Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

April Newsletter - note we have altered the date to coincide.

Apr 24, 2001

April 2001 Pickeiington Area Taxpayers Alliance Newsletter

IS PICKERINGTON TRYING TO BULLY RESIDENTS?

One of the major news topics for our local papers this spring has been the CEDA agreement nearly completed between Canal Winchester and Violet Township as well as a second possible CEDA in the works between Pickerington and Violet Township. (Note: Canal/Violet CEDA is posted on PATA web site or available from officials of both entities. Pickerington/Violet CEDA has, not yet, been made public) A sticking point for both programs is that both the City of Pickerington and the Village of Canal Winchester are interested in annexing the same piece of land. The tactic currently being employed by Mayor Hughes and the Pickerington City Council is an attempt to hostilely annex multiple parcels of the Pifer properties (approximately 300 acres) that fall within the Violet/Canal Winchester CEDA. Another of the valuable property in this area is the ?“Weiser Property?”(apprioximately50 acres). This latter property is at the intersection of Hill Rd. and Basil Western. The City has already entered into a pre-annexation agreement with Kevin and Todd Weiser, the owners of this property. Within this agreement, the City would pay the Weisers $5,000 in legal fees associated with the annexation. City officials state they will allow the maximum tax abatement allowable by law. They intend to build an East-West connector road and for a Hill Road extension and/or the Basil-Western Rd. extension as needed ?– by the City?’s analysis - to develop this property ?– at City expense. The City will commit to all water and sewer drainages and reimbursement of tap fees up to $100,000 - plus any additional oversize water or sewer lines; The City will also pay for traffic lights, etc. that may be necessary in developing the land. In the pre-annexation agreement, the City states that infrastructure construction cannot begin before 12/31/2003, putting a hard brake on any






development in this area until some time in 2004 or 2005. Basically the City is willing to ?“give away the farm?” (pun intended) to get their hands on this property.

The problems with this strategy are four-fold.
 First and most importantly, it will take many years for the City to make any money on this property. The financial burden will be the City?’s up front, increasing its current, considerable debt load.
 Secondly, the pre-annexation agreement allows the City to ?“TIF?” the property, meaning the Canal School District will not get needed taxes for their schools.
 Third, this property is a cornerstone of the Canal/Violet CEDA and would basically throw a huge wrench into all development plans for the area.
 Finally, to get to the Weiser property, the City would need to hostilely annex the ?“Pifer Properties?” that are already set to go to Canal as a part of the CEDA.

In a letter dated February 9, 2001, to the Fairfield County Commissioners (now a part of the public record on this matter) Ruth Pifer, the owner of these properties related to Pickerington?’s hostile action, explains that her intention is quite clearly to have her land become part of Canal Winchester. ?“Four Generations of my family have farmed and lived on this land. We have gone through the Canal Winchester school system and my father was a teacher in the high school. I am a life long member of David?’s United Church of Christ and my son and daughter grew up in that church. In other words, all of our loyalties are with Canal Winchester. We have no past or present relationships with Pickerington. The proposed annexation of our land has been done without our knowledge or consent. It is our wish that Canal Winchester continue to benefit from our legacy, and to that end, we have been in conversations with (Canal) since December 1999. Pickerington, in its desperation to reach Rt. 33, has tried to claim our land without regard for our rights as the property owners.?”

All of this begs the questions -
 Should one City Government literally steam roll individual property owners in its desperate attempt to annex land?
 What will be the return for all of the negotiated incentives?
 Should a City be congratulated for bulldozing individual residents, destroying the CEDA between Canal and Violet, and in the end, making little if any financial gain for that City, while putting no money into any school district?

What you can do (A call to action)
The bottom line is that both Canal and Pickerington are making legal (if ethically questionable in some cases) efforts to annex portions of land in southern Violet Township. The Fairfield County Commissioners ultimately are the three individuals who will make the decision on which way this land should go.

The Commissioners will hold concurrent hearings on the Canal Winchester annexation proposal for the Pifer property, and the Pickerington hostile annexation action for the Pifer property. This hearing will be held at the Fairfield County Courthouse (210 E. Main Street/Lancaster) at 2:00 p.m. on May 1, 2001. If you are able to attend, please do so and voice your concerns about the rights of individual property owners.

If you are unable to attend, you can write our Fairfield County Commissioners at the following address:

Fairfield County Commissioners
210 East Main Street - Room 301
Lancaster, OH 43130-3879

Judy Shupe
Allan Reid
Jon Myers

Meanwhile, back at the ranch or 2 story?….

The City of Pickerington continues to gobble up land and turn it over to developers who will build more and more houses (or condos) that will eventually cost the City more money to support. Rapidly advancing in this stream of residential progressions are:

 Dominion Homes ?– 245 acres of the former Diley Farm @ PR4. The City will be voting shortly on accepting this annexation, as this annexation has already been before the Commissioners and now returns to City Council.
 Homewood?’s annexation of the former Kohler / Painter Farms (140 acres) @ PR4. City officials filed for this annexation request February 13th. The Fairfield County Commissioners have scheduled a hearing date of May 15th at 2:00 pm to hear testimony regarding this annexation. This hearing is also open to public comment.

 Viola Parks (120 acres) with a pre-annexation agreement of R4 zoning. The City filed this annexation petition with the County Commissioners just after repealing the ?“automatic zoning?” of all annexed land to the R4 classification ?– Ordinance #2000-137 in late March. *Note - by repealing the previous Ordinance the City negated the successfully filed Referendum petition, which took place in early January, removing one level of citizen voice. No hearing date has been set yet with the Commissioners regarding this annexation.

*These first two annexations include the City of Pickerington?’s proviso to provide water services. As was published in the April 8th Columbus Dispatch article quoting Metro Parks Director, John O?’Meara, ?“..a test has shown a connection between Pickerington?’s water well fields along Diley Road and Pickerington Ponds Metro Park.?” Mark Rowland, of Burgess & Niple noted, ?“ If pumping had continued at the higher level without re-charge of the aquifer, the water level would have declined 2-4 feet.?”

It is clear there is a limited potential to this supply water. While there are options toward availability, keep in mind that commitments for water supply that already exist with the previously approved subdivisions of; Shawnee, Sheffield, Longview, ?“Good Subdivision?”, and the additional phases of Windmiller, Pine Ridge Estates, Preston Trails, Sycamore Creek, Manchester, Willows Pond, and Simsberry II.

Shouldn?’t a city (and the surrounding governing entities) be required to develop a regional planning program that is consistent with it?’s citizen?’s goals of preserving some of our ?“rural?” feel, protecting the integrity of the Ponds and its vital underground aquifer while providing a base for future balanced economic growth?

It seems clear that for quite some time, there is a turning over of all available (and annexed) land to residential homebuilders. Instead of building the absolutely necessary diversified tax base with a mix of commercial, industrial, retail, and residential properties, the city has allowed home after home to be built without the proper balancing tax base. Remember that the City loses money on every house that is built. Our December 2000 PATA newsletter (see www.neighborhoodlink.com/org/pata for previous editions) detailed the fact that the cost of community services is roughly $1.10 for each tax dollar brought in on residential property.

What this means is that the current City Council is guilty of continuing a growth policy started by former Mayor Lee Gray, and perpetuated by current Mayor Randy Hughes, that is literally choking the City with debt.

A recently published thesis, written by a now college professor at Florida State University, cited the following:

?“Any municipalities desperate for growth let the financially backed land developer basically do as they please ?– manipulating governmental decisions regarding annexation, infrastructure, and zoning.?”

Are we desperate for growth? One would wager that if asked, a vast majority of Pickerington and Violet Township residents would say that while they are pleased to be a part of a growing community, no one here is, or should, be desperate for growth!

One dramatic affect that all of this new growth has on our community is the number of students attending Pickerington Public Schools. Remember that this past November a measure was passed by only 41 (of over 15,000) votes that significantly raised our taxes to support the construction and opening of a second high school and a second junior high school. The City?’s official web site (www.ci.pickerington.oh.us) tells us that there are currently over 7,000 students in the Pickerington Local School District. The new schools will alleviate some of the considerable overcrowding that currently exists in our schools, but as the City continues to grow, will those additions be enough? The City?’s web site also says that projections show that the number of students in our school district may double to 14,000 students by the year 2010. That being the case, how long will it be before all of us are asked to dip into our pockets again to build even more schools, including another expensive high school, junior high school, multiple middle and elementary schools?

And Violet Township housing starts increase enrollment as well

The Township continues to add major home developments as well (though not nearly at the pace of the City). One new development already approved will add 250 new homes, and 175 new condominiums to the Township, adding students to the schools. A second development currently under consideration will add another 205 homes to our area, again delivering more new students to our school system. (To read about the affects on our school system, please check the PATA web site for the February edition of the PATA newsletter).

Recently the Township did make an effort to support the schools, approving a developer?’s donation, to augment funds for a set aside for the school system. In its most recent agreement, developer David Ruma worked with the Township and the School System to create a funding program that would infuse some much needed cash into the schools, as a contribution from the developer. This agreement earned much praise from the School Board and Violet Township residents. It is well noted that these funds are nowhere near the potential additional schools burden, yet this is seen as a move in the right direction. Township Trustees Dunlap, Weltlich and Diley are now under pressure to produce this type of arrangement again while considering a development proposal from Donley homes.

An additional concern raised by all this growth is the cost, born by City residents, to supply all of these new homes with sewer facilities. The April 9, 2001 Edition of the Lancaster Eagle Gazette noted an application by the City to the Ohio EPA to double its wastewater treatment capacity. Several of the City?’s planned developments already have wastewater treatment set up with either Canal Winchester or Fairfield County.

To double its capacity, the City would need to dump considerably more pollutants into Sycamore creek. With the recent attempt to suck the life out of Pickerington Ponds added to the proposed pollution of Sycamore Creek, one wonders if Pickerington will soon become a target for concerned environmentalists.

The question then becomes why does City Council feel it is necessary at this point to double its ability to treat waste water, unless it is going to double the number of homes in our area?

Action you can take
To voice your opinion about the wastewater treatment issue, you can request a public hearing on this issue by writing (by May 7, 2001) to

Ohio EPA
Division of Surface Water
Attention: Permits Processing Unit
PO Box 1049
Columbus, OH 43216

Given all of this, why would any logical person (or elected official) push all of this aggressive growth?

To understand why Mayor Hughes and the Council are relentlessly stuffing new homes into our community, one must first understand who they consider to be their supporters. While one would hope that our elected officials would act solely in the best interests of their constituents, that is, unfortunately, not always the case.

Citing the previously mentioned thesis again, ?“Until we know and understand the influences of those making community decisions, their backers, and or agents, and people influencing those decisions, we will be unable to transform decisions being made today and tomorrow to insure a livable community.?”

So who is backing Mayor Hughes?

Ohio campaign laws require candidates to disclose their contributors for each election. Those making contributions after a certain date are not disclosed to the Board of Elections until after the election is over. The public data in the 1999 mayoral election (in which, well before the voting date, now Mayor Hughes ran unopposed) is listed below. Mayor Hughes accepted contributions in the following amounts from the following people: (Note: all of these contribution were made after October 13, 1999; thus avoiding public disclosure until the election was over).
 Vincent Rackstraw ?– Attorney ?– Columbus - $250
 Matthew Byrne ?– Realtor ?– Columbus - $250
 International Supply Group ?– Pickerington - $19.69 (via Doug Parker later appointed to City Council)
 William Fanin ?– Realtor / Builder?– New Albany - $500
 Mark Zelnik ?– Realtor ?– Columbus - $500
 Matt Tin ?– occupation unknown ?– Delaware - $500
 Robert Yoakum Jr. ?– Rockford Homes ?– Delaware - $500
 John Bain ?– Homewood Homes ?– Columbus - $200
 CV Perry Jr. ?– CV Perry Homes ?– Columbus - $250
 Joseph Rini Jr. ?– CV Perry Homes ?– Columbus - $250
 Richard Conie ?– occupation unknown ?– Columbus - $100
 Douglas McCloud ?– Realtor ?– Blacklick, OH - $250
 Robert Evanichko ?– occupation unknown ?– Columbus - $450
 Elaine Parisi ?– Mortgage lender ?– Columbus - $500
 Don Six ?– Builder ?– Bexley - $200
 Alisa Argust ?– occupation unknown ?– Columbus - $500
 Lee Gray for Mayor (unused contributions) - $624.14
 Jeff Monebrake ?– later appointed to Pickerington City Council - $100
 Build PAC of Central Ohio BIA ?– Columbus - $300

This list begs the question: Why would all of these people contribute to an election campaign at such a late date (three weeks before the election) when it was already known that the candidate (Mayor Hughes) was running unopposed?

AND WHAT DID MR. HUGHES DO WITH THIS WINDFALL?

For some reason, then Councilman Hughes spent $4,071.17 on his own campaign, even though he had no opponent. Must have been one heck of an election night victory celebration.

The Mayor also contributed to the campaigns of current Councilmen Washington and Postage, to help ensure that Council votes would go his way in his new term.

What you can do (a call to action)

Council members Craig Maxey, Doug Parker, Jeff Monebrake, and Bill Wright are all up for election this November. While these Council members are not direct recipients are Mr. Hughes?’ largess, they are a part of the Council that votes unanimously time and time again to add more roof tops to our fair City.

From the book Land Use in America ?“Ultimately, it will be the political determination of citizens and their elected leaders who must turn from business as usual, to assure that America in the 21st century manages its land for the benefit of people today and future generations. No community can retain its character, its open spaces, its natural and cultural assets by accident. Nor can it accommodate growth or build a constituency to realize a community dream by remaining passive.?”


Bob Harding ?– Contact Person
Jeffrey Fix ?– Editor


HOW YOU CAN LEARN MORE

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide you with the facts. This newsletter is designed to augment the efforts of the local papers. Because we have no advertisers we owe no allegiances to particular potential influences. We are free to provide you with a deeper insight into the events that shape the future of our community. We hope you enjoy reviewing our newsletter on a monthly basis and we look forwarding to providing you with these insights for some time to come.

As we have no advertisers, we rely on contributions from everyday citizens like you to defray the cost of publication and distribution. PATA is a not for profit organization. No one in our organization is paid for any of the work that is done on its behalf. We are all volunteers giving our time and effort to help make the Pickerington area a great community for generations to come. Many of our regular newsletter recipients have already contributed the modest $3.00 annual fee we have requested in previous additions. These contributions are deeply welcome. Any offerings from additional recipients would be tremendously appreciated.

To contribute, clip the addressed front section in the below area of this newsletter and mail your donations to --

PATA P.O. Box 518 Pickerington, OH 43147

Also, please check the PATA web site at http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/org/pata. We use this web site to provide additional, timely information about events, hearings, meetings, documents, etc. Please drop in and take a look around. We strive to keep as many people as possible as informed as we can.