No one getting paid in Highland Park

**Lowell** · February-11-19, 09:44 PM

Originally Posted by SammyS

Huntington Woods, with its ~6,000 residents within about 1.5 sq. miles, is a good example of how you can make it work....and taxes are not that terrible. HW is ofcourse the exact opposite to HP in regard to income, education, demographics etc.

Huh? Huntington Woods an example? I don't get that in this context. Is the population of Highland Park to suddenly become upper-middle class like Huntington Woods? That would fix matters over night.

Calls for Highland Park to be annexed into Detroit exasperated me and my neighbors to no end during my decades there. We would say, "You want us to be taken over by broke-ass Detroit? Are you nuts? How about we get annexed by Grosse Pointe? We share a water system with them. Isn't that a start?"

Fact is no one has wanted to annex Highland Park. Ever.

**313WX** · February-12-19, 01:32 AM

Originally Posted by Worldsgreatest

I mean we're typing here so stuttering isn't really possible.

It's also clear that you understanding economics isn't really possible either.

**archfan** · February-12-19, 02:25 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Huh? Huntington Woods an example? I don't get that in this context. Is the population of Highland Park to suddenly become upper-middle class like Huntington Woods? That would fix matters over night.

Calls for Highland Park to be annexed into Detroit exasperated me and my neighbors to no end during my decades there. We would say, "You want us to be taken over by broke-ass Detroit? Are you nuts? How about we get annexed by Grosse Pointe? We share a water system with them. Isn't that a start?"

Fact is no one has wanted to annex Highland Park. Ever.

Detroit originally wanted to annex HP, if only to get their hands on the tax revenue from the Ford plant.

It seems like HP was doing just a bit better than Detroit, even after Chrysler pulled out, but they eventually had the same issues as Detroit. If Detroit improves, it might look attractive to merge.

**313WX** · February-12-19, 03:21 AM

Originally Posted by archfan

Detroit originally wanted to annex HP, if only to get their hands on the tax revenue from the Ford plant.

It seems like HP was doing just a bit better than Detroit, even after Chrysler pulled out, but they eventually had the same issues as Detroit. If Detroit improves, it might look attractive to merge.

What exactly would Detroit gain from annexing Highland Park now?

**O3H** · February-12-19, 03:25 AM

People seem to be highly confused on this thread

Cities initiate annexation in order to provide areas
- for future growth and development.
Usually critical in cities with limited vacant,
developable property to accommodate growth
within its existing boundaries.

Detroit would have zero reason to bother with Highland Park

**Bigb23** · February-12-19, 03:37 AM

Originally Posted by O3H

People seem to be highly confused on this thread

Cities initiate annexation in order to provide areas
- for future growth and development.
Usually critical in cities with limited vacant,
developable property to accommodate growth
within its existing boundaries.

Detroit would have zero reason to bother with Highland Park

Thank you for the BOLD type, otherwise I would be highly confused.

**O3H** · February-12-19, 08:17 AM

You are welcome and thank you for noticing that fact in Post # 81

Do you have some NON-facts you want to post Big - some gibberish ???
""It would be so easy to make fun of an entitled, out of state white man""

**renf** · February-12-19, 08:28 AM

Am I correct in recalling that the Brightmoor area in the early 1920s was an unorganized area where B.J. Taylor erected some very low cost and poorly constructed shacks for workers at the Rouge plant. Conditions deteriorated and there were suggestions that Detroit should annex Brightmoor. Detroit resisted since the city had nothing to gain from annexing that impoverished area that lacked basic infastructure. It
seems to me that the state legislature eventually worked out a deal that more or less forced Detroit to annex Brightmoor.
Is it now time to reexamine how we finance local governments and local public schools? There are about 124 suburban governments in the three county metro area and almost 80 suburban school districts. The population of the entire area is close to what it was fifty years ago. Would there be tax savings and increases in efficiency were there a consolidation of local governments and school districts?

**Honky Tonk** · February-12-19, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Huh? Huntington Woods an example? I don't get that in this context. Is the population of Highland Park to suddenly become upper-middle class like Huntington Woods? That would fix matters over night.

Calls for Highland Park to be annexed into Detroit exasperated me and my neighbors to no end during my decades there. We would say, "You want us to be taken over by broke-ass Detroit? Are you nuts? How about we get annexed by Grosse Pointe? We share a water system with them. Isn't that a start?"

Fact is no one has wanted to annex Highland Park. Ever.

I was in HP early yesterday evening. There seems to quite a few industrial businesses along Oakland Avenue still. I found myself in a minor rush hour traffic jam. The neighborhoods seem to be just hanging on, though, and worse then I remember them being. I tried to find a house on Tennyson a friend lived in to no avail. I wonder if these businesses provide any kind of tax revenue for HP, or are they given big tax incentives so they stay for show?

**ABetterDetroit** · February-12-19, 09:11 AM

Highland Towers is a mess on a large scale. Hard to imagine there is any hope for reconstruction. It needs to come down.

Anyone seen the inside of the Farrand Park apartments recently? To far gone? It looks pretty grim from the outside as well.

**Bham1982** · February-12-19, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by SammyS

Huntington Woods, with its ~6,000 residents within about 1.5 sq. miles, is a good example of how you can make it work....and taxes are not that terrible.

Huntington Woods is one of the richest towns in Metro Detroit. HP is the poorest town in metro Detroit. It's like comparing Birmingham and Ecorse, or Bloomfield and Inkster. What's the point?

**Meddle** · February-12-19, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by renf

Would there be tax savings and increases in efficiency were there a consolidation of local governments and school districts?

Probably not a bad idea financially, but politically it would never happen.
Imagine the uproar if one dared even think about Bloomfielders having to be in the same class as ..... FERNDALERS!!!!!! Oh, the Humanity!!!

[[Just grabbing a couple of examples at random. I'd think there would be any number of districts that could go in place of those two.)

**Worldsgreatest** · February-12-19, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

It's also clear that you understanding economics isn't really possible either.

lmfao okay bro, you clearly know more

don't stutter on your keyboard now.

**O3H** · February-12-19, 12:28 PM

Little to zero insight as how the people of the city can NOT earn income,
what caused their situation, and why it was allowed for several decades.
If the bar is set low enough, eventually no one bothers to hop over it ?

**313WX** · February-12-19, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by Worldsgreatest

...okay bro...

I'm not your "bro."

**Wesley Mouch** · February-12-19, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by O3H

...
Detroit would have zero reason to bother with Highland Park

If politicians could ignore politics, they could easily find good reasons.

Number one would be to help people.

Isn't that the purpose of gov't? To coordinate the public commons in the interest of the people?

I can't think of a better public purpose than to help Highland Park's citizens.

**SammyS** · February-12-19, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Huntington Woods is one of the richest towns in Metro Detroit. HP is the poorest town in metro Detroit. It's like comparing Birmingham and Ecorse, or Bloomfield and Inkster. What's the point?

My point was in direct response to 401Don’s comment.

“Even if there was a decent tax base how do places like Highland Park possibly provide police, fire, water, sewage, garbage and every other city service more efficiently than if they were part of neighboring municipalities?”

HW has a decent tax base AND provides city services to its residents efficiently.

**Meddle** · February-12-19, 07:16 PM

OK, who hijacked Wesley's account? Government helping the people? Wow, what a novel idea. Wish I'd have thought of that.

**313WX** · February-12-19, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

OK, who hijacked Wesley's account? Government helping the people? Wow, what a novel idea. Wish I'd have thought of that.

HA!!!.....

**Jimaz** · February-12-19, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

OK, who hijacked Wesley's account? Government helping the people? Wow, what a novel idea. Wish I'd have thought of that.

Before any wild rumors get started, it was not I who hijacked Wesley's account.

**archfan** · February-13-19, 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

What exactly would Detroit gain from annexing Highland Park now?

Right now, not much - they would just get more of the same problems, but not much tax base. If things continue to improve up the Woodward corridor, Detroit [[or developers) might want one government the full stretch. Or, surrounding neighborhoods could feel they won't improve without better policing. Or, the state legislature gets tired of managing HP city services, and pushes Detroit to take it on [[a la renf's info about Brightmoor). It all assumes lots of improvements, so it wouldn't appeal for a while.

**Bham1982** · February-13-19, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by SammyS

HW has a decent tax base AND provides city services to its residents efficiently.

HW has very high taxes, partly because it doesn't have any commercial tax base. And it's a very small town, with just a few thousand residents.

I think it's highly debatable that it provides services as efficiently as neighboring larger communities. HW and PR should probably just merge with Berkeley or Royal Oak.

**O3H** · February-13-19, 10:59 AM

As if higher taxes fix everything -- how about getting services for taxes.
Demand better financial oversight and cracking down on excess.
Efficiency comes with keeping the bar high, forcing good management !!

Highland Park failed due to Society.

**Danny** · February-13-19, 12:21 PM

Back the 1970 and 1980s Highland Park used to the drug central area, If you want to buy crack go to Hamilton St or anywhere on second and third St. If you want to buy heroine go down Oakland St, John R. and Brush St, from Davison FWY. to the Detroit border. I have seen it all of the drug dealers in each corner. They even pay kids to be look outs.

In the matter of fact. There were drug pushers right near or on campuses of Highland Park Community College at the time. Those were the days.

**SammyS** · February-13-19, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

HW has very high taxes, partly because it doesn't have any commercial tax base. And it's a very small town, with just a few thousand residents.

I think it's highly debatable that it provides services as efficiently as neighboring larger communities. HW and PR should probably just merge with Berkeley or Royal Oak.

I would highly debate that HW taxes are high for the services it provides.