Revolutionary Ideas 3: Back OFF City Hall!

[XLFD]

This is another acronym, I do so like acronyms.  Back OFF means 'Back Only Fundamental Functions'.

 

This is an initiative that reflects the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method of doing things.  The State of Michigan has a 100+ year old act called the Home Rule City Act of 1909.  This act describes the basic powers the State of Michigan bestows on a 'City' to provide for its own governance.  Of course, this has been modified many times since, and gives a basic template for how to construct a charter and other municipal duties. 

 

But by dint of its size, the State also has another older act which describes the make-up of Ludington's governance and structure called the  Fourth Class City Act of 1895. 

 

These two acts taken together basically describe what we should be having as a governing body and why it should be working for the benefit of those who live in the City of Ludington and even those who visit here, but what we have gotten is far from what these envision.

 

Just this year, we started with automatic raises of the water and sewer rates without a vote of the council after they raised it by 19% and 8% the previous year, we then got Ordinance 223-10 which made connection to the City water supply mandatory (meaning you had to buy their water or else) and piggy-backed onto Ordinance 220-10 which had this invasive section:

A policeman expecting you of murdering someone needs to get a warrant to enter your house to search, a City representative has been given the right to do so without a warrant to check your pipes, and if you refuse such unconstitutional powers, they can then decide you are guilty.  This should anger any American.

 

They then pass a law that allows any city employee or officer to disallow someone from entering any city property via the Workplace Safety Policy, and immediately use it on someone who has already claimed to run for City Councilor and is implicating City officers of serious wrongdoing on his watchblog with public records.  As Mayor Henderson would say, 'let's move forward!'

 

We then had our taxes raised once again for the fourth year in a row by having Truth in Taxation hearings to offset Headley rollbacks that occur naturally to protect property owners during times when their real estate values head south.  The people's fortunes dwindle, so should the governments. 

 

Next we had complex restructuring (4 pages) of park laws including ones we never had before, like a ban on glass containers in all city parks.  They can't possibly convey all this on park signs to everyone, so what we have is a lot of either unenforceable laws or nuisance tickets. 

 

Now we have been discussing a Cat and Bird feeding ban for two months that has no reason for being, and was never developed for any documented problem with either birds or cats.

 

If any of these toxic (for the people) ordinances comes in front of me, I will fight them with every ounce of my being as a City Councilor.  And if time permits, I will bring a sizable list of already-passed useless ordinances passed against the good of the people that this administration has burdened us with and seek their repeal.  With up to three other new City Councilors and a popular mandate, I just may be able to do something...  Back OFF, City Hall!