Dear Friends,
I believe that a key metric for success is a township’s population and per capita income. In this letter, I will present a comparative analysis of two townships: The Town of Appomattox, and The Town of Mount Jackson.
- Appomattox boasts a population of 1,919 in 2.2 Sq Mi., while Mount Jackson boasts a population of 1961 in 3.84 Sq Mi. (Census Bureau 2020).
- Appomattox, on average, in the last 20 years, has a population growth of 1.7%, while Mount Jackson, in the last 20 years, has had a population growth of 10.4%.
- Appomattox Budget costs the town $3,923 per capita. In contrast, Mount Jackson is $3,236 per capita.
Finally, Mount Jackson’s Water and Sewer budget is $1.4 million less than the Town of Appomattox’s.
What contributed to the Town of Mount Jackson’s success? What can we replicate here, and what realities are we dealing with?
- The Town has maximized space utilization entirely. The Baseball Field, Playgrounds, Community Swimming Pool, and two Basketball courts are located on a central property. The municipal town hall is a combination of a Community Forum, Town Office, and Library. Let’s comprehensively save taxpayer dollars and give them more bang for their buck. There is no need to raise taxes to achieve efficiency: we must choose general efficiency. This is common sense.
- The Town of Mount Jackson is strategically located on the I-81 corridor. Appomattox is economically viable because of the 460 corridors. Let’s support the importance of the corridor and tell all businesses that want to come to Appomattox that we are behind them and willing to invest in the infrastructure to make it happen. The highways are the most significant economic driver!
- The only area of much-needed research is Water Sourcing. A recent water report suggests four wells provide water for Mount Jackson, while Appomattox Water is pumped in from the Big Otter River Plant. As I continue to learn how best to help the Town of Appomattox, VA, a deeper analysis of water conservation and contaminants will need to be conducted
Appomattox is great because it is good; however, I will never be satisfied with the status quo. Appomattox is primed to meet the municipal standards of the 21st century. I want to provide the citizens of Appomattox with the tools to live in a safe community, thrive in a wealth-producing community, and pursue happiness here in the place I call home.