Donald Atkinson, Bryan Barnett, John Dalton, Kurt Dawson, Rajeev Gudipati, |
Melinda Hill, Julie Jenuwine, Lang Liu, Lee Zendel |
- Determine the precise needs of the local streets network and related costs |
- Evaluate all available funding options and agree on an appropriate mix |
of revenue - possibly to include a dedicated local streets millage |
- Outline an approach for educating the public regarding the needs of the |
local streets system and the need to move quickly to address a growing |
problem that will affect quality of life, and potentially, residential property |
* Section II, the Overview of the Local Roads Issue |
* Section III, the Evaluation of Local Road Needs and Related Financial Requirements, |
included the following highlights: |
- The Pavement Management System (PMS) was used to analyze |
residential street conditions |
- Twenty-five percent (25%) of residential streets are classified as in poor |
- An estimated $103 million is needed for residential street over the next ten |
* Section IV, the Evaluation of Funding Options, contained the operating loss over the |
next ten (10) years due to cut backs of ACT 51 monies |
- Rochester Hills has the lowest millage for city services when compared to |
other cities of the same population |
Section V, the Outline for a Public Education Strategy, contained the following: |
- Appoint a project manager |
- Clearly define legal parameters |
- Commission a community attitudinal survey (optional) |
- Develop a specific public education message |
- Develop an initial public education kit |
- Develop a specific public education activities plan |
Mr. Nottley stated the Final Report completed Phase I of the consulting services for the |
City. Phase II would consist of Rehmann Robson providing marketing services, which is |
at the City's discretion. However, Rehmann Robson will design a brochure as a gratis |
service. |
Chairperson Barnett thanked Mr. Nottley for the synopsis of the Final Report and |
opened the floor for discussion. The recommendation made at the June 24, 2004 joint |
meeting of CDV and FS will move forward to City Council along with the Final Report at |
a Special City Council Meeting scheduled for July 14, 2004. |
(2) Livonia Experience 2002 |
Mayor Somerville introduced Mr. Bill Costick, an engineer from Orchard, Hiltz & |
McCliment and Mr. Jack Kirksey, the former Mayor of Livonia. |
Mr. Kirksey distributed various handouts regarding Livonia's successful road millage |
campaign conducted in 2002 (electronically attached to Legislative File #2004-0469) |
and explained their millage campaign which included the following: |
* Livonia was faced with the same situation as Rochester Hills and had the lowest |
millage of any city in Wayne County |
* Livonia has had two (2) years of experience with the implementation of their road plan; |
* Livonia has the third (3rd) highest SEV in the State of Michigan; to levy a mil yields a |
great deal of money |
* Livonia launched a millage campaign in a two (2) month period prior to a primary |
election |
* Livonia wrestled a long time about the actual millage amount and ended up with .89 |
mils for a ten (10) year duration; the amount also included replacing sidewalks and city |
trees due to damage |
* Millages can be passed at either a Primary or a General Election, but a Primary |
Election would be the preferred time to place a millage on a ballot |
* Livonia had a strong consensus from the "major players" such as the mayor, city |
council and citizens groups. They were comfortable with it and really believed in it |
* Livonia has a sixty percent (60%) residential base and a forty percent (40%) |
commerical base |
* Livonia preached a two-fold message to residents: that there were "two (2) major |
players in town" - the residents and the business community. They tried to make the |
businesses, who are the corporate citizens, feel valued rather than always hearing |
complaints about truck traffic or noise, etc. |
* Livonia conducted the following promotional activities: |
- Editorial Boards - went to them early and sold them on the reasons for |
launching the millage campaign (an example of a positive editorial was |
- Civic Associations, Senior Citizens and Other Public Meetings - attended |
many throughout the community |
- City-wide Newsletter - mailed to 45,000 households and businesses that |
zeroed in on information rather than trying to promote a "yes vote" on the |
- Local TV - created three (3) one-half hour presentations on roads that |
zeroed in on information rather than trying to promote a "yes vote" on the |
- Council meetings - Mayor Kirksey would have an "audience |
communication" and provide an update on a weekly basis |
- Block Parties, etc. - communicated with people on a "grass roots" level |
* Livonia conducted Surveys that included the following: |
- Volunteer callers that conducted the phone survey were residents who |
lived on various types of streets (asphalt, concrete, poor condition, |
excellent condition). They were given a detailed explanation of the results |
of the scientific road survey including the implications of the whole financial |
picture with the goal of getting them involved as citizens who would do |
- Volunteer callers asked residents specific questions to determine the |
position of public support and to talk one-on-one with people during the |
* Livonia solicited feedback from the volunteer callers who conducted the phone survey |
* Residential streets were listed on a web site with an index from the scientific road |
survey, so residents and businesses could see what kind of repair or attention would be |
promised to their particular road |
* Livonia formed a committee that was headed by an upstanding citizen known for |
bringing people together and selling ideas. Duties and obligations were explained along |
with a calendar and a budget. The campaign budget was approximately $7,000.00 |
which included newsletters, letters to editors and an organized letter writing campaign |
with assigned topics. The goal was to achieve a constant flow of letters each week. |
The millage passed by fifty-three percent (53%) |
* Livonia's campaign committee never met at their city hall or used their city phones |
which is extremely important to adhere to the law regarding this issue |
Chairperson Barnett thanked Mayor Kirksey for his presentation and the |
opened the floor for questions which resulted in the following discussion: |
* Livonia spent approximately one (1) year conducting surveys, gathering data and |
selling people on the millage idea; the actual millage campaign was started two (2) |
months prior to a primary election |
* A campaign that becomes too extenstive time-wise loses its momentum and the |
urgency which needs to be there |
* Livonia developed the campaign committee in two (2) phases: |
- Phase 1 consisted of soliciting residents to become part of an exploratory |
committee regarding the road conditions |
- Phase 2 consisted of asking those in the exploratory committee to become |
part of the millage committee which then became a citizens advisory |
- The advisory committee continues to meet with the professionals, i.e. road |
engineers, etc. and select the roads that will receive repairs one (1) year in |
* Livonia did not give specific finish dates of when residents' roads would be repaired; |
they clarified that by saying "sometime within the ten (10) year period |
* Livonia tried to increase their SADs, and even thought the process works, it is such a |
cumbersome and slow moving process that it could never catch up with the rate of road |
deterioration |
* Mayor Kirksey and his office organized the majority of the campaign and developed |
most of the materials, etc. because he has had a lot of experience regarding millages. |
However, there was solid support from Livonia's City Council for the millage and when |
talking to various groups, etc. |
* Livonia used a list of residents from their Clerk's Office who voted at the last four (4) to |
five (5) primary elections, to determine if the street on which they resided needed |
repairs and targeted them for support |
* Even though Livonia residents and businesses are traditionally supportive of millages, |
they also have aggressive anti-tax groups. Livonia asked their anti-tax groups for a plan |
to repair roads if taxes were not raised, as well as, explaining that property values are |
directly related to the condition of the streets in front of their residences or businesses |
* Livonia's road repair needs should not be nearly as great ten (10) years from now |
because part of the millage was for maintenance that was not being performed. |
* Livonia's $7,000 budget for mailing flyers, etc. was from private money collected. The |
newsletter was used twice and was a budgeted expense dedicated for educational |