Our Town

Some years ago, city government offices in my small Southern town were combined into one ugly “municipal complex.” At one end was the water-works office. The other day, I got a notice that my water was about to be turned off for non-payment. I knew I’d paid the bill, but of course I drove to the office. “Moved,” a sign said: the “Water Revenue Office” is now at this new, distant address. Well, I thought, a little truth in titling, anyway. So I drove to the new place. What had been a few small offices is now a huge complex of new buildings on its own “campus.” When I finally got to the drive-in window, I was informed  that I had paid the bill.

Today, I drove to the Justice Center for the county, itself the colossal replacement for the old courthouse, not that it was cleared out. I wanted to renew my gun permit. After going through security, I was told that that office is now around the corner. Once there, I was confronted with yet another giant edifice, this one for the sheriff, whose offices had been in the Justice Center. Now, since this is the South, the people at all these offices were sweet and polite. But I was taken aback by just how much local government has ballooned in the past few years. Post-9/11/01 America has been a party for the involuntary sector.

UPDATE from Lisa Wedman:

I read your recent blog about your “small town” and thought I’d share my own. My small town tore down its old municipal building a couple of years back claiming it wasn’t “richter proof” at level 5 or higher, only 4 on down. I’m thinking our town would have bigger problems should an earthquake of that magnitude rock our tiny locale; however, from government’s point of view, there could be nothing worse I’m sure. So onward to a more “robust” rock-steady building is now in the works. Their new idea of a new, grander municipal complex draws out at a bloated 65,000 sq. feet on 3 levels. If this isn’t bad enough, there are only about 18,000+ people in our modest town, which computes to approx. 3.6 cubic feet per person. Now given that each of us takes up about this much floor space standing up (kids even less), we could conceivably fit our entire town in that thing! Talk about government gone wild. Oh, and one more thing; did I mention that this is a National Lab town to boot! So keep paying those taxes; we need a bigger, badder municipal complex.

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4:00 pm on July 20, 2010