In 2012 the Baldwin County Commission convinced itself that Baldwin County needed to spend 32 Million dollars on 2300 usable acres called the Mega site.
South Alabama Mega Site โ Shovel Ready in Baldwin County
Baldwin County is one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S.
Source: southalabamamegasite.com/
The property remains vacant with no serious buyers, as far as we know. County commissioners sold the project to sleeping citizens and the county employees ended up helping to pay the 32 million dollar price tag.
Todayโs commissioners say they have greater oversight and that the Mega-site would not be approved by the commission in 2017. However, 18 months ago, a little more insight into the mega site raised more questions than answers.
The bottom line is that 32 million in 2012, almost 5 years ago, would probably be a value of 50 million today, taking into consideration lost opportunity. Another example of county commissioners and economic development is the recent penny school tax that they skimmed a cool 5 million dollars off of for county infrastructure projects while telling everyone what a good deal they made. The schools now have 5 million less. A deal with the devil and no one got to vote on it.
Baldwin County Commission approves permanent extension of penny sales tax
The commission, with unanimous approval Tuesday, approved a permanent extension of a tax that was set to expire in 2018. The tax provides $40 million in funding for the Baldwin County School System, among the largest in the state.
Source: www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2017/01/baldwin_county_commission_appr_2.html
Why would you vote for any incumbent for any elected position in mid term?
Fairhope Economic Development is just as fickle. Last week the city council approved an old invoice of our previous mayor. Only problem is there was no invoice, purchase order, or paperwork.
HOW THE PENDULUM SWINGS
Well, Wonderful Wednesday had some very interesting commentary. HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN Fairhopeโs mayor extended an olive branch to the city council and they accepted it. The last city council meeting was civil, polite…
Council President Jack Burrell, come fly with me, explained that it happened on his watch, however had no comment and suggested paying the presented bill for $32,000 dollars. Mr. Burrell two weeks prior, during city budget approval, cut economic and community development funding for a new department, for less money than he approved for a bill without documentation. Mr. Burrell also gets credit for his economic development plans for the Fairhope Airport.
Fairhope Council President, Mayor clash over airport land deal
Fairhope taxpayers pay for the airport; however, the airport authority has the title to the land? Mr. Burrell has also fought the mayor on any appointments the mayor has suggested for the airport authority board. Keep your eyes on the airport. Jack has his own economic development plan, called the 1% plan.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THE BALDWIN COUNTY WAY.
Does anyone know who has the best price on wading boots in Baldwin County? We are all in dire need of a pair for wading through all this sh–!!!!!!’
I really don’t understand the people in Fairhope OR Baldwin County. Do they not care about corruption? Do they not believe it is corruption? Are they not capable of understanding what is going on with our politicians and the good ole boys? If we the citizens do not stand up to this corruption then we deserve every bit of what we are getting. Wake up people!!!!
If the citizens thought there was corruption then we would not re-elect them. Are you new to Alabama? You must be someone that moved down here from some Yankee state where there is massive corruption.
So what exactly are you saying?? That we don’t know what corruption is? Or we don’t think there is corruption or we don’t care that there is corruption??? Actually I have lived here all my life 71 years! So Yankees live in corruption or just accept corruption as norm. Just what are you trying to say?
No wonder Fairhope is full of YANKEES and they brought their problems with them!
Damn YANKEES. They move to Alabama because Florida is too hot.
Florida was too expensive …….Fairhope next
Thanks for the information. We have been wondering who was responsible for electing these corrupt people to the various offices. Those of us that have lived here for ever know the corruption and recognize the good ole boy system. So you think the Yankees are responsible for putting and keeping these people in office because that is what they are use to? Well, that makes sense because we are certainly over run with Yankees down here. Thank you for clearing that up!
Fairhope has been corrupt for many years…nothing new.
The difference now is we have people that are not going to settle for the corruption
Don’t worry. You don’t have to be new to Alabama or even have lived here for 40 years. Sometimes it takes more than just one election to get the job done. We still have all the leftover weed killer not used from the last election and will get it done. Sit back and relax and see the dreams come true. We just let a bunch of weeds get through the cracks during this last election. It’s all under control. FAIRHOPE CITIZENS ARE NOT SCARED ANYMORE AND WE WANT OUR CITY BACK AND WILL GET IT BACK. KEEP IT UP FAIRHOPE CITIZENS. WE WILL PREVAIL. JUST KEEP COMING TO THE MEETINGS AND HOLDING YOUR GROUND AND MAKING THOSE NOTES. JUST LOOK HOW FAR WE HAVE COME. LOOK AT THE ATTENDANCE AND THE PROLE SPEAKING OUT. JACK BURREL SAYS IT IS A PRIVILEGE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK AT OUR “OWN” CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. ITS A PRIVILEGE THAT WE ALLOW HIM TO KEEP HIS JOB!!!!! There won’t be another job for him here in Fairhope, come next election or maybe even before.
I heard Jacko is in deepo. The mayor rightfully turned him in on the airport bidrigging scam.
He will be lucky to evade jail time much less run for office.
The mayor about to have an ethics complaint coming, real soon! She can not manipulate her way out of this one! There will independent 5 folks looking at the facts!
Everyone on this site is frequently alluding to ethics complaints and federal investigations; however, since nothing ever happens it is appears clear that no one has any interest in doing anything. Again….we have the government that we deserve because we have not insisted upon their resignations. Kant was clearly ‘ethically challenged’, Jack Burrell & Kevin Boone have no scruples whatsoever, and now Karin Wilson has decided to feather her own nest through her Office. It is heart breaking to see, because I think that Wilson had great intentions but she has been manipulated into destroying herself. I hope that she can get it together, clean up her act, get rid of Botop (or at least adjust the salary accordingly so that Karin is no longer the ‘court jester’) and earn back the respect that she has flushed since her election.
She is on borrowed time (IMHO) but I voted for her, believe in her and wish her all the best in cleaning up the optics of her Administration.
Jay Robinson will announce for Mayor next week. Stay tuned. Jacko is gonna be pissed.
Yeah, I am going to announce the mayor race 3 years early. Put the bottle down and go to bed.
Jay doesn’t believe in social media. Is he reading this social media post?
Yes I am…this is the best site for all the news in Fairhope!
I see, so the mayor can just adjust her salary and all is good? Hum…so it was okay for her to fire someone that her friend could replace, all you have to do is reduce her salary and it all disappears like it never happened. This is how things work?
The mayor was not equipped to run the city, she does not have the skills needed and by the time she learns them she will have destroyed too many careers.
All politicians have good intentions, then, then they taste power and it is all over!
The mayor loves being the mayor, this more than anything she has ever done in her life, now that she is in power did you really think she was going to be different?
She prides herself on being a politician now, not an independent bookstore owner, she’s a politician and politicians are nothing more than politicians!
Fairhope citizens must unite against beavis and butthead burrell and boone.
There you go again! All you can do is name call – need to start looking at the mayor’s missteps. Family members get rides on helicopters, hiring of one of her friends. The are records that will show the mayor was talking to her friend to create a position and her firing of certain employees so she could hire her friend.
Keep name calling, because that is all you have!
Show us the records!
Everyone knows that anything that is posted on facebook, or on the other site remains in digital form even if you delete them. There is facebook post that shows this, other folks were asking, and she was reminded of how warm it is down here. She was thinking about it!
Those pages have been screen saved and downloaded. The position was not even approved, had not been brought to the council yet, and there is post out there. Date stamped post!
SO, these documents have been preserved!
Does anyone even know how much the City is paying Botop? I saw that they approved it at about $180,000 per year plus benefits; then later they eliminated the department, so does she still make $180,000 per year?
Maybe around 98k plus benefits, new city vehicle! I know she has a new auto and gets all the benefits, I thought she stated her salary was around 98k.
Who are you? Quit hiding. Tell us so that we can follow up on your comments. What records? More and more people are not hiding and they are leaving their names. Tell us. We will be glad to follow up. If you have such knowledgeable guidance. What are you hiding for. Watch closely how more and more of the true and honest citizens of Fairhope are leaving their names. They are uniting. That’s a WHOLE LOT MORE than the council is doing along with the koolaid drinkers.
Tripp, you clearly do not have a financial background! The lost opportunity cost would about a negative 2% due to the financial instruments that a county can invest in. If you received a 10% return over 5 years it would be 51 plus million. NOW, show me who has made a 10% return annually over the past 5 years – only those that purchased real estate in 2011 forward!
Does anyone have knowledge of the process of getting court documents that have been “sealed” opened back up for the public to see? Once some of these are opened for all to see – those that believe there has been no corruption will see the opposite. Yes the ones that are commenting on the corruption are Fairhope Natives – lived here their whole life. We are NOT newcomers – we KNOW what has gone on!
I simple court order can open up the records – good luck! lol
Guys here is the future: Fairhope will be ruined as high taxes, traffic and congestion destroy this town. The good ole boys will get their way. Why do the voters in Baldwin County allow this? Because they are too busy working, raising kids, paying more taxes and higher bills that all they hear is a politician say he is a Christian Conservative and liberal fighter. The politician gets voted in. The politician is bought and his campaign is financed by the real estate interests who build more houses and the cycle continues
I agree. However, we are out of luck b/c we backed a candidate with her own hidden agenda and very little common sense. Her heart is in the right place ( I think ) but she doesn’t ‘get it’. If anyone has her ear, please try to teach her fast!!
The mayor should use the phrase that was sued the day ole Dixie fell, the lost cause!
All I can say about the mayor is, bless her heart!
Real bad candidate, now you see what we have!
Sell your fricking house now. it will soon take an hour to get to Interstate ten. Boone and Burrell and these shills on the council are taking fairhope to a new nadir.
No, it takes about 20 minutes. lol You are so blind, most likely you have been drinking with that typing of yours!
Such a scared little person like so many of you are. If you want to point out a fact, call someone a name or make a smart ass comment. Put you name down and quit hiding behind the “anonymous name”! Be somebody instead of a coward like so many of you are. I’m proud to have left my name when posting a fact as I am very proud of the tremoundous increase like many of you that that have steered leaving your name and not hide anymore. You are heroes and the true owners of Fairhope. The true caring citizens of Fairhope are getting tired of hiding and they are showing it!!! If you have a suggestion like this comment. Leave anonymous! Call someone a name or share a fact that you know to believe is true and don’t want to be the coward you are. Leave your name! Also the bless your heart person. We all know you only take up space and do nothing for our city, and you don’t give a darn about the next generation. Move along! Bless your heart. Stick it your where the sun doesn’t shine. Most of us know who you are anyway. So slither away and be done with you. These prayer breakfast are not fooling anyone either.
Did you buy a house? Oh no, you founded Fairhope! Fools, you are all blind fools!
The only fools are those that came here and are trying to change us. You, Dean, others, damn fools, all are damn fools! Get over the fact you are a carpetbagger!
Jay Robinson for mayor? He was recruited by Kant.
The Good Ole Boys become Bad Ole Boys when Money, Greed & Power are involved!
Fairhope High School was NOT among the top 25 high schools recently named in Alabama. If Fairhope is the crown jewel of the county then what does it say about our educational system? Fairhope grew too fast. There has been no infrastructure improvement and no building program to meet the growth in enrollment created by the building spree. I don’t know how we can catch up. The cart is before the horse. Mayor Karin needs our support. Burrell and Boone and the builders are licking their chops.
Actually, the reason the education system in Fairhope is poor is because there is limited retail to pay taxes to the city. When you have all the retail in Daphne and SF, and Daphne is looking at their own school system – Fairhope is not going to stop growth, the Fairhope mayor doesn’t want retailers to come into Fairhope because if could affect her business.
We need to have retail off of 181 and 64, especially when they widen the road. If we can get some nice retail in here we can have better schools.
Also, if you look at Hoover, both of those school are in the top, Spain Park and Hoover. Because they have the retail and most live in communities that care not close to the retail.
So the sales taxes fund the schools? I thought the county commission stole the sales tax money for Fairhope.
Hey, the city charges sale tax too! If the county did fund the schools then someone would have to. It is all in the bucket in one form or the other. Now, if the city of Daphne goes to a city school system, then they can charge a city sales tax for schools, look at Hoover!
Now, go back and crawl under the rock you came out of!
Obviously you are involved in a retail business of some sort
But Highway 64 is not in Fairhope
Duh huh
I am sorry, I did not have a dumbass degree so decided not to go into retail! Duh huh duh…
It is apparent that you certainly have a Master’s Degree in “Dumbass” and even at the top of your class! You just proved it all by yourself! That’s the funniest post in a while. You get the dumbass award with your Master’s Degree all in one day! Great job and thanks for the laugh!!! We all needed it.
I’m for retail but you need to catch up on your facts. We could have also used the $300,000-$500,000 EACH YEAR that we have waisted on the Fairhope airport during the past several years that could have been going towards our schools. Seems like you don’t know much about what’s going on. We don’t have to compare ourselves to Hoover or anyone else for that matter. Do some more fact checking and then maybe you will understand a little more clearly. Sure it would be nice to have more retail. But why are we illegally spending over 20% of the Fairhope’ city budget on a airport that is not even titled in the city’s name and that 99% of us don’t even use. We waist soooo much money each every year on the Airport. The Fairhope Citizens are coming together on this. You’ll see what we mean very soon.
Fairhope isn’t meant for 20k people!
This ain’t Starkville Jack!!
If you move then Fairhope will have 19,999 and that is a start!
FAIR HOPE
Fair to citizens of different races and religion
Fair for all companies submitting proposals
Fair negotiations between Mayor and Council
Fair to our environment
Hope for peace
Hope for good moral and values
Hope for an infrastructure that can withstand the growth
Hope for our schools
BE FAIR
HAVE HOPE
In all that you do…..
Right now, I hope the mayor wakes up and starts drinking her coffee!
So let’s see. Fairhope High School is not among the top 25 schools in the state. Imagine that! When you dump hundreds of new kids into a small high school it creates problems. Unchecked growth folks. Our kids attend class in “cottages” a euphemism for trailer. Fairhope High School is a bunch of trailers. Also, we dump raw sewage in the bay. Wonder why no one fishes or swims? Pollution. Human waste. Our sewerage infrastructure is aged and antiquated. One other little gem is that the lift stations across the city (fairhope has hills) have no working generators. If a hurricane hit this summer and fall the city could see human waste backing up into the roads and ditches. This is what Kant/Boone and Burrell did to fairhope. Wake up Fairhope. They stole your impact fee money and gave it to a bunch of friends…who kicked it back to them.
The report on GulfCoastNewsToday is not true, the mayor was not sued today, she did not assault anyone! Slander!
http://gulfcoastnewstoday.com/stories/assault-claim-filed-against-fairhope-mayor,49957