*COUNCIL COMMENTS 07/08/10 CONTINUED *
Councilman Yost stated that Mr. Rhynes asked some good questions earlier about the proposed Travel Ordinance and a mountain has been made out of a mole hill on that subject. The reporter that usually covers the Council meetings did call Councilman Eunice and that was reported in the newspaper. She was asked by Councilman Eunice to call other Council persons to give their view on the Ordinance and what happened at that meeting. She stated that everyone was on their way to Savannah to attend the Conference. Councilman Eunice was also on his way to Savannah when she called. Councilman Yost stated that if she had asked then he would have given her his opinion; however, now that Mr. Rhynes has asked he would give his opinion
and would not represent the rest of the Council. Councilman Yost stated that he voted no on the issue because he believes 100% that when a Council person is elected they serve from the day they are sworn in until the day they leave office. That is what he wants his Council person to do whether it means he would go to Atlanta to represent us at the Capitol or go to a meeting like the one on Savannah. The newspaper owes us an apology for comparing what Council did to how the County’s budget has played out. That was very one-sided and though we feel bad about the situation the County is going through right now, the City planned ahead, managed their budget, and made the right decisions. Councilman Yost stated that Council did the right thing on the proposed Travel Ordinance and his vote would not change when it comes up again. He would be glad to discuss this with the newspaper; however, they do not need to feed the public information that is so one-sided and incorrect. Councilman Yost stated that he has been a member of a committee for the Georgia Municipal Association for four or five years and he goes to the meeting, votes, and is heard when he needs to be heard. If the newspaper had asked him the question then they would have found that out instead of listening to one other person on Council who said that none of them are members and do not go to meetings. If you want the accurate information then ask all of them and they will give you their opinions. It is not always right and you may not agree with it but you will always get the truth from him and other Council members. Councilman Yost stated that he appreciated what the County is going through and he felt bad that they are having trouble with their budget but the City should not be persecuted for having prepared for this day and for running the City in the right way.
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Mr. Quarterman, could you call Mr. Yost and ask him his opinion on biomass? I gave each Council member an official letter from our branch about 10 days ago and have not received any letters in reply….yet. I handed them directly to them.
On Friday, April 29, 2011 I met with Mr. Yost to discuss the biomass issue in person. Mr. Yost stated that he is FOR the biomass project and FOR selling (grey) water to the plant.
When asked for his reasons, he said it “would be good for the citizens of the county”. When pressed to clarify, he said that the jobs and the energy would be good for the citizens. He had no clear rationale for how these 25 jobs would positively effect his constituents, nor how diversifying GA Powers energy sources would help his constituents.
The other reason given for supporting the biomass project was that he felt that the plant is safe as deemed by the permitting authorities. With a daughter with asthma and as an advocate for recreational activities, he was unconcerned by the evidence concerning the health risks presented to him. Mr. Yost went on to say that the plant would be safe because it had [emission] limits that it could not surpass and because it would be monitored. He was unaware that the permitting process did not take into account safety of the surrounding community or that ambient air quality was not monitored in our county.
Yost felt that the Industrial authority worked within its parameters and spoke highly of Brad Lofton. I did not bother to tell him that Brad Lofton was fired from his previous job and simply built his resume here (stating that the biomass plant was a done deal to his future employers when hired). I also left out the detail that our X-IA director tried to attract local businesses to Myrtle Beach before he left.
Karen Noll