Here
are 10 reasons to avoid implementing regional plans and councils. Cleaner
Greener NY [1], also called the Capital Region Sustainability Plan [2], is a
model of why community members and local public officials must work together
and say "NO" to regionalization and regional planning.
See
how many apply to your region's proposal.
1.
Planners gain miniscule community participation when forming the regions, the
plans or the councils There
over 1 million residents in the proposed Capital Region Sustainability Plan
(CRSP). Despite claims of "stakeholder engagement" (CRSP p26), less than
300 participated in planners' workshops. In CRSP surveys, only 96 people, or
less than .0001 percent of residents participated. (CRSP Appendix 16,
p11)
2.
Plans are prepackaged and do not represent unique community needs. In spite of
claims to the contrary, most plans encompass the same government sponsored
top-down "livability" control features. CRSP includes the same "livable
communities" (p99), fewer vehicle miles traveled (p128), and increased
compact living (p105) as most regional plans. Cleaner Greener NY (CGNY) further
promises the government and non-governmental organization pushed
(NGO) standbys of virtually every plan: confiscation of open spaces (p75),
forced environmental justice (p58), hi-speed rails (p63), and dilution of
privately controlled farmland interests through conservation easements (p90).
3.
Plans do not protect individual property rights.
Few
regional plans mention the potential individual property rights infringements,
tax increases or loss of potential wealth accumulation inherent in most
proposals. None offers any method for protection against such losses. The CRSP
contains no enforceable landowner protections.
4.
Plans fail to protect communities against onerous regulations passed by regional
councils. Once installed, regional councils or consortiums, have immense power
to pass regulations with minimal or no local input. The CRSP offers a seat for council
representatives. However, having a community representative sitting on a larger
multi-county consortium is not the same as making planning decisions with local
citizens and local public officials working together in your hometown. (CRSP
p8)
5.
Plans rely on questionable "experts" for critical advice.
The
CRSP relies on the Apollo Alliance for assurances there will be green jobs,
which are fundamental to the plan's success. Yet, Apollo advised on the
'stimulus program' assuring there would be shovel ready and green jobs if
passed. A year later, we learned Apollo exaggerated the job potential. (CGNY
p40, p44)
6.
Plans release questionable or incomplete statistics, which create false impressions.
In the case of Cleaner, Greener NY, the plan optimistically depends on green jobs,
stating the US had a 9.1% increase in these between 1998 and 2007. The authors
omitted that NY actually lost 1.9% of their green jobs during that same period.
They also failed to notify community members that Congressional hearings cast
serious doubt on the permanency, quality or even existence of the green jobs
claimed. (CGNY p37)
7.
Promotes community solutions without explaining the potential negative effects.
The CRSP promotes conservation easements to protect farmland from development
without addressing the loss of dominant estate status, potential for
plan changes, the downsides of 'best practices' and a host of ways in which
landowners can lose their property and its value while still technically being
the owner. (CGNY p90, p100)
8.
Councils open the door for government grants, which often contain restrictive
policies to reduce vehicle use while forcing low-income housing and social
justice. The CRSP states that future grant monies will be necessary, but not
their source nor stipulations that will be attached. (CRSP p8)
9.
Regional councils confiscate much of local officials' power, leaving the community
with less representation. In the CRSP, 25 local leaders have already diminished
their oversight by agreeing
to allow Albany to take the lead in all grant processing. To protect
constituents, public officials must carefully study all grants and report the
implications to their constituents before approval. Grants are the doorway to
regulatory control of community members' lifestyles, activities
and residential opportunities. (CRSP p8) In NY, communities are already
beginning to pay the price for regionalization before the plan is even
approved.
10.
Once formed, regional councils are virtually irreversible.
Once
officials agree to form a region and council, if community members discover
they dislike its regulations, how can they disband the entity and roll back the
dictates? There is no provision in the CRSP for its break up or regulatory
rollback
Source:
Published February 6, 2013 | By admin By John Anthony
<http://www.repealregionalism.com/index.php/author/admin/>
http://sustainablefreedomlab.org/2013/02/06/10-reasons-to-dump-regional-plans/#more-381 Posted in Articles
<http://www.repealregionalism.com/index.php/category/articles/>
Comments:
The Transportation Leadership Coalition (traffictruth.net)
is actively seeking the repeal of all Regional Governance authorizing
legislation since 2008. Georgia voters
should go to traffictruth.net and repeal regionalism.com. and look up other
websites opposing regionalism.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader, Transportation
Leadership Coalition Member
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