You just have to wonder about the Benton County Quorum Court.
Do they not get it?
The cities are not going to pay for ambulance service to areas outside their boundaries.
And, I can guarantee you that includes any sales tax county officials might propose to help underwrite ambulance service.
I mean, really, you want me to pay 1 percent more to support a service I already pay for as a city resident? Not happening.
Maybe they could impose a sales tax on businesses in the affected areas. I doubt it, and I doubt they would raise enough money to make a dent in the expense.
This sales tax theory is just one of the ideas being kicked around by the Quorum Court, which has accepted the responsibility of providing ambulance service to rural areas. Getting them to accept that city residents want no part of paying any more than they already do for ambulance service seems to be more problematic.
At least one of the justices of the peace alleges the cities are being greedy.
Let me tell you: County officials, you are not winning friends and influencing people with this kind of talk.
And if sales tax talk and trash-talking isn't enough, officials are talking about what to do about the need for updated judicial facilities. With a price tag of about $50 million -- depending on which of three options is selected -- we are talking another big financial burden for county taxpayers.
All this after officials approved the purchase of a building to house a satellite office in Rogers at a cost of $779,270. The building wasn't perfect -- after all it had been a drug store -- so it cost $197,571 to remodel, as of Tuesday. A total of $245,000 was appropriated for remodeling, so more may yet be spent.
Having county satellite offices is a good thing. People don't have to take off a half-day of work to drive to Bentonville, drive in circles to find a parking place, then stand in line waiting to conduct business.
The really good thing about the original Rogers satellite office is it cost the county $1 a year, plus utilities. The building at Third and Poplar streets was an old City Hall building. Rogers officials wanted to see it well used, and a deal was struck.
County officials said, however, there wasn't enough room, and certainly the site was popular with residents renewing licenses and voting. But was crowding a good enough reason to spend nearly $1 million for the other building? In my book, $1 a year is a better deal, and, overcrowding a small price to pay in order to address more pressing issues.
There is no question, we need a new court facility. There is also no question we need ambulance service for the entire county.
We also need our county officials to be responsible with a dollar. That means prioritizing needs, developing a master plan for the future and spending money wisely.
Until they do, county residents aren't going to pay for anything more than they already are.
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I'm really glad I didn't stop by last week to hear the discussion the Rogers City Council was to have about the fate of Lake Atalanta Road. Although advertised, the council didn't discuss the matter.
There was a chamber full of people -- the majority apparently interested in the whether the council would vote to close the road to vehicular traffic. There was no discussion and no action.
That's apparently because the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
City Attorney Ben Lipscomb said his staff thought the matter was up for discussion only. It turns out Mayor Greg Hines wanted a vote on the matter, so he could get it behind him, and that was a problem.
There has to be a public hearing if there is any chance of closing or vacating a street or road -- even if the city is owner of property adjacent to said road. That requires legal notices be published, so ... well, you can surmise what happened.
Still, with all those people present, there could have been discussion -- just no action taken. Apparently, no one was very concerned people took time out to attend a council meeting and will have to go back next week if they want to be heard.
Perhaps the lesson city officials need to learn involves encouraging public involvement rather than taking action which perpetuates the negative attitudes people have about government.
Commentary on 03/20/2014