Dear Editor,

Ruth Lee’s letter says this rezoning, “is of vital importance to the entire county.”

We agree with her that this is of countywide importance but we strongly disagree with her conclusions. She says the information we gave to the county makes her “wonder” about the credibility of our research. This is a rather low blow. We have provided the county commissioners and county staff with documentation and research that supports our opposition to this rezoning and this is the first time we have heard that our reasoning is not credible.

Perhaps Ms. Lee should do a little more research of her own before throws insult at ours.

For instance: As presently zoned residential, this 2,450 unit development will pay water, sewer, reuse and tap fees totaling $6,300 per unit to the county totaling almost $15.5 million. After the county repays its $3.5 million loan to the developers the taxpayers will net $12 million to help pay the county’s $45 million water and sewer loans.

If the property is rezoned industrial, according to the developer’s own projections, the total water and sewer fees will be only $3.7 million.

This means the taxpayers will lose over $8 million if the property is rezoned.

This is important to all taxpayers of the county because we are the guarantors of the county’s $45 million water and sewer loans. County records show that in the last two years the water and sewer fund has required almost $5 million from the general fund and SPLOST to subsidize cash deficits.

How can anyone justify the forfeiture of $8 million under these circumstances?

Claudia Arthur
Rincon