I am interested to see if all of the money is accounted for and will be used to improve infrastructure this time. As a parent who has pulled my child out of Van Buren schools due to the poor quality of education, I sincerely hope that any millage, if passed, can improve our failing schools.

I can not believe these other comments. you folks must be the same people that voted down the new fire station. Yes, the economy is bad, but not supporting your communities education and emergency services is a sure way to make the situation worse. Wonder why property values are dropping like a rock around here? Go take a look at the high school and the old fire station. Thank god they found a way to build the new fire station despite the short sited people in the community. No one wants to move to a community with an old, over crowded High School and under funded emergency services. We need to get behind these bonds despite the small increase in your taxes. The more the better. Let’s show everyone this is a great place to live and to raise children. Let’s show everyone this is a community that supports growth and steps towards a stronger city infrastructure and educational system.

There are many reasons this area is going down the tubes, not just because we do not have a Taj Mahl for a school. Overdevelopment, arm loans, all with the local government’s mismanagement of funds also contributed to this areas problems. People are tired of giving more money and not seeing results. Take this week’s article in the Independent on the Frankling lawsuit, how much of our tax dollars is Cindy King going to waste on defending her mistake. The township has lost twice in court already. Now she is talking about taking the case to a higher court. Also, the residents passed a police millage last year and then was told that this would not be enough to cover the extra officers we were promised.
Our area is not the only area that has lost value in their property it is the entire Detroit Metro Area. We all have to tighten our budget in an economic downturn and make smart financial choices. Wake you two, some people just can’t afford the extra on there taxes right now.

Wayne, great advice. Sadly, that is exactly what is happening. Several in our sub have done just that. Some with as many as 4 kids in school here. That means that close to $36,000 was taken away from the schools here the day that one family left. Keep that attitude and you will find yourself in your own little Detroit. Schools closing due to drops in enrollment and abandon houses on every corner.
Amazed, Overdevelopment? Where? More development will attract more business and more homeowners to the area. VBT has done a great job planning in the development that has taken place so far. They have learned from Cantons mistakes and are doing things in a responsible way.
ARM loans are the fault of the person who signed the agreement. The people that not only did not bother to read the document they signed, but that did not even understand that ARM stands for Adjustable Rate Mortgage. Yes Adjustable, that means it can go up, plan for it. If you can’t do it, don’t sign it. I mean come on…. it’s only the largest single investment most Americans make in a lifetime. How about actually reading and understanding what you are signing.
VBT is doing an amazing job with very little money. As far as Ms. King, she made a mistake, so what. Have you never made a mistake at work? Sadly this one just happens to hurt us financially. This is not the first time nor will it be the last. Mistakes happen. A dollar a day is all they asked. Cut back on Cigarettes, Coffee, dinner out, whatever your choice. It’s easier than you might think.

Canton’s mistake? Are you for real? Canton’s only mistake was not having the forethought to get VBPS out of Canton Township! Canton is a wonderful suburban community that most people would appreciate. It has everything you need: Parks, public safety, shops, churches, schools, open space and community. What I see in VBT is nothing but a few old housing, strip malls, a couple subs, and poor schools. While you have a gem in Belleville with a quant downtown area and the lake, there is nothing desirable in the rest of the community.

Why did you vote down developing Ecorse and Belleville? You don’t want the residential development? Now that property sits vacant, probably for another 20 years. It’s at best industrial land, near Willow Run. That’s progress?

For folks living in Canton that are in VBPS, you’ve created a living hell. Your short- sighted blockade on development has drained your school system to the point of complete breakdown. CT kids and taxes are a cash cow for you. If it weren’t for CT, VBPS would have already gone bankrupt. Lord knows, districts cannot make any appreciable budget cuts, so this simple equation rules: more homes = more tax dollars.

It is a fine premise to want low-density housing, but look at the reality of your schools- you have the second largest district in Wayne County with low enrollment rates that are declining further for in- district kids. So VBPS solution is schools of choice, which brings in kids from a district worse than VBPS. No wonder you have the problems at BHS. No wonder many district kids choose private and charter schools and are fleeing this fiasco.

Wake up and join the 21st Century.

Googled just like you said and found an interesting premise from conserveland.org, a flawed website surely similar to the site from which you derive your information. Maybe the ratio is 1.07, but what the ratio in sparsely populated areas? You could show whatever skewed statistics you want to prove your point, but there is absolutely no way that Canton Township pays more for services to my household than it receives from me. Don’t try to add schools to this equation, because with Proposal A in place, the state pays for the schools, not the township. You can in no way tell me that CT pays more than $5,000 for me to live here.

It is evident that conserveland.org is a website with an openspace agenda. From their premise, I can postulate that towns with more homes have deficits than those that have more openspace.

Everyone loves openspace, but there is a breakeven point at which higher population densities are more cost effective for municipalities. There is no doubt that Van Buren is one of those towns less effective at providing services since you have less density and more real estate to provide the same services at compared to CT. Case in point, that is why VB residents come to the Canton Library and other numerous community facilities. Can you blame them? If you’d like to argue the point further, provide an accurate source of you information.

Amen CRA, someone in this post also speaks of not supporting the new fire station. What have they done with that millage money that was passed. We have no more fire chief and they are hiring police to work as firefighters at 40.oo an hr while fire fighters are getting 17 an hr…..what do you think this is doing to the fire budget? Once again they are mis spending tax payer dollars