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All For One Plan Would Save Carver/Century With County Gas Tax Funds
January 15, 2009
(Updated 7:40 a.m.)Escambia All For One, the group working to consolidate county government, says it has a plan to save Carver/Century K-8 School from closing at the end of this school year. But at least two county commissioner say they plan won’t work.
All for One wants Escambia County to give $400,000 of county gas tax money per year to the Escambia County School Board to keep the school open. The plan originated with All For One Co-Chair Scott Remington after he read an article on NorthEscambia.com. In that article Century Mayor Freddie McCall stated that Superintendent Malcolm Thomas stated that he could Carver/Century open if the town could come up with $400,000 a year in funding for at least three years.
All For One plans to push Escambia commissioners to pull the $400,000 from a county gas tax fund for at least three years to fund the school. That tax generates about $3.6 million in an average year.
“The idea hit me after a read the article on NorthEscambia.com,” Remington (pictured left) said. “I told Freddie (McCall) that this would be a way to get the $400,000.”
“It would give the school a three year lifeline,” he said, adding that three years would give time to work on economic development in Century. “If you get one or two new businesses to Century, they will support the school.”
Remington said he had discussed the idea with McCall, County Administrator Bob McLaughlin, the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce and County Commissioner Wilson Robertson. He said he believed the reaction was positive from each.
Wilson Robertson confirmed that he had spoken to Remington about the gas tax money for Carver/Century, and that his reaction to Remington could be considered positive.
“But I am having second thoughts about telling Scott (Remington) that this might be plausible,” Robertson told NorthEcambia.com late Wednesday afternoon. “I will probably be hard pressed to support it. Why should one agency bail out another? We would be second guessing the school board’s position. The school district is not asking us to do this.”
The District 1 commissioner said he would have a hard time telling a county resident that he had voted to pull $400,000 for school funding rather than using the money for something within the county’s normal scope like repaving a road or a drainage issue. “I would be very surprised if they (All for One) were to be able to find three commissioners to support their plan.”
“I would like to see something save Carver/Century,” Robertson said. “I think they need to find corporate sponsors to keep it open. I just don’t think the county commission can help the school board on this.”
Even Century’s mayor is not so sure the plan would fly with commissioners.
“I’d love to keep the school open, of course,” McCall said, “but I’m afraid this might be a way just to get the gas tax passed. I’d hate to see the gas tax passed for the school and then go away in a few years.”
The Century Council recently withdrew support for Escambia All For One’s government consolidation plan. Remington said that he and All for One were not working to keep Carver/Century open to change Century’s mind about support for the governmental the consolidation. He said the group spoke out in support of the school when they first approached the council back in August, well before Century rescinded support for Escambia All for One.
Remington said he is hopeful that the gas tax money can save Century’s school, and he said he would be looking toward District 5 Commissioner Kevin White to lead support for the plan. White’s district includes all of North Escambia, including Century.
“This is the time that Kevin White can benefit Century directly,” Remington said.
“That’s the school board’s responsibility, not ours,” White said. “There’s no way I’d support it.”
Thomas will recommend the closure of Carver/Century at the next meeting of the Escambia School Board on January 20.
Comments
32 Responses to “All For One Plan Would Save Carver/Century With County Gas Tax Funds”
Supporters of escambia all for one have been posted on their website. Thank you.
Well if the people who live near city limits do not wish to join the city, then you can flat sure bet that those who do not , have no reason to.Did you know that consolidation attempts fail about 85% of the time. Let us hope that we can keep up this rate.Who are the (members, concern citizens)that are driving eafo. Why is it that John Peacock, Scott Remington or Jason Crawford on not wish to speak of this group?.Who is in their (think tank)?And what are they really thinking or planning?
The City of Pensacola can’t talk anyone in the county into annexation because they are giving them city services for free through one sided automatic aid agreements and not requiring ID at city parks and recreation properties. “Why buy the cow” is the old saying.
Mr. Hudson, Bravo – You have asked one of the real questions; Why Not Annex?
If Pensacola were to properly expand its borders with annexation it could at least triple its population size and increase its standing among Florida cities, without having to redesign the structure of the system of government. We have been given a “false solution”. Rural culture is different than urban culture; and adding more responsibility and more members to the size of county government WILL NOT increase the efficiency of the most inefficient county government in the entire state of Florida. If you are selling watermelons for 50 cents apiece and loosing money, why do you think buying a bigger truck will help you make a profit?
We would be more likely to get better management and administration if we reduced the size and responsibility of government.
I agree with Redneck. You two guys need to correspond to each other not involve the rest of the world. How old are you anyway? Are you students in middle school because I remeber this kind of immature drama when I was a student in middle school. I’m sure you couldn’t be grown adults acting this way??? Hummm….maybe this is why kids act the way that they do now, learned behavior maybe?! I agree that it was heartbreaking when Century High School was closed. There was so much debate then like it is now with Century/Carver. But, I went to Northview, graduated from there and it wasn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be. People don’t like change. Our lives are too busy for “out of the norm.” I do not wish for Carver to close, but I can totally understand why that decision has been given a lot of thought. Business doesn’t necessarily bring people into the city, meaning just because the city of Century gets new businesses doesn’t mean that people are going to uproot their lives and move here, send their kids to Carver. For example, the new Walmart opened in Brewton, AL. I know several people from this area that work there and didn’t move to Brewton. Their children still go to the same schools (not Carver). PCI hotel/casino is another example. When Ztel/Trinsic/Matrix was or still is in business in Atmore employees drove as far as 50+ miles to work in Atmore. My point is that if new businesses come to Century most likely employees will come from all the surrounding towns and people will commute back and forth not move to Century. As far as the One Gov. a temp “fix” is not a solution. If it meant keeping the school over another 3 years, well in 3 years we would be having the same news head lines and the same debates. What is the best solution to the entire situation? Does anyone really know? The best thing to do is to give it to the Lord and leave him in charge. May His will be done, Amen.
Hey if you 2 guys want to correspond with one another about doing it somewhere besides this forum which is comment on the story. Once is enough but ya’ll are chatty Cathys’ it seems.
Come on folks get real……… NO GAS TAX to save a school. Education already has too many hands in the pot and the classroom is the last place to receive the “leftovers”. Do you want county government involved in the school decison process? Kevin White got it right– this is a school board issue. Mr. Thomas made the right decision and I am sure will make many more if we will “get off his back”!!!! Change is not always bad, but it does require an open mind.
Jay, please research consolidations around the country. Taxes were lowered and services were increased. The existing liabilities (ie. City of Pensacola pensions) REMAIN with the geographic entity that was the city of pensacola. So their taxes would be higher than yours. People would only pay for the services rendered. Low services = low tax, high services= high tax. The advantages of consolidation include
- reduction/elimination of duplicative services
- improved service capability
- government accountability
- ability to increase through economic development the revenue side of the ledger which our current elected officials rarely talk about. Why? They are not accountable to the citizens for lack of job growth because they are just 1 of 5.
Our current commissioners are saying that it is the school boards business to deal with the schools. What a joke? It isn’t JUST there problem. They are ESCAMBIA County schools. It is OUR problem. A unified approach will lift all boats. The outlying rural areas in consolidated governments tend to benefit the most because they get increased representation, better services, and lower taxes. Research the other areas that have completed this process.
The fact is that most of us do not wish to be part of pensacola . The city has shown that it can not run its self. People are moving out. Pensacola is to consumed with tourism. The maritime park is a joke and the city needs help to fund it. I would much rather work with a county administrator than a strong mayor and a diluted form of representation. By the way who is in the groups think tank.
Alright “All for One,” I just read in the PNJ that the school board is going to close a school on the west side of Pensacola in addition to Carver/Century. Scott Remingtion, just how do you plan to keep this school from closure; give the school board more gas tax money?
Elected “at large” still means to us that those in office will continue to pander to the higher population centers south of I-10. Remember there are more votes availible down there, and the status quo of neglect will continue for the outlying areas. All we’ll get is big government shoved down our throats coupled with higher taxes to support the “greater” Pensacola establishment and their downtown follies.
Kim,
Your comments are right on and unless we change the representation and the system in which our government operates, that will never change. The form of government being proposed by All for One provides significantly more representation to the north end of the county than what exists now. Officials elected at large cannot ignore 25-30% of the community if they expect to stay in office. Would welcome the opportunity to discuss further, please feel free to contact me.
I would like to offer a suggestion. Continued soundbite discussions on a blog leave much to be desired. I and I am certain I could get others would be more than happy to volunteer to meet with as many folks as possible to discuss this issue. Name the date, time, and place. There have been a lot of incorrect statements, comments and assertions made and I would welcome the opportunity to have eye to eye, face to face, conversation and discussion. Please let me know if you are willing to meet
Thanks. I can be reached at johnpeacock@cox.net or 850-712-7466
The northend of the county (especially Century) has always gotten the bad end of the deal. I remember years ago when we all fought so hard to keep Century’s Hospital open, but the commisioners did not care because they had made their minds up. Then a few years later we tried to fight to keep Century High School open but again that failed. That was hard on the Community losing a school that meant so much to so many of us! Then a few years later there was the fight for Byrneville Elementary to keep it open and despite our effort they were against keeping it open, but thankfully with the will of the community we kept Byrneville Elementary open as a Charter school. My point is the School Board and the County Commissioners over the years have voted against and chopped slowly away at Century! They’ve just about left us with nothing and that is very sad. When budget cuts are brought up they start at the Northend of the county and that is so sad and unfortunate for our children! They deserve more than that!
Is this Heron’s Forest, Dick Baker? What interest would Dick Baker have in Century?
Very well put Jay, What you said speaks for a lot of us. So Jason Who is in your groups (think tank)??????
I’ll put it in plain speech: they’ll just use whatever they can find to bait that All-for-One hook.
I have not read that book. I do have a copy of “A Quiet Revolution” by Richard Martin, but I have not read it yet.
Here AFO goes with the ol’ bait and switch (take from one taxing authority to fund another). How timely with this revelation following the county commission desire to raise the gas tax to support ECAT. Why in the world would the BOCC want to shell out almost a half a million dollars to bail out Carver/Century which is upside down fiscally? The last time I looked at my property tax bill, the school board’s take was about the same as the BOCC. If more money was needed to pay for the school, all the school board has to do is increase our milliage rate… and just like magic there’d be the $$.
The problem is not funding in as much that it is the way money is being spent and getting the best bang for the buck. Escambia County is not getting a fair shake on either at Carver/Century.
“All for One,” I hate to break the bad news to you, but there aren’t many folks around Escambia County who want to be in your “big city” government consolidation. Matter a fact, I don’t know anyone that even supports your effort. By the way weren’t there a few hold outs of Jacksonville’s big government that you all say is the utopian society (Jacksonville Beach and Atlantic Beach). I’ve said this before on northescambia: If the big government you all propose is such a great thing, why isn’t everyone jumping onboard? There are much larger populations like Tallahassee/Leon County; Tampa/Hillsbrough; St. Petersburg/Pinellas County; Orlando/Orange County, just to name a few that have not opted for consolidation.
Miami/Dade and Jacksonville/Duval are the only two statewide exceptions. Do notice that these are large (very large) metro areas, with each having a well established port (long before consolidation) and an international airport. Escambia County has neither and due to geographical limitations won’t get either.
Jason have you read (A Quiet Revoltion By Parker L Beeler) and do you agree with it?
The road to hell is always paved with good intentions. You can’t make promises that are hinged on something that there is a good chance won’t even come to pass. I agree with Mr. Robertson, why in the world would one group just swoop in and rescue another and if so I would ask what are they reaping from this transaction? If all it takes is dangling a few bucks in front of a promise, what does that say about the decision making process? The answer to the entire economic sitiuation is as easy as turning on the calculator. Basic math says our nation has an instant gratification problem. Maybe the school system should add a patience class to their curriculum, somewhere soon the world will face the horrible truth you can’t just keep spending money that you don’t have.
So as John Peacock put it , it seems that your group has a (think tank) Who is in your think tank?
Pensacola is just a dot on the map. Why not annex? I find it hard to put my trust in a city government that could not find the north end with a GPS. We must keep our eye on the ball. Who will repair all the damage do to pensacola when it hurriccane hits ? Would it be the new city residents? And since when did diluting our voice in government be come more effective. The city of pensacola does not share the same vison as the county. Real jobs not tourism. We have several industral parks, we need to take away some of the chamber of commerce money and get real about light industry
I speak for me! Not for anyone else. You have never met me; please don’t accuse me of having a hidden agenda or for “speaking” for some special interest. We need improvement in our government. Not for special interest, for the tax payer that is paying too much because we have fragmented and caused duplication. And so that tax payer can elect a mayor that is accountable to all of the residents and we have a single point of leadership. This system actually adds checks and balances and reduces the likelihood of corruption. I came to Pensacola in 1999 to attend UWF. I graduated in 2004 after a one year “vacation” to Baghdad. My question is if there is a chance for a better way why are you so against it. Let’s study this and see what happens. If it doesn’t make sense, then vote against it. Heck I don’t know what this commission will produce, if it’s not good then I’ll vote against it too.
As for trying to gain support from Century… I’ve meet with the Mayor and Ms. Brooks. Their concerns were accurate and had to do with the structure of our bill request. We are making that right by revising the language in the bill.
And Mr. Hudson, our group doesn’t have membership we have people who agree that we should study consolidation. Our “membership” is me, Scott, and Dick Baker as the treasurer. Our website is being updated to show a list of people who support a study commission on consolidation. We will also list all prior activities.
Jason Crawford When are you going to let us know who you speak for????
This is a perfect example of the need for ONE GOVERNMENT with a Mayor that is elected by ALL the residents of this County. Right now no-one is elected by all of the residents of this county. It’s smaller government, more accountable to the residents, and will save money by reducing duplication of services. Who knows we might mess up and make a government that is easy to work with and we might actually attract businesses to this town.
I think Escambia All For One is grasping at straws to try and get Century’s support back. It really doesn’t matter how much money they raise or how many new businesses come to town and support the school.The bottom line is the students have gone elsewhere and it would take a miricle to bring them back because they love where they are now and don’t want to leave .
I would like to know why Jason Crawford and Scott Remington Will not disclose who their members are. I know I have hammered on this subject time and time again. But a group that will not come foward and show who is behind it has something to hide.I visit their website every day and they have fail to post it yet. Is it because every one is south of mile road ? Is it true that it really is made up of Civic Elities? And who in the group has the most to gain if consolidated government goes thru?You will not find the pensacola news journal asking any of these qesitions because they are in favor of it. Rick Ozen and the indepentent weekly are very much in favor of it also.So what we have is a loopside view of consolidated government coming media outlets and a group that has mislead political leaders and is trying to go foward with their own agenda.
I am not saying that this is THE solution, but I do appreciate an alternative solution being considered. I also would like more solutions thrown out there and considered by our government. I do believe that at this time economically the word allocated needs to be thrown out of our government. I don’t think that we should be repaving roads when schools are being closed. In my opinion children are top priority. It is sad that we can not trust our leaders to take a lump sum of money and decide what is most important, we have to budget them in the same way you would a child.
Who are the members of escambia all for one? Scott and Jason need to post their membership on THEIR WEBSITE. Sorry but the gas tax is for roads. If they think that this is a good idea, then they surely do not need to be promoting one consolidated government.
WHATEVER!!!…..You people need to quit wasting time on this subjectand go ahead with the closure. THANK YOU.