Friday, March 12, 1999
Hamilton Co. looks at big picture
Officials see it as the Tristate's engine
BY MICHAEL D. CLARK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Some individuals pushing the Tristate toward greater regionalism are not particularly disturbed that a growing number of people are leaving Hamilton County for outlying counties.
Despite an estimated 18,825 residents leaving the county from 1990 through 1998 — many of whom moved to adjacent counties — the Tristate as a whole is growing, say county officials, and that is what matters most.
“Hamilton County will continue to be the engine that runs this region,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus.
Despite an estimated 2.2 percent loss in Hamilton County's population since 1990, he said the county remains strong, though steps need to be taken to stem the loss.
That estimated population loss is up from last year's U.S. Census Bureau data that showed population had dropped by 1.7 percent in the county through 1997.
The Metropolitan Growth Alliance is paying Charlotte, N.C.-based Michael Gallis & Associates $250,000 to study how the Tristate's many municipalities can work closer together to attract and keep businesses and residents into the next century.
Mr. Bedinghaus said the latest census numbers should not detract from the fact that Hamilton County remains the core of the region. Its estimated population of 847,403, though down, is more than twice that of the next-largest county, Butler, which reported an estimated population of 330,428.
“We need to keep looking at the big picture. The numbers confirm that we are a healthy and vibrant region of which Hamilton County will always be the center,” he said.
“I'm not saying we should not be trying to add to our core development. ... But without a doubt, we are a region on the move,” he said.
County Commission President Tom Neyer Jr. agreed. “The most important statistic is how the ... metropolitan area is performing. To that extent, we are stable.”
But, Mr. Neyer added, “These numbers are further evidence that we can not continue to do more of the same. We want to continue to invest in the core county.”
Bill Miller, regional planning manager for the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, said there is understandable concern about Hamilton County's falling population but the trend is neither new nor irreversible.
The key to reversing it may be the widespread adoption of so-called “smart growth” where public officials work closely with private developers to plan communities so that there is a minimum of commercial and residential sprawl.
He said Hamilton County officials and those from local municipalities — especially in western Hamilton County — “could create incentives for developers to do housing projects in the county's closer suburbs.”
Commissioner John Dowlin said that while the falling population numbers concern him, he thinks the answer to Hamilton County's declining population lies within the county — especially the western portion.
“It should be a top priority because we need more people living here and we need more jobs,” he said.
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