More Volunteers Needed! Time Running Short in Efforts to Provide a Public Referendum
A group of citizens in the City of Oak Ridge is working hard to give the community a referendum on a proposed 10.5 million dollar taxpayer subsidy (before interest charges) for a new shopping center. The proponents of the subsidy are asking Oak Ridge citizens to pay to remove more of Pine Ridge in preparation for a shopping center on the site. The developer, GBT Corporation of Brentwood, TN, would like to market the proposed shopping center to Target Corporation and other retailers. The plan and subsidy package were revealed in late January at an Oak Ridge City Council Work Session and have been on a fast track for approval by the City Council.
The majority of Oak Ridge residents oppose the City’s plan to give funds to the proposed development. The City’s marketing survey showed that less than one citizen in five supports the proposed subsidy, while almost two thirds of Oak Ridge citizens oppose it. While the City acknowledges that some of the new center’s sales would necessarily come from existing local retail centers, it hopes that the addition of more retail space will result in a net increase in sales tax revenues. The City has characterized this projected revenue as “repayment” of the debt that the City will take on to support the project.
“We just want to ensure that the City does its financial homework and that citizens support a public expenditure for the project,” says petition drive organizer William Schramm. “Many of us would love to see a Target store in Oak Ridge. However, we have been down this path before with the City Council and have seen promised benefits fail to materialize. Citizens ought to have the right to vote on this bond, and have time to examine a public subsidy of this magnitude.”
The petition drive needs the signatures of 2,500 registered voters by March 12th, 2007 in order to ensure a public referendum. As of March 4th, the drive had only collected 1,250. “This is slow work, talking with individual voters one at a time” said Schramm. “Success is not guaranteed. While the petition is being enthusiastically received, we lack the people needed to adequately cover the city. Almost everyone offered an opportunity to sign the petition does so, which is consistent with the City’s marketing survey results. Nonetheless, we need the help of more volunteers if the petition drive is to succeed.”
Many citizens may assume that the petition drive will succeed, due to the success of the Oak Ridge Mall Bond petition drive in 2002 and the Wheel Tax petition drive in Knox County. There are a number of factors, however, that influence the outcome of petition drives. One key issue is that they are very labor-intensive and can consume thousands of hours of volunteer time. “If people would like to help, we would love to have them,” said Schramm. “We want to see Oak Ridge citizens provided with a thorough public discussion and a public referendum on this subsidy. If folks would like to help, all they have to do is give me a call or visit our website.”
