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Dunn Votes "No" on WalMart
Atty Mark
Hazelbaker
The Town of Dunn's Board of
Supervisors recently attracted attention by informing the City of
Stoughton that Dunn would not share in the cost of acquiring an
expensive piece of new fire equipment if the City decides
unilaterally to approve a large Wal-Mart Super Center.
Although the Super Center is controversial merely because Wal-Mart
is involved, the town's action was premised also on the impact that
the large facility will have on the Town of Dunn and the surrounding
area.
Dunn's comments highlight the fact that communities are
interdependent. Of course, we're all familiar with the
oft-repeated refrain from city and village officials claiming that
towns are subsidized by urban areas. [I have noted that this
complaint is invariably based on highly selective views of facts;
the proportion of shared revenues received by towns is rarely
mentioned]. Fire departments are one service where this is plainly
untrue. Most fire department arrangements work, and work well,
because towns contribute heavily to capital costs and operating
expenses and provide a large number of volunteers. While fires
occur in towns too, the fact is that the high-value and toxic-laden
fires usually occur in cities and villages. Thus, by proposing
to acquire a large and expensive fire truck, the fire district
involved was providing a service which benefited the
City far more than
its participating towns.
The Town of Dunn was not refusing to cooperate. Rather, Dunn
was asking the City to cooperate, rather than act unilaterally.
Dunn's action is consistent with a policy ideal many have been
talking about for years -- that land use issues which impact an
entire (continued on next page)
Dunn Says
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