In the end, Rochester Hills residents received what they had been demanding of their city government, the proposal to build two water reservoirs for a cost of up to $18 million was defeated. Approximately 50 to 75 people picketed outside of city hall prior to a special meeting on the reservoirs. Around 350 residents attended the meeting overflowing out of the chamber room into the hallway with row upon row of chairs and TV monitors so they could see and hear what was taking place.
After enduring a two hour presentation by the city engineer and the financial director, Councilman Vern Pixley made a resolution to discontinue with the reservoir project. It was seconded by Michael Webber. It appeared to be an attempt to quiet the discord among the residents and shorten the public comment portion of the meeting.Residents were still not pleased. Why the sudden flip? Pixley who lives in the residential area where one of the reservoirs were to be built had supported the project back in June and has been basically mute on the subject since then.
Councilman Jim Rosen has been against the entire project from the beginning and Ravi Yalamanchi has said it should not be in a residential neighborhood.
Residents made it quite clear during the public comment that they were not happy with the process undertaken concerning the reservoirs. They did not feel that the city properly or actively communicated the project to the residents. All it would have taken was a notice in the residents' water bill, but most were unaware of it until they received a knock on their door from a neighbor. Residents felt that a project of this magnitude should have been brought to a vote by the residents.
Although some residents questioned the business case of the reservoirs back in May and June, their questions were ignored or dismissed as if they were flies that could be swatted away. Councilman Marty Brennan who didn't have a thing to say at this meeting had adamantly insisted there was a solid business case back in June. It wasn't until hundreds of residents began attending meeting after meeting that this city council began to pay attention and change course.
This is not the first time this has happened with this council, city hall was filled with residents when they wanted to shoot deer within the city limits and again when residents input concerning the paving of Washington Road was ignored by the road commission.
A common theme among the residents as they spoke during public comment had to do with public trust. They felt their government representatives were not listening and they felt betrayed. Placing a water reservoir in a residential neighborhood on parkland that had been paid for by a millage specifically for parkland seemed inconceivable.
Residents made it clear they will remember in November.
At some future point when the Rochester Hills residents are complaining about water supply pressure and draconian water restrictions...
ReplyDeleteI will be here to remind them that there "was no buisness case".
It would be interesting to see the amount of money that was wasted and staff time to create this charade of Tuna Cans or even the so called meeting of facts on the issue!
ReplyDeleteMore money was wasted than "we" want to know. And if the "tuna cans" are ever necessary, they can be hidden in a hillside. Unless someone stands to profit from the current locations.
ReplyDeleteSeveral cities have put them in the sides of hills and then put a skate board park on top of them. Otherwise they look like those oil tanks down river.
It is pretty easy to remind people that there was no business case when... there was no business case. It's business 101: if a plan makes sense, you should be able to explain it to the people that it will impact.
ReplyDeleteAs far as money being wasted, I totally agree. Usually you submit your business plan BEFORE you spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, not after.
The outcome might have been different if the Mayor would have included residence and didn't try to over sell the project when objections were verbalized. Barnett should not have tried to pull the wool over on voters nor to put this in a park! He continues to say one thing and do another with our city!
ReplyDeleteI hope his style of political spin effects the Nov 2011 election with the silent majority turning out to vote!
There is a big conflict between how the "slate of five" saw the nonwritten business plan and over 500 people who did not see a good plan at all! I would hope our city staff could do a honest business plan presentation! It was not what was done on 1/31/2011. Council faces said it all!
ReplyDeleteInteresting how the day after this joke of a plan dies, the water rates for 2011 are announced and Rochester Hills drops 9%. The Administration plan had a 9% increase for the next 15 years....
ReplyDeleteGives you real confidence in our elected officials.
You've done a great job on reporting this mess, Laurie!
ReplyDeleteYou should run for city council or something.
Anyone who claims it was too bad we didn't build the tanks should be confronted with why they did not decrease the peck use of 51.9 years earlier! The above stated 9% saving is from that action bringing it down to 34.1. Even more important: it is this over due action that was 20% of the so called 42% saving. Don't expect to see it in your water bill.
ReplyDeleteThis administration has lost alot of credibility with this project. The presentation Monday was laughable.
ReplyDeleteThe simplistic way the city council tried to stage he whole reversal was equally laughable. Who was Pixley think he was kidding...
In the local paper yesterday, Barnett said it was the weak business case not the residents' outcry that prompted them to cancel the project.
ReplyDeleteIn that one statement, he managed to both lie and insult the citizens of Rochester Hills. I hope everyone remembers this in November.
The council meeting on the 31st should be archived and used by candidates as they work towards election against the gang of 5. It was so obvious from the very beginning of this meeting with Mayor Barnett's comments hinting at the direction the meeting was going to go.
ReplyDeletePeople should watch this meeting from the beginning, starting with the Mayors comments and you will see that it was all theater. Bottom line is, there were more people in city hall than the place has seen in 15 years. For every person that shows up, there are many more who are spitting mad, but are out of town, working, taking care of their families etc that can't make it.
It was funny, I was shoveling my drive a few days later and a neighbor said to me, "Did you see Monday's council meeting on cable? I did he said, Did they finally come to their senses or is it just an election year". You should decide what you think for yourself. My money on the fact that some of them are scared as heck that they won't get re-elected and they didn't want this anchor on their neck in the fall.
Let's "Take out the Trash" this fall.