Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Discrimination?

So last night we went to the monthly city hall meeting. I found out that I should attend this meeting just hours before it started. Supposedly the subdivision down the road with 24 homes in it wants to be let into the city we are on the edge of.

Just so you can understand let me explain some issues. We currently live on a dead end road. To get out of this town we have to drive down our road and then choose which road to turn on. No matter which way you choose---you HAVE to go by the city school and through the city. There is absolutely no other way out but through the school zone. Now this school is "special" because they are 1. very small 2. don't have enough city residents to fill it (they actually bring in children from out of the county) and 3. have excellent testing in the state with only a 2% drop out rate and an extremely active principal. In other words--for a public school- it is highly coveted to get into. So much so ---that it can increase the value of your home by about 5% just being in the city limits. That's a lot.
Anyways--for some reason in the past 5 years three subdivisions (one about 5 years--Tenet, one 2 1/2 years old--Franklin and one putting in roads now--name unknown) have been built on the mile and a half stretch that is our road. Then there is my home plus 6 others all with acreage at the very very end. A few other small home with acreage are scattered in between.
We, along with the others with acreage and Franklin are not in the city. Franklin wants in bad --as do we up at the end. Most all our children attend the school (with an added cost of $500 set to go up to $750 next year) but you have to wait for years for approval (as some do) or "know" the correct person (my son's best friend's father in our case).

Last night--when all showed up---somehow it fell to me and my neighbor (both unprepared for this) to speak on behalf of the people wanting in. The answer---after 20 minutes of how expensive an individual house costs a city was NO! HELL NO! Basically said by one man---no one offered up a vote on it or anything. Of course statistically they had us since we were unprepared---which we won't be next month I assure you.
The two biggest "glitches" in their reasoning though are: One---because of special circumstances which I won't go into here, the city residents pay ZERO taxes. A business covers them and they don't want to have to make those (poor) citizens pay taxes so we (paltry little expensive us) can have the privilege of being in the city. "It wouldn't be FAIR" according to the "man in charge". These residents haven't been paying taxes since---get this---1990. What is funny is they have let some "well known friends" build subdivisions---all with $300,000 homes---to come into said city---including Tenet and this new un-named subdivision that are on our road. (Have we ever heard of Grandfather clause and add new/different rules for others??????)
Also the second reasoning is that if they let us in they would then have to "discriminate" (his words not mine) against other people wanting their subdivision or home to be let into the city. Discriminate---my ass. That's exactly what they are doing to us. I have lived here over 3 years so why is a yet un named subdivision being let into the "poor financially strapped city" when my neighbors and I can't be????? It's a load of mierda (that's the Spanish equivalent of shit if you didn't know). Apologize for the language but this burns me up to the top. I absolutely completely DETEST anything that smacks of "special treatment" for individuals. Don't get me wrong---I never said I didn't benefit from it once in a while----but I don't agree with it. I would rather my son got into the school because we lived on a dead end road a mile and half from the school than a friend had to speak up for him. As a matter of fact for almost two months I beat my head doing it that way. Then Joe called for us and the next day----literally---my son was in. The only other school was an 18 minute drive away---stupid huh??

Next month---we won't be unprepared. My husband and some others are helping us pick apart what was said and we will address EVERY issue this man brought up. His reasoning is unsound anyways. BUT we will point it out with efficiency. He also has a temper. When I pointed out that he was in turn discriminating against us by allowing the new un named subdivision in even though all of us were/are already there---he practically yelled at me that: "a man has a right to do with his property what he will" Yes, he does. I will wholeheartedly agree with that BUT---that man had to get permission to split that property into a subdivision for 24 homes FROM THEM. So who's discriminating????

Thanks for the vent---love this blogging for that reason!

4 comments:

Phelan said...

Good luck next month.

Dancingfarmer said...

Thanks! we'll need it. Hope it doesn't drag on for years. Ick.
Monica

BurdockBoy said...

Greetings.

That really sucks. You would think they would want more houses in for more taxes.

I remember as a child having to go through a lot with schools. The country school 2 miles from my house closed the year before I was to attend so I had to attend the school in town (1 hr bus ride). They made me walf 1/4 mile in KG to catch the bus, but on my same bus ride the bus would drive through a whole subdivision door to door for the rich kids.

That had nothing to do with your situation, but it reminded me of it. I guess I wanted to vent as well.

Anyhow, good luck next week.

Dancingfarmer said...

Actually BurdockBoy:
It is similar---the "rich" and/or influential are allowed to build subdivisions with city access while we unknown/poorer are kept out. The city limits go one way for a long time(no good reason except nicer/original houses) The city is cut "short" the other way. Why? Poor and/or black people live there. Burns me up. The should get together too---they also have a "discrimination" complaint.