I would like to make a few comments and observations regarding the recent controversy involving the Saline County 911 Committee’s site selection process. All that was asked at the beginning of this process was that all interested parties be given an equal opportunity….. “a level playing field.” The public was told this would be done and this promise has been repeated over and over. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Guidelines have been ignored, criteria changed and invented, paid advertising on how the process would proceed was not followed. Meetings were conducted, votes taken and tax money spent without proper quorums.
To paraphrase President John Kennedy: “This is one county because all of us had an equal chance. We cannot say to 10% of the population that you can’t have the chance to develop. I think we owe ourselves a better county than that. This is not a sectional issue. Difficulties exist in every city, in every state of the Union. Nor is this a partisan issue…people of good will… should be able to unite regardless of party or politics. I hope that everyone, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all are created equal, with equal opportunity and the rights of everyone are diminished when the rights of one are threatened.”
In the best of times it is difficult to make progress in rural Missouri. Our best opportunity is to work together with our neighbors to make the entire region better. This is not an issue of Slater vs. Marshall, or one town against another; this is a question of open, honest government and being good stewards of taxpayers’ money. In my opinion neither has happened in this selection process.
The ‘Site Selection Criteria’ that was published included the following: 1)Safety 2)Location 3)Be separate from other vital agencies 4)Environment 5)Topography 6)Size & Shape 7)Accessibility 8)Public Service 9)Utilities 10) Safety. In my opinion, Slater’s proposal met all of the criteria that was made available. It was only after site visits that it was announced the committee would be using NENA’s (National Emergency Numbering Agency) standards for grading the sites. If this information would have been made public, it would certainly have impacted the proposals.
Some of the other items listed on ‘site selection criteria’ that was distributed are: “outside of air traffic patterns, remote from radio interference sources, and remote from fuel storage.” Terms such as ‘remote’, ‘close’ ‘outside of’and ‘near’ were used in the selection criteria; how can you address specifics when such ambiguous terminology is used? When the chairman was asked to define “close” the answer given was “what does close mean to you?” The site is to be a “minimum of 50 feet from public streets, 50 feet from parking and be 4 acres or more.” Has this criteria been met? The “site must be remote from cultural or historic assets.” According to the ‘Marshall Democrat News’ the new Nicholas-Beazley Aviation Museum will be “filled with historical objects…and are planning interactive exhibits to make history come alive.”
The commission’s minutes reflect that the Slater and Marshall sites were being offered free. While that may have been our intention, no place in our proposal is anything mentioned about free or no charge. It was stated that site would be ‘provided’; since the criteria specifically stated “proposals should not be submitted with any price or cost information” it appears we are arguing over semantics. The public notice that was in ‘Slater Main Street News’ read: “Once eligible sites have been determined, a separate bidding or negotiation process will be advertised.” This has not happened.
Probably the most important and least discussed factor in the site selection process is costs. Whenever someone purchases land, an automobile or a home, one of the first questions is usually ‘how much does it cost’? This has not been asked, answered or even discussed. Another listed criteria was “the property should be cost effective.” How do you study cost effectiveness when you don’t advertised for bids as promised. I don’t know what the cost will be, but yesterday’s ‘Democrat News’ reported that two years ago the land at the selected site sold for $40,000 an acre!
As an elected official I have always believed one of the most important responsibilities is to be a good steward of the public’s money. It is a duty that should never be taken lightly. When the current county administration conclude their terms in office, citizens will have paid $25 MILLION DOLLARS in new county taxes. During the ‘State of Saline County’ program it was shown that we have a declining population and tax revenues are down. Demographics show that 20% of our citizens are seniors, 23% children and over 14% of our population lives in poverty. With fixed, little or no income, the tax burden becomes even heavier on the rest of our citizens.
The City of Slater’s 911 proposal would save the taxpayers a minimum of one-quarter of a million dollars! Depending on land costs, in-kind donations and other factors, that savings could be much higher. Our elected officials have a fiduciary responsibility to the citizens of this county and it seems that responsibility is being ignored.
In his inaugural speech, President Harry Truman said: “The American people stand firm in the faith which has inspired this Nation from the beginning. We believe that all men have a right….to share in the common good.” Somehow this simple principle has been forgotten, overlooked or simply ignored when it comes to the Saline County 911 Dispatch Center.
Tax Money Wasted!
22 Thursday May 2008
Posted in Uncategorized
Today, the 
No, you want to talk about pain after NAFTA, says Marilyn Lorenz (at left in picture) of the Interfaith Committee on Latin America, try being Mexican. 