Week in Review: Vibrancy is Just Around the Corner
In lieu of a prayer . . .
Week in Review
County Commissioners, Tuesday, April 9
The Prayer Wars
Mark Wiley decided to forego the opening prayer to God (or the Universe) this week. “In lieu of a prayer,” he read about Gold Star Families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty for “our freedom and our ability to meet and/or pray as we so choose in this country.” We suppose the implication is that if you oppose public Wiccan prayers, you must not appreciate the troops or America. Tolerance über alles, bigots!
Lifeways, The Next Installment
LifeWays CEO Maribeth Leonard addressed the board during public comment on matters related to the potential sale of city property.
She explained that a “community mental health authority” has the ability to take on its own assets and acquire its own obligations on debts, but cannot issue a bond on its behalf. The liability to pay a bond would be on LifeWays, not the County, but Leonard reassured the County that it need not worry about LifeWays not paying the bond payment.
Maribeth reminded the Board that the County has a financial responsibility relative to its constituents per the Mental Health Code for Mental Health Services. She was likely referring to 330.1302. She did not state, however, that the statute does not require that the County must give up-front funding to the Community Mental Health Program. That particular statute does not specify the means by which the County may cover its financial liability.
The Director also did not mention Section 220 of the Mental Health Code. According to this provision, the Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners, if they so chose, could terminate the County’s partnership with LifeWays at any time (taking effect one year after such a decision).
As an “authority,” LifeWays makes its own policies and procedures, but if it were reconstituted as a “Community Mental Health Agency,” then the County Board of Commissioners would have the right to make the policies. In theory, a Board populated by individuals dissatisfied with the offerings on the LifeWays events calendar could make significant changes.
Doug Ingles brought a motion for the Chairman to sign a Letter of Notice to be delivered to Lifeways regarding a new facility with the following details:
Property sale is not an option;
50 Care Drive is not available;
LifeWays to build and move into a new building adjacent to the current space;
Hillsdale County provides financing;
LifeWays makes payment plus CAM to Hillsdale County;
Hillsdale County holds deeds;
Hillsdale County will create a lease agreement with LifeWays to continue after financing is paid in full;
When the current lease expires, 1 year extension—then month-to-month up to 6 months
The letter was approved 4-1. Brett Leininger voted against after suggesting the current LifeWays building could be expanded instead.
“This is a starting point,” warned Steve Lanius. “But it is a starting point only.”
Third Time Is the Charm
Lanius brought forward a resolution supporting Citizens for Local Choice a third time. The commissioners approved of the various changes made, and the resolution was passed 4-1. Benzing voted “no” without explanation.1
A New Court?
Ingles brought forward a resolution to begin the planning process for assessing whether the district court could move into the perhaps-soon-to-be-old LifeWays building. The resolution passed, 3-2, with Leininger and Lanius against.
More Mills
Wiley brought forward a resolution to place the renewal of a millage for the Hillsdale County Medical Care Facility on the August 6th ballot. If voters approve, it would be .60 mills for six years. Some “small portion” of this millage “may be” dispersed to Downtown Development Authorities in Jonesville and Litchfield, TIFA of Hillsdale, Litchfield, and Reading, and the Local Development Finance Authorities of Jonesville and Camden.
Lanius became very heated about the convoluted language of the ballot proposal. He argued that there was no good reason to phrase things in a matter that would be confusing to voters. Leininger argued that this language was required by previous agreements with local cities and townships.
The resolution passed 4-1, and the decision passes to the voters.
Miscellaneous
Nicholas Wheeler gave an Equalization Report for 2023.
John Maino, the new Medical Examiner, gave the Medical Examiner Report for 2023. There were 366 total deaths for 2023 in Hillsdale County, 50 autopsies, and 4 suicides.
New printer/copier lease agreement for various county offices. The low bid was $20,818.87 per year. Approved 5-0.
Benzing brought forward a resolution to purchase five drug boxes for local ambulances. Just over $2000 in cost. Passed 4-1 with Leininger against.
79 inmates were in the jail as of the morning of April 9.
According to the Hillsdale County website, the jail can house 69 inmates in the general population, as well as 13 with a pre-arraignment status.
Somerset was approved to be part of the Early Voting Agreement previously approved for all the other cities, townships, and villages of the County.
Concluding Thoughts
Kelly Mapes asked if the public get to vote on the issuance of the bond to LifeWays: “79 inmates at the jail . . . if you’ve got 79 inmates in the jail, we are we worried about LifeWays? Why aren’t we building a new jail, a new friend of the court, a new courthouse?”
Bob Eichler: “The fluff . . . It really seems like a con. Everything about Hillsdale County is becoming a con. I don’t know why you guys can’t straighten it out with the public, letting them know what the fluff is. It’s unnecessary. It’s totally unnecessary.”
City of Hillsdale Council Budget Work Session 1, Monday, April 8
The city expects to procure $5.5 million in revenue for its General Fund in 2024-25, primarily through taxes and state revenue sharing. For reference, the city plans to levy $106,000 in special assessments in the upcoming fiscal year, and the road fund is about $400,000 shy of what it would need to be at on an annual basis to get things in order. The game is to find the money in the departments covered in both this session and the next that would remove special assessments and begin to add to the road fund.
Opening Remarks
Finance Director: “Things like Economic Development. . . are really important to a vibrant community, but they’re not necessarily legally required.” On the use and abuse of the General Fund: “As with most General Funds, police and fire is a large chunk of the general fund. . . we also have the airport.” On the joys of adding new programs, and the sorrows of not: “This year we had very little new items that we could actually fund because the General Fund was quite tight. It doesn’t come into play often that we have a lot of money to deal with and we can add a lot of new programs.”
Police: $1,958,000 from the General Fund; and Fire: $625,000 from the General Fund
Police and Fire Chief Scott Hephner on the number of police and fire employees: “[We have] four [!] full-time firefighters—a deputy fire chief, one lieutenant, and two engineers. . . We’re at 15 [!!] full-time [policemen].” Salary increases have not yet been factored in as the unions are delaying their requests. Given that everybody talks nonstop about inflation at these meetings, the demands will likely be substantial.
Airport: $153,077 from the General Fund
The airport costs the city six figures every year in operating costs alone, not including new development. “At some point in the future” it will begin to support itself, so the story goes.2 In the meantime, pay up—the new terminal isn’t going to buy itself!3
Ginger Moore, Airport Director: “[The new terminal] will take about a year to finish. Otherwise, we have some things that we desperately need next year. . . to fix some of the asphalt around the large jet hanger. . . We still have some expensive things that need to be fixed.” On building new hangars: “Everybody wants a T-hangar. . . eventually ours will be torn down. We need to get some new ones.”
There was some talk about the airport’s “capital improvement fund,” which is funded by fuel sales to partly pay for expansion projects. But again, the airport is not self-sufficient, even if it could be: all operating expenses, and even a large chunk of development projects, are paid for out of the General Fund.
Economic Development—$66,838 from the General Fund
This money pays the City Manager’s public relations/marketing/grant-getting/Council-coercing arm. Mackie’s claim to fame is saving the city money by also managing the BPU. But it seems like managing two entities might be too much work, as he needs an assistant to do no small part of both jobs. Mackie: “It’s promotion and communication. He does the Facebook posts, media interviews, grant writing. He’s our grant-writer. He’s my assistant. . . and does the same thing to assist the BPU side.”4
Dial-a-Ride—$131,655 from the General Fund
The city hemorrhages six figures per year to pay for this bussing program.
One final remark: this meeting was a presentation only. The budget is drafted by the City Manager and the Finance Director, and Council has only one chance to object, at the meeting a few weeks before the new fiscal year begins. As a result, any majority objection—even an objection to a particular line item—would likely mean the shutdown of non-essential local government. While we would appreciate such a shutdown very much—and even encourage it—the process ensures the Council has no serious influence over city spending.
Upcoming Events
City Council, Monday, April 15
Resolution to Amend PACE Program (111)
The state of Michigan authorizes municipalities to give residents special assessment5 financing for home “green energy projects” under the “Property Assessed Clean Energy Program.” Council enacted this in Hillsdale in 2019, allowing citizens to assess themselves in order to finance solar panels and windmills. Perhaps one day Developers will find a way to make this mandatory—it might boost property values.
In any case, the state legislature has amended the program, which requires some minor adjustments.
Resolution to Amend Resolution No. 3579 (155)
In order to procure a sufficient quantity of dwelling units in our collective work camp, the City Manager’s assistant requests Council’s compliance with Allen Edwin Homes’ latest annual service fee maneuvering as the developers develop Hidden Meadow Drive.
New BPU Truck (169)
BPU wants to replace two pickup trucks at a cost of $44,700 each.
April 17th: FEMA Flood Map Information Open House
External Links
“In a text to The Hillsdale Daily News Wednesday, April 10, Swan stated she was ending her [most recent efforts to recall Mayor Stockford, launched April 5th] due to unspecified health concerns.” Corey Murray.
“Of those 41 released to pretrial supervision, 98.7-percent had appeared in court as ordered and only two had committed new crimes while on supervision.” Corey Murray lauds the successes of the Community Corrections Program.6
“In order to please the donors, Arnn pushed in a more Trumpian direction. He realised there’s a lot of money if you toe the line of the current Republican party. Now there’s an attempt to become a brand, to spread all over the nation. That’s distressing.” The Financial Times gives the last word to a dissenting alumnus.
“The abortion issue implicates morality and public policy concerns, and invariably inspires spirited debate and engenders passionate disagreements among citizens. A policy matter of this gravity must ultimately be resolved by our citizens through the legislature or the initiative process . . . we merely follow our limited constitutional role and duty to interpret the law as written.” The Arizona Supreme Court refuses to legislate from the bench, allowing an 1864 “statutory ban on abortion,” dormant under the Roe regime, to reassert itself in the aftermath of Dobbs.7
“The evidence base for interventions in gender medicine is threadbare, whichever research question you wish to consider—from social transition to hormone treatment.” The BMJ.
“When I was a member of Judiciary, I saw all of the abuses of the FBI — there were terrible abuses, over and over and over. And then when I became Speaker, I . . . got the confidential briefing . . . to understand the necessity of Section 702 of FISA and how important it is for national security. And it gave me a different perspective.” Speaker Mike Johnson has been briefed!
“While the American founders were charting a novus ordo seclorum, your man Hutchinson was impotently whining and complaining at home — an archetype for which, I can appreciate, you might feel some kinship.” Rufo vs. Yarvin in the pages of IM—1776.
“Evangelicals, Jews, Catholics, Muslims—all relics of three great deceptions that, however much they may have given mankind comfort in a certain part of its history, have now degenerated into group vanity, pretense and mere hysteria. They are useless now, all will have to go.” The all-too-urbane Bronze Age Pervert.8
“Today, however, I’m more worried about the openly Jew-hating (and anti-black) online right. As the ‘woke’ era wanes, the right is witnessing a revival of ideologies centred around hereditary differences among large human groups, eugenics and IQ, and a Nietzschean worship of strength . . . These tendencies are far more dangerous than hard-left anti-Israelism, because they represent a comprehensive politics whose aspirations are utterly at odds with democracy and basic notions of equal human worth and dignity.” Sohrab Ahmari.
“The fact is, not only was Dr. King not a good example of public faith for Christians to follow; Dr. King, theologically speaking, was an enemy of God.” Daniel Wright, writing at American Reformer.
Farewell
It does seem that covering operations with fuel sales is possible, but only if Development ever ends. The airport reportedly makes close to $200,000 per year in fuel sales against the aforementioned $153,000 operating costs. This is the story of Hillsdale government—property taxes could in fact be lowered right now if our developer-councilmen were interested in making that happen.
Though you’ll probably never have occasion to use it, the terminal and its new parking lot will sure look nice from the road as you drive by.
Presumably the BPU pays another 40%, just as in Mackie’s case.
Speaking of special assessments, the city currently charges all who cannot pay up front a 6% interest rate, the maximum allowable rate according to Section 11.5 of the municipal code. The city can and does borrow money at 3-4%, meaning that the city is involving itself in a form of banking, skimming off the top from the poorest residents in special assessment districts in order to finance further development projects in the future. But at least the poor will have cheap bussing services available when they foreclose on their homes.
The conventional wisdom says that the Dobbs decision allowed Democrats to surf the predicted “red wave” in 2022, and there can be no doubt that President Biden will attempt to use this ruling (and suburban women) to reunite the “coalition of the fringes” before November.
See our aboriginal review of his Bronze Age Mindset.