[Winona Online Democracy] First, to Kathy's comments and suggestions. That list of 33 communication suggestions from Steven Clift is a good list but I think we can "stretch it a bit" at times, can't we?
Eric Sorensen and I are doing fine. (Aren't we Eric?) His comments haven't offended me at all. It's how he and I communicate both on-line and in person. I hope others don't mind if it appears to get a little rough and tumble at times. We both have thick skins (and some would say thick heads). :-> I'd rather have us communicate like that than not communicate at all. I also think it's healthy for WOD to have more "robust" conversations at times. I hope it doesn't offend or worry others. Besides, Jerome and the media would rather see the proverbial fur fly at times rather than always having nice and refined tea parlor chatter. Eric Sorensen is a very intelligent person and very good at what he does. I think we actually agree 95% of the time but that's not what comes out in the public. And since we are both public officials, isn't it o.k. to have our discussions be public if they deal with public topics? They are not personal tiffs and do not violate the 4th guideline in that list from Steven Clift, "Avoid one-on-one battles on public forums. Take disputes "off-line" whenever possible." ------ Now, back to the main subject... Chris Nelson has raised a question that has come up a number of times from other City staff and their friends in the media, something to the effect of, "why is the County Board concerned about and involved in the proposed annexation and development in Wilson Township." Here is quick list of reasons why it's appropriate for the County to be concerned about that issue: (in no particular order) 1. The proposed development will directly impact County Highway 17 and lead to increased traffic and more costs to the County. The problems on Hwy 14 near SMU, Knopp Valley, and Gimore Valley are not accidents. They are the result of no planning or poor planning. I'm trying to help avoid that problem on County Hwy 17. 2. The County Board represents the entire county, all 19 townships and 13 cities. 3 of the 5 County Commissioners are city of Winona Commissioners. We see the big picture more often. Our concerns are both rural and city. We can offer different perspetives and possibly bring other solutions to the problem. 3. The City's Comprehensive Land Use Plan is primarily expansion focussed and will eat up farm land and natural land. The County's Comprehensive Plan is bigger and more "comprehensive." It allows for plenty of development but it places the highest priority on protecting farm land and natural land. The County needs to be an advocate to help protect farmers and farm land. 4. Just like the County, the City's past track record when it comes to environmental problems is not perfect. We need to hold each other to high standards and help each other learn from past mistakes in order to avoid future problems. (By the way Chris, I agree that the County has to do a much better job of speeding along it's bluff protection ordinances. The bluffs are being scarred and that's not right.) 5. The residents of Wilson Township have asked County Commissioners for input and help. This has not been the case in other developments in the County, as far as I know. 6. As far as I know, most of the other annexations in the County are contigous to those city's limits. No other city is threatening to take over hundreds and thousands of acres in township land like the City of Winona is. The city of Winona is a very big city and thus deserves more scrutiny. In summary, local governemnts don't live in silos. We overlap and represent the same constituents and taxpayers in most cases. ------ Lastly, regarding Chris' point about the County Jail. A. The basement annex should be on line in the next couple of weeks and that should help with the very expensive problem of jail overcrowding. B. If only it was a County problem! Most of the problem comes from changes in sentencing requirements at the State Legislature level and from the State shifting it's prisoners (and costs) down to the County jails. I'm sorry for the length of this message. Dwayne Voegeli December 29, 2004 -------------- >[Winona Online Democracy] > >I think that Eric has made some good points and asked good questions. A >long time ago I asked if the county was going to become this intimately >involved in all annexations in the county. The question was never answered. > There has been a lot of annexation of farm land around St. Charles and >Goodview and no county involvement what-so-ever. Not only has there been >bluff housing that the county has approved, (there are some new homes that >have scared the bluffs heading toward LaCrosse that I've noticed over the >past year or so) but there have been new homes built along the river banks. > > > >Would this entire annexation debate be a debate if every piece of >residential property in the county was taxed at the same rate? If the >township residents had to pay as much as the city residents would this even >be an issue? > > > >I would like to see the county government focus more on COUNTY problems that >only the county can solve. A big problem is the jail issue that still hasn >t been resolved. Yesterday there were 17 inmates housed in Goodhue County's >jail from Winona. I think that Goodhue charges between 50 and 60 dollars a >day per inmate per day. It is nice to see us paying off their jail with my >tax dollars. There have been at least 2 studies that have said to build a >new jail over the past 30 years. Why hasn't anything been done? This >should be a bigger focus of our county board. > > > >Chris Nelson ------------ Dwayne Voegeli Winona County Commissioner (507) 453-9012 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 359 Pleasant Hill Dr. Winona, MN 55987 ------------ _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
