Local governments urged to be proactive

Dear editor:

Once again, the Fort Oglethorpe City Council has allowed a reactive approach to city growth to rise up and bite them in the backside.

The Ringgold City Council, on the other hand, has identified the need and benefits of annexation of properties along Battlefield Parkway. That’s proactive, plain and simple.

The only problem is a conclusive evaluation has not been done by these property owners; yes, water and sewer, maybe even garbage service, will be cheaper, but what about the most important services, emergency services?

If annexed into the Ringgold city limits, these property owners will no longer be serviced by a fire station a mile away; they will have to wait for assistance to come from downtown Ringgold — do the math.

Not to mention they will no longer be able to take advantage of the lower ISO rating they currently have because Fort Oglethorpe Fire & Rescue would no longer be the primary provider.

Bet potential commercial developers didn't think about that.

At some point our government officials must look at the whole piece of the pie. Neither city is -- especially Fort Oglethorpe -- or they would have annexed all the way to I-75 a long time ago. I guess they are a day late and a dollar short.

The sad thing is the citizens will be the real losers once again.

Marlin Thompson,

East Ridge, Tenn.