Dickinson must grow
As Dickinson grows in population, so too must the city limits, officials said Friday.By: April Baumgarten, The Dickinson Press
As Dickinson grows in population, so too must the city limits, officials said Friday.
“There is very little land within our city limits to develop any longer,” Dickinson City Administrator Shawn Kessel said. “The only way for the city to grow is to expand our boundaries.”
The Dickinson City Commission will discuss requests for the annexation of several pieces of land in November. Kessel said about 400 acres were annexed last year. He expects the city to initiate the annexation of another 400 acres this year.
“The majority of all that land will be annexed at the request of the landowners,” Kessel said.
He added that he was unaware of any protests to the city annexing land north and west of the SLH subdivision, which will be discussed at Monday’s city commission meeting. The city planner, Ed Courton, takes protest letters.
There is a downside to annexing land into the city, Stark County commissioners said.
“We lose property taxes that are representative of that area that is annexed,” Stark County Commissioner Ken Zander said.
Kessel said the county may lose revenue from taxpayers, but the loss does not come without benefits.
“They also give up the responsibility to maintain the roads,” Kessel said. “There is a connection between revenue loss and service loss. It’s a double-edged sword, so to speak.”
Kessel added that the City Commission tries to work with the County Commission on all annexations.
Stark County Commissioner Jay Elkin said the county receives some property taxes after the annexation of land. He said the city annexing land can be a good thing.
“The infrastructure needs out there, the city can best provide them,” Elkin said. “The county cannot provide the sewer systems and the water that these businesses and companies need.”
Elkin added annexation has its downsides and upsides, but he believes the city must expand.
“I think they have to (annex land),” Elkin said. “We are growing quite
rapidly.”
Courton was unavailable for comment Friday.
Tags: city administrator shawn kessel, stark county commission, news, dickinson
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