The Hollister School District once again is facing a budget
shortfall. This is another symptom of the poor management of the
city of Hollister.
Editor,
The Hollister School District once again is facing a budget shortfall. This is another symptom of the poor management of the city of Hollister.
There is no growth happening in the city because of the sewer plant capacity problem but nothing is being done right now to fix it. Why does the city have no money? The city has no money because the city leaders have put themselves in a losing situation. They have chased away the rally, the casino, the racetrack and any other potential money-making business that wants to come into town. Local businesses cannot expand because they can’t add any additional plumbing. If businesses can’t expand to meet the demand of the residents, the residents can and do take their business elsewhere. The resulting loss of income forces some businesses to close.
What about taking advantage of the traffic on Highway 156, mostly truckers, by building commercial establishments that cater to them like restaurants, gas stations and other related businesses?
What about going to visit Sturgis or Daytona Beach to see how they manage to handle hundreds of thousands of bikers and make money? Sturgis has built schools and other government buildings from their rally proceeds. The towns all around Sturgis and Daytona Beach also profit as the bikers need places to stay and places to eat. The welcome mat is out for miles around.
What about taking another look at a casino or racetrack? Surely the income these facilities can generate will pay for the resources needed to handle the extra workload they may generate, but the profit the city could receive would fund a lot of the much-needed city services.
What about looking at revamping the airport, now to take advantage of the recreational flying public’s desire to have a well-run airport away from the congested airspace in the San Jose area?
Why not levy a sewer improvement assessment or float a bond to fix the problems now? Residents might not like the idea of spending a few extra dollars on their annual tax bill, but if they don’t they risk seeing their local businesses fold. It will cost them more in gas to drive to Gilroy and Salinas than it would to pay an assessment or bond interest.
When the building moratorium is finally lifted, the gang problem may drive away potential homebuyers and may even cause existing residents to leave.
What is it going to take before our city leaders get serious about making Hollister a thriving city?
Tony Weir, Hollister
