Complete nonsense is my feelings on the talk regarding St. James Parish to payback the city for a new certified survey map.
When this item came up on the agenda last night, the discussion went by just fine. Everything that needed to be noted was, and it was ready to be voted on. St. James is currently selling their property and needs a new certified survey map due to the fact that the city extended 31st Street and cut their property into two separate parts. They need the map done due to State law.
So naturally, when things are going good someone has to wreck the cooperative spirit. It what has become obvious, the alderman to do such wrecking happens to be Alderman Steve Olson. Olson decided that he'd like to know if the city can get their money back for this "good deed" done to the parish. He then suggested that a possibility of getting paid back would occur when the sale of the parish and its land happens.
Talk about totally out-of-line.
Good thing Kristen Wilhelm represents St. James parish and the land surrounding it. In my view, she went toe-to-toe with Olson and called out what was a bad suggestion and a bad move to make. She noted correctly that the parish was split not on its own, but because the city forced it to happen. It was extending 31st Street that caused this nonsense, and Wilhelm made sure to inform fellow aldermen and the several bloggers in attendance that the city voted to condemn that land in order to purchase the area they needed for 31st Street CHEAP.
St. James went through the ringer thanks to the City of Franklin, and now the very man in charge of the committee and is promising "2 billion with a capital B" in development along 27th Street now feels the urge to hit the parish one last time.
CCP Taylor did try to allude to the fact that perhaps St. James wouldn't be selling their land if it wasn't for the 31st Street extension. Taylor might be correct, and that assumption would support Olson's argument, but it still doesn't make a wrong automatically become a right.
If this was YOUR property, ladies and gentlemen, what would you say about the city obtaining your land cheaply by condemning it, building a 4-lane road through the middle of it, and then telling you that you can't sell it without an updated map...and oh yeah, then they want to charge you for that, too.
Outrageous.
