The Aiken Standard has done some good reporting on the proposed Medical Complex on Silver Bluff Road. There are two articles and each has had many comments pro and con. I urge readers to read both aricles and the many comments. The links are as follows:
January 27 http://www.aikenstandard.com/Local/0127council
January 28 http://www.aikenstandard.com/Local/0129-University-comments
Foxnews Ticker
Friday, January 30, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
2009, Aiken City Council Meeting - Jan 26
HORSE DISTRICT ACCESSORY BUILDINGS ORDINANCE – At our last meeting, Council approved a change to amend the existing ordinance to remove the 50% limit and to approve requests on a case-by-case basis. Council took this action despite input from the Equine Committee which recommended that the current ordinance not be changed. I voted against changing the ordinance preferring to support the recommendations of the Equine Committee. If the new change causes problems, I have no doubt that the issue will be re-visited.
ABANDONED VEHICLES ORDINANCE –This ordinance was approved giving the City the means to deal with abandoned vehicles.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL HIGHWAY DESIGNATION – Council is still struggling with this issue since part of Whiskey Road has been designated as a memorial to a member of the Brinkley family. Council finally decided to amend the resolution for the designation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway and designate the area of S.C.19 north from the city limits south down Laurens Street ending on Laurens at South Boundary and that the City Staff work with the Highway Department to make the size of the signs in the downtown area appropriate for the area.
SILVER BLUFF MEDICAL COMPLEX – Council approved this request on first reading. University Health Services is asking for approval of a concept plan for a medical office complex to be located on Silver Bluff road across from the Center South Shopping Center. This project consists of three medical buildings totaling 72,000 square feet to be built in two phases. The first phase will consist of a one-story building with 17,000 square feet close to Silver Bluff Road. Entrance to the complex will be from Silver Bluff Road, but entrance to the first building will be from an internal parking lot within the complex. The proposed entrance does not comply with three provisions of the access management section of the Zoning Ordinance and the applicant has asked for a waiver of these three areas. The Planning Staff has reviewed the applicant’s request for waiver and feels that it is not a concern due to the gradients and location of other driveways in the area. Due to the fact that Silver Bluff Road is a five-lane roadway and to preserve trees, staff is recommending that these waivers be accepted. This application was approved unanimously by the Planning Commission.
There are some significant traffic issues with this project. First, it may increase exit time from Town Creek Road onto Silver Bluff Road, but staff feels that any increase delay is not considered excessive and a traffic signal is not warranted at this time.
UPDATE ON SILVER BLUFF MEDICAL COMPLEX – I have received several calls on this issue. One is in support of the complex and the rest expressed concerns about traffic and adverse business impact to the Aiken Regional Medical Center. While Council discussed the traffic impacts at our last meeting, it did not seem to be a major concern. Since that time, however, I have heard increasing concerns about the impact to Town Creek Road and the intersection at Dougherty Road. With no timetable for the widening of Silver Bluff Road and continued development beyond Richardson's Lake Road, the City needs to carefully consider traffic impacts from developments along Silver Bluff Road. If you have a concern about this project or support the project, I urge you to attend Monday’s City Council meeting which begins at 7:00 P.M. This is the second item on the Agenda so there will not be a long wait until the issue is heard.
OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA – Council will also discuss the lease of property on Price Avenue to a person building a compounding pharmacy and approval of an agreement between the City of Aiken and Habit for Humanity to help further the goal of constructing new affordable homes within the community of Aiken.
ON-LINE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA – Keep in mind that City Council agendas are available on line. The complete agenda includes supporting documents that we review to determine a course of action. The link for Monday’s City Council agenda is http://www.aiken.net/weblink7/docview.aspx?id=99270.
CITY COUNCIL HORIZONS GOAL SETTING – On Friday and Saturday City Council will meet for the annual goal setting conference. We meet at Rye Patch. The meeting starts at noon on Friday and resumes on Saturday morning at 8:00 A.M. As is always the case when the Council meets, the public is invited.
E-WASTE COLLECTION DAY– I was pleased to have attended the recent e-waste collection day held at the Home Depot parking lot on January 3, 2009. This was the first time that we had a vendor who shredded documents at no cost. There was also a vendor who collected obsolete and old electronic devices (at a nominal cost). This is an excellent program which keeps many unwanted items from our landfills.
Posted by Dick Dewar
ABANDONED VEHICLES ORDINANCE –This ordinance was approved giving the City the means to deal with abandoned vehicles.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL HIGHWAY DESIGNATION – Council is still struggling with this issue since part of Whiskey Road has been designated as a memorial to a member of the Brinkley family. Council finally decided to amend the resolution for the designation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway and designate the area of S.C.19 north from the city limits south down Laurens Street ending on Laurens at South Boundary and that the City Staff work with the Highway Department to make the size of the signs in the downtown area appropriate for the area.
SILVER BLUFF MEDICAL COMPLEX – Council approved this request on first reading. University Health Services is asking for approval of a concept plan for a medical office complex to be located on Silver Bluff road across from the Center South Shopping Center. This project consists of three medical buildings totaling 72,000 square feet to be built in two phases. The first phase will consist of a one-story building with 17,000 square feet close to Silver Bluff Road. Entrance to the complex will be from Silver Bluff Road, but entrance to the first building will be from an internal parking lot within the complex. The proposed entrance does not comply with three provisions of the access management section of the Zoning Ordinance and the applicant has asked for a waiver of these three areas. The Planning Staff has reviewed the applicant’s request for waiver and feels that it is not a concern due to the gradients and location of other driveways in the area. Due to the fact that Silver Bluff Road is a five-lane roadway and to preserve trees, staff is recommending that these waivers be accepted. This application was approved unanimously by the Planning Commission.
There are some significant traffic issues with this project. First, it may increase exit time from Town Creek Road onto Silver Bluff Road, but staff feels that any increase delay is not considered excessive and a traffic signal is not warranted at this time.
UPDATE ON SILVER BLUFF MEDICAL COMPLEX – I have received several calls on this issue. One is in support of the complex and the rest expressed concerns about traffic and adverse business impact to the Aiken Regional Medical Center. While Council discussed the traffic impacts at our last meeting, it did not seem to be a major concern. Since that time, however, I have heard increasing concerns about the impact to Town Creek Road and the intersection at Dougherty Road. With no timetable for the widening of Silver Bluff Road and continued development beyond Richardson's Lake Road, the City needs to carefully consider traffic impacts from developments along Silver Bluff Road. If you have a concern about this project or support the project, I urge you to attend Monday’s City Council meeting which begins at 7:00 P.M. This is the second item on the Agenda so there will not be a long wait until the issue is heard.
OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA – Council will also discuss the lease of property on Price Avenue to a person building a compounding pharmacy and approval of an agreement between the City of Aiken and Habit for Humanity to help further the goal of constructing new affordable homes within the community of Aiken.
ON-LINE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA – Keep in mind that City Council agendas are available on line. The complete agenda includes supporting documents that we review to determine a course of action. The link for Monday’s City Council agenda is http://www.aiken.net/weblink7/docview.aspx?id=99270.
CITY COUNCIL HORIZONS GOAL SETTING – On Friday and Saturday City Council will meet for the annual goal setting conference. We meet at Rye Patch. The meeting starts at noon on Friday and resumes on Saturday morning at 8:00 A.M. As is always the case when the Council meets, the public is invited.
E-WASTE COLLECTION DAY– I was pleased to have attended the recent e-waste collection day held at the Home Depot parking lot on January 3, 2009. This was the first time that we had a vendor who shredded documents at no cost. There was also a vendor who collected obsolete and old electronic devices (at a nominal cost). This is an excellent program which keeps many unwanted items from our landfills.
Posted by Dick Dewar
Friday, January 23, 2009
Medical Complex on Silver Bluff
Todays Aiken Standard carried an important article concerning the University Hospital plan to develop a medical complex on Silver Bluff Road. The project is on the City Council agenda for Monday January 26.There will be considerable debate on this issue but the question of competition for the Aiken Regional Medical Center has no appropriate place in the discussion. The primary question is whether or not the traffic that would be created at total buildout exceeds the standards set by the Traffic Management Ordinance. To read the complete article go here UPDATE- I have never seen so many comments on an Aiken Standard story. They are all over the map. Check it out!
"Healthy debate: Aiken Regional concerned about University Health complex"
1/23/2009 1:32 AM
By APRIL BAILEY and JENNIFER MILLER Staff writers
Staff writers
Officials with Aiken Regional Medical Centers, as well as several local residents, are up in arms about University Hospital's plans for a medical office complex on Silver Bluff Road.
Among their many concerns is the additional traffic the 72,000 square-foot complex would bring to an area that already has its share of traffic problems. They also say Aiken Regional could lose patients to Augusta which would hurt the local economy.
University officials say they are trying to serve their patients in Aiken and any traffic issues are being addressed. Now 20 percent of the hospital's patients come from Aiken County.
But for nearby residents this is not a good thing, said Kay Biermann Brohl, a board member for Aiken Regional Medical Centers and a former Planning Commissioner. Brohl said she served on the Planning Commission when the site was annexed into the City a few years ago and said the original concept plan was for mixed-use development, with some retail and residential space.
When the Commission approved the plan then, Brohl said it was under the impression that Silver Bluff Road would be widened to five lanes. Those plans have since been changed and turn lanes will instead be added along major intersections on Silver Bluff. However since there is a new concept plan for the property, Brohl says the additional traffic a medical complex would bring should be taken into account."
"Healthy debate: Aiken Regional concerned about University Health complex"
1/23/2009 1:32 AM
By APRIL BAILEY and JENNIFER MILLER Staff writers
Staff writers
Officials with Aiken Regional Medical Centers, as well as several local residents, are up in arms about University Hospital's plans for a medical office complex on Silver Bluff Road.
Among their many concerns is the additional traffic the 72,000 square-foot complex would bring to an area that already has its share of traffic problems. They also say Aiken Regional could lose patients to Augusta which would hurt the local economy.
University officials say they are trying to serve their patients in Aiken and any traffic issues are being addressed. Now 20 percent of the hospital's patients come from Aiken County.
But for nearby residents this is not a good thing, said Kay Biermann Brohl, a board member for Aiken Regional Medical Centers and a former Planning Commissioner. Brohl said she served on the Planning Commission when the site was annexed into the City a few years ago and said the original concept plan was for mixed-use development, with some retail and residential space.
When the Commission approved the plan then, Brohl said it was under the impression that Silver Bluff Road would be widened to five lanes. Those plans have since been changed and turn lanes will instead be added along major intersections on Silver Bluff. However since there is a new concept plan for the property, Brohl says the additional traffic a medical complex would bring should be taken into account."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
SC Government Restructuring Gaining Momentum
Governor Sanford has sent an email regarding the long overdue restructuring of the South Carolina governmment. The first few paragraphs appear below. To read the entire piece online go here,
"Government restructuring gaining momentum
With the New Year behind us and the legislature back in session, I wanted to pass along what I thought was an interesting article for the way it highlighted how people from all political perspectives can indeed agree on the common sense notion of restructuring our state government.
At a recent panel discussion down in the Lowcountry, Republican State Senator Tom Davis and former Democratic Governors Dick Riley and Jim Hodges echoed what our Administration has been saying for six plus years - that this 1895 Jim Crow Constitution is holding us back as a state, both in the inefficient structure it creates and the racial biases it perpetuates."
"Government restructuring gaining momentum
With the New Year behind us and the legislature back in session, I wanted to pass along what I thought was an interesting article for the way it highlighted how people from all political perspectives can indeed agree on the common sense notion of restructuring our state government.
At a recent panel discussion down in the Lowcountry, Republican State Senator Tom Davis and former Democratic Governors Dick Riley and Jim Hodges echoed what our Administration has been saying for six plus years - that this 1895 Jim Crow Constitution is holding us back as a state, both in the inefficient structure it creates and the racial biases it perpetuates."
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Jan 12, 2009 City Council Meeting
On Monday night, January 12 City Council will meet for the first time in 2009. We have a rather large agenda with items that impact our entire community. I will highlight only a few of importance in this email. Everyone is welcome to attend City Council meetings and I urge you to do so.
WORK SESSION – During a very brief Work Session, Council will be briefed on the “Juilliard in Aiken – 2009 Festival” Over 20 individuals from Juilliard will arrive during the week of March 8. They will provide outreach for various schools Monday through Friday. On Tuesday, they will provide a free concert at USAA for all K through 12th grade students. There will be other performances throughout the week which I am sure will be publicized in the Aiken Standard. The City of Aiken will provide logistical support of the Juilliard visit. This is a continuing effort on the part of the City to support art programs in Aiken.
HORSE DISTRICT ACCESSORY BUILDINGS ORDINANCE – The current ordinance for accessory buildings in the horse district limits the size of the accessory building to 50% of the heated gross floor area of the principal building. Approval of any variances was the responsibility of the Board of Zoning Appeals. Last year the BZA approved one application and disapproved another. While they considered each case individually, there are some in the community who prefer more consistency. Hence the request to amend the existing ordinance to remove the 50% limit and to approve requests on a case-by-case basis. Council requested input from the Equine Committee which recommended that the current ordinance not be changed to remove the size limit on accessory buildings in the HD zone and lots in the RSS zone in the Historic Overlay District.
ABANDONED VEHICLES ORDINANCE – In an effort to improve visual blight in our community, we will have second reading on an ordinance to deal with abandoned vehicles. This ordinance will give the City authority to deal with abandoned vehicles.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL HIGHWAY DESIGNATION – At our last Council meeting, we approved placement of memorial sighs honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The signs were to be placed within the city limits on Highway 19. We have since discovered that part of Whiskey Road on the south side of Aiken has already been designated to honor another individual. Monday night, we will discuss and hopefully resolve concerns with placement of memorial signs.
SILVER BLUFF MEDICAL COMPLEX – University Health Services is asking for approval of a concept plan for a medical office complex to be located on Silver Bluff road across from the Center South Shopping Center. This project consists of three medical buildings totaling 72,000 square feet to be built in two phases. The first phase will consist of a one-story building with 17,000 square feet close to Silver Bluff Road. Entrance to the complex will be from Silver Bluff Road, but entrance to the first building will be from an internal parking lot within the complex. The proposed entrance does not comply with three provisions of the access management section of the Zoning Ordinance and the applicant has asked for a waiver of these three areas. The Planning Staff has reviewed the applicant’s request for waiver and feels that it is not a concern due to the gradients and location of other driveways in the area. Due to the fact that Silver Bluff Road is a five-lane roadway and to preserve trees, staff is recommending that these waivers be accepted. This application was approved unanimously by the Planning Commission.
There are some significant traffic issues with this project. First, it may increase exit time from Town Creek Road onto Silver Bluff Road, but staff feels that any increase delay is not considered excessive and a traffic signal is not warranted at this time. Second, there are questions regarding waivers to the Access Management Ordinance which will be discussed at the first reading.
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA – Keep in mind that City Council agendas are available on line. There are many additional issues, beyond those mentioned above, that the Council will discuss on Monday night. The complete agenda includes supporting documents that we review to determine a course of action. The link for Monday’s City Council agenda is http://www.aiken.net/weblink7/docview.aspx?id=97637
WORK SESSION – During a very brief Work Session, Council will be briefed on the “Juilliard in Aiken – 2009 Festival” Over 20 individuals from Juilliard will arrive during the week of March 8. They will provide outreach for various schools Monday through Friday. On Tuesday, they will provide a free concert at USAA for all K through 12th grade students. There will be other performances throughout the week which I am sure will be publicized in the Aiken Standard. The City of Aiken will provide logistical support of the Juilliard visit. This is a continuing effort on the part of the City to support art programs in Aiken.
HORSE DISTRICT ACCESSORY BUILDINGS ORDINANCE – The current ordinance for accessory buildings in the horse district limits the size of the accessory building to 50% of the heated gross floor area of the principal building. Approval of any variances was the responsibility of the Board of Zoning Appeals. Last year the BZA approved one application and disapproved another. While they considered each case individually, there are some in the community who prefer more consistency. Hence the request to amend the existing ordinance to remove the 50% limit and to approve requests on a case-by-case basis. Council requested input from the Equine Committee which recommended that the current ordinance not be changed to remove the size limit on accessory buildings in the HD zone and lots in the RSS zone in the Historic Overlay District.
ABANDONED VEHICLES ORDINANCE – In an effort to improve visual blight in our community, we will have second reading on an ordinance to deal with abandoned vehicles. This ordinance will give the City authority to deal with abandoned vehicles.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL HIGHWAY DESIGNATION – At our last Council meeting, we approved placement of memorial sighs honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The signs were to be placed within the city limits on Highway 19. We have since discovered that part of Whiskey Road on the south side of Aiken has already been designated to honor another individual. Monday night, we will discuss and hopefully resolve concerns with placement of memorial signs.
SILVER BLUFF MEDICAL COMPLEX – University Health Services is asking for approval of a concept plan for a medical office complex to be located on Silver Bluff road across from the Center South Shopping Center. This project consists of three medical buildings totaling 72,000 square feet to be built in two phases. The first phase will consist of a one-story building with 17,000 square feet close to Silver Bluff Road. Entrance to the complex will be from Silver Bluff Road, but entrance to the first building will be from an internal parking lot within the complex. The proposed entrance does not comply with three provisions of the access management section of the Zoning Ordinance and the applicant has asked for a waiver of these three areas. The Planning Staff has reviewed the applicant’s request for waiver and feels that it is not a concern due to the gradients and location of other driveways in the area. Due to the fact that Silver Bluff Road is a five-lane roadway and to preserve trees, staff is recommending that these waivers be accepted. This application was approved unanimously by the Planning Commission.
There are some significant traffic issues with this project. First, it may increase exit time from Town Creek Road onto Silver Bluff Road, but staff feels that any increase delay is not considered excessive and a traffic signal is not warranted at this time. Second, there are questions regarding waivers to the Access Management Ordinance which will be discussed at the first reading.
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA – Keep in mind that City Council agendas are available on line. There are many additional issues, beyond those mentioned above, that the Council will discuss on Monday night. The complete agenda includes supporting documents that we review to determine a course of action. The link for Monday’s City Council agenda is http://www.aiken.net/weblink7/docview.aspx?id=97637
Monday, January 5, 2009
Fiscal prudence a must for Aiken County in 2009
From the Aiken Standard
'Fiscal prudence a must for Aiken County in 2009
1/4/2009 12:17 AM
By GARY BUNKER
Guest columnist
The current financial crisis and continued uncertainty about the economy have prompted several of my constituents to question me regarding Aiken County's financial stability. Is Aiken County vulnerable to the budget cuts and layoffs that we've seen across the country at the state, county and municipal levels? Will revenue fail to meet expectations? What is the risk that services will be cut?
In the short run, the outlook is good. Aiken County is financially sound and has a greater than 90-day cash reserve. Unlike the federal government, Aiken County can neither run budget deficits nor print or otherwise create money out of thin air to meet its obligations. State law requires counties to be far more fiscally conservative than the federal government.
Revenues for the 2008/2009 fiscal year, however, will be less than what was budgeted in June. The reasons are straightforward: state aid to Aiken County has been slashed by approximately $600,000, interest on the county reserve funds has plummeted, vehicle taxes are down and fewer fees are being generated due to the housing slowdown. On the other hand, property and sales tax revenues will likely hold steady.
Aiken County will work to avoid dipping into its reserves this year. Though we're experiencing the "rainy days" that these reserves were meant to guard against, it's still possible to keep expenses below the reduced revenues.
Some opportunities remain for savings this year. Aiken County uses a lot of gasoline (Sheriff's Office, Public Works and EMS) and the budget assumed $3.75 per gallon. The price of gas has plunged below this amount, and if current trends continue this will offset some of the decline in revenue. Where will gas prices go? Nobody knows - but Aiken County is benefiting from current prices.
In addition, there are other "dials" that can be turned to hold down spending: delay or defer items in the capital projects fund, delay filling vacancies, delay or reduce merit raises, extend the road scraping schedule, etc. The key point is that no layoffs are planned and no significant reductions in county services are contemplated.
The bigger issue is next year's budget. Some economic experts declare that the worst of the crisis is over, others are certain that another Great Depression is imminent, and the rest are scattered across the spectrum. Frankly, no one knows what the future holds. The crystal balls have rolled off the table and cracked. This makes planning difficult.
The nightmare scenario is that revenues drop dramatically next year, which in turn necessitates a tax hike to keep basic services running. Aiken County isn't a wealthy county. While there are individuals and neighborhoods that do very well, there are also many citizens who struggle to make ends meet. An increase in property taxes in conjunction with growing unemployment will create great hardships for many families.
What does this mean in the short run? For starters, Aiken County must not overextend itself this year. The line must be held on spending by starting no new programs and being careful about adding additional funds or personnel to current operations. Prudence and retrenchment should be the watchwords.
No matter how worthwhile increases may be at the moment, we must keep focused on the fact that revenue next year may be tighter than this year. Terminating or cutting back on a program is far more painful than not starting the program in the first place.
Therefore, any increases - even for popular programs such as the Aiken County EMS, the proposed animal shelter expansion or junk yard fences - should be carefully considered. If additional spending is truly necessary, then County Council should phase-fund the spending over two or three years instead of committing to it all at once. New spending in critical areas should be offset by reductions in less critical areas.
Again, going halfway out onto a limb exposes both the county and the taxpayers less than rushing out to the tip in one bound. The further out we go, the harder it is to pull back.
The art of governance is about making choices between limited resources and unlimited wants and needs. At this point in time, saying "no" is far more fiscally prudent than saying "yes." We shouldn't commit to anything today that we may have trouble paying for tomorrow.
Gary Bunker is a member of Aiken County Council representing District 7.''
'Fiscal prudence a must for Aiken County in 2009
1/4/2009 12:17 AM
By GARY BUNKER
Guest columnist
The current financial crisis and continued uncertainty about the economy have prompted several of my constituents to question me regarding Aiken County's financial stability. Is Aiken County vulnerable to the budget cuts and layoffs that we've seen across the country at the state, county and municipal levels? Will revenue fail to meet expectations? What is the risk that services will be cut?
In the short run, the outlook is good. Aiken County is financially sound and has a greater than 90-day cash reserve. Unlike the federal government, Aiken County can neither run budget deficits nor print or otherwise create money out of thin air to meet its obligations. State law requires counties to be far more fiscally conservative than the federal government.
Revenues for the 2008/2009 fiscal year, however, will be less than what was budgeted in June. The reasons are straightforward: state aid to Aiken County has been slashed by approximately $600,000, interest on the county reserve funds has plummeted, vehicle taxes are down and fewer fees are being generated due to the housing slowdown. On the other hand, property and sales tax revenues will likely hold steady.
Aiken County will work to avoid dipping into its reserves this year. Though we're experiencing the "rainy days" that these reserves were meant to guard against, it's still possible to keep expenses below the reduced revenues.
Some opportunities remain for savings this year. Aiken County uses a lot of gasoline (Sheriff's Office, Public Works and EMS) and the budget assumed $3.75 per gallon. The price of gas has plunged below this amount, and if current trends continue this will offset some of the decline in revenue. Where will gas prices go? Nobody knows - but Aiken County is benefiting from current prices.
In addition, there are other "dials" that can be turned to hold down spending: delay or defer items in the capital projects fund, delay filling vacancies, delay or reduce merit raises, extend the road scraping schedule, etc. The key point is that no layoffs are planned and no significant reductions in county services are contemplated.
The bigger issue is next year's budget. Some economic experts declare that the worst of the crisis is over, others are certain that another Great Depression is imminent, and the rest are scattered across the spectrum. Frankly, no one knows what the future holds. The crystal balls have rolled off the table and cracked. This makes planning difficult.
The nightmare scenario is that revenues drop dramatically next year, which in turn necessitates a tax hike to keep basic services running. Aiken County isn't a wealthy county. While there are individuals and neighborhoods that do very well, there are also many citizens who struggle to make ends meet. An increase in property taxes in conjunction with growing unemployment will create great hardships for many families.
What does this mean in the short run? For starters, Aiken County must not overextend itself this year. The line must be held on spending by starting no new programs and being careful about adding additional funds or personnel to current operations. Prudence and retrenchment should be the watchwords.
No matter how worthwhile increases may be at the moment, we must keep focused on the fact that revenue next year may be tighter than this year. Terminating or cutting back on a program is far more painful than not starting the program in the first place.
Therefore, any increases - even for popular programs such as the Aiken County EMS, the proposed animal shelter expansion or junk yard fences - should be carefully considered. If additional spending is truly necessary, then County Council should phase-fund the spending over two or three years instead of committing to it all at once. New spending in critical areas should be offset by reductions in less critical areas.
Again, going halfway out onto a limb exposes both the county and the taxpayers less than rushing out to the tip in one bound. The further out we go, the harder it is to pull back.
The art of governance is about making choices between limited resources and unlimited wants and needs. At this point in time, saying "no" is far more fiscally prudent than saying "yes." We shouldn't commit to anything today that we may have trouble paying for tomorrow.
Gary Bunker is a member of Aiken County Council representing District 7.''
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