| Welcome to Livonianeighbors.com. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. To ensure your privacy, never use personal information in your screen name or email address ("janedoe@hotmail.com" or "Billysmom" for example). Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| GRCC - Voters Reject Bond; Are You Listening Randy | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: May 18 2012, 09:27 PM (531 Views) | |
| LPS Reformer | May 18 2012, 09:27 PM Post #1 |
|
The schools exist to educate, not employ.
|
'Taxpayer Burnout' Likely At Play In Rejection Of Grand Rapids Community College Millage Request By Anne Schieber | May 12, 2012 Grand Rapids — After a stunning defeat at the polls Tuesday, the president of Grand Rapids Community College said it will be a long time, if at all, before the school goes back to the voters for more money. Despite a $150,000 promotional campaign, a traditionally favorable time for millage approvals, and more than 100,000 faculty, students, administrators and alumni in the community, voters rejected the $98.6 million bond issue request by a 14 percent margin. GRCC President Steven C. Ender said he thought the request would have been approved. The community college’s polls showed voters would approve the millage by a 24 percent margin after they were told how the money would be spent. The community college planned to use the money to remodel and maintain aging buildings. “I can’t explain it,” he said. “We cannot engage with people emotionally to the value added proposition that the college has brought to the community." Ender said taxpayer burnout could have played a role. The college has asked for more money three times in the past five years. Voters turned down each request, but Tuesday’s defeat was the largest. Ender said he thinks voters are still angry over an unrelated transit millage increase that was narrowly approved last year “People said we’re done. We’re not going to do it,” he said. Eric Larson and Jeff Steinport of the Kent County Taxpayers Alliance said they think there is more to the defeat than taxpayer burnout. “The attitude amongst the board has been to ignore funding capital improvements because taxpayers would bail out GRCC with one giant tax request to fix the things the trustees have been neglecting for years, “ Steinport said. Larson said he thinks there is growing taxpayer reluctance to support public education beyond K-12, especially when given the choice at the polls. Community colleges are funded through tuition, state and property tax revenue. The millage had the support of some of the community’s wealthier citizens. They contributed $150,000 in support of the millage and posted their names in a full-page newspaper ad the day before the election. The local paper endorsed the millage. Also, May is a favorable month for millage approvals. GRCC paid an extra $250,000 dollars to get the proposal on the Tuesday ballot, but denied it was for that reason. The college said it wanted to take advantage of lower interest rates they could have benefited from if the millage increase request had passed. GRCC had come under fire in past years for lofty pay and benefit packages. This year, the union representing the teaching staff agreed to a five-year pay freeze and an end to raises based on seniority. The contract still needs to be ratified. Ender says what the public fails to understand is the huge burden the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System has been putting on districts and community colleges. This year, the community college will have to pay another $2 million out of its $98 million budget toward the retirement system. Ender says the college has had no choice but to increase tuition. And while the voters have lost their appetite for more support, Ender is not deterred from taking on more debt. “These needs are very real," he said. "The bond market is incredibly favorable to borrow money, so we’ll look at other revenue strategies.” |
|
“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
![]() |
|
| srj900 | May 19 2012, 09:13 AM Post #2 |
|
Advanced Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Taxpayer burnout is a fitting description to what we have in Livonia. Every time you turn around they are scheming of more ways to take more money from our pockets. First the Police and Fire bond. The Senior Center bond. Now, the schools trying to extract around $190 million from us. Enough is enough. And you people that say we must compete, if you think our schools are so bad, then send your kids to a private school. When they slash bus drivers and custodians to the bone, and then scheme to get more of our dollars, we have to draw the line. I have seen how this school board and administration operates enough to be very leery of them getting more control of my money. I, for one, will work to defeat any new bond proposals from these scam artists. |
![]() |
|
| DADDYOH10 | May 19 2012, 07:18 PM Post #3 |
|
Veteran
|
Amen!! It is not just locally, though that hurtsmore, more often, and for greater lengths of time, but the attack on the wealth we are trying to hold on to (not really much), is from every where..local, state, federal, even your church! Reminds me of the old Beatles song and its cynical lyrics..."I'm The Taxman" |
![]() |
|
| LPS Reformer | May 19 2012, 10:23 PM Post #4 |
|
The schools exist to educate, not employ.
|
The imoral of the story is that it's cheaper to donate to Jack and company than it is to pay your taxes.
|
|
“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
![]() |
|
| « Previous Topic · Livonia Neighbors Forum · Next Topic » |








![]](http://z6.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)