Should Cobb issue bonds to buy parkland?

Two op-ed pieces appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Thursday, November 2, 2006, one on each side of the parkland issue.

Cobb voters will decide Tuesday if the county should issue bonds to generate $40 million to buy parkland.

Commission Chairman Sam Olens said the commission has not decided what property the county might buy, but he said the land predominantly would hold passive parks for nature walks, not ball fields.

Olens said open land ranges in price from $100,000 an acre to more than $300,000. That means the money could buy anywhere from 133 to 400 acres. Olens said he also envisions "pocket parks" in areas that might include east Cobb, Vinings and Oakdale. Today, two Cobb residents, one who supports borrowing the money and one who doesn't, weigh in with guest columns.

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PAUL PAULSON: YES
Bond would be fiscally smart move for Cobb

There is little undeveloped land in Cobb County.

Of our 217,000 acres of once pristine southern landscape, less than 10 percent remains untouched by the hand of man.

Each day, as the University of Georgia's Department of Ecology's NARSAL group reports, 7 acres of nature's handiwork meets the bulldozer's blade in Cobb County.

Four acres are paved over and 3 acres of tree cover is cut to the quick. That's about 2,400 acres each year. And, as the available land gets scarcer, the prices get scarier.

The amount of parkland has not kept pace with the development across the land.

Sam Olens, chairman of the Cobb County Commission, had an awakening one day this past spring.

The longtime Cobb resident saw an opportunity to secure more land for parks. He knew that if Cobb hesitated, the land could be gone or too costly. So, he asked the county's Finance Department how we could pay for more parkland right now. There was a bond about to be retired which could simply be "rolled over" and reissued. So, the $40 million to buy land for parks would not change the debt millage. There'd be no new taxes.

Who'd oppose that? Well, some, and in a democracy such as ours all sides need be heard before the citizenry can make an informed choice.

Money is an important issue in all our lives. Lately, all taxes have gotten a bad name.

Yet, sometimes it is only government, through reasonable use of its taxing authority, that can accomplish things that would otherwise go undone.

Cobb County has a bond rating that would allow us to borrow the $40 million at a rate of 4 percent for a period of 10 years. The Cobb finance department reports that undeveloped land in Cobb appreciates annually by about 8 percent.

Enough said.

And, our personal contribution would remain the same as today; that's about $11 per year in property taxes on a house valued at $200,000.

It's been said that it is only taxes that separate the people from chaos.

In a democracy such as ours, chaos is a legitimate choice. Or, we can opt for a small personal sacrifice today promising to reap great rewards tomorrow.

Paulson, a small-business owner, lives in Marietta.

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GARY MARCUS: NO
Parkland bond idea is blatant money grab

Cobb voters will decide Tuesday if the county should issue bonds to generate $40 million to buy parkland.

Commission Chairman Sam Olens said the commission has not decided what property the county might buy, but he said the land predominantly would hold passive parks for nature walks, not ball fields.

Olens said open land ranges in price from $100,000 an acre to more than $300,000. That means the money could buy anywhere from 133 to 400 acres. Olens said he also envisions "pocket parks" in areas that might include east Cobb, Vinings and Oakdale. Today, two Cobb residents, one who supports borrowing the money and one who doesn't, weigh in with guest columns.

Never let it be said that the current crop of Cobb County commissioners would ever miss an opportunity to raise taxes, increase spending or deny Cobb taxpayers any form of tax relief.

A little over a year ago, the County Commission pushed through a massive billion-dollar tax increase (SPLOST).

Then last month the commissioners unanimously voted in a whopping 19 percent increase in the county's annual budget. And now they are asking voters to approve a bond referendum to buy parkland.

There are many troubling aspects to this proposal. First, if the proposal was not on the ballot, the taxpayers would automatically receive some much needed tax relief. The amount of the measure is not predicated upon needing a specific amount of acreage in specific locations for specific purposes. Olens has said the commission has not decided what property the county might buy.

The amount of the bond measure is in line with the old debt soon to be retired. Therefore, its amount is designed to deny taxpayers any tax relief whatsoever; but since it is equal to the amount of debt to be retired, politicians can smugly claim that there will be no tax increase. If the commissioners were to be honest with the taxpayers, they would call this scheme for what it really is: a money grab. Read: We'll grab the money now, and figure out later how to spend it. This measure represents the height of arrogance and fiscal irresponsibility.

Can you imagine the private sector ever trying to foist something like this on its shareholders?

There are other problems with this so-called parks proposal. There is nothing to prevent the commissioners from using eminent domain to purchase parkland, other than Olens' verbal assurance.

If we knew beforehand where exactly the county plans to purchase the land, then we could make an informed decision as to whether eminent domain could or could not be a threat. Otherwise, it's just another case of politicians saying to taxpayers, "Trust me."

It's time at long last to send this profligate County Commission a message that is long overdue, and that is a NO vote on this parks measure. It's the only language they understand.

Marcus is vice president of the Cobb County Taxpayers Association and the president and founder of the Marcus Consulting Group Inc.