BY LAWRENCE SOBCZAK
PUBLISHER
Last week, I received a few letters about the Washington Township parks and recreation millage proposal that was soundly defeated by voters by a 78-22 margin on Nov. 2, 2019.
I chose not to publish them because last year’s ballot proposal is a moot point—the voters have obviously loudly spoken against it. It’s a dead issue.
Unfortunately there has been a lot of misinformation spread about the issue, so I have to refresh your memory on last year’s parks and recreation millage in order to separate it from this year’s millage proposal.
The 2019 proposal was to renew the existing 0.75 mill parks and recreation millage for 20 years and increase it by 0.25 mill in order to purchase the Total Sports soccer complex at 30 Mile and Powell roads for $11.5 million.
The feedback I heard in the community after the election is that the purchase price of the soccer complex was too high and the deal seemed too beneficial to the private owner that had just purchased the property from the township five years prior.
Community members were also concerned that the 2019 millage renewal did not directly address a commitment to partnering with Romeo and Bruce Township just as it has done in the prior 60 years.
Also, we’ve heard several candidates for the 2020 Washington Township Board of Trustee election, as private citizens, contributed to a political action committee to pay for signs and literature supporting the 2019 parks and recreation millage.
As private citizens, they are permitted to contribute to whatever cause they wish. There is nothing illegal about it. We know about these contributions because they properly self-reported them to our county and state election officials.
Judging by the disappointed comments from Washington Township elected officials at the first meeting after the election, they got the message loud and clear. You won’t be seeing another proposal like this any time soon nor any of the board members throwing in their financial support.
Grrr…I have already spent too much time on this moot issue but I’m spending the time because I am afraid what could happen in the 2020 election.
The Washington Township Board of Trustees has placed the renewal of the parks and recreation millage renewal of 0.75 mills on the Aug. 4, 2020 primary election ballot. This year’s proposal is pretty much the same millage that voters have approved in the past to support the Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks and Recreation department. The only exception is the removal of a clause requiring Bruce Township voters to pass the proposal in order for it to become a valid millage. There is no plan to get involved with Total Sports in this year’s millage proposal.
Several candidates running in the Washington Township Board of Trustees Primary Election seemed to have built their entire campaigns on the failed and moot 2019 Washington Township parks and recreation millage and they are pushing out tons of rhetoric about it.
What I am afraid is that all of this irrelevant rhetoric about last year’s parks and recreation millage will confuse voters and cause them to vote against this year’s millage proposal.
The result of voting against this year’s parks and recreation millage will be the dissolution of the Washington-Romeo-Bruce Parks and Recreation. My gut tells me this is something voters don’t really want.
If the 2020 millage proposal fails, it would seem unlikely the current Washington Board of Trustees would ask voters for a parks and recreation millage renewal for a third time in November after two strong rebukes.
The result of a failed 2020 parks and recreation millage will be the loss of youth sports, youth programs and senior citizen programs in 2021. The parks will still be there but any organized sports leagues that wish to use them will probably have to pay a higher fee in order to care for the grass and the facilities.
Unknown to a lot of readers is that parks and recreation coordinates most of the activities during the Romeo Peach Festival. It’s parks and recreation staff that organize most of the parades. Of course, it’s all parks and recreation when it comes to the children’s events.
There’s a lot at stake here.
If the August millage request fails, voters could be asked to approve a parks and recreation millage in a special election in 2021.Those millage funds won’t be available to spend on parks and recreation programs until the 2022 season. A more likely scenario would be a millage election in 2022 with those funds available in 2023.
Also consider it could take years to rehire personnel and to rebuild programs if voters vote down the millage this year. That’s the Humpty-Dumpty effect.
This is the last I am going to address the 2019 parks and recreation millage. I will not print a letter to the editor about the old millage proposal from 2019, however, I will consider letters about the 2020 parks and recreation millage proposal.
This brings me to the last point I wanted to make.
Letters to the editor is a forum we provide to our readers to discuss topics and news in our community.
Just because we receive a letter does not mean we will publish it—we have standards we abide by.
The Record reserves the right to edit all letters for length, libel, clarity, accuracy, grammar and punctuation. We will allow no name-calling, unsubstantiated allegations or personal attacks — period. We will not publish form letters, petitions, quotations or anonymous letters.
The letters must be short and concise and not exceed 350 words. Use proper spelling, grammar and complete sentences. I suggest using standard essay format: introduction, body and conclusion.
The Record will not publish political letters two weeks before an election.
The Record will not publish letters to the editor that simply endorse candidates. We consider such letters to be advertising. They should be handled as such.
Our newspaper will publish letters regarding issues to campaigns affecting the area. We will not publish letters from candidates if they only outline the candidates’ positions.
We will not allow letters from candidates or campaign managers, unless it’s in response to a news story or editorial specifically about them. They have ample ways to get their message out, including advertising.
Letters should be factually accurate and reflect original thoughts of a single writer. Readers and candidates are permitted one published letter every 30 days. Requests for specific print dates will not be honored.
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