No Overcapacity Streets

In my opinion the best incentive the county can offer homebuilders to offer potential buyers and companies considering locating to the region is no overcapacity streets. No overcapacity streets is a centerpiece issue of my campaign. No overcapacity streets means people are living in a high quality of life community and I don't believe we will ever receive a AAA Bond rating unless our streets are not overcapacity.
How does the area reach the goal of no overcapacity streets? Hard work. First of all we must determine where the vehicles are traveling, when and why. There should be equipment available to continuously monitor traffic count and we need to obtain this equipment to monitor traffic from a remote location. Then we need to contact drivers. Possibly there is equipment available to record license numbers and questionnaires could be mailed drivers. Basically I am saying we must brain storm and do everything possible to get our streets flowing at a non overcapacity status. Until our streets are not overcapacity all other community achievements are degraded tremendously. Bike roads, light rail, park and ride initiatives, traffic management, redesigned entrances to shopping centers and congested areas, improved bus network, incentives which help reduce traffic are all ideas we must consider.

No Reappraisals

Special interests who want big government have had laws passed which guarantee government increases in size. All governments are required to spend basically all income each year. Incredibly New Hanover County's property taxes have increased 320 % percent, from $36.08 million to $115.42 million from 1991 until 2004, or county government is increasing in size from property taxes an average of 23% per year. The main reason for this massive increase in size of government comes from reevaluation of property values mandated by law every eight years. Property assessed values have increased from $5.02 billion to $17.3 billion from 1991 to 2004 an increase of 340% percent. The 1991 reappraisal increased assessed property values 40% percent from $5.02 billion to $7.16 billion and 1999 appraisal increased assessed property values 46% percent $10.56 billion to $15.44 billion. In 1991 the tax rate went down 20% from 73 cents a hundred 59 cents a hundred but since the assessed values went up 40% we really had a massive 20% tax increase equivalent to around 15 cents per hundred. In 1999 it was much worse. The tax rate went down 11 % from 66 cents per hundred to 55 cents per hundred but the assessed value went up 46% so we got another massive tax increase of 35% equivalent to about a 19 cent per hundred increase in property taxes.

If we leave the assessed values the same and the county needs money to balance the budget then the County Commissioners will have to approve a property tax increase. Everyone will realize a spade is a spade. That is, a tax increase is a tax increase.

If elected County Commissioner I will do my best to get other County Commissioners to vote to postpone the 2007 reassessment until 2009. Expect screams and actions equivalent to that of a heroine addict who has just run out of dope. It is a hassle to stand up to big government special interests who have the deck rigged to transfer the equity in our property to them. Postponing the property tax re evaluation to 2009 is conservative and we should do it and be prepared to face the state in court if they try and stop it. The state will approach a county postponing reevaluation like me walking on eggs because other counties are probably considering exactly what I am suggesting, postponing property reevaluations.

It is a fight worth fighting and I will fight to postpone the next property assessment until 2009 by hook or crook if elected to the County Commissioners. My home is going to be reassessed to over a half million bucks in 2007 assessment, the appraisal process is nothing more than multiplying current property values by the percent they think they can get, and I am one of those who will be forced to sell. So if you are a homeowner who can't afford another 45% upward assessment in property values and a 15% decrease in the tax rate elect a County Commissioner who is in the same boat you are in. Elect, Randy Crow to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners. Let's put America back in America and let governmental money withdrawal shakes, vomiting, itches, trots, convulsions, sweats, and tremors begin.

No Tax increases

In my opinion our property taxes and taxes generally are high enough.

AAA Bond Rating

New Hanover Regional Medical Center has an A bond rating and I think the county does also. AAA is the highest bond rating and I feel with good financial management our bond rating can be improved. To gain an AAA bond rating we must have a few Boeing type companies move to the region and we must have no overcapacity streets, great parks, and bike roads, Greenfield Lake will have to have no BOD inflows and the community is going to have to be doing everything right. An AAA bond rating is a lofty goal but one worth seeking.

Parks, Bike Roads, Clean Water

There is a super tract of land that I would like the County to research and see if it can be leased or purchased and made into a regional park and it is the 2000 acres or so at Carolina Beach once owned by Dow Chemical but is now owned by maybe the DOD and is part of Sunny Point. Also at Carolina Beach is the Carolina Beach State Park which I think needs to be improved and used more. Also Duck Haven in my opinion would be a nice purchase and reopened as a municipal golf course. New Hanover County needs to stay ahead of the curve and buy and develop parks with golf courses, soccer fields, hiking trails as an incentive for Boeing type companies to relocate here.

The county needs to get serious about bike roads, possibly bike Interstates that go over or under congested roads. Clean water is a must. We need to do all expansion of the port at Sunny Point because to dig the river to the depth it takes to bring in the largest ships to Wilmington will rupture the rock cover protecting the clean water aquifer running below the river. Greenfield Lake needs to be drained and deepened and find out where the BOD is coming from that is polluting it, stop BOD inflows, and then reopen Greenfield Lake as a pristine body of water which will serve as an example of how we expect the quality of all the water in our region to maintain. NHRMC is making money like a bandit and worth in my opinion around $700 million dollars not including the Foundation and I think the County needs to start charging NHRMC rent to be used for parks, bike roads, clean water, and neat incentives which will attract Boeing types.

Brunswick County gets 900 acres in $2 million grant. Clink on link to read about it. If New Hanover County had purchased low priced land for parks years ago it would not be such a financial burden to do so now and we may have attracted Boeing types to the county and 57 % of our jobs might not be retail, ect.. It is my guess this Brunswick park will help Brunswick attract Boeing type companies to the region.

"Cool" Community

People have had a love affair with the Wilmington area for hundreds of years because of Wilmington's crystal clear water. For Wilmington to have overcapacity streets, dirty water, and live as if money is God is a new rich attitude which does not show respect for one of nature's most beautiful spots. We can do better and we do not have to travel this road. We must protect the industries we have namely the movie industry and the tourist industry, clean up and smell the roses, and Wilmington can be a really high quality of life "Cool" city without overcapacity roads and with crystal clean water. The Coastal Area Management Act CAMA states clearly that our area should be making the changes I am advocating, no overcapacity streets and clean water. We have the CAMA mandate on our side and now we must do what we are capable of doing.