3.975 Mils for 5 Years . . . At Least
It took from 9:20 to 10:47 for CITCOM to formally announce that Royal Oak voters in November will have the opportunity to increase their tax rate and simultaneously amend the City Charter. The dialogue, much of it scripted and rehearsed or coached, merely made public much of the background due diligence which has been under way for months.
Mayor Jim Ellison guided the testimony in such a manner as to counter the widespread impression that an increased millage would not be needed except for the number of bars in the Central Business District. With a series of statements and questions directed to Deputy Police Chief Gordon Young and City Manager Don Johnson, Ellison painted a positive scenario: There is no Wild West problem downtown . . . Money collected in parking structures and from parking tickets generates enough income to pay for more than a dozen police officers . . . Most of the visits to bars are walkthroughs, not calls for service.
Citizens seem to have already decided how they are going to vote. One would have expected a large turnout of Public Comment speakers to attend this meeting. Only 8 did, and 6 of them approve the increase.
More exciting than the relatively boring millage discussion was the unnecessary and chicken-shit* squabble over the proposed Verizon installation of two radio towers in the Center Street parking structure. Only Ellison and Poulton agreed that the proposed contract is fairly standard and that the city has others very much like it. The issue was tabled.
*The military term for the trivial nit-picking engaged in by the other 5 at The Table.
A likely source for future wrangling: An ad hoc committee to begin working on a "Downtown Plan" has been established: Ellison, Rasor DuBuc, Johnson, and Planning Director Tim Thwing were named to the committee -- after a request for volunteers drew no takers.
Sue C.
3:58 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The millage is D.O.A.
It's just too much.
Tony V.
1:42 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Is this the largest millage increase request in Royal Oak's history?
JH
1:50 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Largest millage increase means nothing.
Millage rate x taxable property value = taxes paid.
Since the property taxes dropped, the millage rate needs to increase in order to fund the city. Taxes will still be lower than they were 10 years ago when property values were higher.
Tony V.
4:16 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
I would only consider a millage increase ONLY if it was tie-barred to a moratorium on additional bars.
The city commission seems to make decisions that exasperate our budget deficit, instead of mitigating the deficit.
This tax increase requires a charter waiver. That should send up a red flag to proceed caustiously. I suspect Royal Oak has never levied a millage over the charter limit. Any historian know the city's taxing history.
Debbie Campbell
5:04 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The Commission broke the rules –ignored adopted plans, ordinances and recommendations from police chiefs and created a big public safety problem and they were fully aware that there was NO money to hire the additional police officers that are required.
I would only support the millage if the Commission had contracts in place with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) ensuring they pay for the dedicated downtown police unit that was identified in the ICMA Study as being required for the bars—Why should the rest of us subsidize security for the bar-owners who are making millions here and laughing all the way to the bank. Taxes collected from those who make the profits in the downtown and require the police service should pay for the additional bar security --Not the rest of us—
If the DDA paid for the downtown police unit with the taxes they capture from the downtown bars the millage request could be lowered so as not to be such a burden on those on fixed incomes—either way—I won’t succumb to scare tactics or be scammed into-voting for a millage that subsidizes security for the bars.
Al B. Sure
6:19 pm on Thursday, July 19, 2012
Royal Oak always seems to find the money for holiday parades, and Arts, Beats & Eats, and street festivals, etc., etc.
Other communities had cancelled or suspended their community promotions, while Royal Oak expanded theirs.
I don't think Royal Oak's budgetary situation is as bad as they want us to believe.
I don't like the idea of paying the same amount of taxes when my house has lost 30%+ of its value.
I will be voting no on this proposal.
Ray Smith
7:26 pm on Thursday, July 19, 2012
I don't know what the solution is to the downtown requiring so much police attention, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that the establishments causing most of the problems should have to help foot the bill. Assuming most of us agree on that, the key question remaining is how to go about it? That's where our elected officials need to buckle down and make it happen--and the sooner, the better!
Al B. Sure
7:34 pm on Thursday, July 19, 2012
I concur, Ray.
Bob Frapples
7:42 pm on Thursday, July 19, 2012
Keep in mind, the downtown is one of 5 police beats in town, and only represents 1/2 square mile. The other 4 police beats split up the other 12 square miles.
D. Webb
12:44 pm on Monday, July 23, 2012
The request is too big!
Maybe that's the city's strategy, shoot for the stars, and if it fails, they have enough room to pare it back.
S. Forbes
3:54 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
I struggle to pay the mortgage and keep food on the table for my family.
I cannot, and will not support the city's requrst for a tax increase, the school's request for a tax increase, the DIA's request, etc, etc.
The price of utilities keeps rising, and the price of food will go up next year because of the drought. When does it stop?
Ronald Wolf
4:08 pm on Monday, October 8, 2012
What really needs to be done as I was also in your shoes is an income cut off for those on a fixed income, unemployed in household where there is no increase, and yes you should be able to even apply for a hardship discount, or even exemption for a period of time. This graduated payment based on income should apply for any upcoming milages, or re-asessments. Ironically if the milage fails and you live in a home worth more than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars the loss of resale value (present market) that may occur if schools decline and crime rises may be considerably more than the milage increase for the next five or ten years. In other words it is a lot harder to climb out of a hole than to fall into one.
Tim H
11:19 am on Saturday, July 28, 2012
I wish they actually hiked the millage up to 6 mils. I would gladly pay it to ensure our streets are safe and our kids have top notch facilities they are learning in. I am a supporter and frankly am considering leaving the city for a place like Birmingham, or Bloomfield Hills if they do not.
You all need to think about the future of the city rather than thinking about things in the rear view mirror. If something isn't done we will be looking at an Oak Park situation. This is a fact whether you like it or not.
Debbie Campbell
12:29 pm on Saturday, July 28, 2012
Baloney—You’re in “denial/enabler” mode--
Just keep throwing more money at the politicians and bureaucrats allowing them to keep on doing what they’ve been doing for decades--Doing what doesn’t work and has failed taxpayers miserably in the past –but expect a different outcome this time...
It’s the definition of crazy!
Ronald Wolf
4:18 pm on Monday, October 8, 2012
I agree, the community in Oak Park is short sighted. My friend has a restaurant on ten and Coolidge and needs a liquor license to compete with other banquet facilities. Oak Park is dry. The CVS next door closed. Stores are boarded. AND although the present milage is almost twice that of RO they are still going broke. Why?
As much as I critisize how RO's DDA is not paying its fair share for the public safety services it uses, not to mention DPW, it still is RO's golden goose in providiing taxes, parking and court related income.
The milage should be graduated based on income as well as property value,, the union contract mirror clauses needs to be eliminated, pension hiking tricks ditto.
Tim H
1:23 pm on Saturday, July 28, 2012
With all do respect I think you have a myopic one dimensional self serving out look on things, which is grossly out dated and stagnate. This is the same type of backward mindset that did not have our state invest in any type of businesses besides the auto industry and let Detroit ( the city not area) fall to way side and become the model for disfunction in America.
We need to be proactive and do things now that will preserve our city for the future, and ensure riff raff does not overtake the area. Ignoring this is plain irresponsible and is following the same pattern of metro Detroit mistakes over the last 50 years and is the definition of the repetitive insanity aforementioned. I hope you eventually come to realize this.
J. Foley
1:52 pm on Saturday, July 28, 2012
Proactive doesn't just mean tossing more money to a bloated unsustainable government entity, city or school systems.
Proactive is fixing the problems in the organization before asking taxpayers to pay more in taxes.
The city hasn't fixed some of the problems identified in 2005 during the last failed millage attempt. People spoke at town hall meetings to reform the retirement packages......I know, because I was one of those residents, and there were many.
In 2005, the 1.75 request was defeated by over 2 to 1. The city hasn't addressed all the problems identified in 2005, and now they think they can ask for twice as much, as the amount that failed. Not gonna happen.
In the last three years, the city has spent over $300,000 for holiday lights in the downtown, and now the city claims to be broke? They have money to produce a holiday parade for $100,000, but now claim to be broke. They had nearly $500,000 to build a splash park earlier this year, that thankfully was fought off by the Grant Park neighborhood. They spend a lot of money and staff time to be a part of the Dream Cruise, and to produce Arts beats and eats.
This city isn't broke. Don't even get me started on the school district.
Fix the system first!
Ronald Wolf
4:29 pm on Monday, October 8, 2012
I would like to get you started. When I think of criminal school districts I think of Detroit and Pontiac, and others that have no scruples whatsoever and need to be investigated for corruption yesterday (its a joke, but its no joke when you see these fat cats driving Escalades while there is no toilet paper in the buildings). I am sure RO is not perfect as we recently found out BUT look at our community and its increasingly educated residents that will leave if IF you get your way. Reform is necessary, money is even more so in these days of expensive educational technology now needed to compete with the rest of the world.
Debbie Campbell
9:06 am on Sunday, July 29, 2012
About Arts Beats and Eats—I was told that city department heads meet with and essentially work for the Arts, Beats and Eats promoter 6 months out of the year as his personal event planning team–ramping up for this event—Are these hours-- this taxpayer expense tracked and documented?
Additionally the DDA gambled 100k taxpayer $$$ and lost-
http://royaloak.patch.com/articles/dda-examines-costs-of-arts-beats-eats
There is a theme/trend here:
We pay the salaries of city employees who are working as event planners for Mr. Arts Beats and Eats so he can make a hefty profit…
We pay for police officers to baby-sit unruly bar patrons so bar owners can over-serve cocktails and make a hefty profit…
RO currently has 54 Liquor Serving Establishments and 66 Police Officers
Public safety is the most expensive part of the taxpayer funded city budget
The City Commission approved more and bigger bars against Police Department recommendations -- The Commission continues to expand the drinking district while expecting taxpayers to approve the largest city tax increase in Royal Oak history to hire more police officers…
Excerpts from: The Big Lie
http://royaloak.patch.com/blog_posts/the-big-lie-8ee0e19b
The City Manager and City Assessor prepared a study that clearly shows that all the bars in the entire city of Royal Oak only pay real and personal property taxes to the City and DDA in the amount of about $250,000, or enough to pay all the costs for only 2 police officers.
Ronald Wolf
5:06 pm on Monday, October 8, 2012
Why are you are confusing us with facts Debbie? Stop it! More important is football, and those Tigers! Hey our kids had a lot of fun at AB&E. Do you think we are that concerned with the costs? Get with the new RO "mantra" soon to be made into a flash mob dance : "Nothing Changes Nada, Gornicht". Keep repeating unitl it is drilled into your head. Don Johnson who chooses not to live in RO is right, like Humpty Dumpty we would rather sit on a wall than a comfortable park bench. Our commisson calls us "Oakies" because our heads are made of the same stuff that made "Old Ironsides" famous. As for our downtown bars, take the cash and leave the rest, "Carpe Diem", as for our schools "que sera sera". Relax have a cup of tea.