Lamar Paris and the State of the county

County Commissioner Lamar Paris recently visited the Union County Rotary Club to talk to the club members about the county. Topics addressed by the Paris were growth and taxes, the recent alcohol vote, and land development.

Regarding taxes and growth, Commissioner Paris explained that the county has just gone through the process of tax reassessment and reiterated to the Rotarians that taxes are based on property value, as required by the state. He added, "Taxes are tied to growth and that's what we want." Paris went on to say that growth is good for business owners but that it is hard to get the right amount of growth to please everyone. Over the last six years, the county has seen a steady growth rate of about four percent, about 600 to 800 new residents per year, which can be easily absorbed by the county.

Paris informed Rotary Club members that he was surprised by the alcohol vote, not because of the results but because of the reason why the people voted the way they did. The commissioner stated that he heard a lot of people voted against alcohol to inhibit growth. He added that it is necessary for growth to pay for government; government is paid for with property taxes. Expanding on this, Paris went on to say that there are only three types of growth revenue for the county - commercial/ industrial property, residential property, and farmland property.

After giving the breakdown of what the county government receives back from each of the three types of revenue, Paris made it clear that commercial/industrial property development is the only way the county will be able to make enough money to support itself. He also stated that residential property development can be a strain on the county. After discussing these matters, Commissioner Paris asked the Rotarians to help encourage and support a reasonable amount of growth. Paris added, "We do have to grow. We owe it to our kids and grandkids to give them a chance to live and make a living in Union County."