PATA History Pages

Columbus Seems to Now Acknowledge What Many Have Known.

City officials signal that they cannot service all the growth

For many years, those who live in or near the edges of the City of Columbus growth pathways have seen services stretched to the limit. All the while, Columbus continues to hungrily gobble up more land which further strains services. The Coleman administration is appearing to acknowledge what many city residents and suburban counterparts have known for years and are attempting to slow growth until means to provide and fund the needed services are planned and implemented.

Why should Columbus residents have to suffer from such poor services, such as complete lack of snowplowing, and poor road infrastucture? Should the suburbs and Townships have to continue to support these policies as Columbus City lands and residents increase their dependance on suburban fire and rescue and Sheriffs services to meet their needs?

Quotes from the Dispatch article:

"People in neighborhoods are saying, ‘You can’t service what you’ve got already.’ " (Councilperson Maryellen O’Shaughnessy.

But growth affects services now, too. If Columbus didn’t have mutual-aid agreements with the suburbs, Fire Chief Ned Pettus Jr. said, city fire protection would be stretched thin.

But those suburban relationships have been strained. Last year, Washington Township’s fire department, which serves Dublin, withdrew from its mutual-aid agreement because it was making far more runs to Columbus than Columbus was making to the township.

Growing Pains

The Columbus Dispatch