My letter I just sent to the Press & Argus Editor: Congratulations to all of us here in Livingston County! The County Commissioners have released a draft of 2015 Livingston County Annual Budget. For those who have yet to read this tome, or the previous 2014 Budget Book it would be a great insight to the financial health of our county. (Both on line at livgov/administration/Pages/financial_reports.aspx ) At this point we maybe wonder why congratulations are in order? If I may direct the reader’s attention to page 5 of the 2015 Livingston County Annual Budget Draft, we read, As demand for services by the community increases it will be near impossible to provide a greater level of service without increasing the general operating millage. Now, if this comes as a surprise to anyone, we obviously did not read the 2014 Budget Book. There on page 6 the county commissioners wrote: As demand for services by the community increases it will be near impossible to provide a greater level of service without increasing the general operating millage. The words are pretty much IDENTICAL. The difference being that the 2015 draft actually uses BOLD FONT to highlight the situation. So congratulations LIVINGSTON COUNTY, we have managed to TAXCUT ourselves into mediocrity! (emphasis is mine) I raised this issue several times during my campaign for the state house. Seems no one was listening then, just as they have not been listening when the commissioners first raise this issue in the 2014 budget. Are we really willing to create an al a cart form of community services? Are we willing to pay “special assessments” for our roads, sewers and water just so we can proudly claim to have the LOWEST TAX RATE IN MICHIGAN? Are we going to create the need to pay an additional $150 annually to have the fire department available should our residence catch fire? An additional $200 annually to assure law enforcement is available to respond to a burglary? Some folks in Brighton Township are already realizing special assessments for sewers far exceed what might have been charged via a millage increase. How much farther can we sink financially before someone has the courage to stand up and say I AM MAD AS HELL AND I AIN’T GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE! I for one am willing to call the emperors out for not wearing any clothes, or in this case for not looking out for the best interest of our neighbors. The county commissioners have done their part, shame on the rest of us for ignoring the reality of our situation. Hopefully it will not become a dire situation and we, the people of Livingston County, are willing to do more than plug the leak in the dam; we need to put community first and begin to embrace progress.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 22:52:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015