Capital needs are never ending.
That statement is true in your own home and it is certainly true in the public domain.
The Town of Highlands and Macon County are constantly reviewing major projects in an attempt to determine when is the right time to build, renovate, and repair again infrastructure.
Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor took time during his most recent Community Coffee event at Hudson Library to discuss a pair of major capital projects – one in Highlands and one being funded by Macon County.
Taylor and Highlands Fire Chief Ryan Gearhart spent a majority of the hour-long forum discussing the ongoing construction of the new fire station on Franklin Road. The roughly $8 million building is on schedule to open in September or October, and Taylor noted that the return on investment will be two-fold. First, the town will be able to accommodate full time 24/7 staff coverage at the new facility, which will benefit the public and reduce response times. Second, the building is being constructed with 100 years of future service in mind.
With future projects including water treatment plant upgrades, the replacement of the Houston House at the Rec Center and ever-present street and sidewalk needs, the town always has a lot to consider each budget season.
While spending millions of dollars annually on capital needs is part of being in government, there are certain expenditures that take additional planning. In some cases, years and years of planning.
Taylor noted that he attended a recent meeting between the Macon County Board of Education and the Macon County Board of Commissioners. The topic of discussion was the replacement of Franklin High School with a new facility.
Building a new high school will cost more than $100 million. It will take a tax increase, or a new tax all together, to pay for such an undertaking.
No one wants to pay more taxes, but pretty much everyone who has toured the current 70-year old Franklin High School agrees a new facility is needed.
Capital needs are never going away, and building anything is only getting more expensive as years pass. Biting the bullet now on major projects such as a new fire department and a new high school may not be appealing, but putting them off is even less palatable.