Mayor Dindiddie Pushes Crematory at Special Monday Meeting in Spring Hill

The following is a release from a Spring Hill resident who is feeling that Mayor Michael Dinwiddie is running over the citizens while pushing his own reckless agenda with no concern for the well being and quality of life of the local taxpayers.

Here is the release...

Mayor Dinwiddie does it again

Mayor Dinwiddie is attempting to silence the voice of Spring Hill citizens.  That's the opinion of a city official who told me point blank, "It's obvious that the mayor is attempting to use a special called meeting of BOMA to limit citizen involvement and input."  This week the mayor hastily added a vote on crematory zoning to the docket of a BOMA meeting slated for this Monday — a meeting that was specially called for the purpose of dealing with library issues.

This Monday, we need you to send the mayor a message:  The citizens of Spring Hill are watching.  We're active, and we won't be silenced.  We need the mayor and BOMA to know that we're not going to allow hastily called meetings, back room deals, or procedural tricks to determine the future of Spring Hill.

Will you attend the special BOMA meeting this Monday night, 7:00 p.m. in city hall?  This will be the first time we've gathered before our elected officials, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) and they need to know that citizens are not backing down on the issue of a proposed crematory.  More importantly, they need to know that citizens will not tolerate political stunts like the one the mayor is up to.

So, what exactly is the mayor trying to pull?  Mayor Dinwiddie knows full well that BOMA can only hear the crematory issue in September if the crematory is part of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) master plan.  If the proper zoning of that parcel of property is anything but PUD, then the Planning Commission has full and complete jurisdiction and BOMA is cut out.  Although city staff, the chairman of BOZA, and the entire Planning Commission have all said that the zoning is B-4 PUD, the mayor is still trying — desperately — to get the property declared otherwise.  If he's up to the same antics, then he's trying to have the property declared agricultural, its original zoning before development began on the property.  But it's clear from zoning ordinance that the original intention of the city was for this property to transition from AG to B-4 PUD at whatever time commercial development began on the property.  That process started in 1998 with the construction of a funeral home, but the process was not formally completed by the adoption of a master development plan by BOMA.  The Planning Commission has resolved that the process should be completed now by the submission of a master development plan to be approved by BOMA.  But Mayor Dinwiddie wants to do the wrong thing.  He wants to make a mockery of our zoning law by declaring the property agricultural, and allowing the continuance and proliferation of commercial use in the form of a funeral home (and now crematory) on agricultural land — something clearly prohibited by Spring Hill Zoning Ordinance which prohibits commercial use of AG land.

This Monday, in order to say YES to a better Spring Hill, we must say NO.

We must say NO to actions by the mayor or any city official designed to limit citizen input.

We must say NO to actions that would make a mockery of our zoning ordinance.

But in order to say anything, we need you to attend this Monday, 7:00 p.m.  Even if you can come for only a short time this Monday, your presence at City Hall will send a message loud and clear that enough is enough.  This Monday is not about a crematory, but about city officials — our elected officials — being held accountable to doing the right thing.

More Later...

Buddy Oakes for Odds and Ends

There Should be Excitement at The Spring Hill (TN) Planning Commission Tonight!

I received a copy of the following email from the Citizens for a Better Spring Hill group. It looks like there should be plenty of hardball politics going down for anyone who is interested...

Corruption, Negligence & Failure: TONIGHT Local Media Covering "Controversial Crematorium"

Friends,

This morning, Channel 4 and Fox 17 ran teasers for tonight's Spring Hill Planning Commission meeting.  "Large turnout expected in Spring Hill tonight as planning commission votes on controversial crematorium," Channel 4 said.  Will you be there to speak out for a better Spring Hill?  We need your presence, wearing green, as city leaders are confronted with their own corruption, negligence & failure. 

Tonight we'll expose:

Corruption:  Mayor Dinwiddie was caught this week in an illegal meeting with Alderman Graham, violating Tennessee's "Sunshine Law," as they discussed together how to keep the crematory issue from going to BOMA.  We have them on camera, and a citizen witness sitting behind them in a local restaurant even recorded notes about what they said.  We've requested an investigation by the Maury County District Attorney, and tonight we'll confront Mayor Dinwiddie on this issue.

Negligence:  The Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) has not fulfilled state-mandated education requirements since 2009, the year Mayor Dinwiddie was elected.  The mayor is responsible for appointing the BOZA, and ensuring that we have properly trained and qualified members serving on that board.  Yet, he's been completely negligent in allowing these members to serve — and make decisions — without proper qualifications.  Tonight, we'll ask Mayor Dinwiddie and the city what been done in the week since we made them aware of this negligence.

Failure:  BOZA denied to hear the crematory issue sent to them by the Planning Commission, yet there is nowhere in city law that gives BOZA the right to refuse a hearing, and in fact several places where it is assumed that BOZA must hear the issues directed to them.  Further, the City didn't follow proper protocol in directing the issue to BOZA.  The City of Spring Hill has once again failed to follow and apply its own stated ordinances, and we're going to call them out.

Please show your support by attending tonight with family, friends & neighbors, 5:30 p.m. at City Hall in Spring Hill.  Bring somebody with you, and stand up for a better Spring Hill.

See You Tonight,

Andrew Zirschky
Citizens for a Better Spring Hill