Ludington City Council June 14, 2021: Keys and Kitsch

[XLFD]

The June 14th edition of Ludington City Council meetings featured a mostly ceremonial docket of activities honoring former councilors and an organization along with several first presentations, heralding a busy agenda in two weeks.  

Nevertheless, the meeting lasted about an hour and a half and had some extended discussions over topics not normally had by the current council.  History may remember this meeting more for it being the initial discussions to create a charter commission, a process of reviewing the charter by a group of citizens and voting on whether to accept the recommendations of that committee.  City Manager Mitch Foster brought this up near the end of the meeting in a report, and after a bit of discussion, the council looked favorably towards doing this for the first time in about 30 years.

The bulk of ink used on the agenda had to deal with first presentations of ordinances dealing with tax levies and millage rates, a normal bit of business in June/July for Ludington.  It has been a while since this had been less than routine as an agenda item, but it's a big deal once again because the operating millage faces a significant Headlee rollback which city government wants to minimize.  I will discuss this in more detail next week, since this will affect local taxpayers considerably, but here's the general numbers as a start.

A truth in taxation hearing is being held to 'save' some of this lost tax revenue, lost only because the tax revenue would exceed the prior year's taxes more than the inflation rate.  According to the City's figuring and Clerk Luskin, the local property taxes will be raised on average a little more than $70.  Operations/garbage refuse millages are expected to raise $90,000 more than they did this year.  The millage rate would still go down, but if the City approves their own rates at the hearing on June 28th, they will take that extra $90,000 from taxpayers.  

It's always easy for city hall to rationalize that they can use that money better than you can, yet they never do.  This change will effectively raise local taxes for the average taxpayer by about 7% ($1000 --> $1070), and provide $90,000 extra for a city budget already bloated by a stimulus check that was nine times that amount!  The time is ripe for you to get in touch with your councilors and ask why they think they deserve your money more than you do.  Tell your neighbors that have been hit hard by our government's oppressive coronavirus actions.

I didn't touch on this aspect, since I hoped the councilors would discuss the tax hike during the first presentation, they did and not a one of them expressed any concerns about how this would affect the citizens.  If you observe the meeting's video, shown below, they hadn't one worry about how the average citizen would feel losing $70 more to their local government, only a wistful look on their collective faces that they would get $90,000 more in free money.  It's very pathetic, but my message went around that issue, even though it touched on many topics:

XLFD: (2:00 in) "Congratulations to the four former city councilors who are going to be given keys to the city tonight, hopefully they won't change the lock on you if you should try to use it in the future.  I especially want to commend two.

Fifth Ward Councilor Serna represented her constituents and the citizens of Ludington first, bringing a refreshing two year era of openness, integrity and accountability at a level I've never seen before in a city councilor.  Sixth Ward Councilor Bourgette brought another level of humanity to the position, sometimes taking a courageous stance versus the majority due to his beliefs and projecting a friendly demeanor whenever I ran into him in public, despite being a named party on a lawsuit I have ongoing with the City.  I hope this council can find and choose a 6th ward replacement with the best features of David and Angela.

I ask the council through their public safety committee to reconsider the diagonal parking put in last year at the end of Ludington Avenue.  The seven diagonal parking spaces created was recently found to be the same number of parking spaces that you would have if you offered parallel parking there to trailer-less vehicles.  The safety issues the diagonal parking creates for all road-users is not worth the parking convenience.

Speaking of parking, the two off-street parking lots east and west of the courthouse remain unstriped.  These two lots that can hold about 40 cars each, should have space for two handicapped spots each.  They could both have two adjacent van-accessible parking spaces which would effectively remove only one regular parking space, the same that would happen if you created only one handicap space [editor's note: as the council approved earlier this year).  Please do this right so disabled folks can get justice at the courthouse.

Speaking of courthouses and justice, be sure to honk for justice and accountability when you go past the peaceful protest being waged at that venue.  When hardened, violent criminals can be released on a pittance to terrorize those they have already victimized, we have to reconsider the broken system that allowed it to happen.  Your child or grandchild could have been the victim.  Thanks. [END of comment]

In true humility, Angela Serna was not there to accept her key and offer platitudes and homilies to a council that chastised her twice, but David Bourgette was.  He accepted the key to the city and praised several officials, figured he missed some to praise when he got up at the end of the meeting to thank others.  The kowtowing to city officials only showed where his true loyalties lay, which is unfortunate but suspected since he was originally appointed by them and didn't run opposed last year (with help from city officials and covid protocols) which led to insulation from his constituents.

Neither of the two parking concerns were addressed by the end of the meeting in any way, not even an update, and none of the councilors would touch the courthouse protest as either a good or bad thing for the community.  Besides Bourgette's thank-a-thon, there was no other public comment.

In other business, the council approved a partial alley closure in the alley behind Luciano's to the Mitten Bar using the plant boxes they used last year to 'connect' James Street for barriers.  They approved a mechanism from MERS in order to gain some control over their growing pension liability debt which is getting close to the 60% mark currently (62%), which will require a bit of paperwork to justify it to the state.  

They made a resolution of appreciation to Lake Michigan Carferry, with three former officials of that outfit there to accept, they also honored Will Flewelling by proclamation and support for the 2021 Childhood Cancer Campaign Lemonade Stands.  

It was revealed at the meeting that Legacy Park should be ready by June 28th, that the ongoing zoning disputes with the Kolfages and their Summer's Inn business continued with a ticket being dismissed against the business, and the City preparing to do something new to pester and harass them (without using that actual language, naturally).  CM Foster noted that there may be several million dollars in railroad maintenance and construction for the railroad tracks coming into the City and supplying transportation service of materials for Oxychem and others.  

[Willy]

Another concise report X. Thanks. One would think that a 7% raise in taxes would bristle some citizens but no. They keep voting the same money grabbers into office with nary a blink. My best wishes to Angela Serna who fought the good fight, but it shows just how difficult it is to defeat the shadows from the underbelly of politics.