TACIR, Do Fear!

TACIR! Do Fear!
Cleveland City Mayor Tom Rowland re-appointed to the tyrannical TACIR. Mayor Rowland served previously as Vice Chairman and was appointed by Governor Don Sundquist. Today, Governor Bill Haslam appointed Mr Rowland for a second 4 year term. Governor Haslam praised Mr. Rowland and said “I believe your participation is certain to leave a positive impact on this board and the work it does. TACIR appointments rotate between the Governor, Lt Governor and speaker of the House of Representatives, if that is true then the Mayor got lucky and was appointed two times in a row by the Governor.
From the TACIR website it defines its mission. “The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations was created to monitor federal, state and local governments recommendations for improvements to the Legislature.” It adds, The commission serves as a bipartisan forum for the discussion of intergovernmental issues and may initiate studies resulting in legislative proposals and CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS. Did anyone catch that? Amendments to the Constitution, just in case the constitution limits anything they may want to do to you! The commission responds to requests for technical assistance from the general assembly, state agencies and local governments.
Rowland went on to say that TACIR has been involved in Cleveland and Bradley County with many projects to include annexation, URBAN GROWTH AREAS, regional jail concepts and regional water supply, among others.The commissions next project is the ongoing debate over water access to Georgia from Tennessee waterways.
State Representative Kevin Brooks, 24th district says he is well aware of TACIRS role in bridging communications between local, state and federal governments, he applauded Rowlands appointment. It is becoming all to familiar to see Mr Brooks name every where there is a smart growth, sustainable community or Agenda 21 issue. His actions should be monitored carefully. After all recently he guided a missle into our community called the “Brownfield” redevelopment project via the HB 1554, that is going to run people out of the downtown area in droves, grab all the downtown land by eminent domain, buy the land from poor downtowners at market price and sell to his buddies to develop relatively dirt cheap, then see a huge increase in your taxes and everyone makes a huge profit off your dime, your tax dollars, then we are stuck with loans, bonds and cost of infrastructure in the 100s of millions if not billions, thanks, but no thanks Mr Brooks and Mr. Rowland. It is time you get called out by your constituency for what you are turning our town into.
Mr Brooks went onto to say that TACIR is one of the most prestigious BRANCHES of state and local governments and to be Vice-Chair speaks highly of Mr Rowland as he is elected by his fellow commissioners (I think he meant to say Councilmen or perhaps the Governor who does the appointing.) Elelcted? No, he is appointed there is no election and if there were an election, Im sure your constituency would have a say so in their election process. And by the way, I have never known TACIR to be a Branch of Government, Mr Brooks this to the best of my knowledge is not a “branch of government” merely a commission formed by a few elected officials that consults the branches of government. Rowlands election, er, appointment to the Vice Chair position is not only an honor for Mr Rowland but for the Cleveland Community as well, says Mr Brooks. Hey I have a novel idea and concept, lets have a mayor that wont raise our taxes and balance a budget with perhaps a surplus. Now that would really be an honorable step in the right direction.The Banner also describes the “other position” Mr Rowland holds and that is as a member of the Homeland Security Council under Haslam, another far reaching organization, I will discuss in another blog.
TACIR has gone on record as supporting the BCC 2035 Joint Strategic Growth Plan. At first glance we thought that TACIR may have a hand in the delivery of the Expensive and expansive Growth Plan but now I am seeing it as perhaps a catalyst and initiator. Mr Rowland should not have the power of a King and call all the shots from a Vice Chair position at TACIR, at the very least this growth plan should have been discussed with the taxpayer and allowed their input and perhaps the facts to be discussed and maybe the vote to approve been left up to the people of Bradley County as they will be bearing the burden of the cost of this multi-billion dollar project. The mayor has said the TACIR report reinforces the work we did on the BCC Strategic Plan, he is referring to an 82 page report giving recommendations on how to resolve many issues in Bradley County, among them water problems and implementation of the Agenda 21 inspired Growth plan.
Recently , according to the website the General Assembly “may wish to appoint a land policy study committee to address the states interest (catch that, the states interest) in land use issues. Let me remind you Mr Rowland you are supposed to be the gatekeeper and keeper away of the bad stuff that may hit Cleveland, your “interest” or the states should not be about what you are going to do with our land. He goes on to say “The BCC 2035 Plan recommends an oversight committee to pursue implementation of this LAND USE policy. TACIR also states that one significant land use issue is that comprehensive planning is optional for local governments in Tennessee. Does this sound optional to you? The Mayor just ranted that it was essential, Corey Divel our County Planner has given presentation after presentation on land use, we have international laws dictating our land use, we have had recent rezoning requests and its going to be optional, don’t think so! Lets just say that it is optional, and they do actually decide to give the taxpayer an option, then lets put it up for a vote, majority prevails.
We keep hearing that “sprawl” is ruining our county, sprawl is eating up our farmland and taking our valuable resources, I hate to inform anyone but these are lifestyle choices of FREE AMERICANS making decisions, purchasing what they want with what they have where they want and when they want. Now, the government is concerned about that land you are inhabiting. Why are you so worried what I am doing with my land. Why should the government have a say so over where I buy land and build a house. Stay out of my personal life, you have no constitutional right to be there.
The TACIR Organization just had a conversation with the State Attorney General about land use and had a pretty open discussions about your land, frankly, a really frightening conversation and TACIR saw fit to have it on their website for all to see just in case you decide you want to tell the Government NO to taking your land, the conversation was a series of questions that he gave his opinion on and it went something like this.I pulled this from the TACIR website:

<a href="http://www.tn.gov/tacir/Growth/AGopinion.html#10_012&quot; title="TACIR website"

*Attorney General Opinion No. 98-239: Constitutionality of Certain
Provisions *

QUESTIONS and OPINION
1) Is it constitutional to place the burden of proof on the party
challenging the growth plan?*

a) According to the Attorney General, it is constitutional to place the
burden of proof on the party challenging the plan because these are "matters
regarding the creation and expansion of municipal corporations and are,
within the broad constitutional authority vested in the General Assembly in
these matters."

2) Is it constitutional to place the burden of proof on the party
challenging an annexation?

b) In the opinion, it was concluded that it is constitutional to place the
burden of proof on the party challenging an annexation since federal and
state courts have held no equal protection or due process argument can be
made if the annexation statute is properly followed, unless there is some
proof of invidious discrimination.

3) Does a growth plan, by designating different areas as urban growth,
planned growth or rural areas, constitute an illegal "taking" of landowners'
property?

c) Inclusion in the urban growth area, planned growth area or rural area of
a growth plan does not constitute an illegal taking of a landowners'
property under the federal or state constitution according to the opinion.

4) Is withholding funds or grants under this statute unconstitutional?

d) The Attorney General noted in the opinion that it was not aware of any
federal or state constitutional provisions that prohibited the withholding
of grants and loans under Public Chapter 1101.

Question #3 posed to our State Attorney General by TACIR I am assuming, is what scares me most about the statement, according to the AG the "taking of your land" does not constitute an illegal taking of landowners property, WOW! The AG says it is ok via the BCC Strategic Growth Plan to take your property! If you had any doubt about the intentions of the growth plan taking your property, now you have the answer.This is such a travesty and warrants people standing at the courthouse steps demanding a more appropriate answer and accountability by our City Mayor to explain this issue. This scares the bejeebies out of me and should scare you, especially if you are a homeowner.! It worries me on so many levels and it worries me that our community has so many people so closely aligned with such a powerful, tyrannical one minded, socialist think tank, highly regulating and land hungry giant known as TACIR, you scared? DO FEAR!