I don’t have much time today for this.
Whenever Ed Ver Schure is not available to host “Talk of the
Town,” the onus for that falls upon me, so I have been absent from this blog for a week since
he fell ill. I can't do both.
Ed is well enough today to chat with Master Gardener Jan Meeuwsen
of Debruyn Seed for the weekly “Yard and Garden” hour, but I need to jump back
in at 11 AM, so that’s why I have a sense of urgency about placing this post today.
We have had, over the past week-plus, the leading spokesmen
and spokeswomen for the three bond proposals that voters in the Lakeshore area
will be asked to decide this coming Tuesday, May 7
th
on our
programs. Superintendents Tom Martin of West Ottawa Public Schools and Tim
Travis of Saugatuck Public Schools discussed their $98 million and nearly $40
million, respectively, requests for building renovations and improvements, with
the WO proposal including new construction for facilities that weren’t
initially built when the new High School campus off of Butternut Drive emerged.
Both of those efforts come with no increase in the current
millage rate, and although there are efforts by unnamed persons in the
Saugatuck area to torpedo a second bond request by that district in as many
years (albeit for more than $10 million less than in 2018), these proposals, on their
merits, should pass. Whether or not there will be enough stingy voters to say
no remains to be seen.
However, the third such bond request, by the Holland
Community Aquatic Center for renovations and expansions, does come with a tax
hike. It may be just a quarter of a mill (from 1 mill even to 1.25 mills), but
that may not fly as well as the other two proposals that don’t have a tax hike
attached to it.
Officials such as HCAC Executive Director Jack Huising say
that there hasn’t been that much opposition voiced to them thus far about their
proposal, but some people in the Holland Public School district where the vote
will be conducted may have some reservations. They may think that it’s a school
district question (which it is not), and they may think that the center is more
of a community luxury rather than as a community asset.
Add to that a natural aversion by voters about any tax
increase for any reason on the ballot, and one can see that passage of the HCAC
bond proposal is by no means assured. Eight days from now, when the election is
complete, the result may turn out in the HCAC’s favor.
Personally, I won’t be going to the polls next Tuesday … we
have nothing to vote on in Jenison or in Georgetown Township (“GT, the Place to
Be!!!”).
Thanks!
