The election is over and most t
hings went down in flames; the Michigan State Road Proposition 1 was massacred and no better use of the vote was ever made. No argument from me that the pork laden attempted robbery cried out to be defeated.
In this column, I will discuss last week’s election in Dorr Township. Full disclosure: I live in Dorr and am involved in the township government. I hold no elected office, but serve on three appointed boards and commissions.
Quite frankly it is hard to understand the good folks in Dorr and the impression of the majority that the township government is wasteful and inefficient. Folks will talk about the electronic library sign and purchase of new maintenance equipment (rather than used) as government out of control and on a spending binge. The undeniable fact is that the township government is probably the best buy in government in the nation. I fully realize that statement is heresy in the eyes of my fellow Republicans, but hear me out.
President Ronald Wilson Reagan was the champion of efficient government and he continually maintained that the lower the level of government, the more efficient it was. As in most things President Reagan was spot on.
Life as an Army Brat and later a career soldier made me a tumbleweed; lots of movement and few roots. I have always been interested in government and after retirement was involved in politics and local government in the many places we lived. Most of the folks who reside in Dorr have had the good luck to live here or near here most of their lives and do not have experience with governments in other states, counties or townships.
Upon moving to Dorr Township, I received my first property tax bill and promptly went to the Township Hall to register a complaint that it was incorrect, it was far too low and I did not wish to under pay and get hit with a huge bill later. The people explained the bill and assured me it was correct. Why did I feel it was incorrect? It was only 60% of the taxes I paid in northern Illinois for a home of half the value. You do not want to know how much cheaper it was than in California, Massachusetts or the D.C. area.
Folks, Dorr is an unbelievable deal, an unbelievably efficient government. The Dorr Fire Department has a rating that saves us all a good bit in insurance premiums and operates on a shoestring compared to other fire departments, and does it all with volunteer firefighters. We pay a few cents on the dollar compared to other places I have lived and we cannot give the fire department 22 pennies a day for a tanker truck and to keep the equipment up to date? Heck if we paid a dollar a day more we still would pay less for fire protection than most people in this nation.
Township government also operates on a shoestring. When I read that the total annual budget was $1.6 million I was amazed; the last community I lived in had three times the population but its budget was in excess of 24 million, 15 times the cost of the Dorr government, and they had 77 full-time employees. The government spending was 15 times what it is in Dorr and the waste was enormous. Dorr Township has a few part-time employees and one or two full time employees.
As a staunch right-wing Tea Party Republican, I understand the anti-government sentiment. As someone who lived and served in Washington, I understand what fraud, waste and abuse is and know it when I see it.
But come on now, friends and neighbors, Dorr Township is the best deal I have ever seen in government. No one (well liberal Democrats may) wants to pay higher taxes and I am not advocating for more taxes, but next time we are asked to fund decent roads or give our fire fighters a fighting chance we should understand our tax dollars are exceptionally well spent and will not be wasted.
Something will have to give over time; our roads will not fall apart overnight, our library will not cut services tomorrow, and the fire rating will not change for many months. Snow will be plowed this year, cemeteries will be maintained and the level of service we want will be the same for months.
Next year at this time we will see the downward slide accelerate, and when we do remember we can only blame ourselves. We cannot blame the Dorr government, but most probably will.
