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Forum Newbie
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 8/14/2007 2:51:08 PM
Posts: 2,
Post ID: 97082
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11/8/2009 12:00:00 AM
Let's discuss 'Experts say a unified animal control law should be the goal across the county'.
As the city of Elkhart and Elkhart County forge ahead with the creation of their own animal-control ordinances, Jim Piechorowski, for one, thinks there ought to be some coordination.
-from
the Truth
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/18/2009 10:20:10 AM
Posts: 15,
Post ID: 97086
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I have often heard that a county and a city are inherently different creatures, including lower expectations for public services in unincorporated areas. But as one writer says, the county's accelerating urbanization (density of all land uses) blurs those lines. I also observe that people in the county do want the same level of protection, utilities, freedom from pollution, noise and blight, as well as quality of roads, recreation and property values.
So people move to the county to get the best of both worlds. And nobody wins.
What are the good arguments for maintaining differences in the ordinances -- any of the planning, zoning, and quality of life ordinances? The differences seem to create confusion, and cause people to avoid living in the population centers where they can be better served. This probably puts a strain on unincorporated government and a false sense of a rural county. But we are densely packed... on the fringes and where the cities won't annex because it strains their budgets further.
This is a conundrum. The logic is turned inside out. Shouldn't the ordinances in the county discourage urbanization? So you don't have these unincorporated communities sitting out there, being more expensive to live in because they don't have what they think they want, from a county level government?
The county still has its farmland and forests. They needs to be preserved if economically viable... sure hope so. But if there is city-level living in the county, perhaps a better model for governing and funding is to adopt city style ordinances for those areas... by the county. At least in Elkhart County, those old-school distinctions don't apply anymore.
Just thinkin'. After all, a dog bite is a dog bite. Leaf burning in a Jefferson or Concord township subdivision is as unhealthful as it is in an Elkhart neighborhood. The municipal lines are an artificial line where land use is concerned.
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