The Augusta Commission is doing its best to present to the public a SPLOST 9 list that balances vanity projects with the true needs for the community, and they are failing on both accounts.
Yes, it would be great to have a “reimagined” Riverwalk and Boathouse along with upgrades to Diamond Lakes, Lock and Dam Park and the marina. The real issue here is that we would not need to be allocating money for any of this if the city would have simply maintained what was already there in the first place.
Think back about how many times the plumbing at Diamond Lakes had to be completely redone because of problems with earlier work. Rags from earlier construction efforts have been found clogging the pipes, which had to be ripped out and replaced.
The current SPLOST 9 wish list includes $9.7 million to the Parks and Rec. Department for a “facility revitalization initiative,” a vaguely worded line-item that means setting aside funds to fix things.
According to the commission’s figures, only 27% of the items being presented deal with needed infrastructure. The Engineering Department wants about $80 million for “named and unspecified projects.” In other words, the Engineering Department isn’t specifying how it plans to spend any funds it receives.
The only item on the list we see so far that could qualify as a “dire need” is the allotment for the Charles Webster Detention Facility.
The Webster facility should be at the very top of the list, but so far, commissioners can only carve out $65 million to renovate the facility; meanwhile, they want to fund an expansion of the Augusta Convention Center to the tune of $18 million.
The latter is a prime example of just how out of touch commissioners are when it comes to the true needs of the city and the tax payers.
Every year, taxes go up through the higher assessed fees such as the Storm Water fee and garbage services, yet services are cut or become even more poorly administered. Every year that SPLOST is on the ballot, the commissioners all but warn doom and gloom if the measure doesn’t pass.
In reality, when voters dined SPLOST twice in the past, the city continued to function.
We urge voters to demand a full and complete audit of city funds before they approve another SPLOST. City officials need to be held accountable for their spending in previous years before citizens give them even more money. Until the Augusta Commission gives a full accounting for what they have already spent, then the public should not voluntarily give them more money.
