Independence Township

My neighbor Neil Wallace has a blog at http://www.rtownshipmatters.com/ that covers matters in Independence Township.  He recently wrote about The City of the Village  no doubt in response the story in the Clarkston News titled New year, new effort to dissolve Clarkston.  Not the best or most correct title but I have no control over reporters or editors.  


Independence Township, where Mr. Wallace lives, surrounds the 1/2 square mile City of the Village of Clarkston.  The entire area is Clarkston mailing and everyone says they live in Clarkston.  Mr Wallace is also a Trustee on the Township Board.  His home in Independence Township is just a few doors outside of the City of the Village of Clarkston.   He does own a downtown Main Street building in the City where his law office is located and can easily walk from one to the other, which he does.


Neil raises some good points to consider and I appreciate that he thinks the Village of Clarkston should be managed by those that live there, not by the Township.  I assume he is not commenting on the Township's ability to manage just who he feels could do it better.  He also points out the many community events occur in the City and that everyone benefits from those activities.  I agree.  


What he does not explain is how the 882+ residents of the City can afford the cost burden of additional government that provides little more than zoning, and even that is not done well.  He does not explain how they can continue to do that for the benefit of more than 35,000 people who don't live in the City and pay lower taxes simply because they don't.  He does not explain the declining property values in the City, and related declining tax revenues, where the average value is now less than the average property value in his Township.  And did I mention they also pay less in taxes for their more expensive property?  He does not explain how the people and government of the City of the Village of Clarkston will be able to manage these assets when the government of the City can barely meet the minimum standards of a functional government and often fails.  Perhaps that will be coming in the future.


Neil Wallace does suggest that perhaps returning to only a Village, versus a City of the Village, may be a way to preserve the characteristics many cherish.  That is certainly a possibility but my reading of the law says that we must first get rid of the cost and redundant government associated with cityhood.  Or perhaps we can skip that step and become the Village of the City of the Village of.  I don't think so.  While we work on that, we should certainly be considering what will happen next.  I am not sure that happened 20 years ago when only 228 votes determined that we would be better off as a city to protect ourselves from the surrounding Township. 


Neil closes with the statement, "As a resident of the “Clarkston community” I hope the City leaders find a way to solve their dilemma without putting at risk the very special character of Clarkston."  He has a lot more confidence in our leaders than I do.