Jump to content

GR suggests Metro Gov't


Rizzo

A Metro Government?  

100 members have voted

  1. 1. Should the core cities consolidate into a Metro Government?

    • Yes
      80
    • No
      21


Recommended Posts

I'm not sure if you're getting the impression that they're having budget problems because of the crash cost recovery ordinance they implemented recently, but that action was not a response of desperation.

According to a recent Wyoming Advance article, they're actually in pretty good shape financially.

http://www.mlive.com/news/advancenewspaper...xml&coll=10

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 133
  • Created
  • Last Reply

The very reason the city of Wyoming was created in the first place was to spite Grand Rapids. The residents didn't want to be any part of it, or Grandville. Of course now times have changed. I think it would be a very good thing. If residents are worried about schools they shouldn't be. Most larger cities have numerous school districts within their own borders. There may be some consolidation going on, but a Kentwood resident would never have to worry about their child going to Creston. I'd say for it to work take the four inner ring burbs, Wyoming, Walker, Kentwood, Plainfield. Grandville may possibly agree to it, but that city gets so much in commercial revenue from the rivertown corridor there may not be any need. I cannot see EGR signing on to anything like that, since they have placed a giant socio-economic wall between themselves and the "Ghetto" right on the other side of the border. I don't see the outer ring, Cascade, Gaines, Rockford, Cannon, Byron going anywhere near this. It would almost behove them not to. I would think they would benefit being on the border of the larger entity, and would grow because they then become the immediate burbs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am surprised at this but I don't think I would like a giant city that seems like several cities with the same name.

Ideally to me would be if Grand Rapids could just get part of the older more urban areas of the inner ring subburbs of Wyoming and Kentwood mainly a tail-line along divison about 2-4 miles wide also the older alpine corridoor of Walker and an extension up plainfield in that township. Obviously this will probably never happen but I think I would make a much better picture and number of the true urban size and demographics of GR vs. the subburbs.

It would also reduce the other cities to more sqared shapes and maybe meke them connect more as communities like EGR and Grandville, 2 cities that should not be included due to their true downtowns and history as independent cities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Snoogit's five phase, ten year plan for metropolitan consolidation:

Phase I (2008): Combine all municipal road commissions into one system, with all the revenue that funds each one funding a new super commission, along with moving the entire road commission operation from the 16 acre site on market, combine each commission into one super commission site (probably) in Walker.

Phase II (2010): Merge all four water commissions into one entity.

Phase III: (2012): Develop an interurban transit system servicing the area north of 44th st, south of 6 mile rd, west of I-196 and the E beltline, and east of Wilson Ave. (Although including GVSU service to Allendale)

Phase IV (2014): (The four year Phase)

Merger of fire and police departments, transform police department into multiple units and stations and abandon single station police system as it is currently set in Grand Rapids. Have DT police station be main office (offices only, no dispatch) for all four police units (Walker, Wyoming, Kentwood, GR)

Begin process of chainging city government to a Strong Mayor-council government.

Begin construction on new City Hall, with room for equivalent needs of a much larger city.

Final Phase V: (2018): After completion of new City hall, final consolidation of city government into one main government, with semi autonomous "hubs" for each former city. (Places where someone can go to conduct personal business with the city without having to travel to DT City Hall.)

A new Grand Rapids with one mayor, one manager, and one focused vision:

newGR.jpg

the new Grand Rapids.

I hope after all this my geography is alright *eep*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Based on the graphic given by snoogit I'd have to say this may be a good course of action for both the City of Grand Rapids and its immediate surrounding communities, especially Wyoming. The boundaries look just about right to me. I think excluding Grandville was also the right thing to do. Sorry for the lack of insite but I just wanted to voice my possible support for such an initiative. Of course, I would have to hear both sides of the argument in their entirety before making an official decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The city limits of a merged GR including Walker, Grandville, Wyoming, and Kentwood would look somthing like this.

mergedgr9ys.jpg

Also I've got a new city hall that would accomadate a merged GR mayer and company ready to go. The cube shape building to the right is city hall

and the building sitting on the 5/3 arking lot is a new PAC.

calderplazaeastelevatio1ks.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Large, indeed. My estimated figure for population of a merged GR would be 361,292 people. Oh that includes EGR which I forgot to mention in my previous post.

As for city hall, I should have chosen a better image of that to post. Head over the "Grand Visions" thread GRdad started several days back. I have multiple image shots and detailed views of my city hall and renewed Calder Plaza idea over there.

Man, that is a large city. I dont know about the city hall though...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought the whole intent of this proposed merger is to cut costs and consolidate redundant services, not to create a new Rome out of it. If you tell people they are going to have to pay more taxes, and join the city of GR, and then show them a shiny new city hall, they'll go ape-s**t. I do agree that if it were to happen, it would be time to have a full-time mayor.

I'm not a big fan of your Calder Plaza idea either, tamias. Sorry. -_-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought the whole intent of this proposed merger is to cut costs and consolidate redundant services, not to create a new Rome out of it. If you tell people they are going to have to pay more taxes, and join the city of GR, and then show them a shiny new city hall, they'll go ape-s**t. I do agree that if it were to happen, it would be time to have a full-time mayor.

I'm not a big fan of your Calder Plaza idea either, tamias. Sorry. -_-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know many people have said that Grandville should be excluded, I think that EGR should also be excluded for the same reasons. EGR has enough tax revenue to self-support and there is a long historic community there with its own downtown. Adding either of these cities will make people leave those areas. The 3 three other burbs are different, they are newer cities, odd shaped less community togetherness, no CBD, they act more like several differnt towns wraped in a city. If consolidation happened, I wonder if Comstock Park would incorporate? or if GR could get pices of Gaines township along m6 and Division coridoor or plainfield twnship?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would maintaining affected cities as Buroughs work? Even though the metro government would still be where the buck stops, the former cities would still have semi-atonomy enough to maintain identity and character.

I agree...any attempts to annex EGR (or Grandville for similar) reasons would likely be soundly defeated....at least the way things are now.

I don't see any benefits for those 2 communities to join the bigger city. They'd lose property value (in the short-term at least), lose their identity (which is much of why people move there) and likely lose some of the personal services that tiny cities provide (in exchange for nearly-outrageous taxes in EGR).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just don't see it happening. Grandville and EGR are both very strong, stable communities. There would be absolutely no real benefit for them in joining the city of Grand Rapids. I agree with the above statement that many people choose to live in Grandville/EGR b/c they are distinctly different communities from Grand Rapids.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just don't see it happening. Grandville and EGR are both very strong, stable communities. There would be absolutely no real benefit for them in joining the city of Grand Rapids. I agree with the above statement that many people choose to live in Grandville/EGR b/c they are distinctly different communities from Grand Rapids.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds more like "my community is better than yours" statment <_<

Where is the sense of combining for the better good of the entire area? Do you think the bus systems were better or worse in your cities before the ITP was started? There seems to be a greater interest in transit with better riderships, improved conditions, and effiencies today. Would this have happened in all the cities if they were not incorporated in the ITP?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats not what I'm saying at all. I apologize for not being as hard-core urban as some people on this forum but I consider myself a realist and try as you might there will undoubtedly be people who will flat out not care about the "greater interest." They moved away from the city or choose to live elsewhere because they wanted to. I understand the points being made but many people are going to look at this as being nothing more than a group of elitist trying to tell everyone else what is good and right for them.

How easily we forget that towns like Grandville and East Grand Rapids were created entirely seperately from Grand Rapids and at their earliest days even competed with GR to become the prime urban center of the region. People will live where they want to live regardless of what some forum or ivory tower think tank says. Instead of trying to force a market the best things city's can do is use its capital and market forces to its advantages by doing the things GR has done; build condos, improve schools, revitalize primary business cores. People will come, it will just take time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's not what this is about at all (well at least from my viewpoint). The State of Michigan is in dire straits when it comes to tax revenue, and there is no real light at the end of the tunnel for the state's budget woes, and much of that budget shortfall is coming in the form of rapidly decreasing revenue sharing. Why does East Grand Rapids or Grandville need a separate police department than Grand Rapids, with the same layers of bureaucracy and management duplicated when it can be consolidated to cut costs. Same with trash service. Same with a lot of different line items. A lot of services are already shared by different communities and the county. Why not take the next step and make it official?

And if it gives Grand Rapids a bigger voice, or gives the impression of a bigger city, what's the harm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.