The rare public meeting to remember ....
As a general rule, public meetings are mind numbing.
Government sausage making is only slightly more interesting than watching grass grow or paint dry. But it does have its moments. An innovative concept proposed here; a terse exchange between parties there.
Even so, as someone who has sat through hundreds of them over the last several decades, there are few that I would consider memorable.
Last week's TSPLOST breakfast is on the top of that short list.
The gathering brought together top-level staffers and elected officials from all of Chatham County's local governments to talk about the proposed transportation penny sales tax. This was the "big reveal" meeting - when we would learn what the various governments wanted to do with $400 million in tax revenue.
That the discussion never made it that far yet still lasted well over an hour is indicative of how things went. The meeting turned into a cable TV reality show, and for third-party spectators - like me - it was captivating.
Basically, several of the heavyweight players in the room had lost their zeal for TSPLOST, at least on the May 24 ballot, and Chatham Chairman Chester Ellis either hadn't gotten the message or ignored that message. What transpired after that essentially killed the TSPLOST initiative before it ever got started.
The meltdown saves us from having to debate the merits and drawbacks of TSPLOST, at least until a later date. Look for the proposed project lists - sans one from the City of Savannah, which didn't prepare one - in the days ahead.
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— Written by Opinion Editor Adam Van Brimmer. Read more posts like this in the Savannah Town Square Facebook group.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: TSPLOST meeting turns into bickering match that dooms penny sales tax
