Cary Beer Garden

For the past month, a public debate has raged over the decision by the folks running Lazy Daze to add a beer garden to this year's event.

For the record, I am no stranger to beer gardens, Especially when they serve big ones like this picture. Sometimes a tall frosty one just hits the spot.

What dumbfounds me (among many other things) is the amount of media attention and citizen activism this issue has spawned. Hundreds of citizens are voicing strong opinions, mostly against having a beer garden at the festival. A few courageous beer lovers are fighting the good fight, despite being outnumbered at least 10-1. Read the last three editions of The Cary News to fully appreciate the public rancor over the infamous beer garden.

Read those same editions and you'll find a few pieces from citizens regarding Cary's exponential growth and the problems it has created with schools, roads and overall quality of life.

I have to wonder why people get so worked up over a few innocent beers served on one day in Cary, when EVERY day in Cary our roads and schools are jammed, and every month we hear about a new high-rise commercial complex being built amidst what was once a beautiful small town. By next year the beer garden will be a non-issue because there will be a 10-story mega-commercial complex occupying the space instead.

From Joe's warped perspective.... Imagine heavyweights like Anheuser-Busch and Miller came to town with lots of money to back their candidates for office. They build a beer garden on every corner in Cary, enticing beer-lovers from across the country to drive here for a cold one. The beer is cheap compared to where they come from, so they decide to stay. Martha Stewart decides to open up a Southern Drinking beer cafe, and the mayor shows up at the ribbon-cutting ceremony (then, back to Buschwood Country Club for the next fund-raiser). Now is when you scream "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." Substitute Highwoods and Wakefield for the beer companies -- why can't we scream the same thing ?????

BTW, I think the beer garden is a bad idea.

The Truth Comes Out... Well, A Little Bit

Finally some Wake County politicians are admitting that our taxes will increase, directly attributed to our rapid growth rate (See N&O Article). County taxes will increase 5.7%, and could go higher. Meanwhile in Cary, our growth continues unabated and we are approaching the point where tax collections no longer keep up with the growth rate -- see previous post regarding $185M of our money that Agent Ernie & the Orange Team are spending to build infrastructure, just next year. I can see the Friends of Wake County jumping back into the fray on this one, defending the politicians they helped put into office. They have spin doctors that are a lot smarter than me, I can't wait to hear their dribble.

New Cary Flag Unfurled !!!

The United States flag bears a stripe for each of the original 13 colonies, and a star to represent each state.

I believe the Cary flag hasn't been updated in the past 20 years, and things have changed quite a bit over that time. Much as our national flag is a representation of those entities which comprise our collective government, I'd like to apply that same spirit to Cary's flag and do justice to those who are the true 'movers and shakers' at town hall:






















This flag is a tribute to all those who are helping make Cary a better place to live for another 120,000 people (provided they are coming from Atlanta or Southern California).

Strip-Mining Wake County

Must admit I'm behind the times on this one... Read about the Wake County Blue Ribbon Committee earlier this week and found a link to their report which was published in July 2006. Not light reading, and will take some time to really digest this.

The committee was organized to evaluate projected growth's impacts on our tax structure, infrastructure and quality of life. The planning horizon is the next 25 years.

On first scan through, here are some interesting factoids:

• Wake County's population is expected to double over the next 30 years, to 1.4 million.
• Today the county has 1,320 jail beds. We will need between 3,200 and 3,800 by year 2030, as evidenty as convicts will comprise a portion of our population growth. In fact, we will need to spend $800M on additional criminal justice facilities.
  
• We will have to invest $11.7 billion on our school system as our student population grows from 120,000 to 280,000 over this period of time. To raise this capital, the committee recommends increasing sales tax by 1%, adding the 1% real estate transfer tax, and reassessing properties every four years instead of every eight.
• Going to need another $6B for road construction, plus another $6B from the fed. Committee recommendation is that we add toll roads and use part of the sales tax increase to fund this.
• Traffic: Daily vehicle traffic miles have gone from 9.5 million in 1986 to 25 million in 2003 (now I know why there seem to be more cars on the road)

I could go on, but I won't. The committee included a fair number of real estate developers. If our taxes are going to fund these kinds of growth costs, I can't begin to imagine how many billions of dollars the developers stand to make. Once the locusts (as another poster appropriately described them) are done in Wake County, they will move on to the next hot spot and start all over. We will be left living in another Atlanta.

Choice

Since I've written so many posts and letters supporting the BoE and applauding the great job they do, they were kind enough to share with me a copy of the ballot they will be distributing to allow parents to volunteer for YR formats. Here's a copy for your convenience

Cary Town Budget

Here's the email sent out by Town of Cary announcing next year's budget. We have $185M in the capital improvement budget for water & sewer projects. This money is being spent to keep up with Cary's rapid growth rate. The developers aren't paying it (other than trivial impact fees), WE ARE. $185M is a lot of money, here are some other ideas for how to spend it:

1. Give it to me.
2. Buy up lots of land and give it to WCPSS dirt cheap, they need it. Have the strip-miners (aka Developers) pay for the infrastructure.
3. Begin more road improvement projects... This includes widening of route 55 to six lanes, same for High-House Rd. and Davis Drive. I know we just widened them to four lanes, but that just got us back to where we were ten years ago. With all the new Martha Stewart developments going in, let's get a head start! Don't forget the on/off ramps at the major intersections.
4. My older son goes into high school this fall. He and his buddies are going to want to hang out at the Starbucks, which is on the other side of 55 from my house. Since route 55 is going to be six lanes, I'd like a pedestrian bridge built across it.
5. Give it to me.
6. Put up more traffic-management pole signs. The signs we have today provide such great information regarding traffic patterns and other news, I don't know how I ever got around without them.
7. Give it to me.
8. The kids play dodgeball in school and really enjoy it. Can't we use some of this money to build a regional dodgeball center? Dodgeballers from around the world would flock to Cary to use our facility. Our motto: "We're better than you,... and we know it!"
9. Build an airport. We're out-growing Raleigh, and I think it is high time we had our own airport. If we can't rename the current facility to Cary/Raleigh/Durham Airport, then let's build. I like the jets in my backyard, just wish they were closer.
10. Stop building all the houses, stop screwing up the school system, stop clogging the roads and save us $185M.
    

PROPOSED BUDGET HOLDS LINE ON CARY TAXES & SOLID WASTE FEES, CONTINUES INVESTMENT IN PARKS AND STREETS
Public hearings to be held May 24 and June 14

CARY, NC – Citizens will once again have two opportunities this year to comment on the Town of Cary’s total proposed $387 million budget to support $153,263,306 million in operations and $233,940,367 in capital projects for Fiscal Year 2008, which runs from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. The Town Manager’s recommended plan includes no property tax or solid waste fee increase, while continuing to invest in utility, street, and park capital improvements including $1 million for the Town’s open space acquisition program. Citizens are invited to share their views at either of two budget public hearings to be held as part of the regular Town Council meetings on May 24 and June 14, which begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 316 N. Academy St., in downtown Cary.

“The Council’s direction over the last several years to delay new debt and further tighten spending while taking steps to facilitate tax base expansion have all combined to strengthen the financial outlook for FY2008. Major choices in the near future include the pace at which we proceed with additional capital improvements including major projects in the downtown area,” said Town Manager Bill Coleman, who reviewed his recommended budget with the Cary Council during a work session today.

Highlights of Coleman’s proposed capital plan include $37.2 million for street improvements and other transportation initiatives, $29.8 million for water projects, $155.4 million for sewer projects, $2.7 million for general government needs, $1.6 million for fire, and nearly $7.3 million for parks including $1 million for open space.

Highlights of Coleman’s proposed operating plan include maintaining the current property tax rate of 42 cents per $100 of valuation and keeping the solid waste collection fee at $11.75 per month as further efficiencies associated with the Town’s automated curbside collection and dual stream recycling programs are expected in FY 2008. Town staff has also been able to hold the expected rise in Cary utility rates to 4.3 percent—$2.73 more a month for a Cary customer using 7,000 gallons of water.

The proposed operating budget includes 41.25 additional staff to maintain existing service levels throughout Cary’s 53.35 square miles, particularly in the areas of inspections, engineering, technology services, public works and utilities, and parks. This increase in Town staff would bring the total to 1,122.375 full time equivalents (FTEs), or about 9.1 staff members for each 1,000 Cary residents – one of the lowest staff-to-citizen ratios in the state for a large municipality.

“Because we continue to operate under the philosophy that adding personnel is the most expensive, long-term solution to any situation, we work hard to find alternative ways to achieve our goals, only adding staff when it’s absolutely necessary,” said Coleman.

The Town of Cary’s annual budget is a work and financial plan designed to implement the Town Council’s vision for the community as articulated in the organization’s mission statement and goals and initiatives:

Mission Statement:
At the Town of Cary we focus every day on enriching the lives of our citizens by creating an exceptional environment and providing exemplary services that enable our community to thrive and prosper.

Goals and Initiatives:
• Achieve a well-planned community using innovative and proactive planning approaches and techniques
• Ensure that roads, water and waste water facilities, parks, and other infrastructure exists for the existing citizens and for the future needs identified in the comprehensive plan
• Achieve a stable and strong financial position by accurately estimating, prudently allocating and managing financial resources
• Achieve a high level of service to the citizens in a prompt, reliable, responsive, and cost effective manner

In addition to today’s work session and the budget public hearings on May 24 and June 14, the Town Council will hold at least one additional work session to discuss aspects of the proposed budget in greater detail. Any changes or additions to the Manager’s recommended budget that the Council would like included will be listed separately and voted on in conjunction with approval of the entire budget at the regular Council meeting on June 28. North Carolina law requires local governments to adopt a balanced budget by June 30 since the new fiscal year starts July 1.

Beginning May 11, printed copies of the budget will be available for review at Town Hall and at the Cary public library in downtown Cary and at the West Regional Library, 4000 Louis Stephens Drive. Information from the proposed budget will also be available at www.townofcary.org.

WakeCARES

This post is addressed to the thousands of people who are venting their anger regarding Judge Manning's decision at WakeCARES.

Dear WakeCARES critics,

First, I'd like to let you know that you make me want to puke.

Second, I'd like to correct you on a few of the accusations you make:

1. You characterize people in WakeCARES and a pampered and affluent bunch of spoiled parents who just want things their way and don't care about other people.
   Fact: I know people in WakeCARES. They do not live in hoity-toity Preston mansions, they live in basic Apex homes. If you want to vent your anger at rich people, then start tracking down the FOWC'ers (Friends of Wake County) and yell at them. These are the developer-funded people who cajoled us into spending $1M on schools so that they could keep increasing their wealth through land development. Unless you know the WakeCARES people, your assertions about their affluence and intent have no basis in fact, and I suspect you don't have many facts at all regarding what has led us to the current schools debacle.
2. I know at least one WakeCARES member whose children have not even reached elementary school yet. These people are fighting for what's right, not for their self-serving need. The fact that they have persevered despite the onslaught of ill-informed rhetoric from people like you tells me on which side the true character lies.
3. You are being manipulated and you don't even know it. By taking an arrogant stance of 'No Plan B' the BoE cemented our fate. In fact, the BoE has a longstanding and documented record of pro-MYR policy-making, so the genesis of this problem goes back years [read: before WakeCARES was formed]. By venting focusing your anger on WakeCARES, you are absolving the BoE of any responsibility.
4. Use your brain before you speak. The judge has ruled that MYR is ILLEGAL. WakeCARES didn't make it illegal, the BoE did. Your WakeCARES attacks are the equivalent of stating that you want the BoE to break the law, making you a co-conspirator.

Stop acting like sheep who are just glad they weren't the ones who go sheared or slaughtered this time around -- your time could come next. The BoE has already demonstrated that they are incapable of responsibly using the power they have... Don't act like you support giving them the additional power of amnesty above the law.

Cary -- Best Places to Live ??

Interesting... Last night I hit the Money Magazine 'Best Places to Live' blog to see what recent comments had been posted regarding the upheaval in our school system after JACASS (Judgement Against County Arrogant School Supervisors). Seems that the Cary blog has been shut down recently, preventing residents from advising others on considerations they should take into account regarding schools.

I'm done sending them letters, and will personally laugh my behind off if Cary is still ranked in the top ten this year.

Howdy

I have found that doing a full-time job, coaching two baseball teams and trying to maintain a quality family life leaves little room for much else. Given events of the past couple of weeks, I could not resist sending the following letter to the Cary News. Not sure whether it will get printed, so posting it here.

An open letter to Mayor Ernie McAllister

Mr. Mayor,

As a citizen of Cary and a parent of two children enrolled in the Wake County Public Schools system, I am asking that you publicly disclose what actions the Cary Town Council will take to represent your constituents in bringing order to the chaos following Judge Manning’s decision to block MYR conversions.

Your campaign flyer from the 2003 election listed “Assignment by choice for Cary students” as a priority for your current administration. Given thousands of Cary parents can no longer be certain which schools their children will go to or whether their calendar will be YR or split-shift, I am assuming that “Assignment by choice” will again be a key element of your platform in this year’s elections.

The Cary Town Council has consistently endorsed the actions of the Wake County Board of Education, including a public statement of support for the 2006 school bond. Earlier this year, you stated in a televised program that you were not in favor of splitting up WCPSS into smaller, more manageable districts. Further, you stated that the CTC’s approach to addressing problems with school capacity would be to continue to work with the BoE, and subsequently they were invited to participate in the CTC retreat.

Our schools are now in utter chaos. The BoE chose not to pursue a ‘Plan B’ because they were overly confident that Judge Manning would rule in their favor. Judge Manning instead ruled that the BoE’s actions were illegal. In hindsight, the decision not to develop a ‘Plan B’ was at best, arrogant, and Wake County families are now paying the price.

Parents at schools which planned as MYR will now be given the opportunity to ‘volunteer’ to have their schools converted. If enough parents do not ‘volunteer’ then the BoE has made it clear that they may move students to any school in the county, and potentially on a split-shift schedule. I expect this threat will force a lot of parents to vote for something they really don’t want.

Here are the questions I think you should answer, publicly:

1. Do you and the CTC still support the BoE and it’s actions?
2. Do you and the CTC still believe that the citizens of Cary are best-served by remaining part of WCPSS which has over 120,000 students and is growing rapidly?
3. What actions has the CTC taken in the past 60 days to work with the BoE towards better solutions for school capacity issues?
4. What actions will the CTC take in the next 60 days to represent the citizens of Cary in matters related to our children’s education?
5. Given WCPSS has stated that there are not enough seats for students, what are your administration’s plans to manage residential growth and avoid adding to the problem?

I have seen no public statements in the past few weeks from our Cary government which address any of these questions. In fact, I have seen no public statements on this subject at all.

Now is not the time to watch from the sidelines, we need to know what we can expect from our Cary Town leaders.

Joe Ciulla