As the filing period for municipal elections moves forward, and the special election for a U.S. House of Representatives seat nears, we need not look beyond our county borders to understand the importance of elected leaders’ ability to plan.
And adjust.
Voters would be wise to do their homework now, listening to candidates in the Sept. 10 election, and watching the actions of those who will want votes Nov. 5.
Bladen County as a whole has encountered several defining moments over the past year. Hurricane Florence was the natural disaster for which we should always have in our plans; water quality troubles at White Lake was a reminder unforeseen occurrences happen. Those are just a couple.
Rainy day funds and plans are not just a state budget discussion topic. They’re local, too.
One idea floated at a recent Bladen Community College trustees meeting involved, roughly, setting aside money regularly for significant repair and maintenance of aging buildings that can be tapped into periodically. It’s an approach to avoid large one-time hits to a snare-drum tight budget.
It can work there and anywhere, including high schools nearing 20 years old.
In the case of White Lake, town leaders deserve applause for finding nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to help handle last year’s problems and gain knowledge through research. No tax increase was levied this year to recoup it. The group did plan wisely, enacting fee increases to help handle loan debt as aging public works infrastructure is addressed.
Planned management and more research are needed for the lake. Stakeholders’ voices in the process will be needed, and that extends beyond the ballot box.
Florence was the nightmare of Kelly, a small community that is not a municipality. An earthen barrier was its responsibility, but years without properly attending it finally caught up in a flood the likes of which haven’t been seen in more than 70 years.
Bladenboro’s downtown was gutted, and Clarkton and White Oak were significant flood victims as well.
A plan for Bladenboro revitalization is in the early stages. Kelly, once thought to need a miracle solution, has at least one path to a permanent fix. It’s one that is far from certain, but it is more tangible than wishful thinking.
County government is going to play a role in all of these endeavors. Tax dollars, be it through sales and use or property, are vital for a county that has neither significantly grown nor shrunk in population since World War II.
Demands, however, have grown. And if there isn’t substantial sales tax coming in from Bladenboro, or property tax from White Lake, or other revenue streams change, it will be felt in Elizabethtown, East Arcadia, Tar Heel and everywhere else in the county.
Planning ahead is as important today as it always has been. We need to do our homework.