All or nothing vote on CIP hurts Waynesboro

Editorial / News Virginian
Published: July 22, 2007

Government officials rarely need prodding to spend money. For many, it is as natural and frequent as breathing.

Not so for some Waynesboro council members. The panel will vote Monday on a bond to cover a $10.5 million capital improvements plan.

Four of five council members - what's known as a supermajority - must approve borrowing the money for projects ranging from building a new west end fire station to improving the Rosenwald Community Center.

Councilman Frank Lucente backs the proposal in part - he says he would support borrowing $650,000 for a new water pumper for the fire department, for example - but opposes a full bond issue because he fears it will drive up property taxes to fund some projects that are not needed.

If council's majority bloc presses for an all-or-nothing vote, Lucente likely will team with fellow minority Councilman Tim Williams to reject the proposal.

Such a scenario would be a disservice to the people of Waynesboro.

Lucente has a point. City financial consultants estimate that a bond for the improvements plan would saddle Waynesboro with almost $1 million in annual debt payments just for the first three years and millions of dollars more in interest over the 20-year life of the bond.

There's certainly a chance that will drive up taxes.
Pointing out the fine print - something government officials frequently fail to do when borrowing money - is worthwhile and commendable.

Taxpayers deserve to know the bottom-line impact of the decisions their elected leaders make. But taxpayers and council also should recognize that postponing these improvements only means they will cost more in the future.

Nonetheless, it makes sense to consider the capital improvements plan on a line-item basis.

Spending $600,000 to maintain bridges is necessary. On the other hand, the necessity of spending $165,000 for new Ridgeview Park tennis courts is debatable.

But there are too many important components of this plan for an all-or-nothing approach to be considered a fair and viable option by either council's minority or the majority faction of Mayor Tom Reynolds, Vice Mayor Nancy Dowdy and Councilwoman Lorie Smith. 

If it comes down to that, and the city is without money to pay for projects everyone agrees are needed, both sides on council will surely blame one another for the result.

The people of our town, meanwhile, will be the losers.