throway35885328 t1_j2sboel wrote on January 3, 2023 at 4:47 PM

Can we petition to get rid of CA in general? It’s a private company that acts like a government agency and has no input from the public. As much as I hate to say it, it’s time to make Columbia a city

goliebs OP t1_j2shejy wrote on January 3, 2023 at 5:23 PM

You’re really making two separate suggestions: 1 - dissolve CA and 2 - incorporate Columbia. Both are technically possible but not plausible.

You’re definitely not the only person to express this opinion so my apologies in advance if the following seems an over-the-top reply - it’s a reaction to what I see as a cynical response that proposes an impractical solution to a problem we don’t have.

CA doesn’t act like a government (nor should it). CA doesn’t pass or enforce laws nor provide utilities, emergency response, schools, maintain roads, sewer service, etc. Instead, it provides a bunch of amenities and services to make the community a better place to live and owns and manages a bunch of property towards that end as well. It is governed by a board of directors chosen from the community who should be representing all of their neighbors to provide the needed input from the community. It also has several advisory committees where the community can engage directly with CA staff without going through the board of directors.

I believe a major part of the community’s problem is people thinking CA acts (or should act) like a government. This perception results in board members that don’t understand their role nor the role of CA, creates unrealistic expectations of CA, diverts attention away from holding the actual local government (Howard county) accountable, and confuses issues in a way that drives informed participation down.

Instead of advocating for an impractical pipe dream (Columbia should be a city), please just have an informed opinion on the amenities and services you think CA should (and shouldn’t) provide, vote in your village elections, and politely encourage your neighbors to do the same.

meestaplu t1_j2txlzl wrote on January 3, 2023 at 10:44 PM

I live nearby so I don't have any direct skin in this game besides using and really enjoying Columbia's recreational facilities. I'm hoping to learn something by attempting to understand and clarify the arguments being made here.

It's difficult to accept that the CA is not a government; it acts a lot like one. Its annual charges -- required payments for properties within the CA boundary -- appear to be property taxes with a different name. Its village associations pass and enforce laws in the form of restrictive covenants and create master plans -- basically a very careful department of planning and zoning. Each village has an elected representative. It's not possible to leave the association without moving out of Columbia proper.

As a result, the CA appears to be a layer of local government on top of Howard County. As I understand it, the argument to dissolve the CA and incorporate Columbia advocates for flattening the layers and potentially increasing the accountability of the association's administration to its members. What would be bad about Columbia being governed as an independent city rather than an unincorporated part of Howard County?

goliebs OP t1_j2ukqit wrote on January 4, 2023 at 1:21 AM

So I don't think there really is an argument to dissolve CA and replace it with a city government. My sense is that when people say they "want Columbia to be an incorporated city" it's really just an expression of exasperation with CA and an expression of pride in Columbia as Maryland's second largest city with a unique heritage (both of which I appreciate). They aren't actually outlining an affirmative vision nor executable plan to do something different. So without a coherent plan to do achieve incorporation, it's impossible to have the type of coherent counterargument that you are asking for.

I'm not trying to dodge a comprehensive response here… just saying the burden of proof really needs to be on the people who support incorporation to develop a concrete plan instead of asking people who are skeptical of nebulous idea to explain their point of view. I can say that divorcing the a hypothetical city from the services the county provides (fire, water, sewer, schools, roads, etc.) sounds like something that would inevitably end up worse for both Columbia and non-Columbia residents.

But I also I want to respond to one specific thing you said - that incorporating Columbia would "flatten the layers of government and increase accountability." This demonstrates a common - and harmful - view that CA and/or the villages currently exists as a layer in between the county and people living in Columbia. This is absolutely not true but way too many people act as if it is. People who live in Columbia that have an issue with roads, schools, utilities, etc. can and should go directly to their county representative, BOE representative, and/or appropriate government agency. The fact that many people go to CA or their village on these issues - who have zero authority over these issues - instead of their county representatives is a self-inflicted problem based on a misconception of responsibility. Even worse is when CA or village representatives themselves pretend like they have some authority over those issues - it’s a major disservice to the community for the representatives to LARP like they can fix those issues but it regularly happens.

I should note that many CA/village representatives do the right thing when a resident comes to them regarding a county issue and simply serve as a knowledgeable source of information and point their neighbors people in the right direction towards the appropriate county point of contact… but way too many of them start LARPing like they have power and authority they don't actually have. This is a disservice to everyone.

PS - Glad to hear you like CA's facilities! Me too!

meestaplu t1_j2uwn90 wrote on January 4, 2023 at 2:47 AM

Thanks so much for this careful explanation!

i_live_in_maryland t1_j2ulkqt wrote on January 4, 2023 at 1:27 AM

Yeah I don't see what is a "pipedream" about Columbia being a city. Columbia has around 100k residents, about 1/3 of Howard county, and CA has a budget of around $70m. Columbia could absolutely support itself as a small city with that budget. I admit I don't know anything about how MD laws relate to "cities". I feel like it should be possible to have a "city" and a "mayor" and a "council" and still be part of the larger county... but maybe I'm wrong and there's something odd in MD law that prevents that (lots of those states have that without having the cities be independent). It think that would be much better than the current setup.

If it was to be "independent" (from Howard County) then I can see how that would be problematic. I think, tax and size wise, the city could support itself. But removing it from Howard County would probably fairly well eviscerate the county so there would be little political support from basically any politicians in the entire state.

goliebs OP t1_j2us67b wrote on January 4, 2023 at 2:15 AM

As a point of reference, Annapolis is an incorporated city. It has less then half the population of Columbia (40k) while its annual budget is about 6.5 times CA's budget.

The responsibility and power you would want the city, mayor, and council to have; and how those responsibilities and powers would be funded can't be afterthoughts - those questions are the fundamental thing that you would need to answer before making the case to incorporate as a city. I call it a "pipedream" (genuinely sorry if that comes off as dismissive) because I've never heard those aspects defined in any detail nor an explanation of how that would result in a better quality of life for residents. But, despite the lack of rigor, "becoming a city" is treated like a panacea that would solve all Columbia's problems... meanwhile people aren't taking the readily available actions that would improve the status quo: stay informed about CA and vote in village elections.