Bloomfield Twp. Vote NO Activities Profiled - Oakland Press

Bloomfield voters object to millage timing, urge efficiency
Published: Monday, February 22, 2010

12 comment(s) | Email to a friend | Print version | ShareThis| RSS Feeds

By MIKE SCOTT
Special to The Oakland Press

One Bloomfield Township-based citizens advocacy organization is opposing the Tuesday millage vote, and many of its supporters are voicing their opinions.

Several township officials were present at a special panel meeting hosted by the United Homeowners Associations of Bloomfield Township last week at the township hall. A large turnout heard feedback from such township officials as Supervisor Dave Payne, Assessor Bill Griffin and County Commissioner Shelley Taub.

A separate organization called Bloomfield Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility has been getting its views out to fellow township residents in recent weeks. The group opposes the millage for a variety of reasons.

Bloomfield Township resident and group member Jennifer Greenwell objects to both the date of the election and the proposed 10-year term of the increase.

All requests for new and increased taxes should be requested in even-year November elections, when maximum voter turnout can be expected, Greenwell said.

“If a local government truly has an emergency, they should ask for an increase that will suffice until the next even-year November election, in this case, seven months,” Greenwell said. One of her main concerns is that a lower voter turnout might favor proponents of the millage, who, at first glance may appear to be more invested in the vote.

Fellow township resident Paul Stenquist believes a tax hike will only accelerate the decline in the community’s property values. Although he does not hold any official title with Bloomfield Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, he drafted a media advisory for the group and also opposes the millage.

“Like (many) township residents, I’m opposed to a tax in the middle of a crippling recession,” Stenquist said. “That’s just common sense.”

Bloomfield Township taxes are already among the nation’s highest, Stenquist said. Another increase makes the community significantly less attractive to new residents, and makes it difficult to sell an existing home.

“More foreclosures will be the result of this millage, in my opinion,” Stenquist said. “Most governments realize that any tax increases enacted during a deep recession are counterproductive. My question to our elected officials and (township administrators) is why don’t they understand that?”

Bloomfield Township officials have maintained that all revenue restored by a 1.3-mill tax would stay in Bloomfield Township to provide the same level of public services, including the level of coverage for police, fire and EMS protection currently employed, said Payne.

Bloomfield Township expects a 10 percent decline in the upcoming 2010 tax levy and at least another 6 percent decline in 2011. In a four-year period, it is expected the township will have lost more than $6 million of what previously was a $40 million annual budget.

“The upcoming property tax reductions are so severe that if the millage fails, we must permanently eliminate 25 positions in March 2010,” Payne wrote on the township’s Web site. “Almost two-thirds of our employees are in the police and fire/EMS departments. We could not achieve the savings we would need without reducing public safety personnel. Undoubtedly, this would increase emergency response times.”

Resident Alan Must is the owner of a food distributor in the area that employs more than 200 people. He arrived during the second half of the meeting and said the township needs to think more like a business as part of its operational focus.

“If my company loses money, I need to make some drastic and difficult decisions,” Must said. “Well, the township is in a position where they need to cut costs, not raise taxes. The propaganda (the township) is coming out with is downright threatening when you talk about cutting fire and police.”

Greenwell said she met with Payne in mid-January and asked him to “stop trying to create a state of fear in our community” by continually talking about possible reductions in emergency services if the millage were not passed.

The general operating millage increase is not necessary; instead efficiency in government and cost-containment can help make up for some of the income shortfalls, Greenwell said. She pointed to an efficiency study conducted by accounting firm Plante & Moran in 2009 that indicated Bloomfield Township could save $10 million over 10 years by consolidating DPS services with nearby communities.

“The study indicated that such consolidation would not only save money, but enhance and improve service to residents by decreasing emergency response time,” Greenwell said.

Bloomfield Township expects a 10 percent decline in the upcoming 2010 tax levy and at least another 6 percent decline in 2011. Over a four-year period, it is expected the township will have lost more than $6 million of what previous was a $40 million annual budget.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/02/22/news/local_news/doc4b8258cbb23b7369133084.txt