Annexation a good idea

May 14, 2008 04:52 pm

— Wednesday, we logged onto the Howard County government Web site. Our county’s leadership disappoints us.
Near the top of the page is a button – an invitation, really – to download a form to petition the City of Kokomo’s annexation plan. The county, apparently, is against Mayor Greg Goodnight’s plan to annex 14.2 square miles and approximately 14,000 residents into the city.
Most within the proposed annexation should’ve been brought into the city long ago. Only Goodnight has had the courage to say so.
Without it, Kokomo’s population slide will continue. With it, Kokomo will move from the 16th to the 12th largest Indiana city – ahead of Anderson and Terre Haute, and just below Carmel and Lafayette.
“We have to re-establish ourselves as the north central Indiana hub, and annexation is the way to do it,” Goodnight said. “Fort Wayne, Carmel, Fishers and Lafayette have all annexed ... we want our city to be mentioned in the same breath as other growing cities.”
We also want our city to receive its share of federal money, most of which is based on population and miles of roads. More federal money will benefit Kokomo and Howard County, as well.
As goes Kokomo, so goes Howard County.
City Councilman Mike Kennedy was asked if he could guarantee a homeowner wouldn’t pay more than 1 percent in assessed valuation in property taxes. Kennedy answered no, and he was correct in doing so.
Until Hoosier legislators amend the state constitution to protect the property-tax caps passed in the last legislative session, no such guarantee can be made. Voters must persuade our representatives to protect the tax caps.