A petition has been submitted to change the funding for the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) by eliminating the automatic use of local taxes for the DDA.
Yes, the DDA is almost entirely funded by the property taxes paid in the DDA tax capture area of the village. The village government and DDA appear to be opposed to this petition and the DDA has likely used public tax dollars to tout itself, most recently in a self-promoting mailings. Our tax dollars at work.
There is also a petition being circulated to eliminate the village entirely, which would eliminate the additional taxes paid by village property owners other than as needed to pay outstanding debt. The recent actions of the administration and council keep making this more likely.
According to the Orion Township website, village property pays a 12.6756 higher millage rate than property in the township (48.2067 mils village versus 35.5311 township), or about 36 percent more.
Some of those taxes come back to the village DDA due to the DDA tax capture, even when the public voted them for other purposes. That additional money, and that collected in the village, then goes to the unelected DDA board to do with as they wish, mostly in the downtown core area of the village.
It will also pay the new $5 million DDA bond debt which I hear now exists.
If approved, the petitions would require a public vote on these issues. Our elected and appointed government officials seem to be against allowing this vote.
Perhaps the elected, appointed, and hired officials in the village should consider why these petitions are being circulated and signed.
Then consider whether their efforts should be focused on doing things better instead of spending taxpayer dollars to promote themselves with highly biased taxpayer funded campaigns and administrative roadblocks.
Cory Johnston
Village of Lake Orion
What is going on with the Village of Lake Orion government? added by mmkelley on
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(my thoughts,) What happened to the FIRST Petition that was to be VALIDATED and got lost???? then the 2nd Petition was obtained/signed and sent to be verified by ???? and cleared OK AFTER the 5mil BOND ISSUE WAS PASSED how CONVENIENT don’t you think? saved the DDA’S DISBANDMENT because they are now involved in a legal contract, 5mil worth bond for the Village res. of Orion. Q, had the 1st petition been counted AND Certified YES would a vote by the res.be put on the next election ballet??? thus holding up the counsels vote on the 5mil bond issue, and if the res. of the Village voted the issue DOWN the DDS would NOT be party to a legal contract and would the Village council have authority by the VOTE of the res. of the Village to DISBAND the DDA???? just a simple Q, will get a answer, I don’t rely know, how bout your self???
According to the information provided for the July 18, 2023 DDA meeting, the taxpayer funded bond for the DDA will cost approximately $420,000 per year until 2040 for a total cost in excess of $7 million.
Based on the information provided for the bond approval at the April 24, 2023 Village Council meeting, the operating expenses of the DDA, without any programs, will be another $432,000 and increase in future years. This leaves only about $51,000 for any DDA programs and this amount will be even less in future years.