinations with builders and developers who deal with P&Z on a daily basis. Consistency seems to exist only in its absence – new blood is needed.
Given the Strong-Council, Weak-Mayor form of government that is mandated for your city, if you want to have serious influence over how Daphne is run, you need to be able to influence what happens in the council. A veto (often overridden) is a far less effective way to affect policy and regulation than helping shape proposals from the beginning. So from the start reach out to the council as a whole with the objective of cooperatively setting the addenda for the next four years.
Finally, as you proceed, remember that your only responsibility and sole charge is serving the people of Daphne – not pursuing pet projects and personal agendas or pandering to special interests.
Your faithful correspondent, etc, etc.
And for the next guy down the bay:
Greetings to Your Eminence, Imperial Mayor of Fairhope/ Ambassador from the Single Tax Colony (as the case may be):
Whomsoever of you is chosen, may you begin this term of service by determining what the financial condition of the City of Fairhope actually is. I have worked hard at following the soap opera-like story of Fairhope’s finances but am baffled. Are we so poor that only a ruinous increase in utilities will keep us from going the way of Lehman Brothers, or are we so rolling in dough that we can afford to line every street with trees and fill our parking spaces with flowers?
Maybe everything is in great shape. If that’s the case, the council and the residents need reassurance – the recent accounting award, while nice, is not in itself evidence of the fiscal well-being of the city. If all is not well, fixing this will require your personal attention. You, not your staff, need to work with the council and citizen volunteers to develop a recovery plan.
I recognize the risks to any Fairhope office-holder who suggests this, but a sales tax has to be considered. While there appears to be an endemic aversion to a city sales tax (Single Tax Colony influence?), it is a good source of revenue that will get visitors to help pay for many of the things that attracted them to Fairhope. You can’t charge an entrance fee for their visit to “The Americana Land Village,” but you can collect a local tax on what they buy – like just about every other city in Alabama. If prudent, you can lower utility rates to compensate residents for the added sales tax they would be paying.
Currently fire and police services are provided to individuals and businesses in certain areas outside the city limits. This provides them with financial and quality-of-life benefits, but is an uncompensated cost to Fairhope since they pay no property taxes to the city. Some of the areas served rejected land-use planning, presenting the very real possibility of unconstrained commercial growth immediately adjacent to the city limits. Think about having Daphne’s Hamburger Hill recreated along AL181 south of Wal-Mart. Scary, but there are no restrictions in that area to prevent this from happening.
As mayor, you should set annexation of these bordering sections of the county as an administration priority. Hold out a carrot and wield a stick in dealing with the people living there – offer to grandfather some of the non-compliant aspects of their homes and businesses, while warning them that there will be a cut-off of city public safety services to everyone living outside the city limits.
Respective submitted, etc, etc.
So that’s it folks. My take on top-level things the new (or old) guys should do as they start their next four years as mayors, but take advantage of this moment in time and share your concerns with them.
Contact Pete Gleszer at jubilee@lagniappemobile.com.
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