Voices

A word from Ferg.

I had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting this week where open communication and cooperation yet again yielded a result for the common good. Go figure.

At issue was a proposed change to the Robertson County Hotel/Motel tax, but not really. Lying just under the surface was the tension and low-grade suspicion that sometimes exists between the city of White House and the Robertson County government.

State Representative Joshua Evans met Wednesday morning with members of the White House city government and Chamber of Commerce, members of the Robertson County Industrial Development Board, and other concerned citizens. He presented a proposal that would allow all municipalities to reap the benefits of the hotel tax, as well as provide the IDB with funds to promote economic development throughout the county.

The new plan is a good one. It would raise the privilege tax (read: tax on visitors who stay in hotels) from 5% to 7%, and allow any city who applies for a grant from the IDB to receive 30% of the revenue generated in their city limits to be spent "for the benefit of Robertson County for industrial and economic development or tourism promotion." The amendment would clean up a bad piece of legislation, one that did benefit White House, but in an unfair manner. One official present at the meeting also pointed out that this was the best kind of tax increase - a tax on people who don't vote locally, making it politically palatable.

Kudos to Rep. Evans and his staff for their work on this plan ... but I can't help but think that with a little advance communication and openness from the county, this plan could have been crafted without the need for outside mediation.

A question that kept reoccurring at Wednesday's meeting was whether or not the funds that White House had received from the IDB in the past had been spent in Robertson County. In my mind, this is a moot point, and betrays what I perceive is the attitude of some Robertson County officials towards White House, which could be phrased as "we don't really like or trust you, but we like your money."

I don't believe they like the fact that the city of White House is the second largest revenue driver for the county, despite the fact that roughly half of the WH citizens who spend their money in Robertson County actually live in Sumner County. Most of the commercial and industrial development in White House is on the Robertson side of town, so Robertson County gets the majority of the loot without having to provide the majority of the services.

I don't believe they like the city's partnership with Forward Sumner, even though that through that partnership White House was able to land a fairly major medical facility with a community network. The network's name? Sumner Regional Medical Center. The facility's location? Robertson County. Forward Sumner has helped White House move to prominence statewide when it comes to commercial and industrial development, with the vast, vast majority of the benefits landing on the Robertson County side, and more to come.

Here's an idea - why not go ahead and trust that what's good for the people of White House is good for Robertson County, and let the city do their job with minimum county interference? They're obviously doing something right, and micromanagement can not possibly help.

This is a good plan - for every $100 of hotel tax money that comes from White House, $30 of it will be spent in the community that's generating more than its fair share for the county, roughly 25% of the county's total sales tax revenue. The other $70 will then be spent wherever the county deems necessary, and all of it will be spent "for the benefit of Robertson County."

No need to get in a torque - a little honesty and openness would go a long way in situations like this. A long way.

This is a fantastic story about the power of redemption and forgiveness, demonstrated through the life of a young woman I used to attend church with. Thank you, Rachel, for your openness.

A word from Ferg.

The ad popped up on craigslist.org late Monday night - it was just what we were looking for, and the price was right.

I made the call scant minutes after it had been posted, and I wasn't the first. "Do you still have it? I can come in the morning, and pay cash." "Well, I'm leaving in the morning, but if you want to come tonight, then come on."

It's 9 pm, and I'm driving to Hendersonville to buy a lawn mower.

We have a lot of grass. Almost three acres of mow-able grass that last year I either a) mowed myself with a 20-inch push mower, or b) paid someone to mow. You can guess which option I chose. No? Well, let's take a look at the scouting report on John Ferguson - "good heart, likes kids and animals, wants to help, bit of a lazy streak, can't lay off the high fastball." Now guess.

However, now I have a new lawn tractor, which as the seller labored hard and long to point out to me, is much different than just a lawn mower. I didn't care what he called it - in my mind I was already calling it 'the new toy that means my son will mow instead of me machine.' Christian is thirteen now, and I won't lie - I've been waiting for this day to come, the day when I can point and say, "Mow the grass, boy." Glory.

Of course, first I have to play with my new toy. The sun is out, the grass is growing (well, the weeds are growing) , and I'm out on my newly-acquired Craftsman 20 hp, dual-overhead-cam, 46-inch deck, hydrostatic drive LAWN TRACTOR. To quote one of my current favorite TV personalities, "POWWWAHHH!"

My new toy - needs a name.

The yard has no chance whatsoever - I mow the entire thing faster and more easily than ever before, and I find that I still have some mow left in me. So I start in on my neighbor Eddie's yard.

Eddie is a great neighbor, and is the opposite of me, which means that he's handy and knows how to do, make, and fix things. A guy like that makes it hard for a guy like me to return neighborly favors - unless he needs a P.A. system wired, a web site set up, or some fluffy nonsense written, he probably doesn't need my help.

That changes today. I attack his backyard with gusto, feeling good that I get to give rather than receive for a change. Does he know I'm doing it? Well, no ... but if he doesn't want me mowing his yard, he needs to build a big fence; otherwise, his grass is mine.

I got the chance to be a good neighbor, help a friend, and make my local world a bit better. All with just a little bit of effort, and, of course, 20 hp of pure POWAAAHHH!

I tell you that story to make this request.

Kris Freeman is the kind of man we want in our community. He tells our stories, teaches our kids, coaches our sons, and generally makes White House a better place to live.

He and his family are planting a new church here in the area, called Revolution Church, and are planning to start in September. They're raising money for the plant with help from the General Baptist National Missions, and are about $10,000 short of the mark they need to hit to unlock an additional $100K in funding from the organization.

This is our chance to mow our neighbor's grass, gang. There are about 10,000 of us in the White House area, so we just need a buck apiece. OK, not everyone in White House will read this, and some of them are babies (literally - that's not just me calling people names), so maybe we could give a little more to cover us and a couple more people, maybe 20, 50, or even more.

Never mind your religious views. I don't care if you're Baptist, Methodist, Hindu, or atheist. The Freeman's plan is to reach out to the community through service, and I think we can all agree that this is a good plan. It makes our local world a little better. We want people like Kris in our community, and here's our chance to help make sure he sticks.

Does Kris know I'm doing this? Well, no ... but if he doesn't want me spreading the word about his work, he needs to take me off the mailing lists; otherwise, his grass is mine.

You can help by donating to help this group get started. All donations are fully tax-deductible, and if you use PayPal (my business account) I assure you that ever single penny will go to Revolution Church. If you plan on making a donation of $100 or more, I would encourage you to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it so that you can get a receipt.

Thanks, gang - and let's all work to make our world a little better.
 

We're starting a new feature here at the Star called Stuff We Like - things from the web that tickle our fancy.

To kick off this thing right, for your enjoyment I offer Kutiman and his wonderful mashups of YouTube videos. Watch this one, then visit THRU YOU to see them all at his site, including a video of him explaining his work. Amazing.

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Got some Stuff You Like? Send it to us, and maybe we'll use it.