Vote No on Mason-Oceana 9-1-1 Millage. Here's Why...

[XLFD]

The headlines scream "Future looks bleak if 911 millage fails" in the Mason County Press, before it leads off with:  "Slower response times and the dispatch center’s eventual closing are on the horizon if next Tuesday’s 911 millage request fails."

The City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) also writes a one-sided article about how badly our 9-1-1 Center needs more money:  "This is our last resort. Further cuts will put the public and responders at risk.”

 

Police Chief Mark Barnett, Sheriff Kim Cole, County Commissioner Candidate Wally Taranko, local 9-1-1 Director Ray Hasil and others tell various anecdotes about what may happen if this effort does not pass, most are akin to apocalyptic tales of terror.

 

I have looked through the hyperbole to check the figures and I can clearly say that you should not vote for this tax levy.  Our 9-1-1 Center already has plenty of money tumbling in, in relation to similar sized counties throughout Michigan.  Two relatively poor county's taxpayers, funding their 9-1-1 Center at the highest level among ten other similar sized counties in Michigan.

Mason and Oceana County have about 55,000 people living residing therein.  Let's compare Mason/Oceana County's 9-1-1 operating expenses with counties that have similar population for their own 9-1-1 services using population data from the latest 2013 population figures.  We will consider all such counties that have populations from 50,000 to 70,000 as of 2013 which includes:

Barry County:         59,097

Cass County:           51,910

Ionia County:          64,703

Isabella County:      70,436

Marquette County:   67,700

Montcalm County:    63,105

St. Joseph County:   60,964

Shiawassee County:  68,900

Tuscola County:       54,263

Mecosta/Osceola:    66,367 and

Mason/Oceana:       54,850

 

Of the ten other counties that have such populations, only two have less population than Mason/Oceana.  One would figure that equivalent populations would have about equal volume of work, about equal expenses, about equal revenue coming in.  But this is not the case, look at the last column in this link from the State 9-1-1 Committee located at the MSP website included thereafter in a link for their 2013 report.

 

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp/2013_Annual_Report_429839_7.pdf

 

These are all of the counties between 50,000 and 70,000 population, and the number one on expenses is the third smallest:  Mason/Oceana County.  Not surprisingly, Cass County, the smallest in population has the smallest expenditures, but those expenditures are less than half of Mason/Oceana.  Which may surprise you since they only have about 6% less people than the two counties. 

 

Marquette County is bigger in area and 25% bigger in population, but spends nearly $700,000 (43%)less than Mason/Oceana on 9-1-1 in this 2013 report.  The 2012 report dealing with the same counties shows little difference in the figures for the most part, but check out the revenues:  it has gone from $1,518,118 in 2011 to $1,681,682 in 2012 in our counties.  That's more than a ten percent increase. 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp/2012_Annual_Report_to_the_Leg...

 

The figures for 2013 (which would be in the 2014 report) are not yet published, but there is obviously a problem here, even if Ray Hasil's worries about cell phone contracts and the number of vacant properties worsen and that money drops off about $50,000 each year until apparently it dries up to nothing, both of which are anecdotal and unproven. 

 

Our 9-1-1 services are already getting more money, often a lot more money, than other similar sized counties, who aren't claiming indigence and hardship and the need to raise taxes from a populace that is well bled already, but are scared about all this talk about their dispatch center closing if this millage is not passed.  If you believe these other counties are functioning well enough, which they seem to be doing, there is no reason to raise the people's tax rates so that ours can get even richer in comparison.

[XLFD]

Thor, I'll let the numbers speak for themselves, for Marquette County and all the other counties that provide more bang for the buck than we seem to get here in Mason/Oceana County. 

Typical rigmarole from the 911 side to spread fear against the uninformed:  "potentially get people killed by spreading miss information about this proposal", "potentially putting citizens, cops, fire fighters, and ems personnel at greater risks if this millage fails". 

It is the task of Ray Hasil and friends to sell this tax hike to the citizens, and we are given what:  vacant houses and prepaid cell phones are killing 911 revenues, when the state reports saying you are doing incredibly fine as far as revenue and exactly no data backing up the $47,000 losses you are claiming for this and future years that will happen because of people switching phone plans and having vacant houses without phones and people, with owners who will now be taxed if this passes even though they're not here. 

As for FOIA requests, let's get serious.  This stuff should have already been available to the public on-line in ready to digest numbers, if anyone makes a FOIA request now, they will get the info back after the election, if at all.  

The problem is that our 911 service is well funded already, which is a good problem, except that now it greedily wants to get richer at the expense of two of Michigan's poorer county's taxpayers. 

 

[Willy]

X, speaking about vacant houses, I'm wondering how much the Ludington elite's decision to demolish a still viable dwelling near the water tower and give away a commercial piece of property to their friends and other sorted deals has affected 911's bottom line. It may not be much but it only shows that they are part of the problem regarding a decrease in revenue.

[Willy]

What Ray fails to realize is that the busy months and non busy months even out when averaged so there really isn't much difference between other non tourist counties. If Ray was correct in his assumptions then it would behoove him to show statistics comparing the tourist season and non tourist season.

[wildfire]

Well they surely don't need any more money i would say vote NO also

[Willy]

X, you have once again made it very clear why towns like Ludington need an independent and fair press. What you have just reported should have been printed in the LDN, MCN and broadcast on the radio stations. Instead we get the usual scare tactics which are the bread and butter of the leftist propaganda tools. Neither the LDN, MCN, local radio have done their homework and have grossly let down the public. Excellent work X and thanks for the information.

[XLFD]

Thanks, Willy.  The sad fact of the matter is that the 911 Board has apparently selected two bugbears as the main culprits:  prepaid cell phones rise in popularity and the amount of seasonal/vacant homes in the county. 

They have shown no data that supports the assertion that prepaid plans are any more popular in Mason/Oceana County than they were in previous years.  I have tried to find any sort of state or national data, but there hasn't been any recent dramatic shift from contract to pre-paid lines.  Our 911 Board appears to be upset with prepaid because the 1.92% 911 tax on these plans goes to the state to be distributed by them, which happens to come back as less than what our county currently charges for contract plans.  Maybe that suggests that our county is charging too much...

Nor have they shown how or why they have lost money over the last few years due to seasonal/vacant homes.  To my knowledge, there is no comprehensive and reliable data on trends of seasonal/vacant homes since 2010, the last Census.  To imply s/v homes are a recently vintage problem is 'problematical'. 

I sense this millage will go more to pay raises, pension plans, and benefits that are already probably amongst the gold standard for your typical county 911 center.

[AQUAMAN]

Well said again Willy. As for Thor = the mythical greek god of Thunder, methinks your newbie attitude to cause chaos here is starting to shine thru, and after just joining yesterday. You perhaps are Gary Johnson, the Director in Nagaunee? The UP? Where hardly anyone resides, and hardly anyone goes for vacations anymore? If so, it makes sense. If not, then who are you? Contrary to your posts of disdain and rudeness towards XLFD, he's on point again, and has done quite a bit of critical research on any thread he posts to. To be rude and threatening just suggests you are simply fishing for trouble, and no one is biting your trash talk bait. Try sticking to the thread and real facts, statistics that back up your talk. In other words, be polite and prove your statements, lest you lose any credibility that you might want to establish here. So far you started out looking fair, that very shortly turned 180 degrees in the opposite direction. 

[Thor]

It upsets me that X is making these statements but since he keeps asking me to provide additional information that is publicly available with simple google query's. He just doesn't seem to be able to find them on his own.. or care to, which I find hard to believe since he is normally extremely thorough in his research.

As I stated when the numbers are broken down they may very well show that the dispatch center doesn't need the millage to operate. If that's true then great!! Let the people know with real facts from the centers budget showing that they are just off to get rich off the people.

However X doesn't seem to have done his most thorough level of research before jumping to that conclusion. As I also stated, the ramifications of him being wrong in this are great enough that I would think as a former first responder he would appreciate  a greater amount of information before taking a stance that could put his friends in greater jeopardy. 

Loki (hey sometimes I like to cause mischief :) )

[Willy]

If Mason county and Oceana county are experiencing the "phone" phenomena then it stands to reason that all the other counties in the State are experiencing the same thing so the question still stands, why the need to raise taxes?

[XLFD]

 Exactly what I was inelegantly trying to convey earlier, Willy without saying it outright.  Also Census records show that Michigan population crested the 28,000 mark in 1998, and have remained in the 28,000s since that time, peaking at 28,882 in 2004 (Mason Co Population graph ). 

Are we to accept the argument from Ray Hasil that vacant houses without working landlines are contributory to declining revenues? 

For myself, I now pay more 9-1-1 charges with the three cell phones in my household than I did back when  I had one landline serving the same people back in the 1990s and early 2000s.  Another admission, I do not have any real property in Mason County, so I am not even arguing this point for my own benefit, but precisely against the gall this 911 Center has to beg our two poor counties (Mason County residents have a household income about $7500 less than the state average, Oceana County $9000 less) for new taxes based on speculative cuts in their future which they say are caused by phone plans and seasonal houses. 

And all this when they can seemingly claim to already be the best remunerated 911 Center of their size in the state.  Here's an idea:  Overtaxing leads to more vacant houses and people changing their phone plans to avoid excessive fees/taxes.

[Thor]

The $300,000 spike in non operating revenue in 2010 is due to a grant they received. 

2009-'10 = 6% decline 

'10-'11 = 2% decline

'11-'12 = 3% decline

'12-'13 = 3% decline

State of Michigan <-- for those who are Google challenged :)

[Willy]

Thor

You haven't presented any information that counteracts X's statements. The chart above says nothing about the need to raise our taxes. Please post your proof that X is wrong and you are right. According to your chart there is a difference of $125,000 from 2009 to 2013 in total revenues. I'll tell you what the problem is. 911 was spoiled by the bountiful year of 2010 when they received a glut of extra cash so they're trying to recapture that year of bliss. If they would have hung on to that extra cash to cover lower revenues years then we wouldn't be having this conversation. Instead they blew it and now we must pay for it. That is not sufficient reason to levy more taxes on the public. I would suggest the Counties tighten their belts a little just like the rest of us have had to do with our budgets.