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I moved this posting up because it got buried in another thread. This person makes a lot of sense.
Violet Township Fire Department
8-4-2006
Do you really believe that Violet Township is seriously going to provide Fire Coverage to the City once it gets screwed by you? To take that a step further, do you think you're going to get assistance from Canal Winchester for Fire Coverage with the, oh so cozy relationship that currenlty exists between them and Pickerington? Lastly, if you can't get coverage from anywhere that borders the city, do you really believe that you're going to get a deal on Fire Coverage that has to travel extra miles to get to the area it has to protect? You are going to end up paying a fortune for Fire Protection, lower quality standards, lower the quality of protection for city residents, lower property values, and ultimately trade safety and security for a political vendetta. Now, who has their head in the sand?
-By Richard Saunders
By Someone Else
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Canal Fire Protection
Don't count on Canal Winchester, their service is provided by Madison Township nor Reynoldsburg, they have Truro Twp.
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Working together
Mr. Saunders
I believe you are directing your comments at me.
I think you need to look at the facts that even if I was working to ?“SCREW?” the Township Fire Department which I am NOT, then why would I be putting all of this information on this web site. I would simply ask for the Law Director to write up an ordinance to remove ourselves from the Township and bring it to council. Why would I subject myself to criticism on this web site? It is not a screw job but it is way for tax reform here in the City of Pickerington. I would want to keep the Township Fire Department whole and they (fire department) would receive as much or more money from the Pickerington taxpayers as they do today.
I also want to point out that in 2005 there were 1,304 EMS runs in the City of Pickerington. Most of those runs were along 256 from Refugee Road up to I-70. Most were traffic related. So Mr. Saunders if your wife, child, mother, father or school teacher were involved in a very serious accident and their life was in balance on whether they received EMS service and taken to the hospital immediately do you really believe over a dispute with Pickerington that the Violet Township Fire Department would refuse service? Do you really think that every person injured in accidents along 256 are City of Pickerington residents? You should also know that the Violet Township line is only a couple hundred feet east of 256 in most places. So Mr. Saunders have you ever driven on 256 going to work? Have you had any close calls or maybe an accident? Would you still support your township government if you were in the middle of 256 trapped in a burning car waiting for Pickerington to respond and they can?’t get help from the Violet FD?
Up until this last election the voters in the Columbus section of the PLSD regularly passed school levies. I am not sure what happened this last May. However if you look up some of those homes and properties in the Columbus Section of PLSD you will see their property tax rates for equal assessments are considerable lower than either Pickerington or Violet Township. I am simply wanting to remove the fire department funding (within the City of Pickerington) from property taxes and shift them to income taxes.
Most people living in Pickerington and owning their home would see a decrease in their taxes to the City or at least break even. I doubt I will ever convince you that we could increase revenues and lower most voters taxes. Those more likely to see increases in their taxes are those making over $100,000 per year and those that do not own property. Some of this increased revenue will come from workers living outside Pickerington.
I can only hope that once we get close to knowing more of the numbers and if they still look good I would hope our citizens in both the Township and the City would approach this issue with objectivity and not raw emotion. Please think through what I am saying and allow your logic to analyze what may come out of this. I know most people resist change and some times looking at these issues in a different way is very hard to accept for some. I will be patience in this process.
By Ted Hackworth
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Is this familiar?
Can we get there?
9-25-2002
I guess the first question is how to we get there? So this morning, I would call on the City government of Pickerington to re-evaluate their polices of using TIF?’s for economic development. I would call on them to STOP their aggressive annexation polices. I would call on them to work with Canal Winchester and use the sewer capacity that they have agreed to provide to Pickerington residents. I would call on them to work with Fairfield County utilities to provide sewer capacity to these newly annexed areas. These two mentioned entities already have there plants in place. I would ask that the city contact the township to find and work out a similar development area (CEDA type) within the PLSD for commercial development. I also call on the City of Pickerington to call a MORITORIUM on new housing starts for the next two years. This will give us all a chance to work out the details of where we are going and how we are going to get there.
***Please abandon this ill thought out idea of forming a new township and splitting up the fire department.***
The township trustees have been enjoying a free ride for a years now with little or no pressure coming from either me or this web site. I have been spending time with attorneys here lately and I have been asking some questions of how to control the residential growth of this community. I call on the Violet Township Trustees to do a study and report to the public about the possibility of forming a HOME RULE TOWNSHIP or some call it a CHARTER TOWNSHIP. Each time I have tried to find a way to control our growth, in the township, I run into the antiquated zoning code and the Township?’s lack of power in enforcing any kind of growth plan. I would ask that the township do the study and report to the residents that cost of making this transition. If they don?’t have the politically courage to do it own their own please let the voters decide. If you become a Charter Township you can also call for a moratorium of residential housing starts.
The school board should level with the community about how and why we are in the predicament we are in. Let?’s be honest and tell everyone that our tax base is weak and we must improve that tax base before we all sink into to the FINANCIAL WATCH that we all know we are heading into. It is not the greedy PLSD tax payers. Building new schools will only encourage more home building and the cycle continues. It?’s time to stop this cycle. As more homes are built the 23 mil lower limit of the PLSD tax base becomes a regular problem every year from here on out. Please tell this community what a guaranteed one and a half percent growth rate would do for your planning. Once we have a growth rate in place the board can provide accurate financial planning data to the voters and I think you will find tremendous community support for the Schools, City, and the Township. Maybe we can have a community of something other than a sea of new homes. If the elected officials of this community can?’t muster the political courage to make these changes and control our growth we might consider using the residents and citizens to force them into action. We have that right in Ohio and I think we just might exercise those rights soon.
-By Ted Hackworth
By Richard Saunders
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