Challenges

[shinblind]

Here is the portion of the listing from the Michigan Municipal League for the challenges the  Ludington City Manager will face.

Challenges

While the city manager will have many opportunities, there are some challenges. These include:

• Funding of Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB)

• Employment opportunities to allow people to return back to their home town of Ludington

• Monitoring of pension liabilities if returns and assumptions change

• Maintaining/increasing tax base and revenue

• Evaluating infrastructure needs (roads, water, sewer, and sidewalks) and the ability to pay for needed improvements

• Working to ensure the city continues to provide good health care

• Protecting the character of the small town community and adhering to its standards

• Addressing housing shortage and affordability of housing

• Maintaining high standards for property maintenance and effectively dealing with blight issues

Assuming they are listed in the order of importance how well do you think these align with the concerns of the voters of Ludington?

[XLFD]

These are at the top of my challenges list. Not.
This list looks to be prepared by somebody who writes state and federal grants for a living. It does not reflect the concerns felt by many. I see these challenges:
- keeping tax, fee, and utility rates under control so that Ludington does not face the dilemma that Scottville is facing, where people cannot afford to live in the city limits.
- keeping citizens informed of what is happening well ahead of time, rather than springing it on them the weekend before it gets voted on.
- Using non-existent crises like the 'housing shortage' to justify rental inspections (which worsened things) and corporate tax giveaways to developers, while pooh-poohing real crises of alerting those connected to the City's water supply with the city's century-old lead goosenecks and joints poisoning their home's water supply.
This is just a partial list, the concerns the city lists above are just a way for the grant-writer to control the scope of the next manager

[AQUAMAN]

X, I certainly feel you hit the nail much more accurately on these subject matters than the MML did by far. It's these kind of agencies and grant people that have put the COL in the current positions we are in now, and with the mental attitudes that attach as well.

[Freedom Seeker]

I noticed that they way these goals are listed are in importance mostly for the employees ... Pensions, health care, but infrastructure is mentioned and maintaining small town atmosphere is a good one. Wonder who submitted that?