July 27, 2005
Thomasville-- Thomas County's business owners are joining forces to have a single voice. Among other issues, the Business Action Council is concerned taxpayer's money in city owned businesses isn't being reinvested as it should.
"We all came together to address a need that was there for someone to represent small businesses interest, and to get involved in good and open government," says BAC President, Monty Lewis.
At a BAC meeting Wednesday afternoon, Councilman Roy Campbell was invited to discuss five issues. "I think they had some good ideas," he says.
The first issue on the table was eminent domain, the government's right to appropriate private property for public use. "We have never used that, we will never use it," says Campbell. There is, however, the possibility of buying four acres for a "safety zone" by the airport.
Next up was Thomasville's plan for finding a city planner. "We don't want to bring a new person in here who has a lot of problems to face. We'd like to find somebody in the local area who is interested in Thomasville, who knows Thomasville," says Campbell.
The third issue had to do with the city's plan for revamping its state farmer's market, currently outdated and underused. One possibility is creating a "French style" market. "The people who are selling produce would still be there, the diner would still be there, just turn it into kind of a small shopping area," says Campbell.
Fourth on the meeting's agenda was whether the city council is aware of the slow delivery of inspections, and new licenses and permits. "If you've got a license now, you're grandfathered in until the state makes whatever changes they make," says Campbell. A new state licensing board will decide on those changes within a couple of months.
Last, but not least, was whether the city has a plan for relocating above ground utilities underground. "If I told you next week we're going to start putting all of our utilities underground, that wouldn't be the truth," says Campbell.
That's because several companies use utility poles, and all would have to agree to the change. But that doesn't mean other changes, or other requests, won't be made. "I think that the concerns they have will be met and satisfied," says Campbell. "We tried to cover as many issues as we could, but we were very limited with our time today," says Lewis. There's always the other weekly meetings at noon at the Plaza Restaurant, and everyone's invited.
The Business Action Council has outlined three long term goals. It wants term limits for all local government offices, and city / county consolidation. It also wants a comprehensive review of Thomasville's business enterprises.
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