Coronavirus // Bill Weckesser

PR admin note: I had removed this post at one point – but have changed my mind and am keeping it on the site, as to stick to my initial thought of how such a post could encourage a productive conversation.

Hopefully good news in the fight against the coronavirus is permissible. In fact there’s every reason to believe that few if any of the young people who tested positive from Harper’s will need to be hospitalized nor succumb to … Read more →

Will University re-Opening Be Done Safely To Avoid Covid-19 Outbreaks? Likely Not. // Patrick Levine Rose

Will we get large Covid-19 outbreaks by having college students return to campus? Answer: Most likely yes. 

Why? Students are not likely to limit contacts outside class this Fall upon  return to school. And the mitigation strategies that are needed likely will not be in place. [Source: Study by Univ of Penn/Swarthmore Profs.]

So Universities will likely collect the tuition, bring the students back to campus, cause the outbreak, declare emergency, send the students home — a planned failure (but a profitable one). Thoughts?

The study … Read more →

Am I math challenged or is the fixmeridianroads group not talking to them selves // Don Bosman

Meridian roads bond proposal

Today we received a second brochure touting a vote to tax ourselves more.
The brochure lists taxes on a $200,000.00 home at $169.28

If you go to the website https://clerk.ingham.org/Department/County%20Clerk/Elections/Election%20Results/August%202019%20Proposal%20Language.pdf
through the link at https://fixmeridianroads.com/the-solution to read the sample ballot language, it states the millage will be for 1.9428, which by my math equals $194.28 on a $200,000.00 home. 

I’ve used a calculator to triple check my math. What am I missing?

Don Bosman
Meridian Township but East Lansing Schools

Income Tax Proposal and Election Results // Matt Kazmierski

The City of East Lansing’s income tax proposal on yesterday’s ballot passed with around 58% of voters voting “yes” (some other sources say as high as 61%). East Lansing Info was on top of the outcome late last night . ELi also has a short survey asking voters to explain their vote of “yes” or “no” on the income tax proposal.

Other general results include:

– A passing of the Ingham County ballot proposal for a new jail millage

– Gretchen Whitmer winning the Democratic Party’s nomination for Governor of Michigan

– Bill … Read more →

Please Vote Today // Matt Kazmierski

This is a friendly reminder to be a responsible citizen, and vote in today’s primary election. In addition to the races, there are a couple of important ballot proposals for those in the East Lansing area.

Here are some helpful resources to prepare you for voting:

https://www.vote411.org/ – A very helpful voter guide, with information on candidates, ballot proposals, and polling place locations. Just enter your address in the left side bar, and go from there.

https://webapps.sos.state.mi.us/MVIC/ – Preview your ballot on the State … Read more →

re: More Tax Comparisons // Phill Bellfy

In response to Eliot Singer’s most recent post –a small group of activists looked into creating “Spartan City” out of the shallow hull of the city that would formerly be known as East Lansing.  It could be done, but there is one rather large complicating factor: Abbot Road forms the dividing line between two underlying Townships (Lansing Twp. to the west, and Meridian to the east).

So, in order to create “Spartan City,” the voters both east and west of Abbot would have to … Read more →

More Tax Comparisons // Eliot Singer

I am very curious about why certain non-city taxes are so much higher in EL/Ingham County than in TC/Traverse Bay/Grand Traverse. I have analyzed why EL city taxes are so high—the disproportionate cost of policing a college town with much smaller tax base than Ann Arbor, with collateral effect on legacy costs, which are mostly for public safety, and the huge amount of money squandered on building public works, without seeking voter approved debt millages, and pursuing public-private development with snake oil finance.

ISD … Read more →

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