The decision on whether to annex the site of five new elementary schools on Wade Avenue into Ashtabula was a no-brainer for City Council Monday night.
It’s obvious the right decision is approve the annexation. Without it, the city would lose income tax revenue from all of the teachers, all of the principals, all of the administrators, the clerks, the secretaries, the bus drivers, the mechanics, the cafeteria workers, all of the people involved with running the schools.
That’s a sizable amount.
Yes, it was a no-brainer. Unfortunately, council voted to reject the measure.
Council President Rodger Altier spoke passionately for 10 minutes on all of the reasons to approve the measure.
Yes, as part of the city, the school-campus site would require some improvements. But that is a short-term situation and funding help is available.
Council’s rejection is a long-term problem. The loss of all of that income tax money will have ramifications for years and years to come.
As Altier pointed out, this decision will continue to be referred to negatively for years, like when council voted to extend sewers out of the city.
Altier noted some of the adversity to the annexation may be because the schools will be campus-style, not spread about the city in neighborhoods.
A guest editorial in this space a week ago regurgitated all of the seeming wrongs that lead to the campus schools instead of neighborhood schools.
We won’t debate that point. It’s old news. It doesn’t matter now.
The truth is the schools are going on Wade Avenue. The city had the opportunity to get onboard and turn it into a positive for the community.
With the negative votes of council Vice President Betty Kist and council members Joseph Rose and Ericka Severino, these beautiful new schools won’t be part of the city.
If Ashtabula’s tax base is a block of ice, this action is like setting it outside on a 90-degree day.
Leading up to this vote were several meetings that included council, Saybrook trustees and the school board. Each time, council members came ill prepared.
As a result of council’s action and inability to do its homework, no public schools will be located in the city.
If this council was hoping for a legacy, it certainly has one.
