February 06

One Troy employee's perspective on the millage issue.
I received an email second hand containing the text of a letter stated to be written by a city employee. I removed the identifying information at this time since it is the content of the letter and not who wrote it that is important [actually who wrote it is very important but read the letter for it's content]. I found this letter very interesting since most of the statements made reflect my own personal viewpoints. Should the actual writer of this letter wish to be identified, please contact me and I will honor your request. The email contents below are as I received it minus identification:

Fellow Troy Citizens,

The solution to the city’s financial crisis involves a partnership of three elements, all of which must contribute equally. The first involves the city leadership who must have the best interest of the citizens in mind and place the needs of the residents above their own. This is commonly referred to as “Selfless Service” which they lack. Many, but not all of the leadership continues to live beyond their means with examples such as take home vehicles, the purchase of expensive equipment, and the initiation of projects that can wait. The second are the city employees who must realize that before they campaign to increase our (resident’s) taxes, they must first be willing to contribute themselves in a form of a concession. There is a major union that has voted down any concessions because they don not believe the city is doing what they need to save money. However, the sad part is that the leadership has forced these employees, most of whom are not residents, to fi! ght for their job by participating in a public relations campaign. This campaign involves placing the residents in fear by promoting the “Vote Yes” slogan that implies if you don’t vote yes, Troy will cease to be a safe city to live in. This is absurd and an insult to our hard working Police, Fire and Public Works employees who despite whatever restructuring takes place as a result of the cut backs, are dedicated to “Making it Happen” with the resources they are given. The third, is the residents who must take ownership of their city and after the first and second have done their best, and there still remains a shortfall, must decide if they want their city to remain as great as it is which may involve a slight increase in tax revenue however, no where near 1.9 mills. Until the first two do their part, the citizens must vote “NO” otherwise face another tax increase and fiscal disaster which is just around the corner. House cleaning must take place in the fisca! l arena. Sometimes you have to hit bottom before you realize you are m aking bad decisions. “VOTE NO” and give the leadership and employees a second chance to get it together and approach the citizens with a fair “fix plan” and not what they are trying to unfairly force in the current campaign.


2:28 PM GMT  |  Read comments(1)

email copy of Linda Thielfoldt's Letter to the Troy Times editor

To the Editor Troy Times:

The City of Troy is giving us taxpayers a "full court press" and now we have Mr. Licari, the city Assessor, writing in the Times that he did not mean it when he answered Councilman Howrylak's question regarding the amount of the increase at the January 25th, 2010 meeting when he said "That would be correct, there would be an operating rate increase of 29%."

So now one wonders who is putting out false, misleading or "exaggerated" information. Mr. Licari, trust me the taxpayers can do simple math and do understand what this really means, no matter how you spin it. Call it what it is - a 29% tax increase! It appears that the City does not understand that we are tired of being treated like idiots who have unlimited and deep pockets.

If you want to talk about pay cuts why not talk to some of the employees in Troy who work for HP - most have taken a 20-40% pay cut! Not merely days off - actual pay cuts! So when the city brags that they have worked hard with the union to get a 5% pay cut (only if the increase passes) it pales in comparison to what many have and will continue to deal with.

If the taxpayers want to get the real story and not just spin, then please attend an informational meeting on Thursday Feb. 18th from 7 - 8 PM at Starbucks on Big Beaver at Rochester Road where former council members Lambert and Eisenbacher will give their perspective on this tax increase.

Vote No and force Troy to cut spending AND benefits. With all the talent we have running this City I know they can do it!

Linda Thielfoldt
248-740-8867


Editor, I would appreciate it if you could print this letter - the residents need to know the other side and not just the spin from City Hall.  If you have any questions I would appreciate hearing them.  LT

Friends - if you are copies on this message - pass it on to any friends and neighbors in Troy.



1:30 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

February 04

Why Vote NO on this millage increase?
Troy is not the only city facing revenue problems. In fact all cities and townships in SE Michigan are. Troy management likes to tout how they are in the forefront. Oakland County has already balanced their budget for the next three years without a tax increase. Troy management cannot say that they are using invalid revenue projections because Troy management brought their people in to justify Troy’s revenue projections.

Troy management likes to say that other cities are looking to Troy for guidance in dealing with this crisis. What a joke. They don’t have time to wait and see what Troy does. They already know that Troy wants the residents to bail them out with a Tax increase. How novel. How unique. No. They are making the hard choices. Making the cuts. Asking their employee unions to make sacrifices. Wait a minute Vic. Isn’t that what Troy did. Didn’t the unions come to Troy’s aid? NO they didn’t!!!!

Only the 2 smallest unions [<10% of employees] agreed to take furlough days but not forgo their wage increases. Just to delay them for one year. In fact the Police have repeatedly stated that they have the legal right to go arbitration, which they do. If they don't want to do make real concessions there is nothing Troy can do to make them other than to go to arbitration but only when the contract is up. That arbitration fact was repeated several times during the LOWV forum as well as by management during council meetings. If that isn't a threat WHAT IS? YES threatening the city that they have the ball in their court and that we should be happy with the crumbs they are willing to give.

The other unions’ representatives paraded before city council last year and said they would work with the city. One representative even said that there could be a surprise come December. Well, did the surprise occur? Yes, they had nothing to give. If they did, we sure haven’t heard about it.

I’m opposed to THIS millage increase for a variety of reasons. Am I opposed to any millage increase NO. I know that services cost money. I also am willing to pay reasonable costs. I also know that sometimes you don’t have that option especially when everyone that offers what you want does so at unreasonable costs. That is not the case here. If the employee unions are unwilling to make real wage concessions, I am unwilling to raise my taxes to pay their demands. If that means reducing staff, so be it. If it means outsourcing the entire department to another public or private entity that will do it for less, so be it. That is the message we can send city management and city employees when you VOTE NO on this millage increase request.





9:04 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

February 03

As Paul Harvey would say "And now you know...the rest of the story"
[FYI - from an email I received]

9^th Congressional District Republican Party

 

TROY LEADERS TO HOST MILLAGE INCREASE COFFEE QUESTION & ANSWER SESSIONS

Show & Tell @ Starbucks to Address Concerns of Troy Citizens Related to Election

 

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                               CONTACT:     Glenn Clark

02-03-10                                                                                 (248) 396-3826

 

On Sunday, February 7^, 2010, and Thursday, February 18, 2010, two well-known and highly regarded Troy citizens will address the concerns of Troy residents over the February 23^rd millage increase ballot election.  Former Troy Councilmen David Eisenbacher and Dave Lambert will be co-hosting a series of coffee gatherings called ‘Show & Tell @ Starbucks’ in which they will show residents the facts as related to the city’s finances and they will tell residents their perspective on the need to make hard decisions now and in the future related to city services and personnel. 

 

The events, which are open to the public, are planned for:

 

Sunday, February 7^th

2 – 3 PM

Starbucks Coffee

Sixteen & John R. Roads
1921 East Big Beaver Rd
Troy, MI 48083

 

Sunday, February 7

4 – 5 PM

Starbucks Coffee

6908 Rochester Road North
Troy, MI 48085-1292

 

Thursday, February 18

7 – 8 PM

Starbucks Coffee

Big Beaver and Crooks
1434 W. Big Beaver
Troy, MI 48084

 

Residents are welcome to attend to have their questions answered.  Eisenbacher and Lambert will draw on their vast experience within Troy government to address their concerns over the proposed 29% tax increase on property within Troy. 

 

Paid for by:  9^th District Republican Administrative Account, P.O. Box 4553, Troy, MI  48099

3:11 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

Update on my comments to city council on 2-1-2010
I sent the city council members the following email today. It was necessary since comments made by management always occurs after the individual they are commenting on is no longer at the podium to respond to their statements. Isn't that convenient.

Members of City Council

Monday night I made some comments concerning the need for a 1.9 mill Operating Fund millage rate increase [a 29% increase in this millage rate]. I provided you with 5 tables. I did not provide you with the accompanying text since I wanted you to listen to me as I was explaining my concerns. I didn’t feel it necessary that you be reading a letter which I was not going to recite from memory. You can visit my blog to read the accompanying text.

I want to address the response that John Lamerato provided the city council in response to a request from Councilman Slater for management to comment on my handout. It seems Mr. Lamerato did not hear my comments or did not understand my comments concerning Tables 3, 4, & 5. I guess Councilman Slater did not understand either since he did not provide Mr. Lamerato with what I said they represented.

As I stated before you, City Manager John Szerlag has stated on previous occasions and was quoted in the paper that even if the millage passes, staff positions would be eliminated. The paper cited 90 and Mr. Szerlag has stated “up to90”. I used 90 and then clarified that I didn’t know if all would be eliminated outright or that this reflected a reduction do to privatization or regionalization (i.e., outsourced). These cuts that WILL occur regardless if the millage passes were not incorporated into the table of information provided you. I was showing you what impact they would have IF MANAGEMENT HAD PROVIDED YOU THAT INFORMATION. Just as management made assumptions as to how revenues would be reduced, I provided you an assumption as to the amount of savings based on if management eliminated the maximum number they stated.

As I stated before you, I used the figure of $100,000 per position as an average for salary and benefits that was provided to me by Mark Miller. This seemed a little high but then I assumed since our discussion was about the 90 positions projected to be cut that this was reflective of those positions and NOT an average of all employees working for the city. Since outsourcing would save on average 40% in personnel costs, Table 3 reflects reducing expenditures by $3.6 million in the fiscal year 2010/2011. If all these positions were actually eliminated due to there no longer being a need, Table 4 reflects reducing expenditures by $9.0 million for the fiscal 2010/2011 year.

Table 5 further incorporates real pay cuts and not furlough days [as Oakland County Executive L Brooks Patterson promotes] for employee concessions that management keeps touting. $2 million was management’s goal and that amount was applied to table 4. This would be a maximum cut situation. I can provide you a table with it applied to Table 3, which would then provide a range.

As to Mr. Lamerato’s comments concerning my 2% assumption and that I wasn’t watching the presentations that have been made. I would suggest Mr. Lamerato go back and reread the September 9, 2009 memo. It stated: “General Fund costs will increase at 2% per year because of items like insurance, utilities, materials, and other personnel related costs”. If pension costs are not other personnel related cost what are they? Where in the memo are those pension costs he is referring too?

I would like to take at this time to address further cost savings that were not included in my discussion or have been addressed as to their impact by management on the need for this 1.9 mill increase. Recently, Mr. Szerlag has reduced the city staffing by 7 positions. How much savings in personnel costs does this represent? I did not include them since even though in the September 9, 2009 memo states that the current $1.6 million deficit would not include personnel cuts, it wasn’t until yesterday that the TBRA agreed to return most of the money in the Revolving Loan Fund back to the taxing authorities. This coupled with our recent action of stop collecting the funds (although if we had continued collecting TIF revenues they would have been returned as a result of this recent action) will more than cover the $1.6 million deficit projected. None of the costs savings from the recent termination will need to be used to fund this deficit. In fact, you can view this as a revenue increase since the money budgeted to be spent will no longer be spent.

I would like to end this email with a question. I had a discussion with some residents during the break at Monday’s meeting. The lady stated that the city has continuously promoted the fact that the city will only use that portion of the 1.9 mills levied that will be needed to balance the CURRENT YEARS budget [current year meaning not this specific fiscal year but the fiscal year being budgeted for]. Will you as a city council at your next meeting, pass a resolution that directs city management to prepare next years budget using only the millage necessary to balance the budget for real and actual out of pocket expenses and not budget revenues for future use beyond the current year being budgeted for? If you don’t, then you are admitting that you will not live up to the propaganda being exposed by members of this city council and city staff. It will be interesting to see how much additional money the City of Troy will be putting into the retirement fund and the percentage of the operating budget this reflects. I'm sure the residents will be interested in knowing these amounts.

11:11 AM GMT  |  Read comments(1)

February 01

Do we need a millage increase? Part 1
Because of blog entry length issues, this entry is in two parts. Please read part 2 after part 1.

We are constantly hearing about the fiscal crisis we are in and how a 29% Operating millage increase is the best way out. To be fair, city management has taken steps to reduce the impact. But that’s why we pay them the big bucks. But we don’t pay them the big bucks to fudge the numbers. We don’t pay them the big bucks to provide miss-leading information to justify their bail out. In Troy, Wall Street has become Main Street in the way this city management handles its affairs. Again, Troy Tax payers are being asked to bail them out with a big fat 29% Bonus.

Let’s begin by looking at their data. When you do, you find out that they don’t present all of the numbers factually. Second, they talk about all the things that they will do (staff reductions) even if the millage passes but don’t include them in their fiscal analysis because if they did the need for a 1.9 mill increase is not justified and possibly not needed. So lets begin.

The table below [highlighted portion] is derived from the table included in John Szerlag’s letter to City Council dated September 9, 2009 [I added the last column to show the total of the proposed cuts, I did not include the last 2 rows dealing with Fund Balance and F/B % of Budget from the original table and added the last row to show the increase in expenditures from the previous years final amount to the next years new amount prior to the projected cuts to balance the budget].

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)
Revenue	62.0	58.1	54.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
Expenditures	63.6	64.3	60.3	56.3	55.1	54.2
Proposed Cuts	(1.6)	(6.2)	(6.0)	(3.2)	(2.9)	(2.7)	(22.6)
Total	62.0	58.1	54.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
		2.3	2.2	2.0	2.0	2.0

The last row is significant because in that same letter, under assumptions (page 2), it states: “General Fund costs will increase at 2% per year because of items like insurance, utilities, materials, and other personnel related costs”. But the table provided has the General Fund costs increasing at a rate greater than 2%, closer to 4%.

2% of 62 million is not 2.3 million but 1.24 million. What that means is that 1.06 million of the projected cuts for 2010/11 is not needed to balance the budget. Using 2% accurately as stated under the assumptions results in the table below. [Because the original table was to one decimal place I let the computer display the results to one decimal place but the calculations were not limited to one decimal place].

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)
Revenue	62.0	58.1	54.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
Expenditures	63.6	63.2	59.3	55.4	54.2	53.2
Proposed Cuts	(1.6)	(5.1)	(5.0)	(2.3)	(2.0)	(1.7)	(17.7)
Total	62.0	58.1	54.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
		1.2	1.2	1.1	1.1	1.0

You will note that the total projected cuts needed to meet the revenue shortfalls has been reduced by $4.9 million. Yes folks, by not providing accurate numbers according to the assumptions, the shortfall and needed cuts to balance the budget has been overstated by $4.9 million. Essentially, management provided an accurate inflation factor of 2% but when they actually did the calculation they used an inflation factor of 3.75% nearly double what they said they used. I guess it was easier to justify an inflation factor of 2% whereas questions would be raised using the 3.75% they actually used.

2:26 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

Do we need a millage increase? Part 2
Another factor management has raised but not included in their calculation is the elimination of 90 staff positions. I asked Mark Miller the assistant city manager how much would he say the average employee was paid in salary and benefits. Since management has been consistently using “THE AVERAGE” I felt that was appropriate. His figure was about $100,000 on average, some more some less. When you compare that to the budgeted amount for payroll and benefits, that is in the ballpark. I raise this issue as John Szerlag has been quoted as saying regardless of what happens to the millage vote, 90 positions will be eliminated.

Not knowing whether these are completely eliminated positions or positions that will be privatized, we have a range of what the expenditures will be reduced. The maximum would be $9 million if all positions were just eliminated. The minimum would be $3.6 [based on the 40% cost savings when privatized/regionalized as confirmed by the paid city consultant Dick Carlisle]. Since they will be gone by the start of the next fiscal year I have produced two tables using these expenditure reductions below. [Note: in 2010/2011 for both tables, the 3.6 & 9.0 were subtracted after applying the 2% inflation factor to the previous year.]

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)
Revenue	62.0	58.1	54.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
Expenditures	63.6	59.6	59.3	55.4	54.2	53.2
Proposed Cuts	(1.6)	(1.5)	(5.0)	(2.3)	(2.0)	(1.7)	(14.1)
Total	62.0	58.1	54.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
		(2.4)	1.2	1.1	1.1	1.0

 

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)
Revenue	62.0	58.1	54.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
Expenditures	63.6	54.2	55.3	55.4	54.2	53.2
Proposed Cuts	(1.6)	3.9	(1.0)	(2.3)	(2.0)	(1.7)	(4.8)
Total	62.0	54.2	54.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
		(7.8)	1.2	1.1	1.1	1.0

By including the staffing reductions, the deficit is further reduced to either $14.1 million or $4.8 million or somewhere in between. If management was being honest with the residents of Troy, they would have done so, but then their argument for a 29% operating millage rate increase would not hold much water.

There is one more factor to consider that management said might happen. The employees may decide to contribute $2 million in wage concessions. Unfortunately, the only way they will do it is with furlough days and for one year only. If these were REAL wage concessions such as wage rate reductions, then this would be a true wage concession. Just for arguments sake, after all, considering what management has presented, let’s assume that the employees agree to real wage cuts in their wage rates for $2 million. Taking the scenario where 90 positions are actually eliminated, I have added $2 million in real wage concessions. Below is the result.

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)	(in millions)
Revenue	62.0	58.1	54.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
Expenditures	63.6	52.2	53.3	54.4	54.2	53.2
Proposed Cuts	(1.6)	5.9	1.0	(1.3)	(2.0)	(1.7)	0.3
Total	62.0	52.2	53.3	53.1	52.2	51.5
		(7.8)	1.2	1.1	1.1	1.0

Under this scenario we have a surplus after 5 years. No need for a tax increase. How about that. But something needs to be done if the Revenue projections are accurate. We survived because of the early surpluses. But we can see there is no need for a millage today. Maybe in a few years if things don’t turn around, but we can deal with that at a later date and during a regularly scheduled election, saving the taxpayers a 100 grand.

2:22 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

January 31

When Police act like politicians.
I am sure that after the Troy Police read this blog entry, I will be placed right up their next to Marv Reinhardt and the TIME4CHANGEINTROY.COM webmaster in their top 10 most unwanted individuals. So be it.

I just received a packet of ballot information being provided by those individuals that want you to vote yes in this upcoming special election. Included was a green page that stated in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS at the top:

   JUST THE FACTS: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TROY MILLAGE

The problem is, their very first response to their first question is FALSE. Don’t get me wrong. There are truthful statements in this handout, but there are also false and misleading statements.

Normally, False Statements would not shock me in campaign literature. Politicians do lie. Politicians have been known to say things that they never planned on doing. A good example is the campaign literature put out by Councilwoman McGinnis. But that is not the case here. This was put out as stated underneath the top line: Provided by members of the Troy Police and Command Officers Associations. I would expect honesty from those that have sworn to serve and protect us. I am saddened that they are just as guilty as politicians when they want something from those that they serve.

So what is this False statement I am referring to. I will list the question and then list the statements they make and my comments as to why their statements are false in brackets.

The first question asks: How much will the increased millage cost me? [This is a perfectly good question]

Bullet point 1 (in bold letters): If the 1.9 millage passes, the average resident would still see an overall reduction in their total tax bill of $392. [This statement is false when you do the math. Using their assumptions in bullet points 2 & 3, the overall reduction would be $234.30, not $392.].

Bullet point 2: The estimated average residential 2010 Taxable Value will be $103,000. [I will assume this is correct and use this value for the math].

Bullet point 3: If the millage does not pass, the average resident will see an overall reduction in their total tax bill of $430. [Without knowing what the average residential 2009 Taxable Value was, we cannot verify if the $430 is accurate but for this argument we will assume it is accurate].

Bullet point 4: This amounts to a difference of $38 over 2009 City levy. [WRONG. Do the math. A 1.9 mill increase will generate $195.70 of additional taxes on a residential home with a taxable value $103,000. NOT $38. That is why bullet point 1 is false (as well as this point).]

Bullet point 5. Over the five-year period in which the millage will be in effect, the average resident will pay approximately $130 in increased taxes to maintain most City services, including police and fire service. [That is definitely a FALSE STATEMENT. We know for a fact that the first year it will cost $195.70 more in taxes based on their average residential home value. That amount is 50% more than what they say you will pay over 5 years. What do they mean when they say “The Truth About The Troy Millage”? Based on their answer to the first question, not much.]

I could go over other points that are false and miss leading in this handout but that would take pages more. Suffice to say, you can’t believe it’s true just because the police say it is. Maybe the TIME4CHANGEINTROY.COM web site has more truth to it than I originally thought. Then there is that issue with the police and taser guns that a resident keeps bring forth to city council. Maybe I need to get more info on that issue. The more I hear and read about what is going on, the more distrustful I am of City management and staff at all levels. A distrust that is well deserved just from my dealings with them.

9:31 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

January 20

4 Town Hall meetings to continue the deception
It is interesting that management for the City of Troy is planning 4 Yes 4 Town Hall meetings to discuss the need for the tax increase of 1.9 mills [which is a 29% General Fund millage rate increase]. Over the years, the issue of holding Town Hall meetings to hear from the residents voice their concerns and ask questions has been raised. Several individuals, myself included, wanted to hold them on an annual basis where residents can discuss any issue. Yet, the only time city management does schedule a Town Hall meeting is when they WANT SOMETHING or when something they want RAISES A FIRESTORM within the community. Does anyone remember the Conference Center that this city manager, Mr. Szerlag, was pushing to get built on city owned parkland [aka, Civic Center land next to the Community Center]?

Here we go again, 4 Town Hall meetings to pass out more disinformation and threats to try and bully the residents into voting for a millage rate increase that far exceeds what is needed. 4 Town Hall meetings to blow smoke and convince Troy residents to pass a 29% General Fund Millage rate increase because Troy management has been negotiating pay and benefit increases even while the States economy has been in a downspin for many years and property market values had been decreasing. Management did not have the foresight [which they now say they have] or just ignored it and were hoping that the tax gap would allow tax revenues to keep increasing hoping that the market would turn around before taxable values caught up with the actual property value.

Guess what. It didn’t happen. Property values have continued to decline and now the taxable values are declining in sync with the declining market values. The gap is gone. Troy management is portraying this as something that is of recent origin and no one could have foreseen. That is just Horse Pucky. Remember, the recession hit Michigan long before it hit the rest of the US. The signs and poor economy began at the turn of the century. The states labor market has been declining ever since it peaked in June 2000. Don’t you remember the “Single State Recession” term for Michigan being bantered around several years before the US Recession?

The plain and simple truth is that the city didn’t want to deal with reality when it had the chance. They had hoped it would pass and things would be all rosy as it was before. It didn’t happen. Yes, some layoffs are occurring but then the population in Troy has declined. Declined to where it was in 1999 and yet we have more employees than we had in 1999. Not only that, we had a greater need in 1999 for employees as the city was still growing. Homes and businesses were being built. Compare that to today where growth has stopped and has declined. The need for some of the employees is now gone and those are the ones being laid off. Not because of declining revenues. Any average layman knows that. But management is touting that as their efforts to deal with declining revenues.

If you sense a bit of frustration in my blog entries it is because of the total BS that I hear from city management. Because of my dealings with city management as a member of the Troy Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, I know just what kind of BS the city is capable of and what BS it actually does disseminate. Honesty and Integrity are foreign words to city management. It’s all Greek to them.





5:39 PM GMT  |  Read comments(2)

January 17

Cable TV schedule for Millage Forum Replay
On January 12, 2010, the Troy Leadership Coalition hosted an informational forum at Walsh College concerning the upcoming February 23, 2010 Millage Tax Increase [29% General Operating Tax Millage increase of 1.9 mills]. This forum was moderated by our own TV star Charlie Langton [had to say that since he has been all over local TV newscasts and radio commenting on local legal happenings]. You can view a replay on WOW - Channel 18 or Comcast - Channel 52 during the following times:

    Monday - Noon
    Tuesday - 5:30pm
    Wednesday - 7pm

I attended the forum and have to admit the deceptions and miss-information continued. For example, John Szerlag states that Troy has over 300 miles that the city maintains. He then says that the millage increase is needed in order to maintain our goal of removing the snow within 24 hours. That is what we call being deceptive and miss leading.

First, the 300 miles includes the subdivision roads that DO NOT repeat DO NOT have the snow removed within 24 hours. In Fact, as Tim Richnac has stated before city council, on average, the local subdivision roads have the snow removed only 2 or 3 times during a winter season. My road has not seen one snow plow this entire winter season to date. We have had several snow falls. In fact, they will only be cleaned if 4 inches or more snow falls during one snow event. It could snow 2 inches on Monday, 2 inches on Wednesday and 2 more inches on Friday and the subdivision roads would not have the snow removed [there are a few exceptions such as roads leading to a school]. Even when they have the snow removed, I remember the goal used to be 48 hours Not 24. But 48 doesn't sound as good as 24. You tell me when was the last time after a 4 inch snowfall did the City of Troy have all the roads plowed within 24 hours. In fact, tell me when did they ever remove the snow from all the streets within 24 hours? Oh, that must have been the year they just drove down all the streets and removed what they could in one pass down the middle. Last year my street had snow removal 3 times. Only once did they come down my street within 24 hours. Once it took 72 hours and another time nearly 48 hours.

Second, most of the main roads are NOT PAID with city tax dollars to have the snow removed [only Wattles, Sq. Lake, Coolidge, Stephenson and Rochester Rd] are not county roads]. We have a contract with the county and the Oakland County Road Commission pays for the snow removal on county roads[approximately 70% of the main roads in Troy]. Unfortunately, we pay our employees so much in wages and benefits that it costs more to have them remove the snow than if we had the county do it. As far as the 24 hours, other cities do better snow removal than Troy does as shown by last years snow falls that occurred on weekends. Troy NO LONGER is the envy of street snow removal, we are just an average city. In fact, the surrounding communities do a better job. They tell their residents that you know you are entering Troy when you start seeing snow on the main roads.

Just some additional food for thought. The only time you see a commitment from the city concerning the 24 hour snow removal is when the snow event is 4 inches or more. The city has no commitment to remove the snow within 24 hours for snow fall less than 4 inches. So technically if 2 inches of snow falls, the city can take their time to remove the snow which they have done in the past. That's called gaming the system. That is something this city and those that run it do very well.

So, did John Szerlag LIE when he made those statements? NO. He just left you with the wrong impression as to what really is going on. After all, he wants you to vote YES even if it means miss leading you.




9:18 AM GMT  |  Read comments(1)