This is an opinion piece by former Rochester Hills City Councilman Scot Beaton. With the announcement of a few new candidates for City government he is willing to share his opinions of where the focus of discussion should be at. For comments of discussion with Mr. Beaton you may contact him directly, his info is at the bottom of the page.
We need to build and rebuild back to prosperity not tax our way back to prosperity.
To tax our way back to prosperity never works!!! Look at Pontiac or Detroit as failed examples.
Sound urban planning principles can rebuild the city’s tax base.
Some Examples:
Please quit turing office research technology into strip malls; ORT higher more prestigious taxbase.
Please quit rezoning residential to strip mall… devalues boarding residential developments.
Shoplifting and other commercial development type crime drain police services that should be patrolling our neighborhoods.
Bring back a millage that Bryan Barnett and other council members let expire to fix our residential streets… inc. private streets (condominiums) in the mix or they will vote no.
Create or subcontract a Police force that does not have long term legacy costs… 401K type retirement plans must replace traditional pensions.
Medical insurance, and long term legacy costs are what sending police cost sky high.
Abolish all local TIFA districts… eliminate waste in planning, building and assessing departments.
GOAL… Abolish all personal property tax levied by the city against business… why???… (the big new foreign company) get’s a tax break and not small local business!!! WHY?
Abolishing this tax is the best way to rebuild the city’s business tax base, create jobs in the private sector and increase tax revenue for the City.
Turn the planning, building and ordinance enforcement departments into one department… with one department head… will save the city over $700,000 every year.
Turn our assessing department needs over the county will save the city another $700,000 every year. (or at least bid our inhouse service against the county)
Take surface control of all brownfield/abandoned landfills back to the city… turn all this property into parkland… green space.
Please give up on the idea that the landfill sites at Hamlin and Adams will be another Target stripmall someday.
Please give up on the idea that it will be some kind of OU incubator medical village!
Please quit giving valuable tax dollars to Oakland University we can’t afford that concept at this time.
Turn all brownfield/abandoned landfills into money making parkland for city to cover future park costs.
Turn brownfield/abandoned landfills into soccer fields baseball fields and golf courses etc.
All these ideas and others need an open transparent discussion at a City Council level with citizen input first before this City should decide to put any tax increases on the ballot.
Sincerely,
Scot Beaton
655 Bolinger St. Rochester Hills
phone: 24/7 248.650.7862
sbeaton223278@comcast.net
former Rochester Hills City Council member: 1988 to 1997
About Tom and Ann Gendich