New DVD's highlight Baldwin New Titles 7/22/2014.

Baldwin New Titles 7/22/2014

Remains of Innocence by J. A. Jance: While investigating two separate cases, Sheriff Joanna Brady must discover if the death of a family friend whose body was found in a limestone cavern is linked to the discovery of a fortune in $100 bills hidden in the house of a hoarder. Check Availability

Heaven Is for Real (DVD): The true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world. Colton claims to have visited Heaven during a near death experience. He recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth.
Check Availability

Transcendence (DVD): Dr. Will Caster is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him.  Check Availability

Tyler Perry’s The Single Mom’s Club (DVD): When five struggling single moms put aside their differences to form a support group, they find inspiration and laughter in their new sisterhood, and help each other overcome the obstacles that stand in their way.

Check Availability

Library Tales. Part One. The first mention of a Baldwin-City of Bloomfield Hills Library Contract

Doug Koschik became the Baldwin Library Director in February 2010. 
At that point,Doug Koschik had been at the Baldwin library for twenty years. During that time he had worked his way up from new hire Techno Kid ,(someone who knew how to get on the Internet when most people didn't even know there was one) to Associate Director.

During those twenty years Koschik had seen the best and worst of local libraries. He came in at the end of a Golden Age of cooperation and sharing between the Birmingham Baldwin Library and the Bloomfield Township Public Library which involved five communities. It ended in the early 1990’s with the two libraries going their separate ways and taking their contract communities  with them. The City of Bloomfield Hills went with the Township Library. Koschik went with Baldwin and suffered under a number of well-meaning but not particularly noteworthy library directors.

In the winter of 2010 the Baldwin Library and the Birmingham City Commission were feuding openly. The latter is the boss of the former and in the spirit of acrimony with a touch of controversy, the then, library director resigned,

 A National Search was promised for a successor, but Koschik was the obvious and eventual choice.

During his two decades at Baldwin, Koschik had  plenty of time to think about what he would do if  he were running the show, and in February of 2010 he got  his chance.  Obviously it would not be in anyone’s best interest to do anything wild and crazy in month one, or even in month two. 

No Koschik would wait until month three, the merry month of  May before sending a message through traditional channels that the Baldwin Library would be interested in discussing a contract with the City of Bloomfield Hills.

City Manager Jay Cravens whose duties include receiving and reporting  such initiatives, did so at the next City Commission  meeting. Unfortunately the meeting  happened to be  the most  contentious of the year. The issue at  hand was  the possible outsourcing of our public safety dispatch unit to Bloomfield Township . The outsourcing issue was defeated and in the process the library overture mentioned under "City Manager comments" was ignored and forgotten as quickly as was spoken.

In fact few City officials of then or now say they remember it. It was after all the last item on a crowed  agenda, four years ago.

City residents remember the 2010 Library Millage  Initiative proposed by   Larry Neal,  City resident, a friend of Doug Koschik, Neal was also the  library director of the Clinton Township-Macomb Library. The  2010 millage for was for  $500,000 a year for a contract with a library not specified.  In 2011 Neal spearheaded a  millage, costing half as much with the Baldwin Library which passed.

 It is that millage that is up for renewal on August 5^th . The rates and terms are virtually identical to the reasonable ones  our city agreed to on 2011. 

If you have questions or want to go behind the scenes at the Baldwin Library, Koschik  is the man to see. 

Don't be shy or worry about being too taxing.  History tells us Koshick  is man of infinite patience.

Coffee with Baldwin Library Director Doug Koschik Wednesday July 23rd 10 am to 11:30 at City Hall.

Overview of Services the The Baldwin Library provides for City of Bloomfield. The Short Form.

City of Bloomfield Hills Contract with the Baldwin Library

On November 8, 2011, City residents voted to enter into a contract with Baldwin Library for library services under a three - year contract.  Baldwin Library began issuing  library cards to city resident card on November 15, 2011.  That contract expires this November. On  Tuesday August 5th  you will be asked to renew that contract for six years. The dollar amount and terms are essentially the same  as  to what the City agreed to in 2011.  The purpose of a six year contact is that  if the millage passes our library privileges will be preserved through November of 2020 at the favorable rate established nine years earlier.

August elections, usually associated with political primaries, are also the traditional time for library elections. Numerous communities  through out the tri-county area  will be voting on their libraries on August 5th. Absentee ballots are available from City Hall.

Usage figures provided by Baldwin on a regular basis  indicate that more  third of all City Households have Baldwin Library Cards. The number cards issued is more than a thousand. . The Average  City of Bloomfield Hills  card holder borrows five or more items per visit.

These are active numbers, based  residents who actually visited the Library to establish  a library card and who's subsequent visits are recorded only if items are checked out. 

If you have not has the opportunity  to visit the  the Baldwin Library and get a library card,  the Baldwin Library is as close to you as  City Hall at 45 East Long Lake Road. There  Baldwin maintains  approximately five shelves of  popular  and reasonably current bestsellers, movies on DVD and up to date information on Baldwin Library events , classes  and programs.. The  City  Hall Lending Library works on the honor system, Pick up a book and return it  to City Hall when you are finished with your selection. No lines. No waiting/ No due dates. No late fees!  Just another benefit of  the City's  contract with the Baldwin Library..

To go directly to the Baldwin Library website, click here.

Baldwin Library Services 

provided to City Residents

Anyone who lives, works or owns property in the City of Bloomfield Hills is eligible for a library card at the Baldwin Public Library.  Simply come to the Library with a valid photo ID card showing your current address (e.g., a driver’s license, passport or state ID), and the Circulation Desk staff will register you.  If you don’t live in our service area, also bring proof of property ownership or employment.  You can find more details atwww.baldwinlib.org/card.

With a Baldwin card you have access to:

• 170,000 books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, audio books, video games, toys, puppets and media kits at Baldwin
• Interlibrary loan from thousands of libraries around the country
• 9,000 e-books and downloadable audio books
• Over 100,000 pieces of downloadable music
• Subscription databases, like Morningstar, Value Line, Consumer Reports, Ancestry.com, Mango Languages, theNew York Times and the Wall Street Journal
• 800 events, programs and classes every year
• Study and meeting room space
• Support for schoolwork, including home schooling
• Reference service in person, by telephone and electronically

Some of these services you can use without leaving the comfort of your home.

To stay informed about what’s happening at Baldwin, read the Library’s quarterly newsletter, Books & Beyond, which is delivered to all addresses in Bloomfield Hills, available for pickup in the Library or available online at www.baldwinlib.org/newsletter.  You can also subscribe to the Library’s enewsletters at www.baldwinlib.org/enews.

If you’re on Facebook, “like” our page and if you’re on Twitter, “follow” us!

If you’re interested in finding out more about what Baldwin offers, please get in touch with Doug Koschik, Library Director (doug.koschik@baldwinlib.org or 248-554-4861) or Kathryn Bergeron Associate Director(kathryn.bergeron@baldwinlib.org or 248-554-4682). 

Great titles.Even better reads. Highlight Baldwin New Titles 7/8/2014

Cut and Thrust by Stuart Woods: Stone Barrington enters the cutthroat fray of politics in the exceptional new thriller from New York Times--bestselling author Stuart Woods. When Stone Barrington travels to Los Angeles for the biggest political convention of the year, he finds the scene quite shaken up: a dazzling newcomer-and close friend of Stone's-has given the delegates an unexpected choice, crucial alliances are made and broken behind closed doors, and it seems that more than one seat may be up for grabs. And amid the ambitious schemers and hangers-on are a few people who may use the chaotic events as cover for more sinister plans. In this milieu of glad-handing and backroom deals, only the canniest player can come out on top. and it will take all of Stone's discretion and powers of persuasion to arrange a desirable outcome. Check Avaiabilty

Eden in Winter by Richard North Patterson: Two months after the suspicious and much-publicized death of his father on the island of Martha's Vineyard, it is taking all of Adam Blaine's will to suture the deep wounds the tragedy has inflicted upon his family and himself. As the court inquest into Benjamin Blaine's death casts suspicions on those closest to him, Adam struggles to protect them from those who still suspect that his father was murdered by one of his kin. But the sternest test of all is Adam's proximity to Carla Pacelli his late father's mistress; and a woman who, despite being pivotal to his family's plight, Adam finds himself increasingly drawn to. The closer he gets to this beautiful, mysterious woman, the further Adam feels from his troubles. Yet the closer he also comes to revealing the secrets he's strived to conceal, and condemning the people he's so hard fought to protect. This is a complex family drama pulsing with the tumult of the time and dripping with summer diversions, youthful passion and ideals, class tensions, and familial disruptions. Check Availability
  

The Heist by Daniel Silva: Gabriel Allon, art restorer and occasional spy, searches for a stolen masterpiece by Caravaggio. Sometimes the best way to find a stolen masterpiece is to steal another one.

Check Availability

 

Shots Fired by C. J. Box: The author of the Joe Pickett novels presents 10 suspense stories about the Wyoming he knows so well -- and the dark deeds and impulses that can be found there - in a collection that includes four stories that feature Pickett himself. Check Availability
 

Sight Unseen by Iris and Roy Johansen: She was safe in a world of darkness. Now danger threatens in the cold light of day...Before the experimental surgery that gave her sight, Kendra Michaels developed her other senses to an amazing capacity. Now she can identify a Nissan by the sound of its engine, a Norelco electric razor by the pattern of stubble it leaves behind, or an obscure colorless fire accelerant by its sweet smell. Law enforcement agencies clamor for her rare powers of perception and observation, too often disrupting the life she has built helping others through music therapy. Because so very often, only Kendra can get the job done. But in this case, it's Kendra who first realizes that the apparent traffic accident on San Diego's historic Cabrillo Bridge is in fact a murder scene, and she rushes to alert the police before crucial evidence is destroyed. As the body count rises and one murder unveils another, a gruesome pattern emerges. Someone is killing people in ways that mirror Kendra's most notorious cases. She has a fan: someone who admires her work and is twisted enough to show that admiration through murder--while naming himself after the biggest art forger of the 20th century. He views himself not as a monster but as an artist. And he is not working alone. As the darkness closes in, near enough to touch Kendra and those she loves, Kendra must come face to face with her greatest fears--and her most ruthless enemy. A man who moves through the shadows, a man she may even know, who hides behind the mask of sanity, sight unseen. Check Availability

 

Baldwin Library Fact Sheet.

What is the Baldwin Public Library?

The Baldwin Public Library is the municipal library of Birmingham.  Because of its collections, services and programs, it has long been known as an exemplary library. 

Does Baldwin serve only the residents, property owners, and businesses of Birmingham?

No.  For over 40 years, the Baldwin Library has also provided library services to the residents, property owners, and businesses of Beverly Hills and Bingham Farms in exchange for annual payments determined by longstanding contracts.  For the past three years, Baldwin has had a similar arrangement with the City of Bloomfield Hills.  Residents of Baldwin’s contract communities enjoy the same level of service as do Birmingham residents.

Does Baldwin have a contract with the City of Bloomfield Hills to provide library services?

Yes.  A contract was signed by both parties in July 2011.  That contract expires on November 15, 2014.  A second contract, with minor revisions, was signed in June 2014.  You can find the new contract on the websites of the Baldwin Public Library (www.baldwinlib.org) and the City of Bloomfield Hills (www.bloomfieldhillsmi.net).

When and under what circumstances will the new contract go into effect?

It will go into effect November 15, 2014, but only if voters in Bloomfield Hills approve a millage for library services, which will appear on the August 5, 2014, ballot.

How long would the contract last?

Six years.  After November 14, 2020, the contract would be automatically renewed for successive two-year periods unless terminated by either Baldwin or the City of Bloomfield Hills, providing six months’ advance written notice.

What is the millage rate that Bloomfield Hills voters are being asked to approve?

0.39 mills for a period of six years.

How much would Bloomfield Hills pay for the Baldwin Library contract, and how was that amount determined? 

In the first year, Bloomfield Hills would pay $278,437.84.  That amount would increase each subsequent year by either the inflation rate or 5%, whichever is less.  The original figure of $268,681.00 in the 2011 contract was determined by calculating the average household cost, in fiscal year 2011-12, of Baldwin’s operational expenses ($180.44), and then multiplying that amount by the number of households in the City of Bloomfield Hills according to the 2010 census (1,489 households).  Since then, the contractual payment has increased each year by the inflation rate.

What services does Baldwin provide Bloomfield Hills under this contract?

The following “Overview of Services” provides a detailed, though not exhaustive, list.

What services would Baldwin provide if Bloomfield Hills does not renew its contract?

If the contract between the two parties expired, Baldwin would offer only very limited services to Bloomfield Hills residents.  For example, Bloomfield Hills residents would be able to enter the Baldwin Library and use materials on site, but they could not check out anything or use interlibrary loan.  They would also lose their reciprocal borrowing privileges at most neighboring libraries.  Services to the homebound would cease.   Access to Baldwin’s eBooks, downloadable audio books, and subscription databases would no longer be available.   And the “reading center” and book return drop at Bloomfield Hills City Hall would be removed.

How much has Bloomfield Hills used the services of the Baldwin Library?

Before the current contract went into effect in November 2011, not a single Bloomfield Hills resident was a registered Baldwin cardholder.  Now, 1,070 residents possess library cards.  That represents 28% of the total Bloomfield Hills population of 3,869.

Currently, 687 Bloomfield Hills households have at least one registered Baldwin cardholder.  Since Bloomfield Hills has 1,489 households, this means that 46% of all Bloomfield Hills households have at least one Baldwin cardholder.

The number of items checked out to Bloomfield Hills residents has increased each year:

Fiscal year 2011-12:  9,914 items over the course of 7 ½ months

Fiscal year 2012-13:  20,376 items

Fiscal year 2013-14:  22,554 items

8% of the participants in Baldwin’s 2013 summer reading program (101 out of 1,249) came from Bloomfield Hills.

If I have more questions about Baldwin, whom can I contact?

Baldwin’s Director, Doug Koschik, would be happy to answer questions and provide a tour of the facilities.  He can be reached at:  248-554-4681 or doug.koschik@baldwinlib.org.

Editors Note: Additional Copies  (for friends, family, or fellow residents) are available at the Baldwin Library.

A letter from City Resident Larry Neal.

Dear Library Supporter,

It is hard to believe that just three years ago we finally passed the library millage for our City and secured the contract with the Baldwin Public Library for quality local library service! The City and the Library have renewed the contract for six years contingent upon the outcome of a vote for the renewal of the library millage. This renewal is on the August 5 ballot!

If you have received your absentee ballot, please be sure to vote YES for the library millage renewal. If you will not be in town on August 5, please contact Amy Burton at the City to receive an absentee ballot (248) 644-1520.

Our contract with the Baldwin Public Library has been a success by all measures. For example, by the end of our library "dark ages" only 87 families in our City (5.8%) had library cards. Today, after less than three years, 687 or 46.1% of our families have cards. In all, 1,070 individuals have cards with an average checkout rate of 5.8 items (up from 4.1 for the first year of our contract).

Please remember that every vote counts and that approval of a renewal is not guaranteed. Encouraging other family members, neighbors and friends who live in the City to vote YES is critical to retain our contract with the Baldwin Public Library.

Thank you.

Larry Neal

Editor's Note:  City resident  Larry Neal  is by profession a librarian and Director of the 
Macomb-Clinton Township Public Library which serves communities approaching 100,000 residents. He was active in our City's library millages of 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce named him their 2011 many of the year for his efforts which won us our current library contract. In addition Mr. Neal was chosen as Michigan Librarian of the year  for 2013

Variety of beach reading both thriller and romance highlight Baldwin New Titles 7/8/2014.

Act of War by Brad Thor: After a CIA agent mysteriously dies overseas, his top asset surfaces with a startling and terrifying claim. There's just one problem--no one knows if she can be trusted. But when six exchange students go missing, two airplane passengers trade places, and one political-asylum seeker is arrested, a deadly chain of events is set in motion. With the United States facing an imminent and devastating attack, America's new president must turn to covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath to help carry out two of the most dangerous operations in the country's history. Code-named "Gold Dust" and "Blackbird," they are shrouded in absolute secrecy as either of them, if discovered, will constitute an act of war.

Check Availability

 

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian: Living in an igloo of ice and trash bags half a year after a cataclysmic nuclear disaster, Emily, convinced that she will be hated as the daughter of the drunken father who caused the meltdown, assumes a fictional identity while protecting a homeless boy. Check Availability
  

The Girls of August by Anne Rivers Siddons: Every August, four women would gather together to spend a week at the beach, renting a new house each year. The ritual began when they were in their twenties and their husbands were in medical school, and became a mainstay of every summer thereafter. Their only criteria was oceanfront and isolation, their only desire to strengthen their far-flung friendships. They called themselves the Girls of August. But when one of the Girls dies tragically, the group slowly drifts apart and their vacations together are brought to a halt. Years later, a new marriage reunites them and they decide to come together once again on a remote barrier island off the South Carolina coast. There, far from civilization, the women make startling discoveries that will change them in ways they never expected. Check Availability

 

Le Week-end (DVD):  Long-married British couple Nick and Meg are revisiting Paris for the first time since their honeymoon in an attempt to rekindle their relationship. Diffident, wistful Nick and demanding, take-charge Meg careen from harmony to disharmony as they take stock of half a lifetime of deep tenderness, and even deeper regret. An invitation from Nick's old friend Morgan, an amusingly eccentric American academic, soon leads them to a hopeful vision of what their marriage might still become.

Check Availability

Non-stop (DVD):  During a transatlantic flight from New York City to London, U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks receives a series of cryptic text messages demanding that he instruct the government to transfer $150 million into an off-shore account. Until he secures the money, a passenger on his flight will be killed every twenty minutes.

Check Availability

Tonight's City of Bloomfield Hills Commission Meeting Agenda

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS

City Commission

Agenda for Meeting July 8, 2014

The regular meeting of the City Commission will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July

8, 2014 at City Hall 45 E. Long Lake Road Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304. Phone

248.644.1520, FAX 248.644.4813.

1. Call to order and Pledge of Allegiance.

2. Consent Agenda

A. Bills Payable for June 2014.

B. Department Reports:

a. Finance Director / Treasurer

b. Public Safety

c. DPW

d. Building

e. Engineering

C. Minutes:

a. City Commission / Planning Commission Joint Meeting held

June 3, 2014

b. City Commission Regular Meeting held June 10, 2014.

c. City Commission Special Meeting held June 11, 2014.

D. Correspondence:

 a. Memo from City Manager: 2013 – 2014 Goals.

3. Recognition of Citizens in the audience.

4. The commission will consider approval of the resolution declaring official intent

to sell and issue bonds.

5. The commission will consider the request of Agree Realty at 70 E. Long Lake

Road for a variance to the sign ordinance.

6. The commission will consider the request of the property owner at 41150

Woodward Avenue for approval of an amendment to the approved PUD

Agreement for Cedarbrook Continuing Care Facility.

7. The commission will consider a request from Cranbrook Educational Community

for a variance from the sign ordinance to install banners along Woodward

Avenue.

8. The commission will discuss entry signs for Long Lake Road, Cranbrook Road and

Lone Pine Road. 

9. The commission will consider engineering budget for the 2014 Road

Improvement Program.

10. The commission will consider adoption of an amendment to the vacant property

ordinance.

11. The commission will appoint the election inspectors to work at the August 5, 2014 primary election.

12. The commission will discuss compliance with the Indemnification Agreement by

the property owner at 335 Cranbrook Court.

13. The commission will discuss the results from the city’s participation in ICMA’s

CPM 101 Program.

14. The commission will hear City Manager comments.

15. The commission will hear an update on individual lead responsibilities.

16. The commission will consider other business.

17. The commission will move into closed session to discuss contract negotiations

with DPW / Teamsters.

18. The commission will return to open session to consider ratification of a labor

agreement between the City of Bloomfield Hills and DPW / Teamsters Local 21

This afternoon's July 8th City of Bloomfield Hills Planning Commission Meeting

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS

Planning Commission

July 8, 2014 Agenda

The regular meeting of the Planning Commission will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday,

July 8, 2014 in the City Commission Room, 45 E. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills,

Michigan 48304-2322, Phone (248) 644-1520, FAX (248) 644-4813.

1. Call to Order & Pledge of Allegiance.

2. Minutes

 City Commission / Planning Commission Joint Meeting held June 3, 2014.

 Planning Commission meeting held on June 10, 2014.

3. The planning commission will consider the request of the property owner at

3637 Lahser Rd., Tax Parcel No. 12-19-15-151-013, for permission to construct

fencing and gates.

4. The planning commission will consider the request of the property owner at 220

Cranbrook Rd., Tax Parcel No. 12-19-23-326-046 for permission to construct

fencing and gates.

5. The planning commission will consider the request of the property owner at

41150 Woodward Avenue for approval of an amendment to the approved PUD

for Cedarbrook Continuing Care Facility.

June 10th 2014 City of Bloomfield Hills City Commission Meeting

To see this meeting its 2 hour and eleven minute entirety click here

City Commission June 10, 2014 

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 

City Commission 

Agenda for Meeting June 10, 2014 

The regular meeting of the City Commission will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 

10, 2014 at City Hall 45 E. Long Lake Road Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304. Phone 

248.644.1520, FAX 248.644.4813. 

1. Call to order and Pledge of Allegiance. 

2. Consent Agenda 

A. Bills Payable for May 2014. 

B. Department Reports: 

a. Finance Director / Treasurer 

b. Public Safety 

c. DPW 

d. Building 

e. Engineering 

C. Minutes: 

a. City Commission Regular Meeting held May 13, 2014. 

D. Correspondence: 

 a. Memo from City Manager: 2013 – 2014 Goals. 

3. Recognition of Citizens in the audience. 

4. The commission will consider the request of the property owner at 21 E. Long 

Lake Road for a variance from the sign ordinance. 

5. The commission will consider the request of the property owner at 150 Lone 

Pine Road for a grading variance. 

6. The commission will consider the request of the property owner at 598 

Barrington for a grading variance. 

7. The commission will award the 2014 Road Improvement Program contract. 

8. The commission will discuss local road weight and vehicle restrictions. 

9. The commission will discuss the MDOT Woodward Avenue Signalization. 

10. The commission will consider approval of water and sewer rates to be billed for 

actual consumption beginning July 1, 2014 and approve the resolutions 

authorizing new water and sewer rates. REVISED 6/9/14 

City Commission June 10, 2014 

11. The commission will consider approval of an Oakland County Solid Waste 

Management Plan Amendment Resolution. 

12. The commission will consider approval of an Amendment to the Agreement for 

Library Services with Baldwin Library. 

13. The commission will consider approval of budget amendments as presented by 

Finance Director Karen Ruddy. 

14. The commission will hear City Manager comments. 

15. The commission will hear an update on individual lead responsibilities. 

16. The commission will consider other business

So what is a pension bond ? Why should you care ? And what City Commission should do about it.

At the City Commission meeting on Tuesday July 8th City Commission will consider a $17 million dollar pension bond, which will be the biggest investment in City History.  The $17 million  amount is a equivalent to 2 years of the City's  $9 million dollar budget.

So what is Pension Bond ?

A Pension bond  is a  complicated financial strategy that sells bonds  to pay legacy costs promised to past employees. These legacy costs are enormous and a drag on cities and states across the nation. Results of Pension Bonds  elsewhere are mixed. Connecticut seems to like theirs. Oregon, California, and New Jersey have not been as successful. In California the failures have been cataclysmic bankrupting the Cities of Stockton and San Bernadino. 

Pension Bonds are not without consequence or controversy and should as any investment be approached with caution and consideration.

The  track record of Pension Bonds is heavily dependent on timing and conditions beyond the control of the investor such as the stock market, and the international scene. Study's that chart the entry point  of municipalities in the pension bond market,in the first decade of this Century come away with the conclusion that timing is everything but not predictable. Risk is always a factor.  They also caution against believing in promised future savings or return on investments which are so variable dependent they may not materialize.

Thus it is unrealistic to assume you can, in any market, collect 8% and pay back 4%. The assumption itself implies one is smart and the rest of the world is stupid.

In addition our City Commission has provided a few more red flags.

Should you care ? The Commision thinks not.

Based on a  March cloak room conversation between two Commissioners discussing the viewing and sharing of videos relating to the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees, $80 million Pension Bond, The City has been considering a Pension Bond in some form for four months. Yet City residents are just now learning of it.

It is no secret that City Commission has a low a regard of  the importance of it's Citizens opinions.  

For he last two years City Commission has relied more on  City staff opinion than that of their constituents.  

That may be why on three recent issues that threaten to change the very basis of our City, residents are consulted last. Examples include decisions concerning police out sourcing last summer, an advisory only, waste haulers  vote to be held this November and now the Pension Bond.

That said,  it is editorial policy of this Publication and it's editor who has on occasion  run for local office, not to categorically rule out any possible solution to City problems or resident wishes until the matter is being properly discussed and explored.

What City Commission Should Do.

Proper exploration is not however a Pension Bond vote this Tuesday July 8th. Such a vote would be preclude any participation by a large percentage of our citizenry. That is because  residents who disagree with the Pension Bond issue have 45 day period  to petition for a public referendum or vote. In July and August many of  our City's residents are out of town and can not sign a petition. There is no such thing as an absentee petition signatures.

We suggest  that on Tuesday July 8th the City Commission start a dialogue with its citizens on why  the commission believes a Pension Bond  to be the answer to its legacy obligations.

A vote can be taken at the September City Commission meeting when most citizens will be back in town. The legally required Pension Bond notice of a quarter page that the City  is required to publish by law should be placed in Eagle newspaper which is delivered every household in the City's only, 48304 zip code. Currently the City "fulfills" it's  obligation by running legal notices is the Eccentric which has very small number of subscribers in the 48304 zip code.

If residents should get a enough signatures for referendum vote, a November vote, would not require a separate election. It would also meet the Dec 31st deadline mentioned in the City's power point presentation.
In addition since City Commission would not be deciding factor City Commissioners, as residents would  be free to campaign for the Bond if they choose to.

Specifics of The Pension Bond. and the residents right to Petition for Referendum