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Jon Trees unopposed for Warm Springs supervisor office
BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER
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WARM SPRINGS - Jon Trees is looking forward to getting out of the crowded woods of commuting three hours round-trip to work while serving the constituents of the Warm Springs district.
Trees is running unopposed for the seat on the board of supervisors, but unlike the current term, Trees will be retired from his job at UPS when he takes a seat on the new board in January.
He is looking forward to taking his four years experience into the next term of a job he readily admits could be full time. "Being a supervisor is so much more than just one meeting a month," said Trees.
Not that Trees is taking wining the election for granted. When he ran four years ago, he didn't have the responsibilities of being a supervisor to put an additional crunch on his time for knocking on doors and talking with constituents. Still he tries to get out as often as possible while still attending all board meetings and work sessions.
Trees says he came to Bath County for a short term opportunity and "Bath County kept me here." He understands the draw the county has but said the general consensus in the county is residents "want Bath County to remain rural."
The county must regulate growth and development though the comprehensive plan and land use regulations said Trees. At the same time, growth like the Homestead Preserve, if it pans out, can provide job opportunities in retail shops, construction and other fields he notes.
Trees said he hears that "anybody who wants to be working can be working," and jobs are available in the county. He notes most of those jobs are in the low paying tourism industry. With the current real estate market, the average family cannot afford to buy an average home in the county he feels.
"The best thing that could happen for hourly people is organized labor," said Trees, with the caveat the contract is written fairly. Trees admits not all union contracts are fair and industries have been driven off shore partly by union contracts. But at the same time his experience with UPS convinces him unions can benefit employees and employers.
"We are elected to lead, govern, be stewards of county finances," Trees said. He thinks the public should question what the supervisors and government is doing.
Trees said he is not doing his job as supervisor if he doesn't know what is going on within county government. On the other hand, "as much as possible a supervisor should not micromanage departments, but should be well informed."
While being open to all ideas from all county citizens and government employees, Trees said "You have to be able to say no."
Along those lines, Trees said a budget has never been compiled that has no fat. "Everybody pads to a certain degree," he said. Supervisors need to "have the guts to trim their budgets" when money is tight.
He doesn't like the mindset of departments spending any excess at the end of the fiscal year because they fear they won't get it in he future if they need the money. Trees would like to establish a climate where money left at the end of the year could come back to the general fund with the understanding efficient use of government funds will be recognized and future needs responded to.
The real budget question said Trees is "what are Bath County people willing to pay for?" He sees "a huge challenge for the board to get that information from county citizens."
Making a budget for this current year was really tough to get through he said. Trees favors more frequent reassessments if they don't result in huge annual increases in taxes for most county taxpayers.
Trees says the county made a mistake in 2004 when they changed the land use regulations to remove the provision allowing horses in residential districts with conditional use permits. He feels a five acre tract or larger is sufficient in many cases for horses with the proper setbacks, fencing and specifications for manure storage and disposal.
He supports the recent board action to have the planning commission revisit the issue as it revises the land use regulations. Revising the land use regulations to follow the new comprehensive plan is "absolutely" a priority according to Trees.
As for commercial wind generation, Trees notes that at some point in time, oil and gas are going to run out. At that time Bath County may be forced to look at "wind, sun, water." At this time though, he recognizes the majority of his constituents oppose commercial wind turbines. "If it came to a vote, I'd have to vote with my constituents," he said.
"I'd like to think my constituents got their monies worth," Trees jokes about his first term and the low pay supervisors receive. Being a supervisor is a huge responsibility he said. "You can't satisfy everybody," Trees said and for him that is disheartening.
His first term was "an incredible learning experience." Trees is ready to take that experience into another four years.
About the candidate Jon R. Trees, 58 UPS in Fishersville, retires in December. Daughter Becky graduated BCHS in 2002. Member of the NRA, Rocky Mountain Elk Federation, Lifeline Ministries, Mountain Grove Fire Department.
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