Dustin Dunbar

Good Morning everyone. With the county primary just about upon us, and the candidate "meet and greet" tonight at the Embassy Suites, I thought that questionnaire responses needed to be posted...

So far the only person to respond to the questionnaire has been Dustin Dunbar. I have reason to believe that PJ Mezera will be returning it answered as well. Hopefully I will be able to post his response tomorrow.

County Commissioner Candidate Questionnaire

1. As a single county commissioner on a board that consists of twenty-four (24) total commissioners, please indicate how you would propose to be an effective commissioner when representing the needs of District 3 residents. Please feel free to include past experiences or qualities that you feel you possess in order to be an effective county commissioner.

I have been actively involved with the county commission by attending all meetings for over the past 7 months. Through my attendance as well as my active participation in the Republican Party, I have established a relationship with other county commissioners who know my stance on issues that face our county. I express my concerns effectively and will be able to address issues on the county commission and get the consideration from other commissioners that is expected.

2. District 3 includes the following communities; Bethesda, College Grove, Spring Hill, and Thompson's Station. Each of these communities has their own unique issues that need to be represented by the District 3 County Commissioners. Please identify three (3) unique issues specific to each individual community and indicate which of those issues you personally feel should be your priority as District 3 County Commissioner.

The communities in District 3 are all very unique and have different issues that need to be represented in an unbiased manor.

I live in Spring Hill and currently we face issues regarding growth, taxes, and schools. The Williamson County side of Spring Hill has grown 174% in the past five years and is predicted to reach 40,000 residents by 2010. This growth has put our quality of life in jeopardy and I want to ensure we have a solid infrastructure in place to support the growing population. This growth has also put a strain on our school system. The schools in Spring Hill are quickly reaching capacity and residents are continually moving in with school aged children that will enroll in the school system. The county commission is responsible for providing funding for Williamson County schools and I want to ensure our schools have the funding capable of meeting their needs. Providing an infrastructure and schools system capable of handling the growth will not come without a price. That is why I want to make sure the county actively works along side the city of Spring Hill and the developers who are having an impact on our quality of life to ensure that we have growth that helps to pay for itself.

Thompson’s Station has seen a growing population similar to Spring Hill but is positioned to build their city from the ground up. They are currently seeing pressure from the city of Franklin regarding their urban growth boundaries and I plan to assist all cities in District 3 address any issues they have or conflict they see while in office.

Bethesda and College Grove are in very similar situations in the respect that they want to remain separate communities and avoid annexation by the surrounding growing cities. I believe that as a county commissioner I will represent all communities in my area. If the residents of College Grove and Bethesda want to avoid annexation, I will firmly stand beside them to ensure they are represented on the county commission and that they have an active voice. These two communities have not seen the growth that Spring Hill and Thompson’s Station are currently seeing, but as subdivision plans are currently being drawn for Bethesda, we will need to plan on the front end to ensure they make decisions now that will benefit fit them for generations to come.

3. In July 2005, Spring Hill Mayor Danny Leverette sent a letter to County Mayor Rogers Anderson expressing an interest in reevaluating the current Williamson County Urban Growth Boundary Plan. At what point do you think it would be appropriate to re-evaluate the current Williamson County Urban Growth Boundary Plan?

Spring Hill is completely different today from when our current Urban Growth Boundary Plan was implemented. When circumstances and issues change, our plans should change as well in order to best meet our needs. I think now would be the best time to re-evaluate the current plan, while being mindful of our neighboring communities, in order to have successful planning for the estimated 40,000+ population Spring Hill is predicted to see in 2010.

4. If you had sole naming rights for the new Recreation Center, what name would you propose? Please briefly explain.

I would inquire of the residents of Spring Hill as to suggestions for the name of the new recreation center to determine a name that would best represent our area and the energy we have. As for a specific name, I don’t have a current suggestion.

5. Do you believe the County should fund/build a branch library for the city of Thompson’s Station? Why or why not? If so, do you believe the proposed location at Heritage Commons is the best place?

We have an incredible population of young people who would benefit greatly from another library. Libraries are a wonderful addition to any community and they bring people together by providing many opportunities for people of all ages.

6. Do you believe Charter Cable and Williamson County Government should provide WCTV coverage? If so, how do you propose making that happen?

All citizens of Williamson County should have access to WCTV. While Spring Hill is serviced under Charter Cable, our city and county officials should meet with cable providers to ensure that WCTV is available to everyone in Williamson County. The legislation Rep. Marsha Blackburn is advocating will allow residents the ability to choose their cable provider which in turn would allow people to subscribe to a provider who broadcasts WCTV if other cable providers will not.

7. What is the most important issue facing Williamson County today? How do you propose addressing it?

Growth and taxes go hand in hand and are the most important issues facing our county. We’ve had tremendous growth due to the charm of our county. We have a top quality school system, a low crime rate, and a beautiful landscape, but this growth has put our county in a financial bind. Currently we have commissioners that increased our taxes when it came before the board and I want to ensure that taxes don’t increase and no new taxes are made. We have a choice to make when faced with financial obstacles, we can either raise taxes to generate more revenues or we can cut wasteful spending by taking a conservative approach to our finances. I expect the impact fees put on developers to be addressed during the next term of the county commissioners and I want to make sure we having people in office that will take these items into strong consideration to alleviate the cost burden on the residents of Williamson County.

8. Do you believe Williamson County’s spending is reasonable for the school system? If not, do you think that we should spend more or less?

I don’t believe the funding for the schools is a problem, but I think the way money is spent could be improved. People like me have moved to Williamson County because they want their children to benefit from the excellent school system. The schools are responsible for equipping our young people with the tools that are essential to be our future leaders; we must work to secure that funding. I will work hard with other commissioners to make certain that schools are well funded and that the funds are spent wisely for the future of our county. All parties involved should take full responsibility to ensure these funds are not squandered.

9. What do you think is the greatest issue facing South Williamson County today and how would you address the issue?

Growth. See answers above.

10. If you could change one thing about Williamson County what would it be and why?

Voter apathy and information. Through conversation with residents, I have found that many people are not well informed on the processes and duties of our local government. A personal initiative that I will take will be to make all county commission meeting minutes and votes available via the county website in order to inform residents of how they are being represented by their commissioners along with a free online newsletter that county residents can subscribe to, updating them on recent votes as well as upcoming resolutions and how these items will effect them personally. A well informed community will be able to hold their county commissioners accountable and bring a change at the polls if they don’t feel they are being fairly represented.

11. Of the other candidates running, who would you most like to see become your partner commissioner? Why? Who would you least like to serve with? Why?

12. Of all the Williamson County Commission votes taken since the last County Commission election, which one do you most disagree with? Why? Can you name two-three more and why?

On July 12, 2004, the county commission voted to increase the cost of vehicle registration. One year earlier, the county commission raised the property tax rate by 22 cents. And finally, the county commission voted for an increased wheel tax that was ultimately voted down by the people of Williamson County. Our current commissioners are focused on raising revenues by taxing the residents instead of reducing wasteful spending. These efforts to tax the citizens of our county have raised a lot of questions, considering the county’s debt is almost a half billion dollars. I’m extremely concerned about the future of our county, that’s why I decided to run for office in the first place.

13. Should Williamson County increase impact fees? Why/Why not?

I think Williamson County should consider the idea of increased impact fees. This comes from the growth we’ve seen in southern Williamson County and the effect it has had on our schools and our infrastructure. In the building of additional schools, roads, and water/sewer lines, the county and city will take on an enormous debt load. That load can be lightened by additional funds generated through impact fees. I don’t want the taxpayers to pay the price for growth that comes from those seeking to maximize their profits without considering the impact they have on our quality of life.

14. Should nepotism be allowed in the Williamson County Government? Should County Commissioners be allowed to work for the County?

I believe that Williamson County government should avoid conflict of interest in all aspects whether by professional occupation or by nepotism. We currently have a problem with County Commissioners who have relatives that work for the county. In this type of situation, a county commissioner can vote to give their relative a raise. I see that as a definite conflict of interest. One way this problem can be addressed is that anyone running for office in Williamson County must document all sources of income, land property held, as well as all related parties who are current employed by the county. I hope to ensure this disclosure is required for anyone seeking public office.


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