WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Constantine Village Council members this week discussed benefits of a special assessment to assist funding the village’s fire department and possibly its police department, too.
Council members unanimously decided to seek voter approval and put the special-assessment request on the ballot in November.
Village manager Mark Honeysett said a special assessment has to specifically state what the tax is to be used for, with the exact amounts. One benefit is, if the budget goes up or down, the millage requested in a special assessment goes up or down accordingly, without voter approval.
Honeysett said the council is mainly interested in financing the fire department. Its members have been discussing the potential relocation of the fire department to the former D&S grocery-gas station, at 175 Washington St.
“One benefit is, if the budget goes up or down, the millage…in a special assessment goes up or down…without voter approval.”
The “benefit” is not to the voters, but to the village officials. The fire and police departments have been major components of the village budget forever. Now they’re saying they cannot afford to continue to fund fire or police protection from that budget? And they even want to take oversight away from the elected council and give it separate boards protected from voters. Yet they keep giving glowing reviews and money to the manager?
So all the village citizens care about in the name of “freedom” is gun laws? And legalized weed? No wonder there are more confederate flags in the village than American flags.
Wake up people. You think your taxes and fees are too high now? Just add more government entities unanswerable to you, the citizens.
Is this because of the new sewer plans costing us millions of dollars?