Community Garden Survey Seeks Public Input
Coralville has allocated three acres of land to serve as a community garden area. The public is invited to complete a survey to create a garden that best meets the needs of Coralville residents. Learn more
Editor's Note: Create a garden that best meets the needs of residents? Why on earth does the city *NEED* to provide residents a garden? Answer: They don't. That's not a proper role of government. Coralville city *leadership* is just forcing its will on residents with anything and everything they see *fit*..... Residents are going to be forced to spend even more money the city doesn't really have on making garden space! City resources, city employees, city managed...... Take the survey, go ahead, that is costing taxpayer money too..... The city wants to know how big plots should be, if plots should be for flowers or vegetables, if residents will approve of deer fencing ($$$$$$), if tools should be shared ($$$$$$$).... if a $15 plot rental fee is enough....
NO it's not enough! That doesn't even BEGIN to subsidize what the city expense will be for this kind of operation! And how much money did the city spend on acquiring the 3 acres of land for this? Bought with taxpayer money - resident's money - and land that is now is off the property tax rolls..... The city is in debt more than $222 million, and they keep piling on!
Here's s thought. Sell the land to private developers. They run a small farm, people can come pick vegetables at harvest time, the private developer charges so much per pound. The private developers would pay property taxes, make a few bucks, contribute to the tax base instead of the city demanding more taxes from residents, what a concept! Here's another idea, again, selling the land to a private developer, turn the property into a nice farmer's market complex, there's a real opportunity there. The private developer sets up marketer stalls with water and electric connections to each stall, kind of like a camp ground. Develop the complex so the produce sellers can better market and display their goods, make a few bucks, keep the property on the property tax rolls. There is A LOT of potential with this idea.
The bottom line is a community garden plot is NOT a proper role of government. It is a WANT, not a NEED. It's so very frustrating that government has strayed so far away from being functional and basic. No, today's government for far too many people has become a first choice, something to serve every desire, solves all issues, one-stop, shop cure for life..... That's NOT good government and it's not sustainable.
And the thing is, city leadership just did this, they didn't get permission. They forget that we're the bosses, they work for us, it's not the other way around.
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