Can the Amalgamation of Detroit Happen?

[Vic01]

Adding more land and more people won't necessarily benefit anyone in this region, and would probably hurt the metro area as a whole. A city that's on improving but still shaky footing absorbing a successful and stable suburb like The Pointes, Dearborn, Allen Park Livonia, or anything in Oakland County would do little to benefit Detroit, but would hurt those suburbs image.

On the flip side, absorbing a troubled suburb like River Rouge or Highland Park would only add to Detroit's problems.

In our situation currently, there's just no benefit.

Very sensible, K.
Danny, could you list some of the benefits to both the city, and the suburbs?

Haven't I read that as Detroit's population spread out across the Region for decades, there is now plenty of open "space" in the city, that if anything, people are "sprawled" out widely in southeast Michigan.

Are you suggesting that Detroit somehow "acquire" the suburbs and increase it's geographic footprint when it doesn't have enough people for the current square mile footprint?

[Henry Whalley]

...On the flip side, absorbing a troubled suburb like River Rouge or Highland Park would only add to Detroits problems.

Agreed, Detroit doesn't need more Red Zones.

[EASTSIDER BALDUCK]

Sounds like bussing in the 60/70's.

How's that working out??

[Henry Whalley]

... How's that working out??

I don't understand the analogy.

[Canadian Visitor]

Adding more land and more people won't nessacarily benefit anyone in this region, and would probably hurt the metro area as a whole. A cith that's on improving but still shaky footing obsorbing a successful and stable suburb like The Pointes, Dearborn, Allen Park Livonia, or anything in Oakland County would do little to benefit Detroit, but would hurt those suburbs image.

On the flip side, absorbing a troubled suburb like River Rouge or Highland Park would only add to Detroits problems.

In our situation currently, there's just no benefit.

While counseling that amalgamations aren't all good, and aren't a panacea to every problem, I think it would be equally wrong to suggest there is no potential benefit.

***

Potential benefits [[these would vary which municipalities were involved)

- Cost savings/efficiency [[fewer politicians, city managers, chief planners, fire chiefs, head librarians etc., fewer city halls/offices).

- Greater buying power, most notable for smaller governments who can get in larger orders for police cruisers, fire trucks, snow plows etc.

- Improved coordination/less working at cross-purposes.

- Shared resources/tax base [[clearly benefits poorer areas vs wealthier ones, but there is certainly an argument for just that)

***

Not everything needs to be one government. As noted, in some cases it might make sense to pair 2 or 3 suburban governments together.

It could also mean getting rid of Wayne County as a government and having those functions fully carried out by the City of Detroit.

There are lots of different ways in which some improvement could be obtained.

But it certainly is important to realize those improvements will be trade-offs in part. Some smaller governments that are highly local/responsive would vanish, in favour of bigger government further away. Some rich areas could see some service reductions or tax increases at the margin to absorb costs from merging with lower income areas. Regardless, such moves by themselves don't make crime or pollution or poverty go away.

What they achieve, at their best, is some cost savings, some improved coordination and accountability, and some improved fairness by better sharing of resources.

Whether those are achieved, in whole or in part is a function of those who lead any such efforts, and who are in charge, politically and bureaucratically when they first take effect.

[Danny]

Very sensible, K.
Danny, could you list some of the benefits to both the city, and the suburbs?

Haven't I read that as Detroit's population spread out across the Region for decades, there is now plenty of open "space" in the city, that if anything, people are "sprawled" out widely in southeast Michigan.

Are you suggesting that Detroit somehow "acquire" the suburbs and increase it's geographic footprint when it doesn't have enough people for the current square mile footprint?

Detroit can do like other revival megacities like New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Nashville ect... Otherwise, Michigan's way to annexing non-charter townships to cities is nothing. This state can't do amalgamation of cities in case they are in deep financial hardship. Each city will have to rely on emergency managements that could sometimes fail.

When Detroit went bankruptcy after 'The Black Godfather,' Kwame Kilpatrick's mail frauds, text sex with a former aide which led to perjury and misuse of Detroit taxpayer's monies. The almost lost their D.I.A. art.

When Highland Park went bankrupt, they lost their neighborhood street lighting. And almost lost their water rights. Gave up Grosse Pointe Water and Sewage Dept and switched to GLWA. And still those white rich folks from GP's and GWLA still demand HP to pay up or be shut off unless they can lose the city charter and be annexed to Detroit.

When Flint went broke, the city council waited a while to switch GLWA water to another water department, so the EFM who was a former EFM for Detroit Public Schools decided to switch the water to polluted Flint River. The result is corroded pipes that ever-last water main in Flint neighborhoods has to be replaced!!!!


Of course, we have Emergency Financial Managers running the city like a dictator just to save what's left of its municipal services, but having amalgamation of cities and its municipal services would benefit better services or our communities. Not just creating mega-city empires or create more population. It can work for the Detroit and its suburbs one day. We need someone any anyone to petition to have the SBC Act of 1948 overturned.

[Henry Whalley]

... I'd hate to see Hamtramck swallowed by Detroit

On second thought, you can have Hamtramck

Hamtramck taxpayers funded officials' travel for Trump inauguration

[313WX]

You do heard stories of how New York City and Toronto became amalgamated. What if Detroit can amalgamate all its suburbs? What municipalities from police, fire department and city politics impact or state and the world?

Can the next Mayor of Detroit make plans to amalgamate the surrounding suburbs?

Any thoughts?

[Danny]

You can play that En Vogue song all you want. One day someone will make a petition to overturn the 1948 SBC Act. Making Amalgamation of Detroit and other Michigan cities possible.

Look at the map of Ann Arbor. There are pieces of Ann Arbor Charter Townships all over the place. If I want to move there, am I moving to a land that is owned by Ann Arbor or Ann Arbor Charter Township!

This kind of border is ridiculous!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/An...UzSAFQAw%3D%3D

[NigelT8]

Looks like things might be getting more interesting regarding the amalgamation/annexation question in the coming months. A new entrant for the Detroit Mayoral race [Rogelio Landin] has put forth one of his policy goals as annexing/amalgamating 28 "distressed" communities in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb Counties to Detroit to both provide better services to them, and get Detroit's population back above a million. While I think the idea might have some legs on principle [better access to federal funding, less duplication of municipal services], I expect there to be significant pushback to Landon if he were to win, and his proposal were to go through, both because it would require changing a lot of laws at the state level, and because I imagine many of the "distressed" communities simply don't want to be annexed, no matter how dire of straits they may be in.

I wish I could find the list of which "distressed" communities he'd be looking to annex to Detroit, but I have yet to come across it. Even those that might be easier targets given that they already are dependent on other units of government for most basic services [such as Royal Oak Twp, which last had land annexed in the mid-2000's by Oak Park, pursuant to a Conditional Land Use Transfer/425 Agreement] and could potentially see an improvement in services rendered over their current situation, I would expect to put up a fight against annexation. Using the RO Twp example, Oak Park initially tried to outright annex the northern exclave of the township around Greenfield and 10 Mile. RO Twp fought back, and the two parties came to an agreement where Oak Park would annex it over time under a 425 agreement, ensuring that RO Twp would get some property taxes from that area over the next 35 years, until reverting to Oak Park fully. I don't expect other municipalities to be willing to acquiesce to something like a 425 agreement, let alone outright annexation that easily, nor do I expect RO Twp [or other similarly "easy" or "weak" targets for annexation] to be willing to give up it's last chunk of land around 8 Mile and Wyoming that easily.

HERE's a Detroit News article from a couple days ago on his entrance into the race, and giving a few details about his amalgamation proposal. THIS article from Bridge Detroit from earlier today has a few more details about what Landin is looking to do, but I'm still wanting for more regarding information on his proposal, such as what communities he would be looking at annexing to Detroit, and why. I imagine that information will come out soon, but for now, I sit waiting.

[Danny]

See there now the rumors are flying for a proposed amalgamation of Metro-Detroit.

[Henry Whalley]

See there now the rumors are flying for a proposed amalgamation of Metro-Detroit.

Danny, it's a move in the wrong direction. We need small communities with more local control. IMHO, but as always YMMV.

[401don]

Danny, it's a move in the wrong direction. We need small communities with more local control. IMHO, but as always YMMV.

Why? This whole thread has posters explaining why amalgamation of small communities makes sense and is far more cost effective, which does not however mean that any border communities want to join Detroit.

[Danny]

Danny, it's a move in the wrong direction. We need small communities with more local control. IMHO, but as always YMMV.

There are several political officials throughout the Metro Detroit area and other Michigan cities, towns, villages TWP's. and charter TWP's. want to amalgamate their areas. So much messed up borders and folks have no idea if they are in the territories or part of it.

Face it, Detroit is not New York City, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles or Toronto. Just a 138 square mile with some blighted hoods and black dominate. And a little dash of Hispanics, Bangladeshis, Arabs and fewer white folks scattered all over the hoods. With a Downtown that is in its third renaissance. The only way Detroit and other Michigan cities can have amalgamation is overturn the ridiculous and disastrous 1948 State Boundry Commission Act and appeal the 1928 Charter Township Act right away.

It may not be today or tomorrow, but the in future.

[Henry Whalley]

Why? This whole thread has posters explaining why amalgamation of small communities makes sense and is far more cost effective, which does not however mean that any border communities want to join Detroit.

I don't buy the explanations. IMHO smaller polities harbor less corruption and are managed better. YMMV.

[stasu1213]

Not with any of the people whom running for Mayor. I don't see Ferndale, Grosse Pointe Park, Royal Oak Township, nor Redford yielding their independence to a Mayor Sheffield

[stasu1213]

Not with any of the people whom running for Mayor. I don't see Ferndale, Grosse Pointe Park, Royal Oak Township, nor Redford yielding their independence to a Mayor Sheffield

[Danny]

I did write not today, or tomorrow, but in the future. The Michigan SCB Laws will change one day. The Detroit and its suburbs will be amalgamated.

[Henry Whalley]

...Michigan SCB Laws will change one day.

Danny, what makes you believe that? Also, why do you want it?

[Danny]

Because The SBC Laws in Michigan are horrible ideal to make townships in Michigan stay townships by charter. Folks in those townships can vote to join for annexation to another city, become a village or their own city whatever the people want. Making any township in Michigan a charter will make their councils and they people have no choice to keep their services intact and will not make cuts of there was a budget shortfall. The SBC Laws in Michigan MUST be overturned so that the people in their townships, villages and cities can have the people to make annexation happen. Especially in Detroit and other Michigan cities, too. This is not to improve in population status, but to improve municipal help to solve its financial shortfall.

Royal Oak Township lost its charter a while ago and had to give up a piece of 10 Mile Rd. and Greenfield, Rd. and parts of the industrial complex to Oak Park. Ann Arbor City had pieces of Ann Arbor Townships all over the city. Folks will have no idea if they move to an area that is part of Ann Arbor City or Ann Arbor Charter Township. This SBC Laws must end and one day someone will step up and make a petition to get rid of it. So that voters can have a choice to merge with a village and city.

[Danny]

Buckhead is NOT a "sub division" of Atlanta! It's in the city limits.

Buckhead is part of Atlanta, GA. It's a sub-division. For years they wanted to break away from Atlanta. But the Georgia Legislature said HELL NO! Atlanta annex your land so deal with it with your community policing.

[stasu1213]

Buckhead is part of Atlanta, GA. It's a sub-division. For years they wanted to break away from Atlanta. But the Georgia Legislature said HELL NO! Atlanta annex your land so deal with it with your community policing.

Buckhead is to Atanta as Palmer Woods, Sherwood Forest, and Green Acres are to Detroit

[Henry Whalley]

The city habitually tries to dole-out public funds to corporations and oligarchs, e.g., for stadiums, demolition of Ren Cen, etc. Another reason why no community should wish to amalgamate with Detroit

[ABetterDetroit]

This SBC Laws must end and one day someone will step up and make a petition to get rid of it. So that voters can have a choice to merge with a village and city.

The “someone” you speak of well… Why not you Danny? You’re far more fired up about the idea than anyone else on this board.

[stasu1213]

The city habitually tries to dole-out public funds to corporations and oligarchs, e.g., for stadiums, demolition of Ren Cen, etc. Another reason why no community should wish to amalgamate with Detroit

The candidates running for Mayor will not have to be a resident of the City of Detroit in order to be in the race