Petitions are being circulated that would allow McMinnville voters to decide if they want to spend up to $10 million on McMinnville Civic Center expansion and renovation.
“Signing this referendum petition does not stop the project, and I hope everyone understands that,” said David Rutherford, who is spearheading the petition. “This petition is not a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for the project. It does call for a referendum to be placed before city voters, who will then get to decide if they want to spend this kind of money on a project that doesn’t even include an indoor pool. If voters decide they want to, that’s fine.”
A referendum requires the petition to be signed by 10 percent of registered city voters, or approximately 630. The completed petition must be filed with the Warren County Election Commission within 20 days of the date the resolution on the project’s financing is advertised in the Southern Standard.
Rutherford openly admits he will be against the project, if voters are allowed to decide.
“There are several reasons why I don’t feel we should move forward with this project,” he said. “The short answer is, it’s too expensive and without an indoor pool. I understand there was an effort, veiled though it be, to try to get this on the ballot during the last election. Obviously, they didn’t want that. It would have made this a lot easier if they had.”
Rutherford says city board members failed in their responsibility to city residents by not overseeing the initial project plans and for allowing it to be bid without alternates, items bid separately so they can be added or removed based on cost.
“I’ve never seen a project bid without alternates. Never,” said Rutherford. “I feel like voters should decide, because board members have abdicated their responsibility to the citizens of this community by allowing a department head and an architectural firm to come up with this project and the board not have any opportunity for alternatives. For this amount of money, they could do a renovation of the existing facility and an indoor pool.”
The city needs a capital improvement plan, said Rutherford.
“Another reason I have an issue with spending this kind of money is because they don’t have a capital plan. They don’t know what else is being faced by the other departments. They still have a police department paying rent and repairs on a building the city doesn’t own. They’re paying $6,000 a month in rent – that’s $72,000 a year. If you build this, you still don’t have anything that was needed and is still needed by the city. (Alderman) Kate Alsbrook was right in her assessment. They’ve won the lottery and now they’re going to spend it. They need a plan.”
