Re-Elect Aaron Varner, Chairman

Dear Neighbors,

I am Aaron Varner and I am asking for your vote on November 4, 2008 for Chairman of the Newton County Board of Commissioners. These are very uncertain and troubling times nationally. Locally, we will determine the direction of Newton County for years to come.

I was prompted to run for office because of uncontrolled residential sprawl, the demand for County services by new growth outstripping the County’s resources, and three tax increases by the prior administration. Residential growth not balanced by commercial development upended the tax digest and resulted in overcrowded schools, increased traffic, and stress upon our public-safety facilities. Simply put, land speculators in this County had triumphed over common sense, and it’s hard to undo a bad subdivision, much less a long string of ill-considered rezonings.

At a recent meeting of the Fairview Commons Homeowners Association I was asked why during my administration there is still high density growth going on and why we couldn’t do anything about it. The homeowners are frustrated as I am that the rezoning of surrounding properties during the 1990s cannot be repealed. The county cannot legally downgrade property that has already been rezoned unless the property owner requests it. All we can do is enforce our enhanced development regulations and hope the new homes find good buyers. Unfortunately, we will still be seeing high-density developments in the 21^st century that were rezoned as such in the 1990s.

During my last 2 terms we have laid a solid foundation for high-quality growth in Newton County and lived within our financial means. We reduced the gross millage rate each year since 2001; this year we voted to keep it the same. Working with the Board of Commissioners, citizens and other public officials, we improved our development regulations and zoning ordinances, implemented our Comprehensive Development plan for future growth, and moved proactively to protect our natural resources, water in particular. When Georgia DOT delayed our road projects, in some cases we were able to move them forward using County resources. In 2005 the Board of Commissioners enacted impact fees upon new construction. The impact fees are used to build infrastructure such as roads, libraries, and recreation to ease the burden of future growth on existing homeowners.

I regret that some of our parks and recreation, library, and road projects were delayed for the last two years by the lawsuit of the Newton County and Georgia Homebuilders Associations. The organization which recently endorsed my opponent and sued Newton County to invalidate the impact –fee ordinance, eliminate the impact fees, and obtain a refund of the $6.8 million we had collected. On your behalf, the Board of Commissioners fought this lawsuit and defeated Newton County Homebuilders Association and Georgia Homebuilders Association. We are now spending the impact fees collected on roads and other infrastructure.

My opponent has been endorsed by the Newton County Homebuilders Association, and she says she is “not sure” she supports “today’s” impact fee ordinance (source: Newton County Smart Growth). Meanwhile, the June 2008 newsletter of the Newton County Homebuilders Association stated that it is “critical that they get their candidates elected so the changes they so desperately need can be made.” This newsletter can be seen at aaronvarner.com. I know not every homebuilder in this County supports the politics and litigation of the Newton County Homebuilders Association, but if the leadership of the Homebuilders Association gets its way, there won’t be meaningful impact fees to offset the costs of new growth upon roads, libraries, and recreation. Likewise, our development regulations, which govern the quality of new subdivisions and buildings, would be diluted as well as our watershed protections. Your county government needs to continue to show resolve in order to protect your property values and your quality of life. I appreciate all of you who have encouraged us to stick with our mission of protecting the taxpayers.

Just like your family, your county government is making tough decisions and living within a budget. State and federal money has become hard to get, so today we are doing more with less. Nonetheless, according to independent auditors in June 2008, Newton County’s government is living within its means and is in good financial shape despite our troubled economy. We are fortunate to be in the black because we need to continue to improve our roads, recreation, services, and public facilities without raising taxes.

Thank you for allowing me to serve Newton County these past two terms. We have much to protect while building a better future for children and grandchildren. Please contact me at (770) 786-4141 or aaron@aaronvarner.com with any questions or concerns.

Aaron Varner