Revolutionary Ideas 1: City Council Reform

[XLFD]

This is the first of a series of initiatives and policies I, Tom Rotta, plan to work on if I get elected to the City Councilor at-large position this fall by the electorate.

 

Each member of the City Council has been severely overpaid since 1994.  The City Code/Charter that was signed in 1992 had a clause in it that had each CC being paid $50 per year, with the mayor getting $300, as well as saying that these could not be raised except through ordinance, that is explained here   So... Why   with the old budget showing a increase of $700 for wages up to $22,000 for the next two years and then its increase to its current total of $30,000 ( for CC and the Mayor) in the comments.  According to John Shay, the FOIA Coordinator, there has been no ordinance doing so.

 

As I see it, the City Councilor's are being paid by the City Treasurer an illegal amount, a form of public extortion   Extortion by Public Officers  which is a misdemeanor.  I have pointed this out numerable times on here and via E-mail to our Ludington public officers, and they could care less-- they do not respond.  Now, I don't think we need to have State law enforcement leading them off in cuffs one of these upcoming City Council meetings, but they have stolen over $500,000 from the public coffers in those 18 years, without even adjusting for inflation. 

 

One of my first motions will be to put this fact in the public record and state that I will receive no more than $50 per annum for my service, as per the law.  I would expect the three other new councilors to do this as well, and as for the Mayor and the other three-- I would hope they had already made such concessions, and began a process of repaying the money they got illegally.  The Mayor himself owes $45,000, as he has been overpaid $4500 for 10 years.  

 

These are public servants-- so they will be tight with the money they think they deserve by dint of their office, so they and prior CC officeholders will likely be reluctant to do so.  If that happens, I will strive to begin an investigation as per section 6.5, and hold these people accountable for their theft even if I have to rely on the State.

 

The extra $29,300 in savings for each year hereafter could be used to fund a lifeguard program and/or go into the general fund, while the eventual repayment of the $500,000 could go to the sidewalk installment fund, which has been neglected for so long.

 

A more popular reform among the City Council will be to eliminate one or two City Council seats, including my own.  Ludington is a community of around 8000 people and by the Fourth Class City Act, we really should only have five wards.   MCL 83.2.  likewise, each ward should have equal representation  MCL 117.3 (e)   Now since we already have six wards, we could keep them as they are, and to maintain equal representation we should eliminate the superfluous at-large seat. 

 

Or we could re-plat the wards into five so they more evenly distribute the population than they once did.  Certain wards have grew and some have shrunk.  But this would cost some money to implement, so if the rest of the CC are lukewarm to this concept, I think eliminating the at-large seat is at least one more way to make City Hall more efficient.  I would plan on serving my one term though and getting my $200!

 

Other Revolutionary Ideas are forthcoming that would affect the City Council, but these are two that should be considered in their own right for that group. 

[Marty Redman]

Are you saying that the city councilors are actually avoiding answering why they are getting paid more than what they are supposed to get?  That's messed up.  Hasn't that one who's been on here recently (Wendy?) said anything at all? 

[AQUAMAN]

It's Wanda Marty, just for clarification, and no, I haven't seen her comments on that issue, or else I missed it. Seems like a "shut up and hush, it's our money, not yours" situation exists, just as you could expect after all that's happened and been uncovered in recent years. Like right under everyone's noses, as if anyone would care or get involved due to LOT's, and other intimidating trick-shot tactics useful and made legal by a City Manager of recent. Bottom line is, our local elected officials aren't supposed to be in this game/public service primarily for monetary reward alone; it's duty, respect, loyalty, and allegiance to the public good that has been the cornerstones of previous public servants of days gone by. I just guess that notion is old fashioned and obsolete nowadays. As for respect for the local taxpayers, that surely is a lost notion as evidenced by almost all the recent ordinances, fee increases, restrictions on personal rights, spending like drunken sailors on tourist related programs, and the list is endless. Messed up? Yeah, that's an understatement of huge magnitude for sure Marty.