BY JAMES PRESSLY
As a concerned city taxpayer, fourth-generation Statesville resident, and local business owner, I want to express my growing frustration with the wasteful and misguided policies of the Statesville City Council, which continues to damage our city’s financial stability and risk the livelihoods of our hardworking taxpaying citizens.
Recent policy decisions made by the Statesville City Council show a surprising disregard for fiscal responsibility at the council prioritizes expensive, inefficient programs over the strategic needs of our community. From costly public projects with questionable returns to the mismanagement of funds earmarked for vital services, these policies will put an unnecessary burden on city taxpayers.
A perfect example is the City Council’s recent decision to create policy which will redistribute taxpayer dollars from the city’s general fund to an affordable housing assistance program. When numerous state and federal housing programs already provide financial resources for downpayment assistance for first-time home buyers, urgent repairs, accessibility modifications, and many others, this frivolous policy by our City Council is another example of poor decision-making at the expense of local taxpayers. Why should our citizens be asked to fund public programs which fail to provide meaningful value in return?
Meanwhile, critical city services – such as police and fire protection, road maintenance, waste management, and an aging electric infrastructure – continue to be underfunded. These services are essential for the livelihood and prosperity of our community, but they receive far less attention and support than the frivolous projects that seem to capture our City Council’s imagination.
The reality is that revenues from sales tax and enterprise funds are slowing and/or underperforming in the face of massive capital demands to the tune of $279 million over the next six years. If our City Council prioritizes high-cost, low-return ventures, that means we are sending critical resources away from the fundamental services our citizens most depend on.
We must demand more accountability and strategic planning from the City Council. We must demand effective leadership and public policy which reflects our core values: efficient use of taxpayer dollars, efficient management of city services, and a focus on strategic improvements that benefit our community now and for generations to come.
And we must demand that the Statesville City Council prioritize the livelihood of hardworking taxpaying citizens in their policy decisions. Let’s invest our taxpayer dollars in what truly matters: public safety, better roads, reliable and affordable utilities, and the fundamental city services that directly impact the lives of those who live here, instead of frivolous projects that only benefit a select few.
It’s time for a change. Our hard-earned tax dollars should be working for the people, not squandered on mismanaged, misguided, and wasteful policies.
James Pressly lives in Statesville.
You are completely ignoring the affordable housing crisis, I am not surprised.
Given the present Federal Administration, it’s probably timely those local affordable housing programs are already in place as the “federal housing programs” you mentioned have likely already been through the DOGE wood chipper and like everything else, without any evaluation of the impact it would cause. So, first you do away with the housing programs, then you do away with the other safety net programs, and suddenly you’re complaining about the rise in “tent cities” or proliferation of homeless downtown and nowhere to send them. It’s the law of unintended consequences.
Excellent point Tim!
I totally agree with what Mr. Pressly is saying. The council has also overlooked the fact that the people of Statesville have no place to shop. We have no mall to shop at because the family that owns the mall chooses to let it sit there without developing it into something that the people of Statesville would be proud of. This has happened because the mall is owned by one of the so-called good-old boys of Statesville. The city should have had it demolished a long time ago. I think the council chooses to neglect this eyesore because the council doesn’t want growth for our city. The city is losing needed revenue because people are going to other towns to purchase what they need.
The mall and the strip beside it are being demolished.
The city is not responsible for the mall. Shopping should not be your biggest concern. How about the homeless?
Agree, sometimes people with lots just don’t see suffering around them.
Absolutely agree !
Thank you Mr. Pressly. Thank you for standing up for common sense and protecting the taxpayers of this city. It’s been a long time coming and these frivolous projects for the benefit of the few have got to stop. Thanks again.
Mr. Pressly doesn’t seem to understand that not all meaningful value comes with dollar signs.
How would electrical or water infrastructure benefit me if I live in my car because I cannot afford $1200/mo for a studio apartment, James?
I’m sure your career as a real estate property manager doesn’t color your opinion on matters of public housing at all, though. Just a concerned citizen worried about the future of our great community… lol
And what about the kids! Absolutely nothing here for our kids. God forbid we had a movie theater , mini golf , a mall etc. Remember the good ol days! And we keep electing the same people over and over.
It isn’t for the City Council to do any of those things. Those are businesses set up by private entities, not at taxpayer expense. Why don’t you get together enough investors and try buying land and building say a movie theater, a mini golf course, or even a mall, and see if it can be profitable here? I think a movie theater is sorely needed. Having to drive to Hickory or Mooresville to watch a flick is dumb and wastes time and gas. A city and county of our size needs one.
“The Affordable Housing Crisis” is only exacerbated with more programs and funding. Affordable housing only goes up because of gurantees of programs paying for it. The City made things worse when they spent money on the “Street Scape” which destroyed any business downtown had. Other than eating, a bar or a brewery there is nothing to do in Statesville. Getting more people to live here by supplemental income via the City is short-sighted. What about the homeless? Actually find out why they are homeless, you would be surprised. It is not just because of lack of housing. You could also take the City Surplus and create a jobs program or invest in tiny homes, but I digress.
Statesville is going down hill and over populated and the roads are crumbling.
Statesville has been an absolute dump since covid. There is a reason the downtown music and bar scene is dead. Reading the comment section on this article reminds me of why so many of us left and have zero interst in supporting this mismanaged dump.
Lots of people are and have been paying for a storm water system for years that is non existent in many areas. Monthly charged on our electric and waste and water bills as a separate charge with little to no oversight and when you ask about it, you cannot get a straight answer. Look at your bill then look outside and see if you have storm drains. We are paying for them and they are not there? Where is that monthly fee going??
Well I moved to Statesville NC about 7 months ago I really can’t complain much the rent is good, the healthcare field industry is good here, so far I haven’t had any racial slurs thrown at me yet, I’m originally from Syracuse NY, I can definitely admit this there’s 0 for me to as a 48 yr old, my grandkids might not enjoy downtown much because it’s atmosphere is based off their local tastes only, I don’t see any African cultures in Statesville I think its against their interest of cultural events all I’ve seen or heard was rock or country music these councilman are stuck in the 60s seems like all they care about is roads and their kids and families, Im curious if segregation is going to hit Statesville NC if so who’s businessess which restaurants Lord knows I don’t shop everywhere now we can definitely keep broad Street Burger, and Ingles on Sullivan road, you can most definitely take that confederate statue down no need to preserve white supremacy in 2025
“Why should our citizens be asked to fund public programs which fail to provide meaningful value in return?” It’s called a CONSCIENCE!!!
Thank God for President Trump and DOGE, and Mr. Pressly for bringing all this absolutely crazy spending out of the dark and into the light. There would be no housing problem if the liberal end of congress would use, for example, the $400 million used to to put tampons in boys bathrooms, on housing. This housing fund wanting to be established by the City is ridiculous. Not to mention absolutely unfair. Thank you Steve, Jap, and Joe for voting against this biased fund. Also folks would be shocked how many people choose to be homeless to reap the government welfare and contribute NOTHING in return. On Nov 5. 2024, 74 million people voted for this reckoning. Keep calling them out, Mr. Pressly. Three African American council members and real estate developer voting for such a fund and the Mayor to appease, that really smells bad. The taxpayers need to vote for COMMON SENSE instead of so called Lords of WARDS.
The spending spree, in cities and the county occurred because of the re-valuation and refusal to lower tax rates to stay relatively revenue neutral. Instead, they opened the spigots to an unnecessary cash infusion that resulted in such things as a $30 Million park (Jennings Park) and potential $60 million update to the little used county fairgrounds. I’m sure you can find many more extravaganzas if you look. The worst part is the bloated budgets just set a new basis for increasing follow-on yearly budgets. The government will NEVER reduce spending once they spent it.
Agree with author.
Furthermore, the unchecked approval of countless large scale developments in Statesville lately are further harming the economic stability of our community.
Recently, several enormous residential projects requiring rezoning and annexation into the city have been approved.
These neighborhoods are not traditional neighborhoods we are all used to. These developers, with profits as their only priority, are building poor quality homes in densely populated neighborhoods at ridiculously high prices…
This pattern will discourage reputable local builders from building neighborhoods outside of these parameters. The irony is that this drives real estate prices up, further harming those trying to buy a first home.
The zoning board and city council need to stop rezoning to allow high density development. Statesville truly is a diamond in the rough. If they would think long term and protect our city, we could be the next Davidson.
You dont see development like this in towns like Davidson
They simply don’t allow it.