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COLUMBIA — It was a low-profile agreement hammered out by Columbia's city manager and two fire chiefs nearly 15 years ago.
At the time, most residents didn’t know about it. City firefighters learned about it from news reports after it was already a legal contract.
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Signed and dated Nov. 22, 1994, the city’s territorial agreement allowed the Boone County Fire Protection District to retain its tax base by giving it responsibility for areas annexed by the city since 1994.
The agreement was also intended to keep annexation moving in an orderly fashion and prevent duplication of fire and emergency services.
Now, the city is backing away from the territorial agreement.
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This city can hardly keep out of it's own way these days on all of these issues yet it keeps wanting to expand with out offering real incentives across the entire board.
Pathetic.
The reason thecity wants to keep annexing is that it increases their tax base. There is no incentive for them to reduce sprawl. In an energy constrained future, the city will have to provide transportation services to these places (buses and park-n-rides) likely at the expense of all taxpayers. It would pay the city in the long run to take a very hard look at any new annexations, with an eye toward their sustainability in a world of $15/gallon, rationed gasoline.
DK