By Angela Hatton
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-962379.mp3
Columbus, KY – The city of Columbus, Kentucky, is often overshadowed by Columbus-Belmont State Park, a historic landmark with striking vistas of the Mississippi River. Visitors must drive through the city to get to the park entrance. But few linger to visit the town, and its one gas station, small brick post office, and local restaurant. The population has steadily shrunk in every census of the the past 30 years, from 296 in 1980, to 170 in 2010. As people die or move away to find better job opportunities, the remaining residents struggle to keep their town alive. As Angela Hatton reports, recent problems with the Columbus water district have sparked widespread ire and have some residents calling for the city's disincorporation.
It's a chilly night and Columbus Mayor Richard Frizzell has turned on the heat in city hall. The metal building is plain inside with a concrete floor and sparse trimmings. Frizzell and City Clerk Dori Todd set up a dozen folding chairs for spectators and citizens. They expect a crowd tonight, but they've underestimated the number. The supply of chairs runs thin as nearly 30 locals tramp in. They're about to turn up the heat on their city officials.
"But we don't know what you people are doing, ever. And I'm not saying you're doing anything bad, I'm just saying why don't we know? It's like we're kept in the dark."
That's Tanya Westerman. She, like many others, complained of exorbitant and incorrect water bills and poor communication on the issue from local leaders. Columbus manages its own water district, and the money from monthly bills provides the city's major source of income. Keeping the district going proves a strain on such a small town. Until last year, Columbus was struggling to pay off long-term debt on the water system. They also had to cut back on some of the required regular contamination testing. City councilman Robert Trevino.
"We haven't had bad water, we just had we weren't able to afford those three tests."
For some residents, the problem with the water district is the final straw. A recent petition with 57 names cites Mismanaged Funds and Poor Operation of City Water, among other grievances, as reason to disincorporate Columbus. Life-long resident Gayle Young added her name.
"Just a little old place like this, we don't really need all that council and all that crap. It's just something to argue about. What little money they get from somewhere, these people wants to fight over it and stuff like that."
But the petition has issues. The document format doesn't follow the Kentucky Revised Statute related to city dissolution. It doesn't specify whether all the petitioners are registered voters or include addresses. Former city council member Henry Cole was one of the people who turned the petition over to the Judge-Executive. Cole left his council post last year. He was unreachable for comment.
Kentucky League of Cities Legal Counsel Laura Ross says residents are within their rights to try to redo their petition. They would have to file it before the second Tuesday in August to get the issue on the ballot this year.
Gayle Young says she's been pushing the city to disincorporate for years. But at the council meeting, City Clerk Dori Todd said she fears the move would mean higher water bills. She also has more personal reasons to keep Columbus a city.
"Three quarters of my life I've spent at Columbus Park and in this area. My family's been from this area since the early 1700s. And I think it would be it would be an extremely sad thing to lose the city."
Councilman Robert Trevino says Columbus was the first city in western Kentucky and that's a matter of pride for a lot of people.
"It's here before Paducah, Bowling Green. It was a very large Metropolis."
Historians say at its zenith in the late 1800s, Columbus had a population of nearly 2,000. Now the city seems to be dying out. The council is supposed to have six members, but until recently had only two, not enough for a quorum. They still met and discussed issues, but couldn't enact new ordinances. Mayor Frizzell says the recent crowd is unusual for meetings. Frizzell and Trevino say when they do have residents come, it's a small group.
"Frizzell: Sometimes maybe one or two Trevino: Somebody had something they want the city to do for them, they'll come' Frizzell: but never, it seemed like to help, do anything. And I ask people all the time about being on the council and nobody wants to be.'"
Tanya Westerman, the resident who complained about a lack of transparency, did ask about joining the council, though City Clerk Todd says she hasn't followed up since.
Officials are trying. Last year the city received $105,000 from the state to improve their water district. Part of that money will go into effect in the next month as workers install digital meters at all homes. That's expected to eliminate inaccurate readings. Todd tells residents that will likely solve the recent inaccuracies.
"So there should not be that kind of problem again. We don't have to have someone physically look at the meter and read it, because the computer will give us the numbers."
The city faces future hardships, with the scheduled closure of the Goodyear plant in Union City, Tennessee by the end of the year. It's a big employer for the rural town. But officials remain hopeful more people will push to keep Columbus incorporated. Todd says at least one positive thing came out of the recent council meeting. Several delinquent residents have come forward and paid their city taxes.