Argus endorses a "NO" vote on Genoa Millage

Today's Argus has an editorial on the millage.  It endorses a NO vote for many of the same reasons this group was formed. Many of the supporters of Protect Genoa Township Neighborhoods are supposedly the "beneficiaries" of these projects. It isn't viewed much of a benefit, and everybody in the township is going to pay for it.

For starters, the survey supposedly showing the township that it had a green light to ask for road money had fewer than 500 respondents. Genoa has more than 8,000 households.
Just weighing those numbers against each other, we cannot agree with those who would suggest that a few hundred survey responses from about 20,000 residents constitutes a clarion call to raise $23 million in property taxes for roads.
Indeed, we are swayed more by the ongoing, turbocharged negative response from community residents who have voiced concerns about the road millage. Some have said they are concerned about speeding on paved roads instead of gravel roads. Others have said they are worried about widening roads and taking out natural features in their community.
Surely, nobody wants to pay extra taxes. Frankly, the tax tab isn’t really even the issue with this proposal. When a proposal like this is going to sock everybody in the township with a tax increase for a perceived public gain such as better roads, and the people along those roads — who are in line for what is perceived to be a $23 million public benefit — are crying foul, there needs to be a reassessment of the plan itself. The road projects very well may not be a benefit, in light of their concerns.

Most people don't like tax increases, but if these fixed main roads instead, this group probably would have not been formed. At the very least, it would not be nearly as organized and have a broad coalition of multipartisan supporters. It would be more ideological based. These plans however fundamentally change our neighborhoods. The pavings are bad, but the widenings are worse.

We can’t endorse a proposal that has generated such a swirl of controversy. Voters should say NO to the road millage proposal on the ballot Tuesday.
Genoa Township officials should then head back to the drawing board, seeking citizen input on a new road plan.
The Legislature is not going to come up with the money to fix local roads anytime soon. If residents want good roads to drive on, they’ll have to take care of it themselves.
But citizen input should be the guide as to how much, for how long, what roads get addressed and how they be repaired.
The vocal opponents of Tuesday’s proposal should be participants in the process.

They will, or already have.  Hopefully the rest of those who don't like this will show up. We've done and are doing our best to get the word out to likely voters. If we have a high turnout, we probably win.