Lessons learned(?): County commissioners

After every project or event for any organization--non-profit or profit, political or corporate--there needs to be a debriefing, a "lessons learned" so that any negatives that happened for that project or event don't happen again.

Here's my list of what I think the Henderson county commissioners should learn from this (keeping in mind they are elected officials using taxpayer money):

• Read your own strategic plan. 
As I showed here and here, the development of the Highland Lake Golf Club into a soccer complex from the beginning was not in keeping with the county's strategic plan, in particular Goal 1.

• Do the due diligence.
We learned from Vivian Armstrong's question to Commissioner O'Connor that there was no provision for canceling the agreement and recouping the deposit under certain conditions, and it also seems as though there was little or no research into the Village of Flat Rock land-development ordinances or zoning regulations.

• Make public as soon as possible negotiated business deals.
On August 26, the option agreement between the owners of the Highland Lake Golf Club and Henderson County was signed. On August 27, it should have become public knowledge. Negotiations were over, no more privacy was needed. No excuses on this one.

• Remember who pays your salary.
And it’s not any one particular special interest--it's the taxpayers, all of them. You are public servants (enough said).

• Don’t say it’s a "done deal" when it’s not.
We’re not stupid, just busy with other things, but if given enough incentive, we will uncover the truth of the matter.

• Full commitment can only be achieved by general consensus, not fiat.
Not everyone will agree on everything, but by shutting out (and in Mr. Edney's case, criticizing) the residents most affected as well as all other taxpayers whose money would have gone into the purchase and maintenance of the property, the commissioners almost guaranteed that there would be an uproar.

• Trust us, we elected you.
By keeping residents in the dark, by announcing that no further negotiation was possible once the option agreement became public, by acting as though this deal had to be rushed through, you, first of all, made most taxpayers very suspicious and, secondly, implied that you couldn't be bothered to inform the public. We elected you to work for us, not dictate to us.

• Remember to thank the taxpayers/voters when we show an interest.
You are where you are because of us, not in spite of.