LMich
07-16-2007, 08:01 AM
I hope something actually comes of this most recent push for municipal reform, something Michigan's been needing for decades, now. I think we're a very rare case of too much devolution of power. It's time to get things back in balance, and that means taking back some of the power our suburban-fleeing politicians gave township government back during the drafting of the 1963 Michigan Constitution. It is a joke, as someone in the article mentions, that townships are treated like second-class citizens. They've been treated as municipal kings.
Also, don't miss the gem about who the townships hired for their propoganda: Wendell Cox
Link (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070716/POLITICS/707160353)
Townships fight push to merge
Consolidation plan won't save money, officials say
July 16, 2007
Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Local officials are fighting state pressure to combine services, saying consolidation may actually bloat government costs, rather than shrink them.
Consolidation is being floated by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, House Speaker Andy Dillon and the House Democratic majority as part of their efforts to streamline government and save money. They are pushing legislation that could take the first steps toward combining school districts and restricting townships' authority.
"Township government is probably the most efficient form of government there is," said York Charter Township Supervisor Joe Zurawski. "Typically, they're staffed by part-time people without any benefits."
Zurawski is among those who say the consolidation movement is a misdirected effort to eliminate the state's most basic level of governance. He is "vehemently opposed" to legislation that would put counties in charge of three township functions: tax assessing, elections and property tax collection.
It applies to townships with fewer than 20,000 residents and would remove key duties from 95 percent of the state's 1,242 townships, according to the Michigan Townships Association.
Colleen Schwartz, clerk of Oakland County's Milford Township, said the legislation treats township residents -- more than half of Michigan's 10 million residents -- as "second-class citizens."
"People voted us into office. We're the grass roots," she said. "That's what people want. Seniors come in and pay their taxes in cash. I don't think they're going to want to go 25 miles to Pontiac to do that."
If the legislation passes, Cheryl Hochstein has a message for Milford Township leaders: Don't even think of consolidating.
"We would certainly fight it," she said.
Township residents have fewer services, Hochstein acknowledged -- but also lower taxes. They dig their own wells, contract for gas. Hochstein, 56, has lived in the township since the 1970s and said a merger would likely cost her more.
"We would never, ever want to consolidate the township," she said.
Neither those advocating merger nor those opposing it have put a price tag on the plan.
A House bill also is pending to force local school districts and each county's intermediate school district -- the umbrella agency that provides support services to local districts -- to devise plans for combining operations. That could result in sharing such functions as computer services, payroll and busing. A companion bill would dictate that all districts in a county must adhere to the same school-year calendar.
Granholm: It's a money saver
Granholm began beating the consolidation drum in her State of the State address in February.
"Consolidation of services makes sense, and it saves money," Granholm said. "And whether it's by using a carrot or a stick, we are going to make it happen."
Her weapon of choice: revenue sharing. "Cities and townships that want to see their revenue sharing increase this year will need to show us they are sharing services or consolidating with other units of government to save taxpayers money," the governor said.
The bills are given a fair chance of winning passage. An aide to Rep. Paul Condino, a Southfield Democrat and key sponsor, says the proposals will likely receive committee attention once lawmakers wrap up work on the new state budget.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, while not endorsing the Democratic measures, is interested if it saves money.
Former state Rep. Maxine Berman, head of Michigan's Centers for Regional Excellence, said such streamlining should be a no-brainer. Her tax-funded agency was created from Granholm's belief that regionalizing government services is crucial to the state's future.
"The ultimate goal is to have something more in the way of a countywide form of government," Berman said.
"I don't think anybody in any township worries about the address they put on the envelope when they send in their tax payments."
But townships chafe at the idea of giving up their authority. They claim consolidation would be costly, time-consuming and -- most of all -- futile. And savings from school consolidation would be relatively modest, according to a report by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank. In fact, breaking up excessively big districts could save much more than combining small ones, the Mackinac Center said.
The Townships Association hired Illinois-based demographer Wendell Cox to study consolidation. Among his findings: Smaller is more efficient and cheaper. Per-capita local government spending in Michigan is 16 percent below the national average, and small units of government, in general, spend less per resident than do larger governmental units. The suggestion is that costs would rise with consolidation.
"Consolidating local governments is far too complex to be accomplished by state fiat," Townships Association Executive Director Larry Merrill said in releasing Cox's findings. "Disparities in taxation and tax bases, legacy costs and other incurred debts, disposition of assets, accountability and citizen alienation are factors that would have to be addressed by every community considering altering its existing local government structure."
Merrill warned that residents "should expect local taxes to increase significantly" if services are consolidated.
It's voluntary for schools
School officials feel less threatened by consolidation talk because the pending legislation asks them to voluntarily find ways to economize. The chief sponsor, Democratic Rep. Tim Melton of Auburn Hills, said local leaders, ideally, will decide on their own what to combine, once they see what's possible.
"They may come to the conclusion that -- now that we're sharing all this stuff -- maybe we don't need all these separate school districts. But let them decide," Melton said.
The Michigan Association of School Boards has set up a task force to look into consolidation pros and cons.
"What we're telling our members is, based on the economy out there, it's going to be a big issue," said Donald Wotruba, the group's legislative affairs director. "If we can help craft the discussion, it's going to be better than having something dropped on us."
Townships, on the other hand, believe they're being targeted, since the House bill seeks to remove their three main duties.
"Why is this legislation drafted to deal with tax collections, elections and assessing?" asked David Bertram, legislative manager for the townships association. "It doesn't mention fire protection. That's by far the most expensive service we perform."
In fact, it's already common for townships to share fire departments and numerous other services. Many contract with county sheriff's offices for police protection. Some coordinate planning and zoning.
"We're in the best position to know where we're going to get the best bang for the buck, and we're doing it today," said Pat Kelly, supervisor of Washtenaw County's Dexter Township.
"I'm not opposed to regional cooperation. I'm all for it. But it's already happening where it makes sense."
A Michigan State University Extension study published this year showed the greatest savings, as much as $100 million over five to seven years, would come from additional sharing of fire equipment and personnel. MSU reported that 20 percent of governments already share fire protection services.
A county takeover of assessing, tax collection and elections "is not likely to save money," said Eric Scorsone, co-director of MSU Extension's state and local government program.
And if services are unequal in merging communities, one of two things would happen: Services would have to be beefed up in the lesser township, or scaled back in the community that is accustomed to more.
Condino, the bill's sponsor, said such discussion is healthy.
"I happen to believe it's good public policy to start the debate on consolidation," he said. "It seems to me the debate's started."
Detroit News staff writer Mike Wilkinson contributed to this report. You can reach Gary Heinlein at (517) 371-3660 or gheinlein@detnews.com.
Also, don't miss the gem about who the townships hired for their propoganda: Wendell Cox
Link (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070716/POLITICS/707160353)
Townships fight push to merge
Consolidation plan won't save money, officials say
July 16, 2007
Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Local officials are fighting state pressure to combine services, saying consolidation may actually bloat government costs, rather than shrink them.
Consolidation is being floated by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, House Speaker Andy Dillon and the House Democratic majority as part of their efforts to streamline government and save money. They are pushing legislation that could take the first steps toward combining school districts and restricting townships' authority.
"Township government is probably the most efficient form of government there is," said York Charter Township Supervisor Joe Zurawski. "Typically, they're staffed by part-time people without any benefits."
Zurawski is among those who say the consolidation movement is a misdirected effort to eliminate the state's most basic level of governance. He is "vehemently opposed" to legislation that would put counties in charge of three township functions: tax assessing, elections and property tax collection.
It applies to townships with fewer than 20,000 residents and would remove key duties from 95 percent of the state's 1,242 townships, according to the Michigan Townships Association.
Colleen Schwartz, clerk of Oakland County's Milford Township, said the legislation treats township residents -- more than half of Michigan's 10 million residents -- as "second-class citizens."
"People voted us into office. We're the grass roots," she said. "That's what people want. Seniors come in and pay their taxes in cash. I don't think they're going to want to go 25 miles to Pontiac to do that."
If the legislation passes, Cheryl Hochstein has a message for Milford Township leaders: Don't even think of consolidating.
"We would certainly fight it," she said.
Township residents have fewer services, Hochstein acknowledged -- but also lower taxes. They dig their own wells, contract for gas. Hochstein, 56, has lived in the township since the 1970s and said a merger would likely cost her more.
"We would never, ever want to consolidate the township," she said.
Neither those advocating merger nor those opposing it have put a price tag on the plan.
A House bill also is pending to force local school districts and each county's intermediate school district -- the umbrella agency that provides support services to local districts -- to devise plans for combining operations. That could result in sharing such functions as computer services, payroll and busing. A companion bill would dictate that all districts in a county must adhere to the same school-year calendar.
Granholm: It's a money saver
Granholm began beating the consolidation drum in her State of the State address in February.
"Consolidation of services makes sense, and it saves money," Granholm said. "And whether it's by using a carrot or a stick, we are going to make it happen."
Her weapon of choice: revenue sharing. "Cities and townships that want to see their revenue sharing increase this year will need to show us they are sharing services or consolidating with other units of government to save taxpayers money," the governor said.
The bills are given a fair chance of winning passage. An aide to Rep. Paul Condino, a Southfield Democrat and key sponsor, says the proposals will likely receive committee attention once lawmakers wrap up work on the new state budget.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, while not endorsing the Democratic measures, is interested if it saves money.
Former state Rep. Maxine Berman, head of Michigan's Centers for Regional Excellence, said such streamlining should be a no-brainer. Her tax-funded agency was created from Granholm's belief that regionalizing government services is crucial to the state's future.
"The ultimate goal is to have something more in the way of a countywide form of government," Berman said.
"I don't think anybody in any township worries about the address they put on the envelope when they send in their tax payments."
But townships chafe at the idea of giving up their authority. They claim consolidation would be costly, time-consuming and -- most of all -- futile. And savings from school consolidation would be relatively modest, according to a report by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank. In fact, breaking up excessively big districts could save much more than combining small ones, the Mackinac Center said.
The Townships Association hired Illinois-based demographer Wendell Cox to study consolidation. Among his findings: Smaller is more efficient and cheaper. Per-capita local government spending in Michigan is 16 percent below the national average, and small units of government, in general, spend less per resident than do larger governmental units. The suggestion is that costs would rise with consolidation.
"Consolidating local governments is far too complex to be accomplished by state fiat," Townships Association Executive Director Larry Merrill said in releasing Cox's findings. "Disparities in taxation and tax bases, legacy costs and other incurred debts, disposition of assets, accountability and citizen alienation are factors that would have to be addressed by every community considering altering its existing local government structure."
Merrill warned that residents "should expect local taxes to increase significantly" if services are consolidated.
It's voluntary for schools
School officials feel less threatened by consolidation talk because the pending legislation asks them to voluntarily find ways to economize. The chief sponsor, Democratic Rep. Tim Melton of Auburn Hills, said local leaders, ideally, will decide on their own what to combine, once they see what's possible.
"They may come to the conclusion that -- now that we're sharing all this stuff -- maybe we don't need all these separate school districts. But let them decide," Melton said.
The Michigan Association of School Boards has set up a task force to look into consolidation pros and cons.
"What we're telling our members is, based on the economy out there, it's going to be a big issue," said Donald Wotruba, the group's legislative affairs director. "If we can help craft the discussion, it's going to be better than having something dropped on us."
Townships, on the other hand, believe they're being targeted, since the House bill seeks to remove their three main duties.
"Why is this legislation drafted to deal with tax collections, elections and assessing?" asked David Bertram, legislative manager for the townships association. "It doesn't mention fire protection. That's by far the most expensive service we perform."
In fact, it's already common for townships to share fire departments and numerous other services. Many contract with county sheriff's offices for police protection. Some coordinate planning and zoning.
"We're in the best position to know where we're going to get the best bang for the buck, and we're doing it today," said Pat Kelly, supervisor of Washtenaw County's Dexter Township.
"I'm not opposed to regional cooperation. I'm all for it. But it's already happening where it makes sense."
A Michigan State University Extension study published this year showed the greatest savings, as much as $100 million over five to seven years, would come from additional sharing of fire equipment and personnel. MSU reported that 20 percent of governments already share fire protection services.
A county takeover of assessing, tax collection and elections "is not likely to save money," said Eric Scorsone, co-director of MSU Extension's state and local government program.
And if services are unequal in merging communities, one of two things would happen: Services would have to be beefed up in the lesser township, or scaled back in the community that is accustomed to more.
Condino, the bill's sponsor, said such discussion is healthy.
"I happen to believe it's good public policy to start the debate on consolidation," he said. "It seems to me the debate's started."
Detroit News staff writer Mike Wilkinson contributed to this report. You can reach Gary Heinlein at (517) 371-3660 or gheinlein@detnews.com.
