Grosse Pointe Shores to join Macomb County?

[Novine]

From the language, it would be a separate vote in each county. It would have to be approved by both counties or it wouldn't pass.

[Detroitnerd]

Well, unless Grosse Pointe Shores can come up with a argument that compels a majority of Wayne County residents to let them go, this is a moot point ... although it does illustrate just how insecure some people in GPS must feel to grasp at this particular straw...

[Scottathew]

although it does illustrate just how insecure some people in GPS must feel to grasp at this particular straw...

I wouldn't say "insecure", but probably fed up and frustrated. Macomb isn't perfect but Wayne is just a three ring circus!

[HistoryNotHisStory]

Well, that's the end of that.

I agree.

All comments on this thread is futile.

Wayne County will not GP go.

Stop wasting time.

[East Detroit]

What if GPS merged with SCS? Any votes required?

[eastland]

[QUOTE=Gistok;272237]Claude, you wouldn't have to give up your area code or phone number. There are 2 streets in St. Clair Shores [[North and South Colonial Court, at the north end of Morningside Dr.) that are in the 313 area code. These 2 streets happen to be south of the Milk River, and can only be gotten to from GPW or GPS.

Gistok: Minor point, but you can access both Colonial Courts via Robert John Road which is St. Clair Shores.

[Hermod]

I can only think of one city off the top of my head that has totally usurped county governments: New York City. It comprises five counties, and each county is a "borough" of the city. Or maybe Anchorage, Alaska, since the city swallowed the entire county.

Now, if we could merge all three counties into one supercity ...

In Virginia, many urban counties have incorporated that portion of the county outside a city as another city. Norfolk and Portsmouth have become surrounded y the former counties of Princess Anne [[now called Virginia Beach), Chesapeake, and Suffolk which are now all cities.

In Northern Virginia, the urban type counties of Fairfax and Prince William function as unitary cities.

[Gistok]

[QUOTE=eastland;272454]

Claude, you wouldn't have to give up your area code or phone number. There are 2 streets in St. Clair Shores [[North and South Colonial Court, at the north end of Morningside Dr.) that are in the 313 area code. These 2 streets happen to be south of the Milk River, and can only be gotten to from GPW or GPS.

Gistok: Minor point, but you can access both Colonial Courts via Robert John Road which is St. Clair Shores.

Eastland... I have some acquaintances that live on Colonial Ct., and I always entered Robert John from Lakeshore [[you can tell where it changes from GPS to SCS where the asphalt roadway turns to cement). Robert John doesn't cross the Milk River either... but after Googling a map, I see that Rosedale St. [[in SCS) does have the only bridge access over the Milk River and therefore the only way to access the entire SCS neighborhood south of the Milk River from the rest of SCS. I would imagine that the entire neighborhood south of the river has 313 phone numbers.

That entire neighborhood [[in SCS, GPS and GPW) is one large confusing maze, if you try accessing it from Mack Ave.

[Novine]

"What if GPS merged with SCS? Any votes required?'

To merge? Voters in both cities would have to approve the merger. But it wouldn't change the county boundaries. That would still require a separate vote as has already been discussed.

[bailey]

"What if GPS merged with SCS? Any votes required?'

To merge? Voters in both cities would have to approve the merger. But it wouldn't change the county boundaries. That would still require a separate vote as has already been discussed.

For some reason WDET this morning was making it sound like there is some confusion over what exactly needs to happen at the county level. I'm not sure I understand where the confusion is.

in any event, as discussed, the move just makes the merger of all the Pointes prior to any discussion of county secession more of an issue. Clearly tiny GPS isn't going to be able to do it on its own. If all 5 pointes [[which are wayne county residents..until they're not) are voting and you put it up for a a vote in an off year August election....which is when people schedule things they don't want high turnouts for [[ millage increases...for example) you've leveled the field. I mean you think people downriver, Detroit or in Northville are going to turn out in droves just to tell GP it can't leave? Long shot, no doubt. But it's been done before.

[DetroitPole]

Hell I'll be first in line when the polls open to tell GP it can't leave. Muahahaha.
Those rebellious colonists must be taught respect for their mother county.

[Hypestyles]

this comes across as such naked elitism, veiled racism, anti-tax absolutism and anti-urban sentiment.. sigh... it also occurs to me that most of macomb is not nearly as affluent, in the aggregate, as a GP shores.. Macomb already has a Democrat as county exec.. who are they looking to be able to put into office at that level? or Congress?

I wish it were this easy for me to just say I want to be a part of Oakland county...

.. what guarantees that GP shores would have a permanent [[property?) tax break if they shifted to Macomb?

[Scottathew]

.. what guarantees that GP shores would have a permanent [[property?) tax break if they shifted to Macomb?

We're not Wayne! We don't have a Department of Money Burning.

[bailey]

From the language, it would be a separate vote in each county. It would have to be approved by both counties or it wouldn't pass.

Apparently that is incorrect.

But a review of the state statute seems to suggest a third answer: that it would require separate approval from two groups of city residents, those who live in the Wayne County portion of the city and those living in the Macomb County part.

http://detnews.com/article/20110914/METRO01/109140359

I didn't look up the statute, but apparently the city attorney doing the briefing had the wrong answer.

Councilman Dan Schulte, who proposed joining Macomb for the lower county taxes, was irate at McInerney's multiple answers.
"What happened tonight is a disgrace," he said. Schulte said the attorney should be better versed on the subject because the issue has been raised in each of the three past years


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110914/...#ixzz1Y2BG24hC

[Novine]

i went back and read the entire statute. While the language is somewhat unclear, it does appear that the vote is limited to the city but that the vote has to be approved in both the Macomb and Wayne county sections of the city to take effect. In any case, it wasn't that long ago that the City of New Baltimore adjusted the county boundaries. I'm sure those questions were raised and addressed when that happened.

[Gistok]

So it's between the 2,300+ residents of the Wayne County part and the 54 residents of the Macomb County part....

Thanks for that piece of info Novine... by the look of this map the straight line between Macomb and St. Clair Counties was changed in Macomb's favor...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ma...ighlighted.svg

Wow... Macomb does appear to be Michigan's fastest growing county in more ways than one...

Just had a look at the 5 Grosse Pointes... over 45,000 residents... 10.4 square miles... and only 6 miles from downtown Detroit...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grosse_Pointe

[iheartthed]

For some reason WDET this morning was making it sound like there is some confusion over what exactly needs to happen at the county level. I'm not sure I understand where the confusion is.

in any event, as discussed, the move just makes the merger of all the Pointes prior to any discussion of county secession more of an issue. Clearly tiny GPS isn't going to be able to do it on its own. If all 5 pointes [[which are wayne county residents..until they're not) are voting and you put it up for a a vote in an off year August election....which is when people schedule things they don't want high turnouts for [[ millage increases...for example) you've leveled the field. I mean you think people downriver, Detroit or in Northville are going to turn out in droves just to tell GP it can't leave? Long shot, no doubt. But it's been done before.

A vote that Wayne County itself has to administer? They'll have no problem finding an issue [[or several) to put on the ballot that will drive up turnout.

[Goose]

i like grosse pointe right where it is,..... its an easy drive downtown for hockey games, although if they moved it to macomb county it would be closer to the malls on hall rd.....

[Gistok]

I'm curious about the St. Clair County part of New Baltimore... if they were added to Macomb County... and there was a countywide vote... when did that happen? I don't remember any of it??

I've lived in SCS for some time and never remember it coming up for a county vote. Since I'm a big fan of geographical statistics... I would have remembered it...

[Novine]

The law was passed in 1974 so it must have been at some point after that.

[bailey]

I'm curious about the St. Clair County part of New Baltimore... if they were added to Macomb County... and there was a countywide vote... when did that happen? I don't remember any of it??

I've lived in SCS for some time and never remember it coming up for a county vote. Since I'm a big fan of geographical statistics... I would have remembered it...

Well, i think the confusion lies in the misinformation of the original article. [[novine can you post the statute? or link to it?) Apparently its only the people in the CITY who vote. The residents in st clair county part of the city had to vote to leave.

Begs the question though, does the county [[either the one being left or the one the city is joining) have a veto?

[Novine]

ADJUSTMENT OF COUNTY BOUNDARIES
Act 160 of 1974

[Woodward's Cousin]

If the folks in GPS wish to join Macomb County, I hope they do and report back to us on how they like it.
I also think that if the change is made they should also change the name of GPS to "Macomb Shores". Has a classy ring to it, don't you think ?

[Patrick]

So...hows would this benefit Macomb County specifically?

[Goose]

So...hows would this benefit Macomb County specifically?

larger tax base... more taxes from a relateivly stable and upper income/home value area.....