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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


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Okay here are the revised #'s for my aforementioned Ottawa Co. Township/City consolidation:

Holland (City of Holland, Holland Township, Park Township): 81,538

Grand Haven (City of Grand Haven, City of Ferrysburg, Village of Spring Lake, Spring Lake Township, GH Township): 43,140

*This number is a little skewed b/c I really wouldn't include all of GH Twp, only its northern fringe which is more densley populated.*

Georgetown Township: 41,658

Zeeland (City of Zeeland, Zeeland Township): 13,418

Allendale Township: 13,042

Hudsonville (City of Hudsonville, Jamestown Township): 12,222

Tallmadge Township: 6,881

Coopersville (City of Coopersville, Polkton Township): 6,245

Blendon Township: 5,721

Robinson Township: 5,588

Olive Township: 4,691

Crockery Township: 3,782

Wright Township: 3,286

Chester Township: 2,315

Back to the topic though........GR consolidation.

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I still feel like we're looking for solutions unrelated to the problems that caused them.

If we turn around the economy and force the state to return to the levels of revenue sharing promised under the original agreements, we're looking at urban budget surpluses instead of claiming Township X (populated with folks who probably moved there expressly to avoid the "big city") should become part of GR-Proper.

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I disagree. With the current laws and land use policies being set up against cities since the 50's or 60's, I think all kinds of creative ideas need to be thought up for central cities. It's sure easy to tell a city they need to turn themselves around, but there is nothing cities can do with everything being stacked against them besides ridiculous tax breaks to even compete with their surrounding suburbs, which, again, work as tax havens.

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Right now thers just too much government, for too few people.

Already in the township I grew up in, the fire department is shared with another township, and policing is handled by Ottawa County. the question becomes, why aren't these two townships just one and the same? Why not merge into one? Then take it a step further, merge with Walker, and get rid of the township entirely. (Honestly IMPO things would get better if they did just get it over with and merge with Walker) Theres so many instances where this makes sense here in GR< not for "A bigger city metropolitan area" but for consolidation and budget relief.

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As much as I'd like to see some major reorganization done of local administrative divisions like what was done in say, Ontario in Canada, it would take a Democratic governor, democratic senate, and democratic house for it to ever even be considered. We've only got two of the three, and even then it's not a sure bet.

That, or place it to a public referendum, a device to which I'm almost totally opposed to as its shown itself to miss more than it hits for the people.

What is required until then is education on the positives and negatives. This would have to be a grass-roots movement. That's the only way it could work, and really the only way I'd like to see it work.

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As much as I'd like to see some major reorganization done of local administrative divisions like what was done in say, Ontario in Canada, it would take a Democratic governor, democratic senate, and democratic house for it to ever even be considered. We've only got two of the three, and even then it's not a sure bet.

That, or place it to a public referendum, a device to which I'm almost totally opposed to as its shown itself to miss more than it hits for the people.

What is required until then is education on the positives and negatives. This would have to be a grass-roots movement. That's the only way it could work, and really the only way I'd like to see it work.

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"a public referendum, a device to which I'm almost totally opposed to as its shown itself to miss more than it hits for the people."

GOD forbid Those pesky voters Get what they actually want.

I am in favor of a merger of GR and surrounding area,

However they did try this with EGR before and it was

VOTED down by the pesky voters. I don't see what

EGR would gain from a merger, But thats not to say

other areas could not.

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How long ago did they try it in EGR?

I don't think you'd even get the signatures to put it on the ballot nowadays.

Anyway, the problem I see with the entire concept is that it's not just whining township residents...it's the fact that city budgets are in the toilet while townships are doing fine-thank-you.

No, it's not fair. Yes, the burden on cities is clearly higher (hence their budget problems) but to tell anyone in even GR Township that they are all of a sudden going to be saddled with the problems of GR-proper is ludicrous. It will never happen until the city has its own house in order.

Heck, read that GR Press opinion article posted a few stops back... it's not advocating for the elimination of Kentwood/Walker (which is definitely the prevailing opinion on this forum) it's advocating for the combination of some services (its chief example is allowing county staff to collect city taxes for all communities within). That's not exactly a revolution. It's just good business sense.

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How long ago did they try it in EGR?

I don't think you'd even get the signatures to put it on the ballot nowadays.

Anyway, the problem I see with the entire concept is that it's not just whining township residents...it's the fact that city budgets are in the toilet while townships are doing fine-thank-you.

No, it's not fair. Yes, the burden on cities is clearly higher (hence their budget problems) but to tell anyone in even GR Township that they are all of a sudden going to be saddled with the problems of GR-proper is ludicrous. It will never happen until the city has its own house in order.

Heck, read that GR Press opinion article posted a few stops back... it's not advocating for the elimination of Kentwood/Walker (which is definitely the prevailing opinion on this forum) it's advocating for the combination of some services (its chief example is allowing county staff to collect city taxes for all communities within). That's not exactly a revolution. It's just good business sense.

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I'm just curious what parts of the city's house are "not in order"?

I don't think the townships' full coffers have as much to do with them being "wise spenders" as it does with them being the recipients of growth and increased tax revenue that comes with it. They have plenty of land to go around.

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The article and the piece by WOODTV had nothing to do with the schools. Only the opinion piece that Rizzo posted mentioned consolidated schools, and that idea would die at the door. GRPS is a separate entity from the city of GR, just like Forest Hills is separate from Kentwood, GR Twp, Ada Twp and Cascade Twp, etc..
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Thank you. This is not to mention that townships don't have to shoulder the burden of urban problems. Cities have become dumping grounds to the homeless and chronically poor. I'd like to see how East Grand Rapids (or any other suburb) would fair if it had to shoulder even half the burden that Grand Rapids, does.
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Hmmm.... let me see.... merging local township or city control with the rampant incompetence of Kent County? Not interested. The Road Commission has already established such antiquated and out-of-touch policies that we'd seen even worse sprawl and even less appropriate development styles. Their history of old-boy-network appointments, overpaid and underperforming committees, their mismanagement of PDR and their obvious internal conflicts are something we do not need infiltrating every fiber of every township's or every city's existence.

Until I see truly competent behavior in the "democratically elected" but "functionally corrupt" leadership of the largest units of government in the metro - I will remain firmly opposed to any mergers. For what it does manage to accomplish, the GVMC serves some of this purpose already.

Another point worthy of serious consideration: smaller units of government are much more nimble when it comes to decision making (I know, I know, no governmental unit is nimble)... but the larger a municipality becomes, the more it is burdened by complexity and bureaucracy - - and eventually corruption. One needs only look at our Fed Govt to see hundreds of examples of "big" not being "better". A local example I can speak to first hand: if we waited for GR to get its "metro-wide" sewer system properly equipped to handle the current, let alone the future, demands of the metro area, we'd probably see every form of life relying on the Grand River die first. Hence, the NKSA chose to act more swiftly (because, as a smaller unit with a huge vested interest in river health, it could) and thus they could pursue a very near term solution that will dramatically reduce the impact of sewage for everyone downstream all the way to Grand Haven. Again, I'm not willing to sacrifice urgency for "perceived" efficiency.

Then again, merging SOME common services that are not politically charged seems a worthwhile research project. I'd be in favor of streamlining those services or expenses that are most blatantly duplicated across all units of govt.

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