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August
17, 2012
Two
City Council issues under consideration
Patrick
Barga
Editor:
Letter
to Members of Greenville City Council,
I
am sending this to identify my concerns with two of the issues currently before
City Council.
Issue 1: Police/Fire Personnel Reduction
I
am certainly aware of current financial issues at all levels of local
government and am especially confused about our governor’s reluctance to share
some of the large state surplus that was created to some degree by the funds
that have been withheld from cities and counties across the state. I am
also aware that many city residents have special interests and “pet projects”
that will cause them to resist any proposed budget cuts. Public safety is
not a special interest nor is it a pet project. It involves every single
resident and business in the city. We are constantly being told that the
current state of our school system might be viewed as a negative when companies
look at our city. While I agree completely with this assessment, I also
believe that police & fire protection and infrastructure are equally
important to almost any business. Reductions such as these will not only
discourage new business development and new residents but may also cause
current businesses and residents to wonder if Greenville is where they want to
be.
Issue 2: Proposed Re-Zoning of property at
Russ Road & SR121
Apparently,
I am not the only member of the community that is mystified by the lack of
approval for this re-zoning request. Please refer to the very well done
article by Mr. Ryan Berry in the August 12 edition of the Early Bird. The
request comes from an established company that will not only provide a service
that will certainly be needed by residents of our area but also provide a
significant number of jobs at the same time. It isn’t as though they were
asking to open a junkyard or adult entertainment facility. I have seen
various versions of Master Plans in the past and it is obvious that things
change over time. As a part-owner of a significant potential development
property within the city, I am very concerned about the obstacles that might be
placed before any developer seeking to bring a new business to Greenville.
Thank
you for your consideration,
Patrick L. Barga
Greenville
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