[Winona Online Democracy]
Why do we still need
township government? What does a township offer that the County can’t do
more effectively?
Does it make sense to
have two or three cities side by side that duplicate most
services?
I think that Keith has posed two perfectly
legitimate questions here.
What it all boils down to is preferred structures
for self-governance. It's not a logical debate about how to most
economically provide services. I once again make reference to
the introduction to the city comprehensive plan of 1960. Winona
should be one city extending from Minnesota City to Homer. One Fire
Department. One Police Department. One Street Department. That
is the sensible solution.
But as the great Winona-Goodview experiment in the
1990's proved, some folk just don't want to be part of the big town. They
want lower taxes. They want a larger voice in a smaller choir. They
want to leave some problems behind in the city, I think, when they go home at
night. And for rural residents it is, I think, a desire to be left
alone and free of perceived interference from city authorities who might be
nosier than their township neighbors.
These are just guesses...I'm a city boy. But
whether we live across an imaginary line or not, we are all in this
together. In an era when our schools can't even afford a musical, we can't
afford the luxury of wasting money on duplicative government in other
areas. Everyone deserves a local government, and I think townships serve a
valid purpose in authentically rural areas. Wilson township is
not such an authentically rural area. It is sandwiched between
the city of Winona and the Interstate. It is destined for
development. It, too, in my opinion should be a part of the city of
Winona.
Bob Sebo
Winona
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