Oct 07
Interview with Columbia City Councilman Walt Crowder
How long have you served on the council and why are you running again?
I was elected into office in 2000 and again in 2004, I will have a total of 8 years as a Councilmen for the Northeast District at the end of 2007. During the past 7 years, I’ve have been City Council President for 5 years and currently a member of the Board of Works for last 4 years.
I’m running again for a 3rd term starting in 2008. I’ve enjoyed representing my District on council, taking the concerns of the citizens and employees to the City Council, Board of Works and the Mayor.
What is the single most important issue facing Columbia City?
Economic Development / Annexation , this is “Key” to our success and the growth of Columbia City. We see new housing, more business and a new face lift to downtown area. We need to continue work with economic organizations to build strong plans to attract businesses to our City. Annexation is a integral part of the overall planning process.
Where do you see Columbia City in five years?
Continuing to be a safe place to live, with affordable housing and reasonable cost of living. The City needs to complete expanding the 2-mile Jurisdictional Boundary around the City Limits.
What issues are most important to you as you serve Columbia City?
I have stated before, staying focused on managing cost of City Operations, Police,Fire, etc (Tax Base Funding), All City offered utilities Electric,Water,etc ( Rate Based Funding) and contracted City Services by others.
What is your biggest accomplishment in your years on the Columbia City Council?
Voting to keep taxes low……., Then Supporting the new “Data Technology” for City Hall, Replacement of the Main Frame used for billing, upgraded to a Server Base network. Supported the wireless network to connect all of the City Offices together and supported the installation of the remote printers for sending work orders to each department. Supported the security camera’s (Wireless Network) located around different parts of town.
Worked with the Mary Fleck, neighbors and Columbia Cit High School staff, on updating the by-laws to requiring students to park in school parking lots. Not on City streets.