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Its Voting Day Today


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Not everyone is supporting the BRT, and "The City of Grand Rapids is trying to be a sustainable city, lets support them by voting for infrastructure that would accomodate this" is completely subjective.

Maybe this works better: The People of the City of Grand Rapids and adjacent areas are trying to financially hang on, and look for one less reason to leave Michigan, let's support them by voting for these people to see less money siphoned out of their pockets in property taxes on homes that keep losing their value, by showing them that their finances are more important than a bus for S. Division. You cant have a sustainable city unless people feel that they aren't looked at as a source of green to fund every wild idea under the guise of being "green". Mass-transit is wonderful, but the mass self-deportation of people and families out of the area should be a bigger concern.

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Thank you. Property Values are about the only means that these cities can hang on. City Manager Holt for Wyoming just put together the budget and with the Revenue Sharing being cut again its not looking good.

Here is some info on Revenue Sharing. In 1974 the state went to the cities and said we will raise the sales tax and provide a portion of that tax to help fund your cities as long as you get rid these small millages like inventory and what not. Needless to say it has worked well until 2001. By that point there is two types of Revenue Sharing, Constituntional which can not be cut ever, and Statutory. Statutory is being cut as much as Constituntional rises. So even though Revenue sharing should increase each year because the general rise in prices it has stayed the same or gone down each year for the cities. Since this is a signifacant portion of the revenue for the cities any cuts to that means cuts to services. To get you an idea the City of Wyoming figures they have lost over 20 million since 2002. In the same amount of time that would have paid for fire department to what it would need to be and help support the police department better as well as keeping the city having checks and balances on many items. For the cities, the way they can now increase revenue to pay for increasing costs of having employees and more regulations it is by property values increasing at much higher rates than what it normally would raise by. As such this BRT line is the only means outside of taking raw land and converting it to massive developments. That is why it is essential to vote Yes on this.

By voting Yes we are providing every land developer any option of building. We have off freeway developmental land available, we also have downtown land available, we have regular suburb land availble, and if this passes we have high density mass transit land available. What more can a region provide a land developer. BTW Wyoming has a good sized factory that is available in a year if you want a good place to manufactor something along with another factory that may be closing in a few more years.

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Wow thanks for that I always wondered how the revenue sharing worked. Maybe cities should be able to go back to the way they were doing things before 74 since the state is not holding its end of the bargin granted we know the situation the State is in now. Anyhow voted hopefully everyone else will.

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Not everyone is supporting the BRT, and "The City of Grand Rapids is trying to be a sustainable city, lets support them by voting for infrastructure that would accomodate this" is completely subjective.

Maybe this works better: The People of the City of Grand Rapids and adjacent areas are trying to financially hang on, and look for one less reason to leave Michigan, let's support them by voting for these people to see less money siphoned out of their pockets in property taxes on homes that keep losing their value, by showing them that their finances are more important than a bus for S. Division. You cant have a sustainable city unless people feel that they aren't looked at as a source of green to fund every wild idea under the guise of being "green". Mass-transit is wonderful, but the mass self-deportation of people and families out of the area should be a bigger concern.

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the interesting thing is that Wyoming is by and large in a much better shape than other communities in the area. If things continue on they wont be facing bankruptcy until 2012 or 2013. Of course that means that the 1.5 million in revenue sharing that could be cut does not get cut. If that occurs it goes up a year.

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I voted early this morning, around 7:30 - ~15 votes before my wife and I, according to the tabulator. We vote at Seymour CRC, which is the polling place for three precincts (the vote total is for all of them).

I'm so glad the Education Action Committee sent the helpful postcard to help me remember which "puppets" I wanted to vote for.

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^ yes, the infamous postcard!

One of the three "puppets" came merrily canvassing in my neighborhood a few days ago. We gleefully informed him/her that all three will get our votes, due to the nasty anti-union sentiment expressed on the postcard. Thanks, "Education Action Committee!"

We learned that said committee is an outfit out of Muskegon...so why would they care who wins school board elections in Grand Rapids?

Onward and upward with the new Zeitgeist!

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First results have been posted, EGR has 3 pecents reported and all voted for it. One precint in Walker also is posted and they voted agianst. The thing I see is Walkers vote went 34 to 114 agianst in one precint alone. Thats not looking good for walker.

Wow a reload and more results. EGR is still voting pretty heavy on yes but walker has another precint massively agianst.

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Just did another reload, EGR 7 precints are voting twice as heavy as Walkers 10. That means even if walker and EGR vote continues on EGR will out vote them in favor. That should help out when Grandville votes I hope. I do believe Wyoming and Kentwood will end up being a 50-50 split. I do imagine that GR will vote in favour. Time will tell.

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Just did another reload, EGR 7 precints are voting twice as heavy as Walkers 10. That means even if walker and EGR vote continues on EGR will out vote them in favor. That should help out when Grandville votes I hope. I do believe Wyoming and Kentwood will end up being a 50-50 split. I do imagine that GR will vote in favour. Time will tell.
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Well I got all but one precint so far kentwood seen. As for grandville, here is the shocker, 650 for, 650 agianst.

My Spreadsheet failed me there. The result for grandville was 650 for, 1170 agianst

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My count has Kentwood at 1561 Yes, 1863 No, 13 of 14 precincts reporting, turnout 263/precinct (values EDITED, missed one precinct's No votes)

No won majority in 9 of the 13 precincts in Kentwood.

total: 3282 yes, 3966 no

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