County Council has a golden opportunity

With tonight's expected vote on second reading of the tax increment financing proposal, an opportunity to improve life in a sometimes-neglected part of the county may be in the offing.

The Aiken County Board of Education decided not to participate in FineDeering Development's TIF proposal, making it almost certain that a thumbs-down vote will be made tonight. But if Council is wise, it will use this debate as an opportunity to better the economic conditions of people in the Graniteville-Vaucluse-Warrenville area. By looking into how best to redevelop the communities and how to provide infrastructure which has been lagging in that part of the county, Council could do a great service to people who have seen more than their share of bad news in recent years.

County Council has an opportunity to be proactive in regards to economic development in this part of the county, and there may be opportunities down the road to pay attention to other developed areas in the county which have been neglected.

Aiken County is one in which there is great wealth in some areas and great poverty in others. While many households have annual incomes in the six-figure category, there are tens of thousands who live below the poverty line. County Council's efforts to develop low-income areas could help lower the poverty rate, which would in turn help solve other problems which are bred in poverty.