At some point, a public hearing will provide citizens an opportunity to express their views on the planned annexation of two areas to the east and south of the current Columbus city limits.
As citizens, we expect our leaders to listen and respond to what they hear. When that public forum is a mere formality, those leaders violate our trust. The council’s actions thus far suggest they have no interest in public feedback on this issue.
There have been efforts to give citizens some real say in annexation where it really counts. In last year’s session of the legislature, Stephen Horne (R, Meridian) submitted a bill that would require an election before an area could be annexed or, in rarer cases, be removed from an incorporated area. It was a step in the right direction but didn’t go far enough, since the bill would allow only those in the proposed annexation area to vote on whether the process should continue. The bill died in committee.
Obviously, those citizens in the planned annexation area should have a voice. They’ll be entitled to city services, but will also pay city taxes. Children who live in the annexed area face the prospects of changing schools and whatever logistical concerns that might entail.
Those citizens will compare the benefits and the costs and form their own opinions about whether annexation is good for them and their families.
Although they are the people most affected by annexation, current residents of the city are affected, too.
If you are a Columbus citizen who is inclined to believe city resources are already spread too thin, it is reasonable to be concerned that those resources will be further diluted by annexation.
The city has anticipated that, of course, through a cost/analysis provided by the consulting firm Bridge and Watson. Those calculations factor in the cost of providing services for the new area, including more police officers.
Approving more police officers is one thing. Hiring them is another. For more than a decade, the city has had fewer officers than the budget allows. How confident should we be that the city will be able to provide adequate police services?
There are other factors, too. For example, what is the condition of the infrastructure in the new areas? Will the areas require expensive upgrades or repairs now or in the coming years? Are they subject to flooding, which is already a headache for the city? We know that the city already struggles to fund street paving projects. How many miles of streets will be added? What are the conditions of those streets? What is the condition of street lighting in these areas?
Bridge and Watson’s analysis cannot accurately anticipate those future costs.
The consulting firm’s analysis estimates costs for the two annexed areas will exceed property tax revenues from those areas by about $223,000 annually. The current value of a mill in the city is $202,000. To balance the budget, property taxes would have to increase by roughly 1.25 mills. Is that something residents would approve of? What do city residents get in return?
Finally, what is the growth potential of the two areas? Is it likely that either will attract new development, increasing the tax base? Or is it likely to go the other direction?
All of these questions are valid and citizens both within the current city limits and in the annexation areas are directly impacted. At the very least, those concerns should not only be heard, but taken into consideration.
Annexation must be mutually beneficial to current and potential residents alike. Otherwise, what is the point?
I think it’s a lousy idea all around.
It’s one thing for city officials to try to fill up the sinkhole that is Propst Park with unneeded and unwanted ball fields. It’s another to pig-headedly proceed with an annexation that negatively affects current citizens and provides only marginal benefits to prospective citizens.
Sadly, that’s become this city leadership’s brand.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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