Letters Between Business Association, Mayor Worth a Read
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
September 11, 2013
Tonight (Wednesday) the new economic development director for Northampton County, Charles McSwain, speaks to the Cape Charles Business Association. One of the issues is development on Route 13 and its effect on Cape Charles businesses. The Town of Cape Charles has some leverage because it can choose to promote commercial development on the highway or discourage it — depending on whether it agrees to facilitate sewerage for commercial properties outside town.
Two letters appear below: the first is from Cape Charles Business Association President George Proto to Mayor Dora Sullivan, and the second is the mayor’s response. Anyone interested in Route 13 commercial development might also be interested to read the letters.
Below is the response from Mayor Sullivan. The September 5 Town Council work session referred to by the mayor was cancelled.
Over-charge, over-tax, over-Government rules will not invite economic development.
Aside from adding users to the Cape Charles wastewater system to defray fixed and variable costs of operation, I can see no benefit to the Town to encourage development on Route 13. It will only divert business away from already-struggling businesses in the Town, and perhaps jeopardize their very existence. If the Town is to be a party to such development, it should consider seeking to expand its geographical borders by adding those areas to the Town’s tax roll.
Mr. Proto wrote an excellent letter to the mayor and is the first to question the potential benefit to the town.
The treatment plant is a valuable town asset, and one that the citizens are paying dearly for. Don’t squander it. To date I have yet to see any form of a cost benefit analysis (CBA) that supports the expansion of the system outside of town limits. Without a CBA any benefit to the town is simply speculative and the unforeseen cost could be devastating. Additionally a project of this type saddles the citizens with future liability: the treatment plant will reach capacity earlier requiring the funding of a capacity expansion.
It is my hope that the Town Council mandates a CBA prior to moving forward. A decision based on anything less would be speculative and possibly a breach of their fiduciary duty. Invest in our future, don’t speculate on it.
Mayor Sullivan ignored Mr. Proto’s questions — what else is new? I think it was great of her to invite Mr. Proto to the work session right up until she told him he would not be allowed to speak.
Every resident in Northampton county and especially the people in the towns of Cape Charles need to sign the petition against the PSA’s sewer pipe. It is wrong for Cape Charles & Cheriton. Encouraging new business on the highway could hurt the businesses in Cape Charles, plus the higher tax rate in the special tax rate district will hurt all of the businesses involved. Many of these businesses are already struggling and a higher tax rate will hurt them.
Cape Charles doesn’t have the right to hurt the businesses just because they got into a new sewer plant and didn’t consider how they would pay for it. Too bad, so sad for the pipe folly!
Debbie, let me know when you get that petition going. I’ll sign it and I’ll take it through my neighborhood to get more signatures.
In this climate, I fear a witch hunt for those who choose not to sign such a petition!