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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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THIS MEETING OR PUBLIC HEARING, WHATEVER BROWN CALLS IT, WAS A COMPLETE SHAM! FRIENDS OF JOSH FREEMAN HEARD ABOUT IT THE NIGHT BEFORE ON FREEMAN'S FACEBOOK PAGE! BROWN AND HIS ADMINSITRATION DID NOT WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THIS.
RUMORS ARE FLOATING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY GRANT ENEWAL WAS RECENTLY DENIED. PART OF THAT GRANT WAS INVOLVED WITH FINDING WAYS TO CUT STREET LIGHT AND TRAFFIC LIGHT COSTS. NOW AMBROSE SAYS THE $62 FEE WILL PAY FOR MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE STREET LIGHTS. tHAT TENDS TO SUPPORT THE RUMORS.
Public hearing on Flint street light assessment draws objections from a small crowd
Published: Thursday, May 31, 2012, 1:08 PM Updated: Thursday, May 31, 2012, 1:17 PM
By Cathy Shafran | cshafran@mlive.com
FLINT, MI -- A hearing intended to illicit public comment on a city-wide special assessment district for street lights drew only three people Thursday morning at Flint City Council chambers. All objected to the street lighting fee.
The special assessment is tentatively scheduled to go into effect in the city's new budget year starting July 1, 2012.
According to Flint Finance Director Jerry Ambrose, the public hearing was required as part of the assessment process to listen to suggestions and objections from the community.
The assessment is intended to generate $2.85 million dollars to pay for the operation, maintenance and improvement of the 11,292 street lights in the city. To pay for the assessment, each of the 57,000 parcels in the city will be charged $62 per year.
The proposed fee brought objections for those at the public hearing.
"I'm opposed to it, " said Flint resident Dan Smith. "I can't afford it. With the economy the way it is, people cannot afford additional costs on top of the taxes we already pay."
Flint City Councilman Josh Freeman addressed Ambrose as a Flint resident.
Freeman suggested there was a lack of public information on how the special assessment would be managed.
Freeman, noting that a hearing and formal protest is required in order to appeal the amount of the assessment to the State Tax Tribunal, said he was there to make his objections public.
"Will the funds go into an enterprise fund?" Freeman asked.
"If the costs are lower than the revenue, what will you do with the extra revenue," he continued. "I don't have answers to that and that's why I'm here protesting this fee today."
The few in attendance also objected to the timing of the public hearing at 11 a.m. on a Thursday, saying they were forced to take time off from work to attend.
Ambrose indicated there will be another public hearing scheduled for June on the street light assessment scheduled at a more convenient time.
The city's finance director said he would continue to listen to public objections, but said the city appears left with little other choice in the matter
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"We understand affordability, we know there are many concerns about finances with city government," Ambrose said. "But a significant amount of money in the general fund goes to street lighting while we continue to look for funding for public safety. This is an alternative for street lighting while giving us a chance to direct general fund dollars to other essential city services."
A discussion on a the city's sewer and water assessments is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Flint City Hall dome. |
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Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:50 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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La Barge has it right. Brown did not want the public to know about this hearing or the public would have been notified!
Phillip LaBarge
It is too bad the FJ did not post a story about this meeting taking place before it did. Was it a secret? I read the paper and look online at Mlive all the time and saw nothing about it. Perhaps it was cloaked or something.
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Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:53 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Pastors Flynn and Threkheld said it well on their show today. The meeting was posted in a hard to find place in the Flint Journal and the legal news. They allegedly posted it late the day before the meeting. |
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Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:45 pm |
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