October, 2008
The Alachua County Commission
"Where the Wild Things Are"
Nick Fitzpatrick
In a simple survey, ten random University of Florida students were asked three questions: "who is the UF Student Body President," "who are the presidential candidates from the two major political parties," and "can you name three of the five Alachua County Commissioners?" Six of the ten knew that Kevin Reilly is the Student Body president. All ten students knew that John McCain and Barack Obama are presidential candidates, but there was only one student that could name a single county commissioner. A lone girl knew that Mike Byerly was running for re-election; she saw his sign, but knew nothing of his politics.
The survey, unapologetically unscientific, gives great insight into the voting habits of some college students. Are these results so unexpected? Student Government, after all, decides how much money each student’s beloved organization will receive. After being harassed for weeks during class changes, students certainly remember SG officials. Then don’t forget the presidential race. For many college students, there is nothing more exciting than volunteering for a man that could become the leader of the free world; especially when one of those men is secretly the next messiah. Such enthusiasm in our experiment of American democracy is admirable, but the lack of interest in local politics in frightening.
Case in point is the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners. This five member commission has gone, just like that air filter you are supposed to check monthly, unchecked for years. And it could cost you. The commission’s budget for this year is $329 million, and it’s looking for more.
On the ballot this November is a county referendum titled "Wild Spaces and Public Places Environmental Lands, Parks, and Recreation One-Half Percent Sales Tax." The referendum would allow the county to implement a one-half percent sales tax for the next two years, effective January 1st, 2009- December 31st, 2010. If passed the sales tax would increase from 6.25% to 6.75%. While such an increase alone doesn’t present itself as too big of a burden, it is another assault on your wallet by the leftist commission. The evolution of the "Wild Spaces" tax came about after Alachua Forever ran out of money. Alachua Forever’s objective is to purchase land in the county and set it aside for ecological reasons, be they community parks or conservation areas. While this, like the tax seems acceptable and even noble on the surface, further examination reveals that 51% of the land in Alachua County is already off of the tax roll. The county is effectively using your tax dollars to buy up more land, and then will raise the property tax millage to compensate.
The tax itself is not unusual. The government never seems to be able to live within its means. What is unique about this referendum is that the citizens were not asked to petition to get it on the ballot. Typically, a group must garner enough signatures to prove that a policy is viable. That was not the case this time. The board simply voted the tax onto the ballot. Not illegal, but with the UF student body largely unaware of the commissions actions, students should be alarmed. A great facet of our republic is that each person is free to vote as they choose. However, whether conservative, liberal, or moderate, the significance of this issue and local politics as a whole is vastly underemphasized on campus. No, the county doesn’t control if your club gets more money, and it certainly doesn’t have war powers, but it can hit you where it hurts each and every time you open your wallet.