Grosse Pointe News - Local History Archives

4A
The Woods
News
Under the Headlee Amend.
ment, the city C(l.uncil has the
authority to raiae the total tax
rate to up to ll9.0932 mills
without a vote eX the people, as
long as a public ~ bearing is
held.
If the city did JnOt raise the
millage after the 'f'ruth in Toation
roll back, it would have
to cut approximatoly $128,000
out of the budget, and "that
would not be tiacatJy responsible,"
said Woods Mayor Robert
Novitke.
Maison said that the average
1991.92 SEV for W'oods h0meowners
is $71,579.
Before the Truth An Taxation
rollback, the average homeowner
would have paid ~.30
in city taxes for 1991.92
(.0117395 :l $71,579). After the
rollback, he would have paid
$788.63 (.0110176 J. $71,579).
With the rollback an,d proposed
millage increase, thle resident
will pay $806.98.
Grosse Pointe WtlOds' p~
poed 1991-92 city budget is
$18,742,500, compared to
$18,892,220 for 1990-91.
Included in the proposed
budget are: $8,164,000 for the
general fund; $3,832,300 for the
special revenue fundj
$1,665,950 for the cktbt fund;
$203,500 for the capitul project
fund; $390,250 for the enter.
prise fund; and $926,500 for the
motor vehicle fund.
The 1990-91 b~:et was
$18,892,220, and ineluded
$7,949,000 for the general fuDd.
____
The~ general fund
1 ~
is used to
L
~ .U& l5"'UGlCU lSUYC£UIlM:IU..,
public safety, public worD aDd
parks and recreation uxpendi.
tures. Also included in t.he pneral
fund is contingeDcy money
for emergencies.
Novitke called it cell very
modest, responsible, proposed
budget."
He said it was especially so
considering the Wood!! lost
IIlOl"e than $85,000 thi8 )'ear in
state revenue sharing funds
due to a population decroaae eX
1,711 people, according toO the
A 1990 U.S. CeDSWt. <
.. •
Accot'dinB the census • the
Woods bad 17,175 residents in
1990, compared to 18,806 in
1980.
The more ezpensive iteJus in
the propoeed budget are plUblic
safety ($3,74.2,400), the ~raterl
sewer fund ($3,368,800), public
works ($1,681,800), the local
street fund ($1,506,150) and
solid wastesldisposallrecyding
($1,233,500). On the other end
of the spectrum are special
training for public safety mfi.
cers ($8,300) and drug enfOI'Cement
($1,050).
Novitke said plqxl8ed budget
increaseb were kept at or below
5.4 percent, the rate of inflation.
Through careful budgeting
and luck, Novitke said, the
Woods will have approximately
$600,000 left
1990-91 budget
over from the
to apply to the
upcoming budget.
The Farms
Grosse Pointe Farms' p~
posed budget of $8,070,600 for
1991.92 is $379,600 more than
the 1990-91 final budget.
Highlights include
$I,926,1}75 for police llervice
(down from $1,931,800 in 1990-
91), $1,843,590 for public works
(up from $1,834,400 in 1990-
91), $686,100 for general gov.
ernment (up from $647,810 in
1990-91) and $390,924 for sewage
(down from $421,000 in
1990-91).
The Farms should have an
estimated $840,000 leftovpr
from its 1990-91 budget to apply
toward the 1991-92 budget,
due to careful budgeting and
emergencies that were planned
for but didn't happen, said
John Lamerato, Farms controller.
Like the Woods, the Farma
has lost state sharing revenue
dollars - about $9,000 - due
to its declining population.
According to the U.S. CeIlSUlil
Bureau, the Farms had 10,092
residents in 1990, compared to
• REDUCE HEAt"
CUSTOM COLORS & STIlES
10,551 in 1980.
Farms CIty Clerk Richard G.
Solak said the city anticipated
the 1088 jn state sharing revenue
dollare last year and budge
eted accordingly.
For 1990-91, the Farms total
SEV was approximately $430
ml1lion, compared to an esti.
mated $468.4 million in 1991.
92
A homeowner who had a
SEV of $100,000 in 1990-91 received
a SEV of approximately
$109,000 for 1991.92, according
to Lamerato. Residential assessments
rose by 9 percent
licrOSS the board for 1991.92, he
sald.
In 1990-91, the Farms levied
a total of 10.75 mills. Under
the Truth in Taxation law, the
Farms has to lower its tax rate
to 9.92 mills for 1991.92. How.
ever, to maintain the present
I~vel of city Ilervices, the city
council is considering levying
an extra .43 mills. That would
bring the total tax rate up to
10.35 mills, resulting in a 4.9
percent increase in city taxes
for residential property owners,
Lamerato said.
Under the Headlee Amendment,
the Farma can raise the
tax rate up to 14.788 mills
without a vote of the people, as
long as a public hearing is
held.
lo'or 1990-91, a Farms homeowner
with an SEV of $100,000
paid $1,075 in city taxes