DO AS WE SAY !

NOT AS WE DO !
Ironwood has been fighting an uphill struggle combating blight within the city limits. Fines have been increased significantly and may been increased again. A new blight ordinance has been put into effect and the city has hired a very competent blight inspector, Travis Smee. At last Monday night's city council meeting it was evident that more may be required.

Jim Beckman told the Commission that he would like to see increased blight efforts in the City. He explained that blighted properties lower the property values of well-maintained properties in the area. He said that he would like to see an increase in fines and a stronger effort to go after repeat blight offenders.

Travis Smee explained to the Commission that people that repeatedly abuse the blight ordinances play games with the City because they know the City can only do so much. The current system bottlenecks at the top, inside city hall where the majority of the city's efforts evolve around passing a Library Renovation Tax.

Here lies the heart of the problem, "The City Budget" and the Cities Priorities

You may have read recently in a local tabloid that the City of Ironwood was not raising taxes in the 2008-2009 fiscal year. That sounds great considering that Ironwood Property Owners already pay the highest taxes in the entire Upper Peninsular. That bit of information came from Julie Fredrickson city financial officer in her recent budget power point demo. Scott Erickson city manager (husband of Elaine Erickson, the city librarian)
has along with Noren and Toth increased water rates 24% in the past 3 years.

You've heard Noren and his puppet city councilmen say "More for Less"
If you believe that and I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. There's no free ride and there's no free lunch for property owners. The city council has approved three consecutive water and sewer rate increases in as many years.

The current budget has made permanent reduced care at the Riverside Cemetery. It also reduces care for other city parks and property.

What if the few remaining Ironwood homeowners reduced the number of lawn mowings to just five times per summer as the city has done?

Should they, the property owners, pay a $150 fine for long grass when City councilmen Bruce Noren, Gemma Lamb Robert Burchell and Suzy Toth fail to properly maintaining city property?

Clearly a case of do as we say, not as we do?

If we can afford to pay $100,000+ per year for a City Manager , why can't we afford to maintain city property.

 

 
 
Should they the property owners, pay a $150 fine when Bruce Noren, Gemma Lamb Robert Buchell have applied for DNR grants that if approved will cost the taxpayers a small fortune. Bob Burchell wants tennis courts for the low income housing project pushed through the council by Noren. Burchell on his last night on the Planning Commission asked when the courts were to be built?

One has to wonder why Mr. Burchell wants to get a $50,000 grant to be matched by another $50,000 from the city to build not one but four tennis courts.

Could it be that the proposed courts will be a short walk from his home,? Burchell should look around the city and he will find that two (maybe 3) city owned tennis courts are not being cared for at all, talk about blight.

How can the city justify a $100,000 on tennis courts when they obviously can't afford to properly maintain the ones they own?

 

 
Tennis Courts at Krznarich Field
How can the taxpayers afford a $1,700,000 Library Tax when they are already the highest taxed property owners in the U.P.?
Tennis Court at Norrie Park
A third tennis court near Long Year Park that is being maintained (why is that no surprise?) However, they remain unused 90% of the time.
Patterson Memorial Courts near Longyear
 

Instead of saying "do as we say, not as we do", Noren and his gang should set the example. Stop throwing money away on frivolity and start maintaining the property entrusted to him by the city's property owners.

Better yet they should spend the first penny on creating jobs and bringing new businesses and taxpayers to Ironwood. Then, maybe our safety department can get increased funding not just the library.   Most people think that's a bit more important than a library renovation or tennis courts for the the city councilmen.