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We can do better
From former Wixom City Council member John Lee:
The Wixom City Council has put forth a millage request of 3.5 mills for 4 years. What is the rational for that amount and time limit? To quote from the (meeting) minutes: “… personally thought three years would be a satisfactory … amount somewhere between 3.0 and 3.5 (mills) … three years would give it an end date,” “willing to go to four mills on this … 3.4 or 3.5 mills and he will go along with that,” “…initial gut reaction was 3.5 mills for four years,” “… 3.5 mills would be an amount that the public would be willing to live with …”
Read the minutes; there is no rationale other than “we think this can pass.” The administration offers no solutions other than Draconian cuts to service reminiscent of school millages where the pool will be closed if not passed. No changes in structure or methodology are offered with the exception of a privatization query to address management of payroll. This only arose out of the unfortunate death of the employee who performed this work.
It is obvious; some revenues will likely be required to address shortages long in coming. At the Aug. 28 meeting, the administration revealed deficits projected out to 2017-18 (Almost $3 million in that year alone). If the budget process is the plan, a process that continues the status quo and only asks for more money… we can do better.
To its credit, the council is now meeting to discuss this issue. At the meeting of Aug. 28, they (council members) actually began discussing privatization of the payroll position. The mayor correctly stated it is not their (the council’s) roll to come up with the solutions. But it is their roll to demand the city manager develop an operational plan that examines all possible alternative options for providing service with both the associated positives and negatives. From these options the council can chose the best course of management to be applied. If additional resources are required, there will then be a basis for the request.
Wixom, we can do better.
3 Responses to We can do better
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Robert
September 12, 2012 at 8:19 pm
More hillbilly local politic b.s. …It is quite obvious there is a small group of vindictive former “politicians” who have a personal agenda and really have no interest in what is best for the City. Compare the Wixom tax rate to surrounding communities ..it is one of the lowest in Oakland County. As a businessman in the City I am saddened and disgusted.
Bob
September 13, 2012 at 6:37 pm
I’m not a former employee or disgruntled, nor am I a “Teaparty” member, just an average taxpayer that hates to see fat government. Just about any government entity whether local, state, or federal, will spend every penny they take in. Give them a tax increase and they will spend that and more. Mark my words if Wixom eventually gets this increase it will never, repeat never go away. Even if the economy recovers. Five, ten years from now the budget will be much higher and much fatter than it would have been if forced to adapt. I would urge Wixom residents to turn this down and tell their local government to live within its means. Like a family on a fixed paycheck, adapt and they will while still maintaining the basic services we elected them to do. If you want to see what excess government does when it has too much ambition, look at “Downtown” Wixom that they tried to create 10 or so years ago. A beautiful downtown forest was bulldozed to create a new strip mall that is half full and unfinished concrete foundations for businesses never built. Look at Commerce township for the new “M5″ and the $2,000,000 it is siphoning off from township revenues every year to pay the bill.
Steve
September 16, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Not one single tax payer in Wixom is able to run their own household without balancing their own personal budget. As private citizens we cannot spend more than what we earn, otherwise we will end up in financial problems and possibly bankruptcy. Governments seem to think that they can function without balancing the budget. Instead of cutting back, they want to tax the people to offer more services. We the people voted down the ballot measure that the City put on the ballot in August. The City made the appeal in the press, printed flyers in our Summer Tax bill and printed numerous signs. Even though the people voted the measure down, the City now feels that they did not have time to get the message out for the measure they sponsored. Lets say the ballot passes, will they block a counter measure from the people to but a ballot measure on the ballot to repeal? Will the City make it difficult for the people to repeal? Across the nation, municipalities are going into bankruptcy because they cannot fund employee pensions or retirement benefits. The City has not mentioned their liability to continue to fund employee pensions? Why? It is time for the City to be totally transparent and to take fiscal responsibility for their financial problems. The people have spoken and we will speak again in November!