Dear editor,
After reading about the Senior Center Project and the new school bond proposal (Senior Center approved and Schools to hold Feb. election for bond issue, Sept. 22) it appears to me that we have the same economic blindness and arrogance in our local government that permeates the state and federal governments.
Both of these projects are in the direct opposite direction that our Board of Trustees and the School Board should be going.
Instead of being very cautious about our lack of property tax revenues, carefully managing our precious dollars, and thinking outside the box regarding our supposed needs, they too go blindly into the night and demonstrate an air of arrogance about the dire economic straits that we are in.
I will try to attend the next Orion Township Trustee and School Board meetings to ask these questions.
1. How can we spend nearly $4 million on a Senior Center at this time? The way the project was estimated shows a very unprofessional way of doing business. The cost of the project went from $1.3 million to $3.7 million. That’s a 300 percent difference.
If this was presented to a board of directors in a Corporation, they would throw you out.
2. The funds to pay for this project are from Eagle Valley Host Fee Fund which can only be used for certain projects. How was this Fund created, from where did the funds come from? If it was from tax revenues, than this should be used as a rainy day fund and not squandered on a Senior Center. I am a 75-year-old senior and I have used the center but I feel that this project is a “nice to have” item.
3. Once the Center is built, where will the funds come from to support the center, pay the salaries, etc.?
4. Why are we spending this money when we are laying off people and are out of money?
Regarding the School Bond Issue:
1. Why does the School Board continue to have separate elections for filling Board positions and doing other business?
2. Why do they continue to spend $25,000 for each election they have? They have spent $75,000 of precious dollars in 3 elections they have and will have. Instead of using the November elections to cover school issues, they continue to waste money by having their own elections.
3. Is it that they don’t want to expose their proposals to a wide range of voters we have for November elections but choose mid-winter elections where they can channel their proposals to a narrow group who will support them? This is an example of scheming, not managing.
Respectfully,
-Jerry Kuczajda
Lake Orion