Last night the Mayor talked about the current dealing with the county and that a pretty solid number for the land had been worked out. Up to now the numbers had been pretty costly.
The council offered $1.5 million for the site last summer, but county officials turned it down, saying they wanted $2.2 million for it. That's $27,500 an acre, compared to the $12,500 per acre the county paid for the property a few years ago. Smyrna also spent $3 million to extend sewer lines to the site.Last night the Mayor said the number very likely would be $17,500 per acre.
Now this is strange on the surface. As 80 acres at $17,500 equals $1,400,000. A cost that is supposedly $100,000 LESS then the DNJ article said had been earlier offered.
I asked someone in the know and they said that there was a changing of the guard in the county and more agrreeable people came into office. This likely lead to the lowering of the cost. To the advantage of the tax payers of smyrna.
Then the really ODD thing happened last night.
Lance Lee brought a worry forward that he had with the whole master plan. Financing the purchases is all good, but can the city afford to maintain it? An 80 acre park, and all the rest that the city will cost a lot in upkeep, and if the city budget is tight now, how bad will this giant park and other expansions make the budget look? He said all of the residents he had talked to were all for the parks, but were also united in that they did not want more taxes to support it.
Mr Johns, also said he would be against the park if more taxes were required.
I had heard no ripples of discontent against the plans until last night and I was honestly surprised when two council members spoke up as they did.
Last night made the whole 80 acre park issue a little more interesting then it was a few days ago.
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