| Author | Post |
|---|
John Mattson
Member
|
Posted: Mon Mar 17th, 2008 07:22 pm |
|
Kim,
Thank You for pulling this together. It is very important for everyone to know exactly how all of the candidates feel.
If anyone has any questions, comments or would like further details on any topic, please don't hesitate to reply or contact me personally.
John
|
Kim Wills
Member
|
Posted: Mon Mar 17th, 2008 07:19 pm |
|
We sent out a survey that covered many issues in Morgan County. The survey was compiled by asking members of the several groups we have in town submit and tidy up questions. The questions included answers for both sides of the issues.
I ask that you read the answers and pick the candidate who expresses your veiws for the future of Morgan County. An educated vote is the best vote for our future.
Thanks to John for sharing his veiwpoints with us. We appreciate it.
Kim
1. The recent Ambulance Fee was opposed by many on fixed income. Several at the meetings stated they would not be able to pay this fee. Do you think anything should be done to lower or eliminate the $75 ambulance fee?
Yes_X__ No ___ Why? I think the ambulance fee was an unfair “tax” levied on us all, same as the fire fee. If Morgan County services (fire, ambulance, etc.) need additional funding, they need to be funded by the county by better prioritizing spending and not creating a new “tax” for every issue that arises.
2. The current County Commissioners offered an unveiling of a proposed courthouse structure to the citizens of Morgan County. The citizens were unaware of the proposed cost and the financial debt that would be incurred for this plan. Now that the citizens and the Commissioners are more aware of the indebtedness for the courthouse we are facing. Write Yes by your choice of answers
A. We should build an unfinished three story building for $12 million___________
B. We should build a two story building for $9 million and keep the Family Court building as is. ___________
C. We should build a two story building for $9 million plus additional costs for to put
Criminal and Family court together in the new building. ______
D. They can stay in the trailers ______
Other: I would like to see a simpler design than what the current commissioners have proposed. A historic-looking brick building that better fits into our local surroundings – something similar to the Country Inn or CNB. Now that I have been told that the new Rankin facility only cost about $3 Million, I don’t understand why we can’t get a nice brick structure for $5-$7 Million.
3. With the increase in housing in Morgan County, Do you support the idea of land zoning in Morgan County? Yes __X__ No _____ Why? I do support the “idea” of zoning, and I support a complete study of Land Management/Land Use to include all available options – to include zoning. I will be undecided until a complete study and/or recommendation is done that provides specific details of what zoning might encompass.
Would you support a different kind of land management plan, and what would it be?
Yes __X _ No _____ Why? I would support any land management plan that best suits our county, it could be in the form of detailed ordinances.
4. Do you think property owners should have certain basic property rights, such as the right to do what they want with their property, as long as they are not causing harm to their neighbors? Yes __X _ No ____
Do you think certain community rights are more important than individual property rights? What are they? Some, but I consider them common courtesies rather than rights. One of the main reasons my wife and I moved to Berkeley Springs was to get away from noisy neighbors blasting music, playing musical instruments, or whatever all hours of the night. It is a persons right to do what they want, but they should also have respect for their neighbors. A better example might be the folks who created the dirt bike track. I have no problem with it, but they need to respect their neighbors and consider the times they ride.
5. Do you think government should be able to use the power of eminent domain to take one person’s property and give it to another just for the purpose of private development? Yes ____ No __ X __ I am against Eminent Domain. The problem with Eminent Domain is that government bodies typically offer some outrageous amount (I have a friend who owns property in South Carolina and his local government offered him $1.00) that is way beyond the value of the property and once it is refused by the land owner, they go to the courts and push for Eminent Domain saying the land owner refused their offer. That is how it gets started. If local governments offer a real and fair market value for their property, Eminent Domain would rarely have to be used. In any case, it should only be used in extreme cases and only to support the community.
6. Recently we have all seen our property taxes increase. Do you think real estate taxes are: A. Too high __X___ B. Too low ______ C. About right ______ I have friends who live here in Howard County, MD and their property taxes are not much higher than ours. However, their home values are probably triple what our home values are. Seems like another way the county is trying to get more money out of folks.
7. The present tax increases have been blamed on the fact that most houses were not correctly assessed and were far below the actual value of the houses. The process of bringing the home assessment up to value has been underway for a few years now. Would you put a cap on the number of consecutive years a 10% increase would be allowed?
Yes__X__ No______ Why? I think a cap of 10% is too high. If you check the real estate industry figures you will see that the market value of homes has not increased 10% in a long time and is not projected to do that well in the near future, so it isn’t logical that taxes should increase dramatically more than actual growth.
8. Morgan County senior citizens have been hit hard by the increased taxes and fees. Would you support a Homestead Exemption for these fees and future tax increases?
Yes __X___ No _______ Do you support increasing the Exemption? Yes ___ No ____
Why? I do not know what the current exemption is so I don’t know if I would increase it or not at this point, but an increase is very possible.
9. The Morgan County Courthouse was a very important historical site in Berkeley Springs. Many have expressed an opinion of looking at alternate locations for the courthouse. Where do you think the Courthouse should be built? Personally, I would like to see it someplace else, even if it is a mile in either direction. The town is growing and if it were built a mile in either direction, we could build a new part of town around it rather than further congesting the town of bath. Parking is a serious issue and unless we could build a nice two-story brick courthouse with a roof-top parking garage, then I would like to see it moved. However, this it to big an issue and needs to be decided upon by the People of Morgan County and, as a Commissioner, I would support the majority whether to rebuild in its previous location or relocate it.
10. Morgan County is presently the owner of War Memorial Hospital. Do you feel we should be in the hospital business? Yes____ No___ X ___ Why? It should be left to the professionals in the medical industry.
11. Members of the Morgan County Commission have not been able to agree with Governor Joe Manchin on any issues. How much do you feel it is necessary to work with Governor Manchin on the issues facing our county?
____ Only as a last resort _____ Whenever beneficial ___ Only as needed
____ County Govt. is separate _ X _ On every issue
We should be working with the Governor and our other state officials on all major issues effecting the Panhandle. We may not agree with the Governor on every issues (e.g., his new toll booth policy), but it is important that we work together or we will not reap any benefits when we need them.
12. With the closing of Rayloc and Fleetwood, many Morgan Countians find themselves commuting to work farther away. What kind of businesses would you support coming into the county? (Please, write yes or no.)
Wal-mart __Yes __ Department Stores _ Yes _ More Antique stores __No___ Hotels _ No __
Red Lobster __ Yes __ Olive Garden __ Yes __ Truck transfer stations ___ No ______
Fast Food restaurants __ Yes __ Industrial Jobs ___ Yes __ More construction Jobs_____ No __
Healthcare Jobs _____ Yes ______ Recycling center______ Yes _________
Other: I would like to see at least one large retail and one large home improvement store in our area. We do need more competitive fast food restaurants as well as a few chain restaurants. Big name hotels wouldn’t be bad, but I think we have too many “short-term” motels in the area. Seems like we have a lot of construction companies around here but yet the big jobs (like the courthouse) seem to go to folks outside the county.
13. The town of Bath has made hookups mandatory for septics on Fairview Drive. These residents had a well and septic that was functioning. They are now being told they will be billed regardless of use. Would you support more mandatory hookups? Yes or No
No _ I believe mandatory hookups helps ensure water quality and preserves our aquifers.
No _ I believe the community good is more important than personal in this area.
Yes_ I would support the rights of property owners to keep their own wells and septics.
Yes_ I would want all new construction hooked up to centralized septic systems.
Now that the Public sewer lines are in place, I support any new development being required to hook up to the public sewer lines and would not allow any new septic. I also believe that the people on Fairview Drive be grandfathered and not be forced to hook up to the new sewer lines unless their current septic tank is leaking or otherwise an environmental hazard.
I feel the same towards any new public water system. People with current wells should be grandfathered and not forced to hook up to public water.
If the County or State wants to make it mandatory for people to hook up to new sewer/water lines when it is unnecessary, then the County or State should pay for it.
14. The U. S. Census list Morgan county as having 14,943 residents in 2000. The Census lists the population in 2006 as 16,337. This large increase in population has put a stress on the local road ways. How do you propose to relieve some of the burden on U.S. 522 and Route 9? Yes or No
I would support a four lane Route 9 _ Yes ___
I would support a Bypass around Berkeley Springs __ Yes ___
I would support a thru truck ban on 522 and 9 __ Yes ___
I would support a toll booth on 522 __No______
My alternate solution is: Find other resources that will allow us to build the bypass and/or widen the current roads (Rt. 9/US 522). Homeland Security, Federal Grants, Federal loans, etc.
15. A steady group of supporters have worked to start a skate park in Berkeley Springs. Do you think this is a wise idea? Yes _X__ No_____
We need more for the kids to do. I would also support new ideas giving kids more to do.
16. Truck traffic in downtown has been a major source of frustration for many downtown business owners. Do you think this is a major problem?
_No___ I believe this has dramatically affected the downtown tourism.
_No___ I believe only the main street is affected.
_No___ I feel the trucks are a part of commerce and have the right to travel here. Trucks have been on many similar roads around the country. I feel it is purely political why we cannot ban them on Rt. 9 and US 522.
_Yes___ I believe the business owners saw the trucks when buying these businesses.
17. The Berkeley Springs High School tennis team has swelled to thirty-eight students this year. Would you support the addition of a tennis complex as part of the Morgan County Parks and Recreation? Yes __ Yes __ No______ Why? I would support it, but I don’t think it is a Morgan County Parks problem as it is a School Board issue. If the school board does indeed have approximately $2 Million in the bank, then they should apply some of it to athletics and other programs. I would also like to see the BSHS Baseball team have their own field and not share the football field.
18. The addition of Rankin’s Physical Therapy has been a great asset to the community. Many sports programs are still without a place to have classes and practices. The gymnastic classes have been displaced by the Biddy Buddy program. Would you support expanding the Parks and Rec. and purchasing a gymnasium center? Yes _X_ No ___
Where I grew up, many activities took place at the school all year round. In the summer the Pool was opened to the public for a fee of $.50 per student. The Gym and other facilities were also open to youth. I don’t know how much involved or available the school facilities are, but this would be an option as well.
19. What do you feel is necessary to do in order to secure the quality and quantity of water in Morgan County?
Yes__ Zoning needs to be in place now (zoning or other ordinance)
Yes__ Debris needs to be removed from yards (and from along the roads and waterways)
Yes__An untouched buffer around steams
No__ Housing needs to be clustered (I am not a fan of cluster housing)
No__ More public well and septic service (I like my fresh non-chlorinated well water J ) (regardless if well/septic or public services the same amount of water would be used)
Do you think our current water-sheds and the Springs are enough?_I don’t know and would have to rely on the experts who provide their input. We do get an awful lot of rain which seems it would support/replenish our waterways. I think just as important is keeping the water we do have clean and safe.
20. With the expansion of water and septic lines in Fairview Drive, it is now more attractive to put industries and stores in that area. It has the basic infrastructure needed to build there. Would you allow businesses to be located in the residential area of Fairview Drive? Yes _X__ No _____
I would allow businesses in the area, but limited and serving a specific purpose.
21. The “Lord Fairfax Springs” sign in the Berkeley Springs State Park has been replaced with a tourism campaign sign for “George Washington’s Bathtub.” The sign was changed in the early nineties. Many of the long time residents are unhappy with this change. Do you feel we should be:
___Trying to promote Berkeley Springs’ famous Lord Fairfax Springs.
___ Promoting Berkeley Springs as the Bathtub of Washington.
Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for this one as I don’t know the complete history of the springs. However, it does seem strange that after all those years to be known as Lord Fairfax Springs and then suddenly change it in the 90’s to promote George Washington’s Bathtub. In the end, I would probably change it back to its original name.
22. Which do you think has the least impact on Morgan County?
Single family houses on separate well and septic _X______
Subdivisions with separate well and septics ________
Subdivisions with communal water and septic systems________
Cluster Developments with Communal water and septic systems ________
Explain: I believe single family homes on large lots have the least impact to the county. Communities and developments typically ‘harvest’ a lot of water and store it whereas single family homes on large lots use less water and a certain times. I have also noticed reading about the various test wells, that there are a lot of ‘hot spots’ of water throughout the county where water seems to be abundant and produces at a high GPM. Other areas seems to be on ‘branches’ and produce at a lower GPM. I would like to see an up-to-date, detailed and independent study the water supply throughout the county.
23. What is your vision for the future of Morgan County in terms of land use, and in particular residential density? Morgan County is going to continue to grow – that’s a fact. I personally don’t like cluster housing and townhome style house but I realize a lot of people do. No matter how we develop, it is very important we have some sort of zoning or ordinances in place to preserve the environment, water, natural beauty and best prevent traffic congestion until we can afford to build a better infrastructure.
24. Do you support the recent announcement that a shopping center will be built at the Industrial Park? I do support the shopping center, but it is not enough. We need more businesses to come to Morgan County – recognized businesses.
25. Any other comments? These are my personal opinions and, as I have said before, the will of the People is what is important to me. There are many issues that should be put to a vote of the Community and, as Democracy was originally planned, decisions should reflect the majority.
What do you think are the most important problems facing Morgan County?
Courthouse (funding – how much we should spend on it; location – original spot or someplace else)
Zoning (we need zoning or some similar ordinance program before things get out of control and/or the county loses money)
New Business (People are tired of driving 30+ miles to get what they need – and the current gas prices are putting a strain on everyone to get what they need. Additionally, we need the tax revenues and jobs new businesses would bring – and not just small tourist focused businesses)
What is your definition of zoning?
Zoning is to designate an area for a specific purpose; such as to designate an area as residential or commercial.
Candidates name: John C. Mattson
Signature: //signed// - John C. Mattson
|
Current time is 06:17 am | |
|
|
|