A Loser For The Taxpayers - And Response (4)

I was just reading where the city of Chattanooga is going to spend $243,181.82 per slip for 44 boat slips, totaling $10,700,000.00. They are to be used for temporary transient boats.

Chattanooga must have more money than it knows what to do with. I guess all the schools and police are not in need. Maybe all the roads and sewers are more than updated and paid for?

Who even comes up with these idiotic spending ideas anyway when there is so much real need in every segment of the city? With the initial outlay of funds, coupled with future upkeep and liability, not to mention the sporadic use of the docks, is all added up, there is no possible way it could be a winning situation for Chattanooga taxpayers.

Sure, the supporters will say $1.35 million is from a federal grant, but guess what, we all pay that money in also, so all the way around it is a loser for the taxpayers. Period.

Joe Blevins

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Remember those urgent waterfront repairs that had to be made immediately before further cracking of the concrete occurred allowing it to slide out into the river? That urgent project had $7.3 million earmarked with the work scheduled to begin in March. That was before Larry Zehnder decided it belonged to him, plus a million or so for his plan to extend work out to Ross's Landing and other incidental work such as overhead walking bridges to make it safer for pedestrians in the area and other niceties....now including 44 boat docks.

It is time for our city auditor to find the money and put it where it belongs....where the taxpayers and City Council approved the expenditure. Council, please vote down the boats and repair that riverfront. Otherwise we taxpayers will know that nothing has changed: That is, we still do not have an honest broker looking out for our money.

Stop this madness. We taxpayers have a highway to build up Aetna Mountain for a private developer, a court order to clean up sewage and water problems that have been allowed to continue to grace our city right under the noses and with the knowledge of this city's leadership since 1915; and a new Mayor who has not yet decided on a platform to justify his being elected. This troop is getting restless.

Charlotte Parton

Chattanooga

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How do the people stop the madness? The city keeps creating taxpayer-subsidized businesses that compete with existing business.

We have private boat docks in the area; why should the taxpayers fund boat docks that may harm the revenue of the private boat docks? Further, in a city with a poverty rate of 31 percent, why are private boat docks and plane facilities a priority? To understand this situation, it is best to see who keeps their private planes at the taxpayer-subsidized facilities, speaks volumes to me. Same for the boat docks - somewhere behind the scenes in a private yacht needing a home.

The city’s Airport Authority has forced the taxpayers into a failing private airplane storage business, competing with TAC Air. The taxpayer-funded airport facilities have lost almost $1 million in the short two years Wilson Air has been in operation. If the market existed, there would be more plane and boat dock facilities. Since the market does not exist, Wilson Air is losing money and harming TAC Air.

The problem is the city creates taxpayer business without private constraints or a determination of whether the market or need actually exists. It is how the government approaches the creation of these niche operations that are driven by special interests rather than real need.

Where does it stop, we have taxpayer substidized,

1) Private Plane Facilities

2) Hotel

3) Boat Dock

4) Road gifts for A List of Developer Friends.

Aren’t we losing enough taxpayer dollars on failed business pursuits created on the wish list of special interests rather than need or market?

April Eidson

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I think we call that "corny capitalism." It is nothing even resembling real capitalism, but some who don't know the difference will think they are.

Then they loudly proclaim that capitalism is a failure, especially when it supports their agenda.