During city council’s October 25 meeting, two Tamina leaders expressed frustration over serious concerns the community has with city officials related to the $21 million, federally funded water and sewer project that Shenandoah started this year. Minister Tyrone Price said that while the project was excellent and long overdue, “it should not come at the expense of replacing the existing residents” and affect the ability to build affordable homes in the area.

Price explained that there is reason to believe that city officials do not see the historic Tamina community in the future comprehensive plan because the city did not give future developers the option of zoning single family residences in the area. “Instead, according to the records of the city council meeting, they were provided zoning options of retail commercial, office commercial, light industrial and moderate industrial.”

Price said he saw “inconsistencies” in what city officials have said to Tamina residents versus what the same officials have said in interviews, podcasts and meetings. He questioned whether the federal government should audit the city’s actions because he was certain the the federal funds were not intended for “developmental gain.”

James Leveston, former president of the Old Tamina Water Supply Corp., reiterated the concern that development coming to the area will eventually mean there “won’t be a Tamina” because taxes were going up so high, and people would not be able to afford staying there. He pointedly asked who or what entity had applied for the federal funds. Mayor Escoto said he would discuss it offline after the meeting.

Earlier this year, Price and several Tamina residents attended a Planning and Zoning meeting to protest the city’s zoning proposals in the area.