I agree, Bob, that Keith has asked some good
questions and I appreciate his willingness to put himself out there in the midst
of the debate!
I live in Richmond Township and have recently seen
one benefit to be this--when the road doesn't get plowed or sanded sufficiently,
I can call the individual responsible and let him know what I'm concerned
about. I suppose this happens in the City, too.
That's really just an aside, though. I would
like to ask about this "Winona/Goodview experiment" you describe--can you tell
us more? Especially about the part about lower taxes in Goodview--a
colleague mentioned to me recently about how much higher hers were compared
to similar property in Winona. Which is accurate?
Just wondering,
Kathy Seifert
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 4:30
PM
Subject: Re: [Winona] Consolidation of
Government
[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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