These greedy developers want us, the tax payers, to pay their way while they make millions of dollars at the expense of the county. They have even gone so far as to run a large ad in the News Herald today that is, I know no better way to put it, just a list of out right lies. See AD They are trying to pull on the heart strings of us local yokels thinking we are too stupid to really understand their motives. It's all about greed. The developers will not pay one red cent of this tax. They will simply pass the cost right along to the new home buyer. The developers have sited studies that this kind of tax would slow development by as much as 25%. Hooray, if that really happens. I could think of nothing better for this county than for development to be reduced by 25%, 50% or even 100%. Who looses. Not us. Just the developers.

The developers keep telling us how much this new tax will hurt those poor first time home buyers. Not one of the developers that has been blubbering about the new tax is building houses that could be afforded by the average first time home buyer. Not too many first time home buyers start out with a $300.000-$400,000 house. The other big tail they like to tell is that "THEIR" development is targeted at retirees. Meaning, no kids in the schools. This may in fact be true. But when the retirees move to the new big houses, that leaves their old houses for those first time home buyers who will have the kids in school.

There is one thing I agree with the developers on. The schools don't necessarily need more money to solve their problems. Their problems run far deeper than just money. If the new tax works as it should, then however much money the tax generates for the schools, that same amount of tax payer money can be reduced to the schools. This could be a huge sayings for the tax payer.

Here is the bottom line. If all the big "shoe box" house developers went away tomorrow, lets say to Knox, Blount, Anderson, Roane, or Monroe Counties, nothing bad will happen to Loudon County. In fact it would be the best thing that could happen for our county.

So developers, stop crying about our taxes and if you don't like the way things are in Loudon County, go somewhere else.

On the first vote, all but one commissioner voted for the tax. Newly elected, fifth district commissioner, Chris Park, was the only commissioner who voted against the tax. Mr. Park who had not attended one single meeting on the matter and had absolutely no knowledge or information on the tax, found it necessary to vote no on the tax. Why is that?  Hopefully the commission will hold fast and pass the tax on second reading and begin immediately to begin collections.

-v-