County Commission Chairman Ricky Wolfe spoke with West Point recently in a final attempt to get the city to join the group, to which the county, school board, Hogansville and LaGrange already have committed.
But some West Point leaders still are hung up on just how the joint planning group will be operated and just what they’ll get for the city’s financial contribution of $7,500.
Mayor Drew Ferguson IV suggested the city ask Wolfe to create a group of proposed joint planning group members to sit down and figure out how the full group would operate. Wolfe has told city leaders the exact operation of the joint group hasn’t been decided, but will be when the full group - he hopes to include West Point - is formed.
Ferguson said the draft ordinance that would create the joint group seems to focus on what should be city-level decisions about planning, rather than long-term planning he’d like to see.
Others are concerned why the county wants the city to join a group now, when there has been friction in the past.
“Why do they need us now?” Councilwoman Sandra Thornton asked.
She and Councilwoman Judy Wilkinson said they wonder how the city ultimately would benefit from the group.
“What are we getting for our money?” Wilkinson asked. “We already have planning directors in place (in each local government). Why can’t they form a group and do the work we’re paying them to do.”
Councilmen Donald Gilliam, Darren Kelly and Joe Downs say it’s better to be in the group than on the outside.
“It’s going to happen whether we’re in it or not,” Downs said. “It’s better to be on the inside.”
Gilliam said he’s ready to vote on the city’s participation. West Point had been talking about the joint planning group informally for about a year before Wolfe’s latest request.
It appeared doubtful, however, at the Tuesday work session, that the issue would be decided on at the council’s next meeting in May.
“We can do more on the inside than the outside,” Gilliam said.
Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.
Couple this with his "We'll let ya know when you join West Point . . .yea, that's the ticket!" sales pitch, and visions of "The Fox in the henhouse" should show up in technicolor in our City Councils minds. Actually, it's worse . . . we got a 'Wolfe" trying to get in.
Alarm bells should be going off all over town, just like they should have been when Mayor Ferguson & Co managed to dupe a naive and apathetic citizenry in West Point into giving them essentially blind carte blanche to impose TADs.
It's kinda sad that this sort of "good Ol' Boy Politics can happen in this age, but dang . . .locals are pretty gullible. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the REAL sticking point is Mr. Wolfe hasn't addressed the West Point Officials 'whisper question' of "What's in it for us . . . PERSONALLY" adequately.
This whole thing smells really bad.