Opinion: Is Canton Going to Be a City?

Remember about six months ago when some ? Remember the that rose up against this idea?

While I did not agree with the idea, I did encourage the exploration of the idea and was ridiculed for even considering such a thing. Now some members of the are pushing to not only dissolve the but also to . What's next? Police? Roads? Parks? We can't have it both ways. Are we going to be a city or not?

Some fire facts:

• Every property owner that is served by currently pays a 3.1 mills fire tax. There are no exemptions. The county is going to continue to collect those mills from every single property it serves. Regardless of what some city and county politicians tell you, the county is not going to give up that 3.1 mill per property. In fact, last week they raised it to 3.394 mils.
• The notion of "grandfathering" is bunk. The county will be paid their millage from each and every property. The takeover will be governed by a contract. It will be the same contract that the county currently has with Holly Springs, Ball Ground, and Waleska. Cherokee County will require Canton to pay 3.394 mills from each and every piece of property just like it does with the three other cities it contracts with.
• With a "takeover" (not merge, not consolidate), the same needs would be there, the same costs would be there and the same issues would be there. The difference is that your local elected city politicians would not have to deal with it anymore. One less headache for Canton politicians, bigger problems for Canton residents.

So the greater question is: Are we going to be a city or are we going to dismantle it piece by piece?

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