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Troy group opposes millage increase
Published: Monday, February 15, 2010

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By MIKE SCOTT
Special to The Oakland Press

Opponents of a proposed 1.9-mill increase set for a Feb. 23 vote in Troy will be hosting two informational meetings about city finances and possible alternatives Friday and Sunday.

Former Troy councilmen David Eisenbacher and Dave Lambert will be giving Troy citizens their insight on the city’s budget and financial situation, as well as some viable options to balance the budget without a tax increase. It is expected that Eisenbacher and Lambert will have views similar to that of a group of Troy residents who reformed a coalition known as Troy Citizens United.

That coalition has proposed an alternative plan that will help the city save millions of dollars per year, and will make it unnecessary for the city to increase any taxes within the next two fiscal years, said Troy Citizens United member Frank Howrylak.

The two main ideas the coalition hopes city leaders will consider is to limit or adjust the city’s employee benefits package and to cut a variety of costs ranging from pension fund management consulting to Brownfield Revolving Loan funds.

“This is not a question of layoffs, but controlling costs,” Howrylak said.

Troy Citizens United believes that no tax increase is necessary for the next two years, using the city’s projections, through June 30, 2011. Any shortages can be made up from a variety of reserve funds, including the city’s Undesignated and Unreserved fund and the Brownfield Revolving Loan fund.

“Projections beyond this period are just guesses and can go any way based on the economy and whether property values will (stabilize),” Howrylak said. “So let us wait and evaluate the situation after we follow (our recommended) process. This process would allow us to get Troy’s expenditures under control.”

Troy Citizens United has been formed in advance of high-profile city elections and votes in the past 10 years, including a vote 10 years ago to address city pensions and before discussions of building a large convention center in the city were permanently scrapped.

Howrylak said the consortium’s efforts played a large role in the 2008 passage of a measure that would require residential approval before any millage increase was levied by the city, necessitating this February special vote.

“We weren’t the only ones involved in getting that issue on the ballot, but you can say we were one of the main reasons this millage hasn’t already been levied.”

Although Howrylak said there have been no formal discussions between any of the more than 300 coalition supporters and city leaders, some of the group’s recommendations such as privatizing the city-owned Sanctuary Lake Golf Course and professionally managing the city’s $100 million-plus pension fund have been communicated to city leaders and are being considered.

Additional steps, such as decreasing the multiplier percentage used to calculate pension fund payments, should also be considered to help save future costs, Howrylak said.

If the city takes on a number of the recommended steps made by the consortium, Howrylak admitted there is a possibility that a millage increase will be required — but at a later date.

“We’ve made these recommendations by taking the (financial) numbers the city has provided to its residents,” Howrylak said. “We’re using their numbers.”

Informative meetings opposing Troy’s millage

— Troy Virtual Town Hall Meeting (live teleconference) at

8 p.m., Friday. Dial-in: 218-936-4700, participation code: 47578. The meeting is hosted by former Troy councilmen David Eisenbacher and Dave Lambert. Questions submitted via e-mail to OaklandCountyTeaParty@gmail.com.

— Troy In-person Town Hall Meeting at 3 p.m. Feb. 21 at Northfield Hills Baptist Church at 1800 W. Long Lake Road, Troy. The meeting also is hosted by Eisenbacher and Lambert.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/02/15/news/local_news/doc4b761a0e70def636059378.txt