At the Aug. 4 Van Buren Township regular board meeting, with just one item on the agenda, Police Officer Adam Byrd entered in uniform and on duty and sat down in the back of the room.
This should have been an indication that something was afoot.
Officer Byrd, president of the patrol officers’ union, sometimes comes in plain clothes to address the board. This time he was working. Everything went calmly. Then non-agenda citizen comments started.
Allen Babosh spoke gently about his support of public safety and his support of any millage that goes to public safety. But people who have supported public safety in the past are wavering on this 6.5 mill request in November, he said. People want to see the board make cuts before asking for more money – especially in administrative costs.
Then CeJay Marshall, in a harsher tone, urged people to look at their tax bills. The township cost is the smallest and the biggest chunks are being piddled away by Wayne County, he said. He’s in favor of the VBT millage hike.
Former VBT Supervisor Paul White got up and said he enthusiastically supports the township public safety department, but Supervisor Linda Combs’ plan to seek more millage for public safety so she can move money to the Visteon bond is a “bait and switch.” She denied that.
Things got wild after that. Good thing Officer Byrd was there. It’s a long way to November.
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5 Comments
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I am appalled that Combs’ denied the bait and switch tactic that Paul White suggested. For those of us who can’t closely follow these board meetings, papers and closed sessions, we see this purely as a public safety tax increase proposal only. Most of us would have no idea the plan is to use the extra tax money for a different fund other than the perceived public safety department. We would expect full time fire service or more cops being added to the beat. Maybe a home invasion division or something of that nature. We will get nothing more, but possibly less. What happens if the millage doesn’t pass? Just in talking with people from my subdivision, it’s not a favorable proposal.
A letter to our Van Buren Township Residents explaining our Board of Trustees action on increasing the Public Safety Millage by 62.5 per cent, and how the money is planned to be spent.
I attended the July 21, 2015 2:PM LDFA Meeting where Supervisor Linda Combs stated that she is proposing to the VBT Board a 6.50 mills Public Safety Millage for the November, 2015 Ballot. She indicated that four (4) Mills is for the Public Safety Department, and the additional 2.50 Mills (2 and 1/2 Mills) would be used to off-set the money currently allocated to Public Safety from the General Fund. She indicated not having to allocate money from the General Fund for Public Safety would free that money to be used to help fund the Visteon Bonds when they come due in 2018.
I also attended the July 21, 2015 7:PM Township Board Meeting where the Board of Trustees voted to place ballot language on the November, 2015 ballot asking voters to approve a 6.50 mills Public Safety Millage solely for the purpose of funding public safety. When I confronted Supervisor Combs concerning her earlier statement to the LDFA about freeing-up General Fund money to fund the Visteon Bonds she stated that she did not say that. In fact she has said that more than once in public settings. I said this action resembles a “bait and switch scenario”. Combs said this action was not a “bait and switch” and publicly tried to discredit me, and impugn my integrity.
I obtained a CD copy of a digital voice recording (used to prepare the LDFA Minutes) of her statements to the LDFA, through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in which she clearly stated the Public Safety millage increase was designed to reduce the amount of funds flowing from the General Fund to Public Safety in an attempt to use General Fund dollars to fund the Visteon Bond payment. Combs also said about the 2.5 mills increase in equivalent dollars, “That will allow us to put $2 Million in a Segregated Fund to make Bond payments.”
This is an example of Supervisor Combs’ practice of misleading statements to achieve her objectives. This is evidence Supervisor Combs does not have the knowledge, skill, ability, or character to conduct public business, with public funds. She is, and has engaged in questionable professional behavior because she does not have the integrity to be the Township Supervisor, and tell it like it is.
The Landfill tipping fees and guarantees are over 3 million dollars annually , and this money is deposited in a seperate account, the” Landfill Fund”, and then transferred to the General Fund as needed. This money should be used and not increase VBT Residents taxes. The total amount of the increase over 7 years is almost $17M taken from the pockets of our residents, without adding inflation to the amount. Disposable income which cannot be used by the residents for a personal benefit.
Former VBT Supervisor,
Paul D. White
We should not have to pay for the mistakes of the “King Team”. Three current board members were “King Team” members and those 3 recently voted yes to request funds from the taxpayers to help them get out of this Visteon mess. Years ago, the residents had no say in it and didn’t get to vote on pledging full faith and credit of the township, this was decided by the “King Team”, not the residents so why should we bail them out?
Mr. Greca is correct that not all residents can follow the meetings and newspaper and would have thought the proposed increase was for public safety, this lack of transparency will cause this to fail in November.
Thank you, Mr. White for bringing this to the attention of the residents.
Yes thank you to Mr. White. The news is spreading and it is very saddening to see this type of business play out in our township through people that were voted in trust to do the right thing. It is getting increasingly alarming and I can’t wait cast my vote for a brand new start. I just wish it wasn’t a year away.
Well Mrs. Combs has a letter back to Paul White in the paper today. Could she be anymore bitter? Way to deflect blame Linda. None of the mess is her fault and even though she is allowing so much overtime and blended wages in the police department, it is not her fault. What a bozo!