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EDITORIAL: It's good to see city aggressive |
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Thursday, 12 June 2008 |
The people who don’t want to be annexed into the city of Benton don’t care to hear this, of course, but it’s good to see the city acting aggressively about annexation.
Benton, for years and years, was not aggressive. As a result, the city became landlocked to a large degree. The lack of aggressiveness by local officials became particularly evident when the Bryant School District began to swell while the Benton School District remained stagnant.
Yes, we’re talking about separate matters — city annexation versus school district boundaries — but the efforts share a common principle.
Opponents of the proposed annexation cite a variety of reasons for not wanting to leave the cozy confines of unincorporated Saline County to join the Benton brotherhood. They have named everything from concern about city services to being dragged into Benton politics.
Chief among the arguments by opponents of the proposed annexation is the concern that if, in their opinion, Benton cannot properly maintain its infrastructure now, how can it expect to adequately service new residents?
It is a valid point, and one at which city officials should not merely shrug their shoulders. Infrastructure is important. So is proper police and fire protection.
Let’s also not forget that in addition to the proposed annexation north and northwest of Benton, the city plans to move west across the Saline River and develop that area. It’s all a big bite to chew.
Yet, we continue to maintain that Benton needs to be more aggressive. An inability to show aggressiveness in the past — or, as some would argue, an unwillingness — put Benton behind the proverbial 8-ball in any number of ways, including economic growth.
So, let’s hope the city is vigorously pursuing annexation for the right reasons. We say that because some people feel the city is having a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that Bryant also is pursuing annexation.
We aren’t convinced that a special election is smart for proposed annexation, but since we are proponents of voter involvement in most issues, it would be hypocritical of us to argue against an election.
We’ll discuss that later. Right now, let’s appreciate the fact that Benton is showing aggressiveness, even though some people directly affected will not share that sentiment.
Today’s editorial was written by Whit Jones, editor of the Courier.
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