By: Dewey R. Wotring
For years developers have had their way in Oldham County. Oldham County development really began to flourish in the '70s after school busing was ordered in Jefferson County. The people who moved to Oldham County from Jefferson County were very interested in the education that their children received. Therefore, they demanded better schools than they had left.
Realtors really began to sell the Oldham County schools to clients – especially those who were coming from outside the metro Louisville area. Soon there was more demand for housing in Oldham County than there was housing. The developers were ready and willing to provide that housing while making huge profits. All of this growth brought about the need for more schools and other infrastructure such as fire protection, sewers, police protection and ambulance service.
Naturally, those services demanded more resources than the county had. The demand to provide those resources was placed on the taxpayers rather than the people who were making the huge profits – the developers and realtors. The developers should have been required to pay higher fees to augment the Planning and Zoning Commission, the schools, the sewer system and other infrastructure. They were not required to do so and still do not adequately share the responsibility of growth management in the county. The next time that you hear someone talk about expanding the capacity of the sewer system remember that the bill to do so will be funded by the taxpayers, not the developers who will benefit from the expansion. Sure, they give a little bit of land for a school, pay a little bit to have a lane added to a road or a traffic signal installed but these gifts are mere drops in the bucket when the overall cost to the county is considered. They are superfluous at best.
Developers still control the county government insofar as fees and long term planning are concerned. Some of those developers do not even reside in the county, but have a voice. Case in point, the Fiscal Court recently considered additional fees for Planning and Zoning as it operates in the red. Who was consulted to assist in the determination of appropriate fees – the developers?
Were the fees raised sufficiently to allow for Planning and Zoning to operate in the black? – of course not! The taxpayers will continue to pay for the deficit. Recently Fiscal Court created a "Stormwater District" whose largest expense will be to manage storm water at new construction/development sites. Once again the taxpayers will fund this. The latest gig that developers have come up with is to have their assessments lowered, which means that the average taxpayer will have to pay more to make up for what they don’t pay.
At some point, the developers need to pay up front for the cost of development to the county. This may never happen due to the influence the developers have. This influence is achieved by giving and raising large sums of money for politicians. There are people who believe that the developers need to be coddled because they comprise the largest industry in the county. That is pure hogwash. This county would be in a better financial situation if new housing ceased today. Enough is enough!
