Monday, March 3, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
For many years we've paid no heed and danced to the music, now the piper demands payments. He put his tune playing "on the cuff" this long because special interest contributions -- in reality, investments -- funded expensive media campaigns for favored candidates who would lead voters down the primrose path.
Controlling growth is now absolutely essential, the question remains, how to do it without subverting free market principles and private property rights.
Years ago, local government attempted, but failed, to control growth using water allocations. After striking a magic wand, unlimited water began to spout from mortal decrees and growth roared forward. Moses must have been a board member on the water district. Other trial balloons floated were restrictions on subdivision maps or building permits and halting BLM land transfers. All options pose the problem of officeholders deciding who gets the nod, leaving a nagging problem of special interests "greasing the skids."
Ten years is a realistic estimate for adequately developing the infrastructure to support what we have in place today. Right now we need a policy perceived as fair to all that allows for sensible growth, constrains tax rate increases, preserves private property rights and does not permit campaign contributions to influence who gets to do what.
A recommended policy asks one simple question: "Is sufficient infrastructure in place to support what you want to do." Local infrastructure is a local responsibility. There are no federal dollars or state dollars, only your dollars. Our local governments will commit to a reasonable capital expenditure every year for building new schools, water and sewer systems, and roads, but we will no longer build on crash programs as development dictates. If the infrastructure in place can support a new project it can move ahead, otherwise, it will need to wait until publicly financed facilities are extended.
David L. Hough
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