Richland ‘Renaissance’? Sounds more like Richland Boondoggle

As a business owner and 23-year resident of Northeast Richland County, I’m troubled by the County Council’s vote to buy land for the “Richland County Renaissance Project.”

Are council members treating our money like they would their own? They voted 6-5 to move forward with the land purchase even though they don’t know how much the project will cost, have not indicated what they are willing to spend and don’t know where the money will come from. Yet we are to be comforted that it will not “bankrupt the county.”

How will building a few administrative buildings, a recreation center and some trails and putting up some pro-Richland County signs create a “renaissance”? What is the expected return on investment from this?

What our county needs is reduced bureaucracy and lower taxes so companies will want to come here and build. Businesses look for a prepared work force, low taxes and minimal bureaucracy. Does that define our county? I don’t purport to know all the answers, but my guess would be no.

The best hand up we can give people is a good-paying job. I’m discouraged that Richland County Council believes that a few buildings and trails will transform our county. Additionally, wasn’t the Transportation Penny Tax sold on the premise that there was not money to fix our roads? The fact that County Council is intent on spending money it hasn’t identified makes me wonder if that was a sham.

Council Chairwoman Joyce Dickerson is “annoyed” with the negativity, but the negativity comes from all the unanswered questions. And lack of trust in our council members. We should not be worried about annoying our elected officials with questions about how our money will be spent.