Bells Benders Making Urbanites Subsidize Their Paradise?
Posted on June 28, 2009 at 4:53 pmInteresting argument from Pat Nolan:
It’s clear many residents of Bell Bends and their supporters want to preserve the rustic, agricultural setting of that area, much like it has been since the founding of Nashville 230 years ago. That’s their choice and more power to them. But with the cost of city services continuing to rise, should residents in the more urbanized parts of Davidson County, continue to subsidize that kind of lifestyle by paying higher property taxes?
It’s pretty clear that, despite our Urban and General Services property tax rates, we all receive about the same level of police and fire protection, regardless of where we live. Other than trash pickup and street lights, there are no incentives or extras derived from living in the more urban parts of our city.
So, with our property taxes, we help subsidize, in a way, the lifestyle the folks in Bell Bends want to enjoy. I am OK with that to a point. But I think it’s time to make sure everyone receives the services they pay for, and not receive a subsidy from other taxpayers.
All this is not said in support of May Town. I’ve had no client or other involvement in the fight. Frankly, I have always felt that May Town was just too massive a project for this community to get its arms around and support.
But whether it’s May Town or some other development, the question always remain: “What does Nashville want to be as it grows up?” And you can’t just answer that question by saying what we don’t want to happen.
