I agree with you...

by pokynojoe, Thursday, April 18, 2013, 09:25 (4241 days ago) @ FOG

I hope it passes and gets extensive nationwide press coverage. Hopefully, everyone out there will find it as offensive as you do, and quit moving here.

I can assure you, if the town's citzenry don't want it, it won't happen, and as it should be, this is a local ORDINANCE, that affects only the citezenry of the town, and no one else. As the article states it will be voluntary.

Farragut is one of the more unique places I've ever lived. The town is administerd by a Board of Mayor and Alderman, comprised of a mayor, and four alderman, elected by the town's citzenry. They are paid a SMALL stipend, they all have other full time jobs. Every other board, council or what have you, i.e. the board of zoning, building codes, parks, is run by volunteers (we take that motto "Volunteer STATE" very seriously). Any person can volunteer for any board or committee, all that is required is that they reside within the town's urban boundry. There is a small paid admistrative staff. There is no police force, no fire department, fire and ambulance services are paid for by each citizen through yearly subscription. Consequently, there's no property tax. We survive on our share of county sales tax, and we have a surplus each year. If you ask me, it's "government for the people, of the people, and by the people" in it's most purest forms, or as close as any place I've ever lived.

It's also one of the more diverse places I've lived, and I've lived in quite a few. My neighber to the west of me is from Korea, my neighbor to the south of me is from India, my neighbor to east is from Colorado, and my neighbor to the north is from Austria. There are a number of mixed race families in my neighborhood also. Not the typical community one thinks of when they think of "Appalachia."

In the last ten years our population has grown from 12 to 18 thousand, it was 8 thousand when I moved here. We have great parks, a brand new library, heck we even have an indoor ice skating rink, if you can believe that! All without property taxes, so maybe this ordinance is foolish, but there's so many people desiring to move here, we must be doing something right.