by Leslie Lytle
Messenger Staff Writer
At the June 30 meeting, the Sewanee Community Council approved increasing the municipal service fee paid by all leaseholders to generate $10,000 to $20,000 in funds to be used by the Community Council for municipal improvements. The fee increase is for a trial two-year period.
A committee charged with investigating ways to encourage active participation in the council drafted the proposal. The committee was comprised of council representatives John Flynn, Theresa Shackelford and Pam Byerly, University community relations liaison Barbara Schlichting and University provost John Swallow.
Council representative John Flynn said the proposal addresses the complaint that the Council has no power.
The fee increase would be based on home value according to the Franklin County tax assessment. For example, to generate $10,000 of revenue, the owner of a home valued at $300,000 would see a fee increase of $56, said John Swallow, provost of the University. The average leasehold fee increase would be $22 annually.
At the June 30 meeting, the Sewanee Community Council approved increasing the municipal service fee paid by all leaseholders to generate $10,000 to $20,000 in funds to be used by the Community Council for municipal improvements. The fee increase is for a trial two-year period.
A committee charged with investigating ways to encourage active participation in the council drafted the proposal. The committee was comprised of council representatives John Flynn, Theresa Shackelford and Pam Byerly, University community relations liaison Barbara Schlichting and University provost John Swallow.
Council representative John Flynn said the proposal addresses the complaint that the Council has no power.
The fee increase would be based on home value according to the Franklin County tax assessment. For example, to generate $10,000 of revenue, the owner of a home valued at $300,000 would see a fee increase of $56, said John Swallow, provost of the University. The average leasehold fee increase would be $22 annually.
Council representative David Coe
took issue with the proposal saying
non-leaseholders would benefit from
the municipal improvements and not
share in the cost. Council representative Theresa Shackelford countered
that individuals could make contributions to projects that interested them.
Flynn said that community organizations could also make contributions.
A visitor suggested the municipal service fee increase for community improvements would be more meaningful if the University matched the funds raised by the fee increase. Swallow said the University contribution would depend on the project.
Coe said the proposal needed to be brought publicly to the community for discussion before a vote. Council representative Pat Kelley agreed. Flynn argued that as an elected body the council was empowered to make decisions regarding the constituents they represented.
The council voted 12 to 2 in favor of the proposal; Coe and Kelley voted against the proposal.
Vice-Chancellor John McCardell said, “This is not a step the University is taking lightly.” At the August 25 meeting, the council will determine the amount of revenue to be raised and the exact percentage of the fee increase.
For the coming academic year, the
council will meet on Aug., 25, Oct. 13,
and Dec. 1 in 2014 and on Feb. 23, April
27, and June 22 in 2015.
A visitor suggested the municipal service fee increase for community improvements would be more meaningful if the University matched the funds raised by the fee increase. Swallow said the University contribution would depend on the project.
Coe said the proposal needed to be brought publicly to the community for discussion before a vote. Council representative Pat Kelley agreed. Flynn argued that as an elected body the council was empowered to make decisions regarding the constituents they represented.
The council voted 12 to 2 in favor of the proposal; Coe and Kelley voted against the proposal.
Vice-Chancellor John McCardell said, “This is not a step the University is taking lightly.” At the August 25 meeting, the council will determine the amount of revenue to be raised and the exact percentage of the fee increase.
The committee charged with ad-
dressing council participation also
recommended three changes to the
constitution: reducing the residency
requirement for council members from
four years to two years; formalizing
the expectation that council members
attend meetings; the stipulation that
all terms, including terms of council
representatives elected this November,
end in 2016. Swallow said ending all
terms in 2016 would put all council representatives on equal footing
if other changes such as redistricting
are implemented. The council will vote
on the constitutional amendments at
the August meeting.
In addition to redrawing district boundaries so council representation more accurately reflects the number of residents in each district, the council is considering increasing the membership to include at-large representatives.
Following up on a suggestion made by student representative Caitlin-Jean Juricic, council representative Annie Armour proposed minutes from meetings of community groups like the Civic Association, the Business Alliance and the Community Center be made public. Kiki Beavers, web manager for the Sewanee Mountain Messenger, will ask community groups to send her their minutes and post them on the Messenger’s partner web- site <TheMountainNow.com>.
In addition to redrawing district boundaries so council representation more accurately reflects the number of residents in each district, the council is considering increasing the membership to include at-large representatives.
Following up on a suggestion made by student representative Caitlin-Jean Juricic, council representative Annie Armour proposed minutes from meetings of community groups like the Civic Association, the Business Alliance and the Community Center be made public. Kiki Beavers, web manager for the Sewanee Mountain Messenger, will ask community groups to send her their minutes and post them on the Messenger’s partner web- site <TheMountainNow.com>.
Based on consultation with the Sewanee Business Alliance, Shackelford
proposed a slightly raised (painted)
crosswalk in the vicinity of Angel
Park. Police Chief Marie Eldridge
said street-side parking and speeding
posed hazards for pedestrians. Other
solutions considered included speed
bumps and ripple strips (slight ridges
in the pavement) which frequently lead
to complaints about noise. The Council
voted to approve the proposal.
Eldridge will forward the request to the Franklin County Highway Department. The Highway Department will determine the exact location of the crosswalk and bear the cost.
Eldridge will forward the request to the Franklin County Highway Department. The Highway Department will determine the exact location of the crosswalk and bear the cost.
No comments:
Post a Comment