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Job Creation – (Planning and Development – Transportation)
I met with Ms. Kristen Poshard, Deputy for Planning and Development. Ms. Poshard and I share a keen interest in job creation. Madison County must take the initiative in creating jobs and protecting the 1500 laid off workers at Granite City Steel. Government needs to create good jobs to expand the tax base and ensure a robust community.
Looking ahead I pledged to work with Planning and Development to create the infrastructure to bring manufacturing jobs to Madison County. Ms. Poshard plans a special event for early April to begin the ‘culture of job creation’ and ‘enhance our enterprise zones.’ Ms. Poshard will create an interdisciplinary team taken from business, civic organizations, education, and the unions to rewrite Madison County ‘s story of job loss. The TRUMP transition team will be and is invited. Let’s save the 1500 jobs at Granite City Steel.
FEMA - Flood Plain (Planning and Development, Tax Cycle)
Fellow Citizens FEMA may wish to expand the flood map because it will produce FEMA funding. A relaxed criteria for the flood plain increases the a mount of businesses and residences with increased premiums. This change would impact numerous Hamel and Highland residents and others throughout District Three. Be aware it appears additional premiums will go to fund FEMA. Thus, a conflict of interest may exist as it appears FEMA bureaucrats will profit indirectly through additional premiums. Given the use of the additional premiums one might consider the premiums a ‘tax’ utilized to respond to disasters. Perhaps FEMA bureaucrats find this necessary as it’s reported their funding was depleted by several national disasters.
The BOTTOM LINE?
Places where there really is no risk may be seen as used by bureaucrats to procure revenue. Imagine, places like St. Joseph’s City - Care being seen as on a ‘flood plain’. Additionally, modest homes with no history of flooding will be placed on the new flood plain. Their chance at resale will disappear. One wonders if this is more of the previous Washington Administration’s ‘war on the middle class’. Property values will plummet. Hopefully, as the new Trump Administration takes office cooler heads will prevail and reign in ‘out of control bureaucracy ‘doing things simply because they can’.
Respectfully submitted,
Philip W. Chapman
County Board District Three
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