Mike Moser "I Say" Published Jan. 23, 2004

Metro government: Is it a good thing?

Politics, do indeed, make strange bedfellows.

Once political adversaries, it appears the Cumberland County Commission and the Cumberland County School Board are on speaking terms these days and that is a good thing.

The result was Tuesday night's 16-1 vote by the commission to build a second high school. For the benefit of us all, I hope that commissioners and school board members will continue the dialogue. All Cumberland Countians benefit in a atmosphere of cooperation.

This isn't to say each side should not disagree with the other. But each side should be willing to listen to the other, seek common ground, and move forward for the betterment of us all.
Compromise is the art of legislative government.

The same cannot be said for relationships between the city of Crossville and the county. Like a marriage on the rocks, both entities are sleeping in separate bedrooms and neither is speaking much to the other.

The proposal of a metro form of government, originating within the county commission and fronted by a county commissioner, is perceived by some as a filing for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.

How many times have you heard those seeking public office say they wanted to improve relationships between the city and the county? Well, very little of that is going on these days.

On the surface the idea of a metro form of government sounds logical. Who isn't for saving money, cutting a layer of bureaucracy and reducing duplication? I can't help but wonder what we will find when we scratch the issue and see what is below its surface.

Will we be saving on one end and increasing spending on the other?

The idea of a metro government for Cumberland County is not a new one. I first heard of the idea in a Cumberland County Commission meeting. I believe the year was 1985. It was just talk and no leader emerged to carry the ball and move the idea forward.

It has lain dormant since, with only an occasional mention.

That is, until recent weeks when the idea of metro government started being batted around committee meetings. County Mayor Brock Hill told members of the budget committee earlier this month that commissioners would be hearing more about metro government in the weeks ahead.

The topic was again briefly mentioned in committee by Commissioner Sharon York last week. Tuesday night York found herself in the position of defending her role in bringing the concept to study and, eventually, a vote of the people.

York seemed stunned by the written suggestion that she had been deceptive in advancing the idea of a metro form of government. The commentary said the consolidation of government could be the biggest political blunder of the past 50 years.

"I am a hometown girl. I have lived here all my life," York said in addressing the commission Tuesday night. "My intentions have never been to deceive my fellow Cumberland Countians."

I suspect the catalyst for this movement is the squabble between the city and the county over how the city is spending its share of the one-half cent sales tax increase that voters approved under the guise of helping education. The county's share of the tax increase goes to schools, as prescribed by law.

State law, however, allows the city to use one-fourth of its share of the half-cent tax as it chooses, and the city has chosen to spend its share on streets and infrastructure, including recent improvements in the area of CCHS and Martin Junior High.

Many felt misled by the referendum and thought the entire one-half cent tax would go to schools. Many of those are county commissioners. And that has left a bitter taste in the mouths of some county leaders.

One side might be coveting the neighbor's cash cow, sales tax.

There may be as many reasons for metro government as there are against it. Each taxpayer who is registered to vote will have a say on this issue, so I do not understand how metro government could be a blunder if the people want it. When did citizens voting their destiny become a bad form of government?

It will be interesting to watch this unfold. I promise you the Chronicle will investigate and seek out all information that is available so that the voters can make an informed decision, should the issue find itself on the ballot.

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Mike Moser is the editor of the Crossville Chronicle. His column is published periodically on Fridays.