Last Monday, a very courageous village council member stepped up to the podium at the village council meeting and put on a presentation that told the painful truth of the extremely poor financial condition the Village of Lake Orion has found itself in. Despite the current real estate boom the village coffers are nearly empty. […]
It is three weeks after Sunshine Week, an annual event to promote open government. No one in the Village of Lake Orion government participated. In the Village of Lake Orion, Freedom of information Act (FOIA) requests are denied because what should be readily available government information does not exist. The village manager said it was […]
Dear Neighbors, On March 27, 2023, I made a presentation to my fellow Village of Lake Orion Council members on the financial position of the village. Since 1985, the village council has been systematically giving away almost 100 percent of new development tax revenues and close to 25 percent of total property tax revenues to […]
Spring has sprung! A lot of rain has fallen and this time of year a rainy day which flows right into another reminds me of the dark day surrounding Jesus’ resurrection. In her song about the resurrection, LeAnn Rimes sings, “It must have looked like rain when a thousand angels cried.” Absolutely! The Lent season […]
I have noticed a strange phenomenon in the Village of Lake Orion. It seems laws, rules, and regulations are often considered merely suggestions that can be ignored whenever convenient. Public safety is routinely ignored. Denying or delaying access to what should be public information is commonplace. The standards in the Michigan Building Code are what […]
I am writing on behalf of Love INC North Oakland County. “Love In the Name of Christ of North Oakland County is a non-profit-cooperative effort that links churches, volunteers and service agencies and helps them to organize their efforts by reaching out to the poor and disadvantaged. We serve as a needs Connection Center, where […]
To: Lake Orion Village Council and Lake Orion Village Manager Cc: Lake Orion Review As a village resident I would like to express my opinion on two important issues currently facing the Lake Orion Village Council. 1. The proposal DDA bond issue to purchase the Lake Orion Lumber Yard property – OPPOSED. 2. Redrawing the […]
I’m writing to agree with Cory Johnston, quoted in your March 1 issue, on the lumberyard redevelopment. Frankly I’m relieved to hear anyone stating what to me seems obvious. The overwhelming impression given by the new historical placards around the village is that Lake Orion is the town it is not because of parking lots […]
An open letter to the Village Council and DDA Board, The dreadful lumberyard plan that has been promoted by the DDA with taxpayer funds, is not really the plan for the lumberyard property and they don’t have a budget to do any of it. The DDA has budgeted $250,000 to get this far. They may […]
It has been one year since I presented “Questions of the DDA” asking why the DDA has been allowed to use our residential tax dollars, police millage and other public taxes to enrich the downtown business district since 1985. Using straight line averaging, if the village portion of DDA tax capture last year was $450,000, […]