Public-private: Partnerships in this community key to success

Anyone who doubts that a community can do a lot with the help and commitment of resources from its residents needs to look closely at what is happening in Goldsboro and Wayne County.

In the last six months, people from around the county have rallied to come up with some of the funds necessary to build a new community theater and to add some extra touches to a new animal shelter.

And there is plenty of other support going to many other private charitable causes that benefit the community as well. Giving to help others never really seems to be a problem for Wayne County.

The point is, when this community bands together and decides it is going to do a project — it gets done.

The announcements that have been made this week are still a major financial commitment for this city and the county. A lot of money will be spent over the next couple of years to create a community building, a new park, a new theater and an animal shelter.

There will be lots more money to raise — and even more potential commitments needed from the taxpayers as we try to figure out where our most pressing needs are in this community. And there might be even more support required as the discussions of other projects — like improving school facilities — continue.

But that doesn’t mean that these are not important issues and these are not discussions that are vital to the future of this community.

So, even though most of us don’t want to talk about raising more money or coming up with more tax dollars, the future of this community really does depend on at least exploring the possibilities — responsibly.

These latest announcements have been good news for Wayne County — and a sign that most of us understand that if we want this community to continue to improve and grow, we might have to put our shoulders to wheel, too.

So, imagine how much more we can accomplish if we really starting talking, planning and analyzing together what direction we want our county to go.

And as we do so, we should also think about fiscal responsibility — how much money can we legitimately expect to contribute to these projects and how much more of a burden can taxpayers handle right now.

By creating a plan for the future, we can get the jobs done without creating a hardship for anyone paying the bills. And that is a win-win situation. That kind of commitment takes a community.

Published in Editorials on September 26, 2006 11:31 AM