County Commissioner's Office

County Talk
By
Lamar Paris - Commissioner

Alcohol and the new resort.

" Why did Lamar lie?" This is the title of an unsigned smear paper that has begun to be distributed in Union County. An unsigned copy came in the mail to my office this week. The subject did not surprise me, but the way it is presented did.

We had a local businessman do an open records request a couple of weeks ago regarding the new proposed resort and possible related alcohol sales. Therefore it is no surprise to hear about this. However, I would have thought someone would have had the decency to contact me personally about this issue and not act in such a childish way in trying to hide behind an anonymous letter.

As part of my question and answer series this week, I will break this issue down to make it easier to understand with some hypothetical Q & A's. This is long, but hopefully interesting and should enlighten you on the issue.

Q. I have received a copy of the "smear sheet" against the Commissioner and it begins with five quotes from articles in the North Georgia News from Lamar Paris.

Quotes by Lamar:
1. "No one and I repeat, No One, should be afraid of a vote by the people."

2. "If the issue is voted down, that will be the end of it."

3. "As I have said repeatedly, the public should and will make the decision as to whether or not we will have alcohol sales or not."

4. " The voters have decided and that is the way it should be. The issue is over and Union County will remain dry."

5. “On the heels of that vote, I am not in a position to authorize the sale of hard liquor."

Q. Did you make all those statements?

A. Yes I did, but the entire articles should have been included to understand the context in which the statements were made. First, the election and the vote in Union County was for approval of liquor by the drink in Union County restaurants. It did not include beer and wine or liquor package sales. This was not a vote for one restaurant, but all restaurants who would have qualified based on our strict proposed county ordinance. This was a vote on approving alcohol licenses based strictly on the county ordinance and on license to be issued by Union County government and strictly controlled by Union County government. Nothing else!

Q. The next statement accuses you, the Commissioner, of approving the sale of liquor by the drink in Union County. It states, "Less than six months since the referendum, Commissioner Paris has approved the sale of liquor by the drink in Union County. Is that true?
A. It is an absolute lie. I have not approved nor can I approve of liquor by the drink sales in Union County to any one for any reason without a vote of the people.

Q. Quote from smear sheet "In a special called meeting held just three days after Christmas, Commissioner Paris approved a plan which permits the sale of liquor by a group of developers. This group wishes to develop over 1,400 acres west of Blairsville on Lake Nottley." Is this true?
A. No this is not true either. The developers did request that I adopt a resolution that states, "the proposed project complies with applicable land use ordinances of Union County and does not conflict with the County's comprehensive land-use plan or service delivery strategy." The resolution states absolutely nothing about alcohol.

Q. In one of your talks reported in the North Georgia News at the Development Authority meeting you said, "On the heels of that vote, I am not in a position to authorize the sale of hard liquor." What was that about?
A. This was in reference to this very issue when I was first asked by the developers if I could approve alcohol sales for their development. At the time I did not know what the law was but I had already told this group that if I had to sign an agreement stating that I would issue alcohol license, I would not sign it because the people had just voted against it. I still stand by that statement.

Q. Then why did you adopt a resolution allowing the sale of alcohol at this resort?
A. The resolution that I adopted had no reference to alcohol and only substantiated that the resort would comply with county land use regulations, otherwise, I would not have signed it.

Q. Has the fact that you signed a resolution made it possible for the developers to receive a license to serve alcohol from the county?
A. No. The county has nothing to do with whether or not this resort is allowed to serve alcohol. However, the State does require the county resolution to demonstrate to the state that this is in fact a qualified resort and they are complying with the county land use regulations. It will be a decision by the State of Georgia as to whether the developers actually comply with all regulations of the state and if they are issued an alcohol license.

The county attorney informed me that if the developers build a resort according to some very strict state guidelines, then at some point in the future they could apply to the State of Georgia for a license to serve alcohol by the drink only in the resort. This would not involve Union County government in any way. We would not get the revenue from the sale, nor would they be required to consult with nor comply with any particular regulations the county might have in that regard.

Q. So why did you sign a resolution if you knew that the people had voted against alcohol in the county?
A. Because this all involves State law and not county law. At the time we had our vote on alcohol, I had no idea that in just a few months some development group would be coming to the county and telling us they were looking at investing between $ 200 and $350 million dollars in our county, and that they would be building a 5 star resort hotel complex with two golf courses and residential lots. Further, their estimate is that within ten (10) years, the total value of all taxable property within the resort could reach $2 Billion dollars. That is BILLION with a B. Currently, that is nearly equal to the value of every home and tract of land in Union County combined. To put it another way, if we had that property tax today, this would result in a tremendous property tax reduction that would be a joy for all taxpayers.

Q. How many jobs would this project create?
A. Directly, the initial estimate is between 400 and 600 jobs! In addition, there will be opportunities for all the construction jobs of grading, installing and connecting sewage disposal, landscaping, home contractors, heat and air, electrical, plumbing, hardware and building supplies, gravel,asphalt, furniture, decorators, and the list will go on and on.

Q. What are other advantages of this development to the county?
A. This type of operation is the quintessential (absolute best) tourist industry. This brings people to our county who come, purchase goods and services from all over the area, including real estate, then go home. They leave a lot of their money in the county. Any and every type of small business in the county would have an opportunity to gain sales. Sales taxes county wide would increase significantly. However, jobs for our people is the most important outcome of this development. While we have a large retired population, Union County still has a lot of our population who must make a living including many retirees. As I have stated many times, finding good economic development projects and jobs for our citizens and young people finishing school is one of my priorities. It is often easy for people who have their living made or who are comfortably retired to forget how tough it was when they were younger and raising a family. This county still needs good jobs.

Q. What infrastructure cost would there be for the county?
A. Practically none. The resort would be accessed off two state highways,Hwy 515 and Hwy 325, neither of which would require any maintenance by the county. Only a small portion of one county road might be utilized. They would install their own sewer system and the county would receive a small percentage of all future sewage fees by the property owners, all at no cost to the county. Their water would come from a local authority. With a larger retired population, the projection is for fewer young children that are school age, so the impact on the school system would be relatively small. Crime and fire protection could be easily provided with the existing manpower and equipment. Any supplemental equipment would be provided by the development.

Q. This can't all be good. What are the bad points?
A. There would be a few more people in town, sight seeing, eating, visiting local shops and that would entail some additional traffic. This development would be similar in scope to Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris, except a few steps above and larger.

Q. Will the county be giving any tax breaks to this development?
A. The county will not directly, however, some of the financing on the project may come from low interest bonds through the Development Authority. Some of the infrastructure financing may have some tax concessions. If government entities own certain parts of the project through bond financing, then a few graduated property tax breaks usually exist. Traditionally, they run 0% property tax the first year up to 100% the fifth year. However, this would, at the most, be on a small part of the project and a maximum of five years. This process is set up by state law to assist a large operation like this with time to get up and running and help recover from the huge initial investment.

Q. Will the county be financially obligated in any way related to the resort?
A. NO.

Q. Will the State of Georgia offer any assistance?
A. Absolutely! The potential size of this project will qualify it for several state tax and job credits as well as possible Georgia Department of Transportation assistance. This has the potential to be one of the largest projects ever in North Georgia.

Q. How will the resort find over 500 employees in this area?
A. When Home Depot opened, there were over 1000 people looking for jobs. In anticipation of employment issues, the development has, as part of its planning process, a section of the development set aside for affordable housing units.

Q. When will this development happen? Could it fall through?
A. Yes it could fall through. Currently, they are only going through the preliminary planning process. It is still not certain that this will ever happen. At this point in time, I would give it about a 50% to 60% likelihood of occurring as a full resort.

Q. Could you have told the developers up front that the county did not want this development and if so, would it have gone away?
A. Yes I could have and yes it probably would. If the resort does not work out and it just turns into another large residential home development, it would have much greater impact on our infrastructure and the property tax benefits to the county would be much less. The resort function is what makes this project so attractive financially to the county.

Q. Another quote from the Smear Sheet, "Commissioner Paris had the authority, the right and the expressed will of the people to decline the plan. Yet, contrary to the wishes of the people, and in contrast to his many promises to the contrary, Commissioner Paris has approved the plan and set in place the very mechanism by which alcohol by the drink will be sold in Union County." Is this a true statement?
A. If you want to know if I allowed this resort to come to Union County, as stated above, the answer is yes. But did I go against the will of the people - I think not. Will some people be upset and mad if this resort comes and if the State gives them a license to sell alcohol in the resort - sure they will. Is this putting alcohol by the drink throughout Union County - absolutely not. This will not allow alcohol to be sold any where else in Union County - no convenience stores, no grocery stores, no restaurants. If the resort is successful in obtaining a state license, it will only be for the location of the resort. The county will have nothing to do with it.

Q. Who should we blame if we do not like this project?
A. You can blame me, or the State of Georgia, or whoever else you want. However, if the people do not like the REAP (Regional Economic Assistance Projects) law and think it is a bad law, then you should contact your Representative, Charles Jenkins, and Senator Chip Pearson, and ask them to change the law. This law was set up for just a situation like Union County where the county is dry, but the economic development impact is so tremendous for the entire State of Georgia, that lawmakers felt this was the best process for all the State. Here is part of the wording from the state law.

"Whereas, the Georgia General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 179 to create Regional Economic Assistance Projects (REAP) that meet criteria for such designation; and whereas, said Act was adopted to enhance employment opportunities in tourism and hospitality, to encourage industries which are environmentally friendly and promote increased recreational opportunities and an enhanced quality of life for all Georgians."

Q. Is this process similar to that utilized at Brasstown Valley in Young Harris?
A. Yes it is. When then Governor Zell Miller and the legislature funded the construction of Brasstown Valley Resort, there was no alcohol by the drink in Towns County. Governor Miller and the state knew the resort could not survive without alcohol sales, so they utilized the same REAP process that this resort hopes to utilize. They took it out of the hands of the county and put it in the hands of the State of Georgia.

Q. Do you feel like you have lied to the citizens of Union County about alcohol?
A. Absolutely not!!! Before the election and even today, I could have and still can issue a license to sell beer and wine and issue beer and wine license by the drink in restaurants. However, I did neither and gave the vote to the people. The vote by the people has been complied with and I have not issued and will not be issuing any license. The potential sale of alcohol within the resort is a totally separate issue dealing with state law and state government. Union County is still "dry". While the smear sheet author may think my practices have been deceptive, the real deception is from the author of the anonymous smear sheet trying to solicit others to go along with his own ideas of what he thinks is right. I do not agree and have attempted to answer all questions related to this issue. If anyone has any others, please let me know and I will be more than happy to discuss them with you.

My job is to look out for what I think is the best for all the citizens of Union County. I have always done that and always will. You certainly may not agree with all my decisions, but you will know that they have been made with a lot of thought, consideration, consultation, and often prayer. My door is always open and so is your county government. Thank you for continuing to allow me to serve you as Commissioner in the best county in Georgia with the best and most caring citizens in Georgia.

To view a complete copy of the unsigned smear sheet that I received in the mail, click on "Smear Sheet". Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Lamar Paris, Commissioner

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