According to the opinion article printed in the Kokomo Perspective this week it is, for the following five reasons:

1. Economic development
2. Septic Systems
3. Addressing Opposition
4. Council responsibility
5. The Community

 Let’s look at each of those five reasons:

Economic Development – While the automotive industry continues to falter and the community’s fortunes stagnate, if you work for the auto industry, then so does your income.  If the budget at home decreases we do the necessary “shifting, cutting, and increasing efficiency to make up the difference.  Why should it be any different for the city?  In our opinion, it is the city, not the county that is in financial trouble.

Jim Buck State Senator District 21 said it best when he said “annexation is to accommodate real growth and not to create the illusion of growth.”  “But it has gotten to the point where it’s being done not to accommodate growth, but to accommodate debt.”

Septic Systems - The annexation as proposed by the city does nothing to address the “literally hundreds” of homes in the county that will not be able to install a new septic system if theirs fails.  The proposal doesn’t even include a plan to install ANY septic systems to any areas.  The mayor has said if a homeowner in the proposed area wants to be on city sewers then 51% of the neighbors need to sign up to petition the city to get the sewers ran to the area.  If all the other septic systems in your neighbor-hood are working do you think the neighbors will sign up for the approximately $7000 bill? 

Addressing Opposition – Those opposing annexation claim the cost is too high, and for good reason.  When the Mayor did the many presentations to the public each presentation included a section where he furnished some addresses and the associated cost savings for that property.  The savings always came in due to the “free” trash pickup.  All comparisons were made using last year’s taxes.  Could any of those properties show a savings to the homeowner today?

We also hear about the cost savings on homeowners insurance by being covered by full-time fire protection.   Have you called your insurance company to check on that?   We have!

The property tax relief provided by the state was for the homeowners, some of whom enjoyed a 50% cut in their property taxes for this year.  For some of us living in the county that 50% savings equaled over $2000.  Will the city be able to provide us over $2000 worth of services?  This is our money, and we don’t want to give it to the city, to continue to fund whatever their current pet project might be.

No freedoms will be taken away?  The city already has open burning, noise, firearms, and various other ordinances on the books.  The city has stated that exceptions will be made.  Can we get that in writing because the Council can promise the moon but when the next election is over if new people are sitting in those positions how long will it be before enforcement begins?

Council Responsibility - The Kokomo Common Council does not have a responsibility to represent the people in the county, nor do we want you to.  The Common Council does however have a responsibility to represent the people inside the city.   That responsibility includes making informed decisions prior to any vote.  The previous two annexation votes have been in favor of allowing the annexation without knowing what the final cost to the taxpayers will be.   The homeowners inside the city have a right to know what the impact will be the same as the homeowners in the proposed annexation areas. 

The Community - In the end the city limits are not imaginary lines.  They are definite lines that determine who supplies the services that we all pay taxes for.  City residents get city police protection; county residents get county police protection.  City of Kokomo property owners pay higher taxes for the luxury of having city sewers, trash pick-up, leaf pickup, city resident rates for utilities, the senior citizens bus, street lights, lower fees for the city day care, and Kokomo Beach.  County residents make the choice to forgo some of those “luxuries” in favor of lower taxes and we want to keep it that way. 

If we live outside the so called imaginary lines of course, if asked we say “we live in Kokomo.”  Our zip code identifies that as our location.  Annexation will not change that, but it could have the ability to change the way of life that many in the county have enjoyed.