Schonhardt 7/13/06

date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 15:19:55 -0400 x-mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2869 from: subject: ThisWeek Archival Article content-type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0000_01C6A758.F661E810" mime-version: 1.0 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01C6A758.F661E810 content-type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable content-location: http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi-bin/document9?DBLIST=tw06&DOCNUM=12430&TERMV=157:10:114898:10: Schonhardt 7/13/06 =

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Guest column=20
'REGIONAL COOPERATION' LOOKS PRETTY ONE-SIDED

I=20 have been pondering what the Big Darby Accord means to future generations = of=20 Hilliard residents. It is clear to me that whatever decisions we make now = with=20 regard to the plan will affect our community well into the future.
And while I am pondering implications of the Big Darby Accord, I'm also= =20 thinking about the way some other government officials define "regional=20 cooperation." It was only months ago that some Columbus City officials wer= e=20 touting the necessity for "regional cooperation" when they wanted to creat= e=20 high-density housing north of Hayden Run and Cosgray roads.
I am concerned that the most recent version of the Big Darby Accord Pla= n is a=20 further indication of what Columbus means by regional cooperation: More=20 high-density housing, without requiring annexation, putting additional pre= ssure=20 on already overcrowded suburban school districts such as the Hilliard City= and=20 South-Western City School Districts.
I was roundly criticized by Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman recently whe= n I=20 suggested we needed to take the current draft of the plan back to our=20 communities for review and comment by our city council and the citizens of= our=20 community. I was criticized even though the details of the accord were cha= nging=20 right up to the time Mayor Coleman expected us to sign the pact.
As it turns out, I was criticized for doing what the plan anticipated a= ll=20 along: "It is anticipated that adoption will include additional public mee= tings=20 and input and endorsement by locally elected officials."
Those aren't my words. Those are words from the proposed accord. So why= am I=20 so reluctant to sign the accord at this time? One of the biggest reasons i= s I=20 want to know more about the potential impact of the accord on our schools.
Columbus plans to develop thousands of new homes on Hilliard's border w= ithin=20 the accord area, most of which will remain in the Hilliard City School Dis= trict.
You should know that Columbus already contributes more students to our = school=20 system than either the city of Hilliard or the surrounding townships.
You should also know that in Hilliard, we have already implemented=20 development policies to control residential growth and reduce the impact o= n our=20 local schools. Voters have a right to ask, what sense does it make for Hil= liard=20 to try to ease the burden on our school system when Columbus gets to play = by=20 what appears to be a different set of rules? And the rules are different.
In Hilliard, we have agreed to a housing concentration of about one hom= e per=20 acre in the accord area identified for potential future annexation to Hill= iard.=20 But in certain areas of Brown and Norwich Townships, where Columbus has=20 indicated it will extend water and sewer without requiring annexation, the= =20 concentration is three and four times that number.
Where is the fairness and equity in that? How does that advance the not= ion of=20 regional cooperation? Further, how are such concentrations of development= =20 helpful to the protection of the Darby? One such area is immediately adjac= ent to=20 the Clover Groff Ditch.
You should also know that the concerns we raised about the Big Darby Ac= cord=20 and its impact on our community are not issues we raised at the last minut= e. We=20 have been raising questions about the accord ever since the concept of the= =20 accord surfaced.
Does all this signal a blatant disregard for the environment by the cit= y of=20 Hilliard? Absolutely not.
In fact, it was Hilliard that promoted the concept of stream restoratio= n,=20 which would help transform the Clover Groff and Hamilton ditches into more= =20 natural waterways designed to enhance, rather than degrade, water quality = and=20 native habitat.
We agree with much of what is in the accord, but, as mayor, I won't for= ego a=20 discussion with other elected officials and citizens in our community abou= t the=20 real impact of the accord just to meet some arbitrary deadline that means= =20 nothing in the larger scheme.
Despite the breathless panting to reach agreement on the accord by June= 30,=20 this very democratic process I envision and the plan envisions has the pot= ential=20 to make the accord stronger and the landscape clearer.
Why not get it right the first time instead of agreeing to something we= will=20 have to change even before the ink is dry on the document?
I won't apologize for taking this far-reaching plan to the marketplace = of=20 ideas where public officials and citizens alike can discuss both its merit= s and=20 shortcomings. It makes no sense to me to invite the public into the proces= s in=20 its early stages, then deny the public input on the final draft. That's no= t the=20 way it is supposed to work.
And when did we veer away from the real mission? It seems to me that=20 protecting the Big Darby for future generations has somehow gotten lost in= =20 someone's zeal to create a monument to bureaucracy. I am still unclear abo= ut how=20 this multi-jurisdictional accord folds into the local decision-making proc= ess.=20 Consider this language in the accord as an example:
"All easements should be held jointly by homeowners associations,=20 governmental entities or conservation groups to ensure that they are prope= rly=20 maintained and managed over the long term."
How does that work? Who pays for the ongoing maintenance? Who is ultima= tely=20 responsible? And what does this plan portend for the concept of local cont= rol=20 that has been the bedrock of local government for all these years?
As mayor, I'm willing to suffer the slings and arrows from outside my=20 community if that means consensus on a plan we all understand and we all a= gree=20 meets the real objective of protecting this very important environmental a= sset.
Don Schonhardt is mayor of Hilliard.=20

This story ran on page ALL COMMENTARY &= ; OPINION=20 of ThisWeek, Common edition on 07/13/2006.
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By Don Schonhardt
For The Grove Cit= y=20 Record