Voters Approve DMH Expansion- Reject Event Center
December 9th, 2015 by Joe Burgess
Tuesday, Drew County voters were asked to approve the continuation of the soon to expire library tax. They approved one measure, but declined the second.
Drew Memorial Hospital received county voter support for their plans of a new surgery Center, along with improved outpatient clinic services, and many other changes.
The City of Monticello, however, failed to g The only organized objections to either project were aimed at the event center, including efforts by two former mayors and a city council candidate, among others.
Election results are shown here, along with a photo of DMH CEO Scott Barrieaux, discussing election returns with County Judge Robert Akin.
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Newer article: J.L. Prickett
Older article: Final (Unofficial) Election Results
I think it’s very clear that the tax payers of Monticello want the sun to set on the library tax that was intended to be temporary. We do not need to enter into a partnership with a state funded college for 18 years just to give them a event center. The tax payers need a break. With health care premiums going up, no new jobs in Monticello, they could use the extra money that is theirs.
The problem with government agencies be it local state or federal. Once they get their hands on your money in the way of a tax, they do not want to give it up. They will always find a way to extend it, continue it, anything and everything to keep your money rather then give it back. Time to let the sun set on this temporary tax
Thank goodness the voters had common sense.
as a follow up to a previous comment, I would like to express my appreciation to the citizens of Monticello who were not in favor of the Event Center. As a citizen of the county and business owner in the city, I was not able to vote. That being said, I’m not unhappy with the majority of the JP’s. I watched most of the meetings and believe that the decisions that were made were the right decisions for those of us who were against the event center, when taking into consideration the past history of these “Special Elections”. If you were against the event center and are upset with not being able to vote you may want to go back and see for yourselves the actions that were taken by the JP’s, with such short notice and maybe you will not be quite as unhappy.
To Daniel, you complain about the fact that there are no new jobs in Monticello, but when able to vote for a opportunity to bring new jobs to Monticello, you are against it just because it takes a very small amount of your own money. There are no hand-outs, you have to invest in order to get a return. The Event Center would have been a very well needed investment in Monticello to help bring increased commerce through the town. Commerce leads to more funding in the town, then more developments, making more jobs available, our population rising, and then repeat the cycle. Then as to giving the event center to UAM, due to the Local Government Bond Act of 1985 that’s not going to happen. I’m very sad that Monticello has so much potential that is not being met. The Event Center may have lost this round, but there will be similar things to come up in the future. I hope that those in Monticello that are set in their ways can overcome that for the betterment of the town’s future.