Reality Bites. Over 3 Dozen Burbs Asking Voters to Raise Their Taxes

[Lowell]

It will be interesting to see these results as a barometer of local attitudes. Have communities had enough of cuts? Or will TEA party-type sentiments still be strong enough to vote them down? I am guessing almost all will pass.

Do you think, as I tend to do, that their placement on a low-turnout primary election in the middle of vacation time and other distractions aids likelihood of passage?

Is there a tax hike proposal on your ballot [beyond the regional DIA proposal] and do you support or oppose it?

Here is an example.

Proposal Shall the authorized charter millage for the Charter Township of Highland for Police Services, established in August, 2008, at 2.7805 mills [[$2.7805 per $1,000 of taxable value) and expiring in 2014, be increased up to .75 of an additional mill [[$.75 per $1,000 taxable value) for a period of two [[2) years, starting with the December 2012 levy [[budget years 2013 through 2014 inclusive), for the purpose of continuing to provide police services in Highland Township?

From Freep

[Wesley Mouch]

It will be interesting to see these results as a barometer of local attitudes. Have communities had enough of cuts? Or will TEA party-type sentiments still be strong enough to vote them down? I am guessing almost all will pass.

Do you think, as I tend to do, that their placement on a low-turnout primary election in the middle of vacation time and other distractions aids likelihood of passage?

Here is an example.

From Freep

"Have communities had enough of cuts"... to be willing to reach into their own pockets to make up the difference?

I'll be curious to see what voters think of how their cities are handling their finances.

[Detroitej72]

I think the low turnout, summer primaries are a brilliant strategy by the groups that place these proposals on the ballot. While I have mixed feelings about the various initiatives, it's a shrewd move and I have to tip my hat to the folks behind the efforts.

I've noticed many cities have a millage to keep police and fire at their current levels and usually warn residents that there will be huge cuts to service if they fail. I'm curious how the tea-party types view these tactics, as they tend to support a strong-handed police department to combat rising crime.

I do hope that this bodes well for the DIA ballot proposal, as I think the Arts are an important institution for a first class metropolitan region.

[Baselinepunk]

Republicans have razed taxes by de facto through shifting funding to tax brakes for business. Can anyone provide a few examples of huge business flocking to our state and hiring, as touted by so many Teabagger Republicans?

The only thing I have seen were empty firework stands, and a loss of a 40 million dollar expansion from a Ferndale based company [[loss went to Indiana of all places).

[DetroitPlanner]

Many of these communities have had thier financial engines ripped apart by assuming that revenues would increase automatically because of two things: 1) Assessments will go up, and 2) new development will increase the value of the land.

Well after stagnent development and reduced assessments they have resorted to cutting back all departments to the bone and laying off even essential workers such as police and fire. Now they can barely afford to keep essentials going.

In many cases even with the extra mills, taxes will not really be going up, but back to where they were before assessments were reduced. Add in inflation and they are still hurting.

Unfortunately, whether they realize it or not, they are under the exact same pressures that Detroit has faced for years. Lowered property values and reduced development cannot sustain government.

[Baselinepunk]

... and reduced funding from the State. The State purposefully withdrew funding in a time when City's need it the most. The State created fiscal emergencies, and just so happens to have an army of trained EFMs.

This little ploy isn't going to work. People are slowly waking up to what the so-called Nerd [[actually, he's nothing but a fucking rich-ass bully) is trying tp ull off.

The locals are getting a little tired of pulling more weight that the State has shifted on to them, again. It's always the little guy that has to step up because the rich folk will not bless us with their trillions in trickle-down if we don't support them.

[Wesley Mouch]

Many of these communities have had thier financial engines ripped apart by assuming that revenues would increase automatically because of two things: 1) Assessments will go up, and 2) new development will increase the value of the land.

Well after stagnent development and reduced assessments they have resorted to cutting back all departments to the bone and laying off even essential workers such as police and fire. Now they can barely afford to keep essentials going.

In many cases even with the extra mills, taxes will not really be going up, but back to where they were before assessments were reduced. Add in inflation and they are still hurting.

Unfortunately, whether they realize it or not, they are under the exact same pressures that Detroit has faced for years. Lowered property values and reduced development cannot sustain government.

You're quite right. The communities will still be facing large financial pressures even if they manage to increase tax rate to get more money from the residents.

I would suggest however, that there's plenty of money to 'keep essentials going'. Unless you consider retirement health care benefits for those who retired at age 45 'essential'.

The rhetoric about losing essential services rings hollow to me -- since what's really happening is that 'essential' services are paid after many other discretionary and legacy expenses.

Write back with that 'cutting essential services' crap after you've started making reduced pension contributions to the massive force of retirees who often outnumber the current workforce -- for example Hamtramck.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

... and reduced funding from the State. The State purposefully withdrew funding in a time when City's need it the most. The State created fiscal emergencies, and just so happens to have an army of trained EFMs.

This little ploy isn't going to work. People are slowly waking up to what the so-called Nerd [[actually, he's nothing but a fucking rich-ass bully) is trying tp ull off.

The locals are getting a little tired of pulling more weight that the State has shifted on to them, again. It's always the little guy that has to step up because the rich folk will not bless us with their trillions in trickle-down if we don't support them.

Amen to that !!

[Cincinnati_Kid]

I would suggest however, that there's plenty of money to 'keep essentials going'. Unless you consider retirement health care benefits for those who retired at age 45 'essential'.



Check with Bob Ficano on that, I'm sure he has a answer for you.

[Hermod]

The problem is that local government throughout the US have treatat the housing boom as a constant. Instead of treating the bubble moeny as a windfall, they incorporated it into their budgets.. Now that the bubble is burst, they try to maintain the "fat" in their budgets by using the blackmail of reducing frontline public safety workers instead of going after the managerial bloat. It is the same with education. Pay up or we will get rid of the band, football team, and whatever is important to you rather than taking a meat ax to school overhead and board of education staff.

[Baselinepunk]

"The problem is that local government throughout the US have treatat the housing boom as a constant. Instead of treating the bubble moeny as a windfall, they incorporated it into their budgets.. Now that the bubble is burst, they try to maintain the "fat" in their budgets by using the blackmail of reducing frontline public safety workers instead of going after the managerial bloat."


Vast and hasty generalization. Purposefully underfunded pensions and poor decisions in investment, exasperated by the implosion of the derivatives market is to blame as well, among other things. The housing boom ended over 5 years ago, it's time to really stop trying to pin the blame on shit like what you present and actually lay blame at the feet of those who are trying to use the current situation as a means to impose their cultural and social engineering on the whole of the Great Lakes region.

They are striking now while they see the iron as hot because they all know this is their last chance for a very long time ...

[Shollin]

I love the blaming on retirees. Does anyone mention that the state of Michigan borrowed from the pension fund to give tax credits to a studio in Pontiac that is now going out of business? of course no one ever mentions the mismanaged pension funds.

[DetroitPlanner]

Legacy costs are not what they seem to be, particularly in the public sector.

The vast majority of public workers have much of thier legacy costs paid for from well funded pension plans. In 99.5 percent of the cases you cannot retire and get benefits at 45 [[unless you are a cop and shot on the job). My pension is not going to have future legacy impacts as it is based on current employees paying into a state wide municipal pension plan. Medical after retirement was cut out for most public employees decades ago. I know I won't get any and have been on my job for 20 years. Yes you will have to wait until the current crop gets old and dies, but the numbers are on the decline due to mortality rates. I began socking away money in my deferred plan years ago to pay for this once I can retire. Sure I could retire at 55, but realistically I can't as I would not have any health insurance so I will retire when medicare kicks in [[currently at 65).

Many public employees are working out of a sense of public service and could get much better paying jobs in the private sector. By the time I retire at 65 the amount of money I would not make by working a private sector job would be more than enough to cover the difference in what my current employer contributes to my pension.

[Baselinepunk]

Blaming the old, the sick and the poor for our troubles is no way to run a government.

Funny, I thought personal responsibility was a Republican ideology but I constantly hear them blame everyone/everything else except themselves for what happened, and for them trying to blow up the economy in order to make Obama a one termer.

Truly sick and twisted world-view from some real rich, detached MFers.

[ndavies]

Why we need Pension Reform

THis is the real reason Cities are failing:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...117244,00.html

Warren Buffett calls the costs of public-sector retirees a "time bomb." They are the single biggest threat to the U.S.'s fiscal health. If the U.S. is going to face a Greek-style crisis, it will not be at the federal level but rather with state and local governments. The numbers are staggering.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...#ixzz2283BLpnU

[antongast]

According to the sample ballot I got in the mail from the City Clerk's office, there's a ten-year, .9381-mill proposal on the ballot for Wayne County jails. This is the first I've heard of this. I'm trying to learn more about it before deciding how to vote.

[Detroitnerd]

Why we need Pension Reform

THis is the real reason Cities are failing:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...117244,00.html

Yup, it all boils down to one issue ... if we could figger out a silver bullet to deal with that issue, we'd be fine.

Of course, that issue must have nothing to do with the way the super-rich have stolen all the money and wrecked the economy.

[RO_Resident]

... and reduced funding from the State. The State purposefully withdrew funding in a time when City's need it the most. The State created fiscal emergencies, and just so happens to have an army of trained EFMs.

This little ploy isn't going to work. People are slowly waking up to what the so-called Nerd [[actually, he's nothing but a fucking rich-ass bully) is trying tp ull off.

The locals are getting a little tired of pulling more weight that the State has shifted on to them, again. It's always the little guy that has to step up because the rich folk will not bless us with their trillions in trickle-down if we don't support them.

Even if Virg Bernero had been elected and your favorite political party been elected in both houses of the legislature, local communities would still be in a world of hurt right now.

Proposal A and Headlee severely limits how much revenue local communities can raise from property tax. Over the past few years, property values have fallen between 20 to 50 percent for most communities. With Prop A and Headlee, revenue can only go up at 5 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. It is impossible for communities to bounce back. The current revenue levels are the "new reality".

Also, units of government that rely on user fees and excise taxes [[think water and roads) are way down, because usage and hookups are down.

Increases in state revenue sharing will only save a fraction of the communities that hurting right now.

Check out munetrix.com to see what cities have to deal with.

[nain rouge]

If we removed everyone's pensions, privatized everything, and fired most state and city employees, we would finally have the utopia we were promised as Americans. Why can't some people see this?

[Detroitej72]

I love the blaming on retirees. Does anyone mention that the state of Michigan borrowed from the pension fund to give tax credits to a studio in Pontiac that is now going out of business? of course no one ever mentions the mismanaged pension funds.

The Pontiac studio is not closing. I think your confusing that with the city of Allen Park which has been bleeding by a stupid decision from city leaders, not the State of Michigan.

[douglasm]

In regards to the "low turnout primary election" question, it's a non issue. I'm assuming the election is a regularly scheduled one and not a special one. The implication in the opening post is that the primary election has less weight then the general.. It does not. The votes count the same, and the decision to vote or not to vote is up to the electorate. If they choose not to vote, and the result is a tax increase, so be it. It's their right to ignore an election as much as it is to vote, but if they do not, they haven't fulfill the requirements to renew their license to complain about government.

This whole issue came up out here last year over a .02% sales tax increase to help bail out an arena that got mired in the fiscal meltdown, and I used the above reasoning to argue for the vote in our August primary.

[Lowell]

In regards to the "low turnout primary election" question, it's a non issue. I'm assuming the election is a regularly scheduled one and not a special one. The implication in the opening post is that the primary election has less weight then the general.

In fact is that these lower-profile hence lower turn-out elections allow decently well-organized interest groups to win passage by mobilizing friends and family. A hundred votes of less can decide a lot of these issues as a result.

In Farmington a few years back a millage for a $25 million bond issue to rebuild high school sports facilities, even though they already had some of the best in the metro, was pushed through by high school football booster clubs during a 10% turnout election.

I will guarantee you that the friends and families of the of the city and public safety workers whose jobs are on the line will be doing the same next Tuesday.

I'm not taking sides and support 95% of the millage requests I am offered and will certainly be out just to support the DIA effort. I was merely making the point of the convenience of such off-date elections to the advantage of such groups as to why most issues will pass.

You are absolutely correct that the results are democratic and valid.

[Wesley Mouch]

In fact is that these lower-profile hence lower turn-out elections allow decently well-organized interest groups to win passage by mobilizing friends and family. A hundred votes of less can decide a lot of these issues as a result.

In Farmington a few years back a millage for a $25 million bond issue to rebuild high school sports facilities, even though they already had some of the best in the metro, was pushed through by high school football booster clubs during a 10% turnout election.

I will guarantee you that the friends and families of the of the city and public safety workers whose jobs are on the line will be doing the same next Tuesday.

I'm not taking sides and support 95% of the millage requests I am offered and will certainly be out just to support the DIA effort. I was merely making the point of the convenience of such off-date elections to the advantage of such groups as to why most issues will pass.

You are absolutely correct that the results are democratic and valid.

I reject 95% of the millage requests I am offered.

There is something to be said about an election without the 'big issues'. But I can't quite bring myself to celebrate the idea that this benefits 'well organized interest groups'. That said -- I do think its fair and is a non-issue.

[douglasm]

Lowell.....
.....given the sad state of voter turnout, in most any election a well organized group can "throw" an election one way or another, but quite frankly, using your example and assuming it was not a special election, the 90% who didn't turn out probably deserved what they got.

If you remember, I'm a small town councilman. For the 6 years I've been on council, we've been talking about installing a sewer system. Almost 4 years ago we got American Recovery Act funds to build it. For the past couple of years we've been talking about what it will cost residents in monthly bills. We've had 3 public meetings in the past year about the thing. Now it's built and running, and the bill is going to be high.

Council meets twice a month. In the timeline I've described to you, we've had 1 [[one) resident come before council and ask us about the fee. ONE. Do they care? I'm beginning to wonder.

[DetroitPlanner]

If we removed everyone's pensions, privatized everything, and fired most state and city employees, we would finally have the utopia we were promised as Americans. Why can't some people see this?

Utopia = Anarchy