Delaware city and county keep growing, and things are not getting any better. It seems Delaware is more concerned about attracting new businesses and building new housing developments than they are about the citizens that already live here. While there is a surge of home and land sales right now, sometimes the balloon breaks and people get burned. It seems they are trying to compete with Columbus and Dublin with the river project, but do you realize that in Columbus alone there were 140 homicides in 2022 and 124 so far in 2023. The building explosion in Delaware County is not only causing traffic problems, but also bringing criminals from other cities to our front door. These statistics are according to NBC4 local news. Do we really want this for our community?
Along with the new homes being built, the county is now installing all of these roundabouts. In my opinion and others, roundabouts are nothing but a waste of money. They are supposed to be safer, causing fewer accidents, but I have almost been hit several times because other drivers don’t give the right of way when they are supposed to.
In my opinion, the growth in Delaware needs to slow down. In this day and age of competing with another city, person, or business to be bigger and better we seem to have forgotten the “little people” that are being trampled. These “little people” are our senior citizens, small business owners, and the future tax paying citizens of the community. Most seniors live on a fixed income, and even though they may receive a so-called tax break and their homes may no longer have a mortgage, the way taxes keep increasing they still have a “house payment.” We must also think about our children and grandchildren; with all of this growth and high taxes will they even be able to afford to purchase a home of their own? Rent is already out of sight. Many families must have both people working to just afford the necessities. Who is left to take care of the kids or are they raising themselves?
The city and county officials need to come together in the spirit of the community; they need to really listen to what the average private citizen is telling them. The county now is anticipating raising property values by 35%, which means many people’s taxes could increase about 33%, according to NBC4 news. One would think no increase is necessary with all of the new homes being built, it would bring sufficient revenue for the county. I feel that many citizens don’t express their views because they feel they are not being heard anyway. There needs to be a change, this should have been considered 20 years ago. The roads cannot handle any more traffic, but the building continues.
As a private citizen I am only voicing my opinion, but I am sure my views are shared by many others.
Paul Ray
Delaware
