WE CAN'T AFFORD THIS MISGUIDED PROPOSAL!
LET'S DO THE MATH:
POTENTIAL FEES AND EXPENSES FOR THE COMMISSION: $5,000 PER YEAR
OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS AND LEGAL COSTS: $38,000 - $50,000
TIME: FOUR YEARS (or more) before we will have a zoning ordinance
POTENTIAL COST: $55,000…AND COUNTING
We can pay for a planning commission for years to come…or we can invest our taxpayer dollars into making our community safe and strong now.
TWO YEARS BEFORE A COMMISSION CAN EVEN START WORKING ON ZONING
Most Michiganders don’t realize that a planning commissions cannot just start enacting rules. First, they must develop a master plan that covers all aspects of the community and complies with county, state, and federal regulations. This plan can take MORE THAN TWO YEARS to develop. Only after the plan has been approved can a zoning ordinance be proposed, and that process usually takes ANOTHER TWO YEARS until the ordinance can be implemented.
ALL OF THIS TIME COSTS TAX PAYERS MONEY
A planning commission carries a pretty steep price tag. The commission must have at least five members, and those members usually get paid for their time. One Michigan township spends an estimated $5,000 PER YEAR on commission costs. If it takes four years to enact just one zoning ordinance, it could be a whopping cost of $20,000 RIGHT OFF THE BAT.
Additionally, zoning plans could require a township to hire an outside consultant or attorney with expertise in the technical and legal requirements zoning plans must meet. Fees for this work could cost a township $38,000 - $50,000.
THAT’S NOT TO MENTION TIME AND MONEY FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS AND MISCELLANEOUS COSTS TO OUR TOWNSHIP
At the end of the day, creating a planning commission could end up costing Union Township a lot more than we might think.
THE BOTTOM LINE: We can either spend a lot of money and a lot of time on a planning commission, or we can invest that money and time where it will do some real good:
- Roads and infrastructure
- Emergency services, like fire safety services
- Public libraries and education programs
On November 6, vote “NO!” on the proposed Union Township Planning Commission!