OUR TOWN
Annexation one method to control, coordinate city's future
MAYOR PHILLIP SPENRATH

As the City of El Campo prepares for the future, we must protect and secure our present quality of life and current rate of economic development. In addition, it is imperative that we continue to 1) help businesses and families relocate into our community; 2) provide efficient and sustainable infrastructure for all our citizens; and 3) maintain sound fiscal responsibility.

Look around. Our neighboring cities (Rosenberg, Wharton, Bay City, Port Lavaca and Victoria) are all on the move. Yes, El Campo is also growing. However, it is imperative that we remain in a position to preserve our city's healthy economic climate.

Business owners and families regularly travel to our great city in search of prospective building sites outfitted with essential utilities, roads and services. Service-ready locations are the key. These potential residents often leave El Campo discouraged and are faced with exploring alternative opportunities in surrounding communities.

Again, make no mistake, El Campo is growing. Consequently, it is imperative that we, as tax payers, are fiscally capable of continuing the support of this growth in addition to attracting additional revenue resources like retail/business and residential neighborhoods.

If we can properly zone and provide city utilities along our outer areas, business investors will locate in El Campo as they have in neighboring cities. In the interim, we must explore every opportunity for generating the "growth revenue" necessary for maintaining and upgrading our existing services.

Research has shown that most economically successful cities engage in annexation as their primary means for and initiating and maintaining their economic development.

As our Annexation Plan approaches the Public Hearing Phase of the process, it is imperative that all citizens become well-informed, rather than confused, by the issues.

There are two basic rationales for annexation: 1) Our city must find needed additional revenue in order to continue providing water, sewer, drainage, and emergency services throughout our community. The rising costs of electricity and petroleum products has resulted in skyrocketing costs of road paving materials, street signs, street lights, police vehicles, etc.

During our recent budget workshops, your City Council was faced with tough choices and experienced great difficulty in deciding how to continue funding our existing city projects, while extending our services, and in addition offering competitive wages to our deserving city employees. There simply isn't enough revenue to continue providing and maintaining the requisite infrastructure that a city of our size mandates.

While thousands of area people call El Campo home, only those residing within the City Limits are bearing the burden of replacing and improving city signage, signal lights, paving projects, water mains and the maintenance of community parks with property taxes and fees.

Hundreds of El Campoans living in our outlying communities and sub-divisions make daily commutes throughout our City Limits. Like you and me, these people travel to stores, schools and of course their place of employment. Because we ALL rely on the protection and support of El Campo's emergency services, and we ALL contribute to the wear and tear of our roadways, then ALL who call El Campo home should step up to the plate and share in its maintenance and upgrade expenses.

2) It is imperative that we protect El Campo's borders from detrimental and possibly unsightly enterprises while continuing to guarantee that our surrounding territory is not acquired by neighboring governmental entities. We must continue to improve the appearance and marketability of El Campo's gateways.

Through proper zoning, we can properly designate certain city areas for trailer parks, industrial plants, salvage yards, etc. in a manner where they can best be utilized without compromising the beauty and economic potential of our city.

In addition to coordinating economic usages, your City Council has become aware of a growing community concern that as our neighboring cities reach out for expansion, they may soon be limiting El Campo's future growth opportunities as the amount of available land diminishes.

Annexation is a very lengthy and important process. I am dedicating my next two articles to 1) describing the responsibilities and potential costs to be incurred by newly annexed property owners and 2) to provide insight into your City Council's strategy for financing the pending Annexation Project.

I assure you that your City Council has conducted in-depth research and deliberated many hours while reviewing all of the issues and concerns that have been brought to our attention concerning this project. El Campo is entering a very exciting period of economic growth and development. We must stride out to protect this future growth along with the integrity of our boundaries.

It is imperative that El Campo continues to move forward and maintain its competitive edge.

- Comments may be addressed to askthemayor@sbcglobal.net.