Incorporation would create more isolation

By Allan Tyler

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 4, 2000

After following the most recent Spring Hill incorporation movement since its inception, I must stick my oar in the waters.

It has always bothered me when people with an apparent agenda refuse to accept the vote of the people (1986) as final, or they choose to ignore that 3,700 people wrote letters (1988) to state Rep. Chuck Smith, opposing incorporation.

Rather, they first thought the Hernando County Commission should use tax monies collected from all residents, even those not directly affected by what happens in Spring Hill, to conduct an incorporation feasibility study. Failing that, another light bulb came on; now we are to be faced with tin cups or little pails as we go about shopping or dining. The solicitors want $35,000 to pay for this study that perhaps only a dozen of 129,000 county residents want.

To add fuel to the fire, we have incorporation committee member Walter Dry quoted as saying "Here we are with 70,000 people whose education and finances far exceed people on the other side of the county," or co-chairman Bill Fagen's quote, "We're the Cadillac right now, but it won't take much for us to become secondhand citizens in the county." (Hernando Times, June 22).

Care to tell us where this dividing line or other side is located, gentlemen? Others have written about noisy cars, barking dogs, clothes on the line past 6 p.m., commercial vehicles in plain view and say we don't get our share of the tax pot, control growth and appearance of our hometown, enforce the deed restrictions and God only knows what else. Just become a city and all these problems will vanish!

This elitist, isolationist attitude ought to scare the daylights out of people. I suggest that going in this direction is foolish, if not shortsighted.

I'm retired, and my wife and I chose to move to Spring Hill in July 1997. We lived in our former community for 64 years. In 1950 our county had a population of 126,707 living on 576 square miles of land, compared to Hernando County this year with 129,231 square miles of land. Its population when we left was estimated at 229,192 people, which is growth like Hernando may experience in the next 35 to 50 years. Also, about 1950 the city of Kalamazoo, Mich., (the county seat) made a land grab to broaden its tax base (think Brooksville). This caused polarization throughout the county and spawned the birth of a city and incorporation by many townships to protect their turf or tax bases. Things went from cooperation to confrontation.

Today the county contains 15 townships, four cities, and five villages, plus the county commission, each with its own governing board. There are a dozen public school systems, eight library systems, at least 18 fire districts, eight police departments, plus the county sheriff's department. Each one, of course, has its own governing board. Think of the waste.

Several years ago, these 25 government bodies formed a council of governments to try and get some consolidation or cooperation among one another. To this day, the best thing they do is disagree and spend money doing it.

I plead with you, do not let this happen to Hernando County. Instead, move to incorporate the entire county, precluding any group from doing what you are attempting. There is strength and economics in size.

If you don't like the present representation, change things. Push for a move from the current five precincts to nine, matching the postal ZIP codes. I also would cut the salary for commissioners from the current $44,376 to $10,000; it should cut back on wind and maybe eliminate the micro-managing.

Eliminate buying your way on the ballot ($2,656 gets you on now). Require candidates to obtain signatures instead. This way, at least some people will meet who they may be voting for.

Want better code enforcement? Take your problem to the commission. Just remember, if you get what you want it will cost you. But then what's two or three more code enforcement officers, at perhaps $15,000 to $20,000 each, spread across the entire county?

If it's controlled property values and growth you want, push the commission to enact a moratorium on the creation of any new residential areas or developments until the current ones are built out to at least 85 to 90 percent with homes of comparable style and value. Let's require the builders to pave any unpaved road in front of the property to the nearest paved road in the area. This should suffice for 15 to 20 years of control and also leave the land speculators sucking wind, while protecting our farm lands and green spaces.

If it's broken, fix it, but don't duplicate it. Who knows? The day may come when all concerned will want to rename this metropolis of a county something like . . . no, let's leave that vision for another day.

- Allan Tyler lives in Spring Hill. Guest columnists write their own views on subjects they choose, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.

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