Fiscal Health

[Don Haddix]

As all know the economy is not that good. We also know PTC budget income is down as well.

What factors have contributed to the decline?
1. Loss of employers from the Industrial Park due to closing, moving overseas or elsewhere. A problem occurring all over the nation.
2. Decline of consumer spending. Less spending generates less sales tax income.
3. Lack of PTC specific institutional, industrial and educational recruiting. PTC has been depending on the Fayette County Development Authority to do the work on our behalf.
4. Overt support of retail growth in an already over saturated market. While the claim is that there has been no active recruiting it has been well know PTC has been extremely retail growth friendly. The fees, etc. collected are one time fees that aid in year one but afterwards turn negative by adding more empty retail space in PTC without reducing the infrastructure costs and services still required by these empty spaces along with new costs required by the new spaces. As we near build out the practice of financing PTC with this fee scheme approach fails because there just isn't room to continue building without annexation, which is a viable option to some on Council.

So how do we turn it around?

A difficult answer in these times but we need to get on the correct road now to be ready later.
1. Tighten ordinances to get better control of retail development. Already working on this issue.
2. Enable and back the PTC Development Authority to work for PTC in recruiting non retail employers into the Industrial Park and elsewhere and redevelop certain segments of PTC housing. They are already working on gaining grants to build sewer lines on Huddleston and I became the Council liaison to aid in these efforts.
3. Find places to reduce PTC expenditures. Some success already with other areas in work or noticed.
4. Be more open to the citizens in how PTC is run. This website is an effort in that direction. A more informed citizen is one more able to contribute time, effort and ideas to better PTC.
5. Restore the PTC image as a Village way of life to attract residents to vacant home in PTC. The more desirable PTC is means the more money that comes to and stays in PTC.

A long road. We didn't reach the point we are now in within a few days and will not work our way out in a few days.

[Don Haddix]

I add here cuts in Fire and Police are not going to happen. Delays have already been done in the recent past and we are behind on some essentials now.

We should have two more Fire Stations with one being the emergency command for a disaster. We don't have either.

We need to replace some fire equipment but it is delayed. We cannot keep delaying.

We are running some fire facilities understaffed. Not good to be putting one person on a two person operation.

The police department is getting a new police chief. Hope to have him in place by April 1st. He has work to do. The process to select him was fully acceptable to me and I am well pleased.

One ATV for golf cart paths and off road is now in operation, another coming. Not an optional issue for PTC.

In stats for multiple muncipalities we spend 63% less on safety than do but 73% more on leisure and 249% more on the liberary.

Since others don't own their libraries that number is unclear on how it works out for the bottom line.

On leisure, we don't want to be at the levels of many other muncipalities but we sure need to take the issue in hand and do some corrections, which are in fact being worked on now.

We need to get non retail into PTC for employment. I became the Development Authority laison for that exact purpose. They need backing and resources and I intend for them to get both.

Proposals for some areas of Public Works have already been implimented and others are in the future or have been proposed.

And so forth.

So, yes, we are trying to change things but it cannot happen overnight, just not enough of us to get around and we are not always backed where we need backing.

The loss of a number of employers from the Industrial base was not the fault of anyone in PTC. Nor will it be for further shinkage to come.

But lack of effort to replace, encourage and promotes surely does carry blame. Depending on the County Developement Authority to solely take care of us was a mistake.

Not saying not some good people at County. But all our eggs in one basket serving the whole county and our not being in control of the goals for us has been a mistake.

I have to say the recent appointments to the Authority are very encouraging. Some great skill has volunteered and been brought on board.

Finally, recent efforts at state to take away local tax and fee funding is not helpful. When locally elected officials to state vote in favor of those bills it is even more worrisome.

We don't want state assuming the role of Council and taking our local dollars meant for supporting PTC and distributing them to other parts of the state to be more equitable.

Efforts were begun last year to get our full Point of Sales sales tax dollars back to PTC. A worthy goal.

A lot of work to do and I truly would appreciate the input of constructive suggestions and knowledge.

Thanks you.

[Don Haddix]

Some additional thoughts.

The GC to LUC made it clear some on Council are willing to use loopholes to continue retail and related expansion. That is not helpful and sets us up for lawsuits like the Hyde/Lowes loss.

Can such be fixed? Yes, there is a way but it will not happen on this current Council unless there is a change of thinking by one member, which I do not foresee.

There is some change that I see as positive. As word moves out into the political and developer world, it is being more and more recognized that PTC is not quite as open to all comers as it once was. Combining that recognition, the reality not much development will be occurring in the near future, due to the economy and the outlook for the next election makes the picture of future development proposals and building different than today.

In example some pieces of property in the county once guaranteed to develop retail and thus a high probable annexation are now up for sale. A rep for that and several other pieces of property that wish to be annexed contacted me and we discussed the issue. They now are searching for non housing and non retail uses of that property that will result in them being annexed.

No, they are not properties that will expand PTC willy nilly, but will complete the PTC county line interfaces in a more practical and meaningful way.

Other owners who were looking for high density now understand that they have to bring things to the table that will help PTC, not just add retail and residential. They have to justify building.

With this economy it is a struggle, but with getting the right expectations out there we should get the right kind of development proposals increasingly in the future.

Add in bringing an active and properly configured DAPC to pursue what PTC needs and the picture becomes even more appealing over time.

No overnight miracles, but a plan based on solid goals from which to work.