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By Robert E. Martin
Saginaw City Charter Commission Urges Michigan Legislature to Amend Election Law and Save City Taxpayers $32,000 Per Year At its April 11th meeting, the City of Saginaw Charter Commission unanimously passed a resolution that Saginaw City Elections, both August primaries and November General Elections should be held in even numbered years.
The reasons for this action consist of
the following:
A). The City would save $64,000
every two years for election costs because odd year elections
involve only city officers.
B). By holding the primary in
August and the general in November, the voter participating would be
increased 2.3 times the current odd year elections.
C). With the large increase in
voter participation, the Commission feels that the Mayor and the
councilpersons would become more representative of the entire city
population.
Unfortunately, PA116 of 1954, as
amended, prohibits the City of Saginaw from changing the current od
d year elections.
The Charter Commission has unanimously passed a resolution asking the Michigan Legislature to amend this public act to allow for the 'even numbered year' elections.
It is a simple amendment that provides
that a new or amended City Charter can mandate the elections on even
years in August and November, notwithstanding any other provisions in
the Act.
The Review will keep you updated
as to whether any of our election State Representatives are interested
in sponsoring this amendment which will save the City of Saginaw
$128,000 every four years and increase the amount of people voting
in city elections.
2nd Annual Mid-Michigan Pet Adoption Expo Set for May 20-21 The Heart of Michigan Animal Rescue crew is presenting their 2nd Annual Mid-Michigan Pet Adoption Expo on Saturday & Sunday, May 20-21st at the Midland County Fairgrounds, Airport Road entrance.
This free event will run from 10 am -
5 pm on both days and is an excellent opportunity to find yourself
or your family a new furry friend.
Events scheduled during the Pet Expo
include Angel's Karate Demonstration on both days at 3 pm, a
performance by the Fretted Dulcimer Society on Sunday at 2 pm; a
Moonwalk by Starlyte Productions, and games for all ages. Children
can also get their photo taken with a miniature horse or donkey for only
$10.00 for a 4x-6 inch portrait with folder.
Rescue groups from around Michigan will
bring all variety of wonderful cats and dogs that are looking for a
loving home.
For more information, go the Heart of
Michigan Animal Rescue website at
www.heartofmichiganrescue.com
SAGINAW RIVER DREDGE PROJECT FAR FROM BEING A 'DONE DEAL' Despite the fact that Bay County Circuit Judge Lawrence M. Bielawski denied an injunction that would have kept the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from building a 281-acre disposal site for river bottom silt on the Saginaw River, the battle is far from over.
Without legal action to stop the project,
Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner James A. Koski has said
construction could begin by the second week of May.
However, a review of MDEQ and
Saginaw County files on the Dredge Materials Disposal Facility (DMDF)
to be sited in the floodplain just west of the Saginaw River in
Zilwaukee Twp (Saginaw Co.) and Frankenlust Twp (Bay Co.) reveals a site
rife with environmental problems and cost overruns.
The Saginaw News recently
opined on the need to dredge the river, stating, "There is no
disagreement on dredging the river. Where to place these sediments is
what's at issue."
The publication went on to state that
"Saginaw County officials have received the go-ahead from the state
Department of Environmental Quality", however the DEQ has not
signed off on the placement of dredged materials because an
Operational Management Plan on how the site will be built and how
the contaminated sediment will be managed has yet to be submitted for
DEQ review, input and approval.
Until it is nothing can be placed on the
site. As Michelle Hurd-Riddick of The Lone Tree Council
notes, "Dredging the river is only one issue. Where to put these highly
contaminated sediments is another issue. The need for the Saginaw River
to be dredged doesn't mean the final resting place for the sediments
should not be done correctly."
Sampling data in the navigational channel
is limited but concentrations exceed 10,000ppt. DEQ says the "
dioxin furan concentrations in the Saginaw River are highly variable."
In short, there is a lot which is not known, making safe disposal of
these contaminated sediments imperative.
"To date, decisions are being made based
on the urgency to dredge, scattered sampling, the need to secure a site
quickly and the heavy hand of politics," adds Riddick.
"The proposed site in the floodplain of
the river is the wrong site. Three or four previous attempts to site a
disposal facility on the west side of the river have been rejected in
the past because of flooding, westerly prevailing winds and proximity to
the Crow Island Game Reserve. None of these dynamics has changed."
"Ships getting stuck in the turn around a
basin the past weeks have been unfortunate. However, the dredging delays
and ensuing problems with river traffic are the result of poor planning
and doing this project "on the cheap" like the Army Corp of Engineers
(ACE) stated early on."
"As of today it would appear plans are
now shifting to make dredging the turn around basins the priority. The
ACE abandoned site selection in the late 1990's and in their rush to act
on appropriated federal funds and finding a willing partner in Mr. Koski
they snatched land that was the most convenient. It had nothing to do
with science or safety."
"The recklessness of not doing an
Environmental Impact Statement on the site may not become apparent for
years," concludes Riddick, "but Saginaw County is the local sponsor. Mr.
Koski committed all the taxpayers of Saginaw County to perpetual
liability for this site, which will contain sediments highly
contaminated with alarming dioxin levels."
According to Riddick, " Only after Mr.
Koski purchased the site was it was discovered that the integrity of the
clay lining was feathered with sand seams and lenses which permit
contamination of ground water or run off back to the river or adjoining
properties."
"Our concerns about the integrity of the
clay and ground water contamination were specifically questioned at two
public meetings. We were assured by proponents of this site, Mr. Koski
included, that the natural clay liner was sufficient. Well it's not. In
a March 16th 2006 email, DEQ is estimating the cost of having to
install a groundwater monitoring system. The one time cost estimates for
monitoring wells is $55,000 to $165,000 and the range for
sampling which will be incurred annually until the permit
is terminated are between $54,000 and $423,000."
Where is that money coming from? That
seems to be the major question that overshadows health concerns by
government officials.
Moreover, according to one DEQ document,
"The site search committee in the late 1990s, after identifying 29
potential sites in Saginaw & Bay County, abandoned their search, no
reasons given."
The sad fact is that now it appears to be
a race to the finish line at all costs and well being to the watershed,
townships, and people affected.
The Saginaw Bay Watershed is Michigan's
largest watershed. We comprise one the longest contiguous coastal
wetland system in the US and comprise a portion of the Mississippi
flyway.
Unfortunately, years of pollution, short
sightedness and poor planning have resulted in the Saginaw River and Bay
being listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) by the US and Canadian
Governments. The economic losses associated with our contaminated
rivers, fish and property is huge. Our Saginaw Bay is the only site on
the US side of Lake Huron listed as an AOC. There is an obligation on
the part of every business, citizen, unit of government and elected
official to be smarter and wiser in the planning and use of natural
resources.
"This story is ongoing and more detailed
than you can imagine," concludes Riddick. "This dioxin update is only a
snap shot of what's wrong. The real story is what's going on behind the
scenes, what's not being said, what's not being covered in the media and
the disappointing political maneuvering around every facet of the dioxin
debacle."
Hmm. It seems that the Saginaw County
Public Health Department would be more concerned with this
very real risk to the health of our community than they are with
whether or not a private business owner can smoke a cigarette in his
office or not.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story
transpires.
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