There is only one possible correct vote
I have carefully considered all the arguments for and against the assessment vote and come to the conclusion there is only one possible correct vote.
It isn't just a matter of the cost at this time. It is a matter of whether you believe the POA could really go bankrupt in the next few years.
Believing that it won't is a form of Russian roulette. What is really up for consideration is what would happen to our community if it did.
While I see signs that say "POA, Go Away," I wonder if they have really considered the possibilities of what that means. You cannot make the city take over the amenities.
If it were possible to have a vote to remove the POA, that would mean there is no one to care for the amenities. And until we found an outside source to buy them, they would sit derelict.
If our town could vote to give them to the city for a dollar, the city could not afford to maintain them without a large increase in some sort of assessment or tax. I doubt they would agree to that.
We are a bedroom community. There is currently not enough land to have the number of businesses to have the tax base needed to support even a fraction of our current amenities. So perhaps they would take some of them to use the land for business development. And I don't know about you, but I wonder at property values if I bought a home on or near a golf course and now it faces a business center?
You think it doesn't matter to you, but the higher property values of those homes increase your property value, too.
Look at the latest fight to keep out the new business on Arkasnas 279. How many of you opposed that business and what were your reasons? At the end of the day, the city had the only say.
If the city agreed to take the lakes, they would still have to maintain them. Since the current assessment would go away, once again they would have to add an assessment on every property or add to taxes to care for them.
Do you believe some sort of property tax increase would be less than the assessment? You currently have power over the assessment. You would have no control over future city assessments or property tax increases.
If we can't come up with enough votes for an assessment increase, do you think we can come up with a majority vote on whether to sell the amenities to an outside group or give to the city what amenities it might want to take responsibility for?
If those votes take the same length of time an assessment increase has taken, all of the amenities will be run-down and jungles.
I can assure you the city would not willingly take over all that we currently have.
This isn't just about the small cost of the assessment increase. This is much more far reaching than the dollars involved right now.
Please consider what you want our town to be in 10 years.
Marilyn Frisby
Bella Vista
Editorial on 04/23/2014