An Open letter to the Petitioners
March 14, 2018
It has now been 63 days since the petitioners informed readers of the Beaver Island forum that township consolidation would appear on a ballot on May 8, 2018.
It has been 51 days since a subsequent post on the forum directed readers to a website that provided limited information.
As of today, it does not appear that the website has been updated and voters will go to the polls in only 55 days.
Good decisions are rarely made without good information and we believe that the worst thing that can happen is for uninformed voters to go to the polls on May 8th. Having placed the consolidation proposal on the ballot, we further believe that it is incumbent upon the petitioners to make a case for consolidation.
We respectfully request responses to these questions which we believe are pertinent to the decision that voters are asked to make on May 8th:
Please provide an itemized list of expenditures, including legal fees, which you have incurred to place the consolidation proposal on the ballot. Also, please provide an itemized list of all contributions of $100 or more, including the name of the person(s) making the contribution.
Please provide an itemized list of the estimated costs necessary to implement consolidation. We believe that attorney fees could range from $52,000 to $104,000 or more. (Estimate based on 10 to 20 billable hours a week, for 26 weeks at a rate of $200 per billable hour.)
Please provide an itemized list of the tangible benefits which you believe will be achieved by consolidation. Where possible, quantify the value of the benefit and provide the basis of your estimate. We note that proponents of consolidation have claimed certain benefits that could be more easily achieved by other means. For instance, liquidating duplicate facilities could be accomplished without consolidating the townships. Please explain your rationale if you chose to include such benefits on your list.
Proponents of consolidation have referred to an Island manger, grants to build a wellness center and/or community pool. Have you discussed, and/or do you support such proposals? If so, please provide estimated costs.
Please provide pro forma, consolidating financial statements with explanatory notes that clearly identify changes in revenues and expenses that you believe will result from consolidation.
If consolidation is approved, voters will elect a board for Beaver Island Township. Have you discussed a slate of candidates to run for township office if consolidation is approved? If so, who are these potential candidates?
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Thank you for taking the time to respond to these important questions.
Respectfully,
Committee to Save Peaine