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Published Friday, September 19, 2008 in Local

Commission candidate Bill Wood concerned about growth

By Sarah Fay Campbell

The Newnan Times-Herald

Coweta County Commission candidate Bill Wood of Senoia said that he was asked by a lot of people to run for office because of concerns about how growth is being addressed.

Wood said he feels he can address growth impartially, and that his professional and political experience have given him analytical and decision making skills that can be applied to the challenges facing Coweta County.

Wood, who served five years on the Senoia City Council, retired in January as a director of finance and vice president of a Bell South subsidiary.

Wood is concerned about developers paying for their impacts on Coweta's roads, as well as funding priorities in the county budget.

"The county has already waived significant costs for road improvements to other developers in the area," he said.

The county's transportation impact fees are calculated in such a way that the fees should pay for 50 percent of the specific projects set down in the capital improvements element. The projects aren't tied to specific developments, though developers are often asked to take responsibility for specific improvements needed to serve their developments, in addition to impact fees. The other impact fees, for fire protection, the jail, parks, and the like, are assessed at 100 percent.

The county commission is currently in the midst of reexamining the transportation fees and looking at a way that the commercial fees can be more in line with fees charged by the city of Newnan, to hopefully reduce the amount of property that is annexed into the city and, therefore, ceases to pay county fees.

"That's implying an objective that the county government should have to find ways to reduce impact fees," Wood said.

Wood mentioned the Twelve Parks development coming to the Sharpsburg border, and said that the developer, Peachtree City-based Pathway Communities, only has to pay $100,000 toward the cost of realigning the McIntosh Trail/Reese Road intersection.

Wood said that the county waived half the cost of a fire truck to serve the hospital, though the county commission unanimously voted not to allow the new hospital any exemptions from impact fees.

"Well who pays those additional costs? That is where the people in Haralson, the people in Senoia, miles and miles away from that development, are subsidizing the developer," Wood said.

When asked about the fire truck for the hospital, County Administrator Theron Gay and Public Safety Director Dennis Hammond said that there is no agreement requiring the hospital to pay for a fire truck, other than the impact fees. The county has long planned to purchase the ladder truck, which will serve the whole area.

Developments such as Twelve Parks and McIntosh Trail are required to pay all of the normal impact fees, and are also contributing to road projects, said county Public Information Officer Patricia Palmer. Pathway will be paying half the cost of a new fire truck, as part of the development agreement, and will contribute $500,000 to various infrastructure improvements in addition to the money for the intersection realignment. Additionally, Pathway has to build a sewage treatment plant.

Wood is also concerned about the relationship the county has with the municipalities. The ongoing problems between Senoia and the county over the city's proposed library are a prime example.

"There is not good communication between county leadership and municipal leadership. There is distrust," Wood said. "They need to all work together."

Wood wants to address government efficiency, and the funding of un-budgeted projects.

Several moths ago, the Georgia State Patrol requested some new speed detection laser units. Those units were not in the budget, but the request was approved.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, but against what priorities?" Wood said. There are plenty of things that departments requested that "didn't make the budget hurdle."

When an unfunded request comes up, the county should compare it to a list of unfunded priorities. "Would we be better off spending the $17,000 on the equipment for troopers? Why isn't the state paying that?" Wood said. "Would we be better off spending that money for hiring an additional fire fighter?"

Additionally, the county's public works department requested $14 million in 2009 for road maintenance and improvement, and staff has budgeted $5 million.

The recent discussion over flashing school zone signs is another example. Poole brought up the issue and wanted to move forward with the funding.

In a case like that, "I do think it is a wise thing to follow a process --first know how much you are going to spend," Wood said. It would also be good to know how effective the signs would be, and which areas need them the most.

"It needs to go on staff's work list to see how important this issue is," Wood said.

Wood would like to see the county's fire insurance rating approved. He would rather see the fire department bring on more full-time people than staff positions with part timers.

"We end up with firemen who are not trained together working together, not necessarily knowledgeable about the area," Wood said. Plus, "how well do we know that the person is not too fatigued to do the job?"

The response times of the Coweta County Sheriff's Office aren't as good as they can be either, Wood said.

"This is not the fault of the fire department or the sheriff's office. It is a fault of funding shortfalls, staffing shortfalls," Wood said. "Your insurance cost is higher because the risk of loss is higher, and the loss of your life is a greater possibility because we're not adequately protected," Wood said.

"I live in an old wooden house. I can't wait 17 minutes to be rescued."

He would also like to see the county put in place some sort of early warning system for severe weather and other emergencies.

One thing Wood advocates to improve efficiency and frugality is a central procurement office. The purchasing department would be in charge of purchasing for all county departments. Currently, each department does its own procurement.

"We require fire captains, amongst their many responsibilities, to become proficient in negotiating for fire trucks," Wood said. "We should have procurement experts assisting them," he said. "The same is true when the sheriff needs a new cruiser, when public works needs a new truck, all of those things really need a procurement expert," Wood said.

"If you're not held accountable for the deal itself and the department is holding you accountable for getting the equipment, then you have a conflict to begin with."

As for conflicts, Wood feels that Commissioner Paul Poole has a conflict because he is a large property owner. Poole and his brother jointly own just under 300 acres that they inherited from their uncle in the 1970s. Both live on the property, located along Ga. Hwy. 154 and Lower Fayetteville Road.

"I can address growth impartially, without having the influence of large property affecting my decision," Wood said. "No matter how good a person you might be, if you're in the middle of a growth area, and you want to encourage growth, it is hard to be objective," Wood said.

Poole, who operates a cattle farm on his property, said Wood is "totally wrong."

"When I inherited this land I could have sold it that day and had more money than I have ever had in my life," Poole said. "I don't look at this as a piece of development land, I look at it as a farm... he just doesn't know me."

When it comes to the way the county does things, "I'd like to see us introduce a best in class effort," Wood said. That would be a way the county could compare its operations to other counties and cities around the state. "We don't have to invent it here. If it has been invented somewhere and it is a better way of doing things, we ought to embrace it and adopt it and make things better for the county," Wood said.

Wood is running as a Democrat. But "there are no issues that come before the commission that are party line issues," he said. "We should look to the individual and to the credentials and skills and knowledge that they bring to the job, and I believe I have those skills.

"And that is why I recommend you vote for me."