New Classrooms Open at South Lawrence Elementary
dilapidated, portable classrooms. And now, they have better with the addition of the new permanent classrooms and gym expansion.
I am proud to have been a part of this team effort to improve our schools and move our county forward, at no new expense to taxpayer. It is my hope that this is only the start of a renewed effort to improve our schools in Lawrence County as a quality educational system and economic vitality go hand and hand." PHOTO BY BEN
5 Ideas and Reforms For Progress in 2012
Commissioner Chris D. Jackson
Local government really is where the rubber meets the road, that is why it is so crucial that going into the heart of this new year we are ready to confront the serious issues that lay before us here in Lawrence County with a bold plan in hand.
With that being said, I would like to respectfully propose the following five point plan that I believe will not only address some of our immediate needs, but also some of the long term issues facing our county:
1) Hold Jobs Summit; Produce Comprehensive Economic Development Plan: Jobs continue to be the number one issue facing Lawrence County. With the county's unemployment rate continuing to stay in double digits, (our county's unemployment rate continues to be higher than our neighboring counties: Maury, Giles and Wayne) I firmly believe it is time to revamp our economic development efforts within county government. That process should begin with a Jobs Summit in which County Commissioners, the County Executive, the Chamber of Commerce, City Commissioners and Mayors, the local business community and the citizens of Lawrence County come together to discuss all things economic development. This Summit would address a whole host of topics that would include but not be limited to our county's infrastructure needs, our marketing strategies, what enticements are or should be used to lure potential industries and what programs we could implement to help retrain those who have lost jobs as well as programs that can better equip students who are about to enter the workforce. The ideal end result will be to formulate a comprehensive plan of action that lays out a new path forward as to how we can aggressively go after potential industries and help local industries wanting to expand. I applaud the City of Lawrenceburg's recent decision to take the lead on building a spec building which will help lure industry to out county. That is the kind of bold leadership we need from the county when it comes to jobs. No more of doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Every day we wait, we lose a generation of Lawrence Countians.
2) Improve on Holding the Line on Discretionary Spending; Cut Out Political Primaries: Ever since I have been in office, I have said that county government should do like any good business and every family around our county and tighten our belt and live within our means. That is just common sense knowing the fact that a large number of families live on a fixed income in Lawrence County. I feel that over the past few years the county has struggled on this front. In the last two years in particularly, the county has spent about $700,000 more than it has taken in, resulting in depleted fund balances. And while some of the spending was beyond the county's control, a lot of it wasn't. The County Commission needs to lead by example this year by cutting our own salary in half, resulting in a net savings of about $22,000 that can be spent on more pressing such as our public safety. As Chairman of the local Democratic Party, I also plan to publicly call for an end to the Democratic Primary. Right now the county spends $30,000 to hold this primary. I think the party should go to a new system that still gives citizens a chance to choose the best candidate possible, all the while not wasting the taxpayer's money. The $30,000 that the county will save should go into an "economic development bank" that could be used to help lure jobs to our county, improve tourism or help repair our crumbling infrastructure throughout the county. The philosophy is simple: reduce discretionary spending where possible and then use the savings to re-invest in areas that can lead to job creation and economic development. And one more thing, no new taxes!
3) Invest in Education: Knowing that economic development is the number one issue in our county, it just makes sense that investing in our educational system should also be a top priority for our government. Over the past few years, the county has worked hard to improve our schools by advancing the curriculum in our classrooms to better prepare students for college and/or the workforce, revamping technology, improving test scores and graduation rates and building new healthy for our children. All the credit goes to our wonderful teachers and administrators who go out of their way on a daily basis to make sure our students succeed. It is my hope that during the next year we can work with the school board to ensure that trend continues and that we are addressing areas in which we can improve. Statistics clearly show that the more educated workforce we have, the greater the chance good businesses and industries will invest in our county. These two issues go hand and hand and we cannot take our eye off the ball on either one. Creating a better tomorrow starts today by investing in our children and their education.
4) Formulate a County Fire Protection Plan: Right now if you live in the county, you depend on a volunteer fire department for fire protection. These brave men and women provide a great service to our citizens as they volunteer their time and put their own personal well-being on the line to keep us all safe. Sadly, if the economic current trends continue many of these volunteer fire departments will be forced to close, effectively leaving thousands without adequate fire protection. While I am proud of the fact that county continues to match grants for these departments and that the county increased their funding by an additional $1,000 last year, it does little to ease the financial burden they have as they are losing more and more each year. It is time the county commission sits down with all the local fire chiefs and fire fighters to formulate a bold and innovate fire protection plan that will keep our fire departments sustainable for years to come and our citizens safe. If it is done correctly, we can not only improve fire protection in our county, but also reduce citizens' homeowners insurance premiums down the road. Our fire departments should be focused solely on public safety, not having plan their next fundraiser just to stay afloat.
5) Renew County Roads Program: This is probably one of the most important issues to those who live out in the county. There is no question that over the past ten years, our roadways have been vastly improved as the miles of unpaved roads in the county have dropped with each passing year. However, with continued unprecedented flooding and freezing coupled with the lack of funds available due to a slow economy, many of our county roads are beginning to crumble and fall apart. That is why in the coming months I hope that the county commission will take a hard look at renewing the county's road program as much as our budget will allow. In years past when facing similar big issues, the county commission and the budget director have worked together to solve them in innovative ways. I believe we can do that with our roads. Years ago we made a huge investment when we started our road paving program, now we must re-invest to maintain the integrity of our roads.
I truly believe our county finds itself at a crossroads. On one hand we can continue down the current path, supporting the status quo, doing the same things over and over again and quickly become a retirement community. On the other hand, we can honestly and responsibly address the issues that we face and give future generations of Lawrence Countians the hope and opportunity they deserve.
Now is not the time to take the easy road and pass the buck on the important issues of the day. It is time we stand up and be the leaders we were elected to be and fundamentally change the way we do business in Lawrence County. The people are ready for progress.
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Commissioner Chris D. Jackson | Copyrighted 2011 | Email- chris@chrisdjackson.com
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"Earlier this week I was honored to attend the ribbon cutting at South Lawrence Elementary for the new classrooms and gym additions. This event was the result of a three year partnership between county government, the school board as well as the teachers, parents and students at South Lawrence.
Over three years ago, everyone came together in common cause, as one community and said that our children deserve better than mold-filled,
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