I notice all the talk lately about a walking, running and biking trail going from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids. Most of the people encouraging its creation cite more exercise, fresh air and more enticement for downtown business.
Most of the money for the creation of the trail I’m presuming will come from state grants and local taxation. Now I’m all for exercise, fresh air and getting more business downtown. But let’s critically examine the motivation and practicality of a paved trail, at least for the Wayland portion.
There are supposedly many supporters. The whole idea is to have a trail from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids. So where is the rest of the community support for those areas affected? I’m presuming this will follow the old interurban track roadbed, and it does exist somewhat from the two points of interest, but all those points in between are big question marks.
How many communities from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids are willing to shell out more money in taxes to support a trail that will be used by a small minority of those paying the taxes? The vast majority of those in the communities will never set foot on the trail but you want them to willingly contribute for the “road to nowhere”?
I know the hue and cry will be the state will chip in grants to build the trail. That is great, but what other projects will be shelved by those tax dollars from the state treasury to support this trail? And the grant only helps with seed money, not the cost of the entire project.
Then there will need to be maintenance and possibly patrols to ensure safety along the trail. So this will not be a one-time taxation and then dropped — it will be a continuous taxation for the trail. Any idea how much just the portion of the trail from the north (Dahlia Street) to south (133rd Avenue) end of town will cost? I presume it will be at least a five- to eight-foot wide asphalt road. Any idea about cost? I haven’t seen one yet.
So if the good folks of Wayland decide to support and be taxed for the trail, what are the other townships’ ideas to support this trail? I doubt if Wayland Township wants to be taxed for this trail, but maybe the Gun Lake Tribe will chip in and pay for Wayland Township’s portion of the cost?
What about Leighton Township? Do they have the same enthusiastic support as Wayland? There are many questions to be asked and answered. Townships beyond Wayland and Leighton will need to also approve this trail concept and cost, but who has contacted them and what is their opinion about the trail?
As for funneling business from the trail to downtown, does downtown have the businesses to address the needs of the trail users? Or will they make a west turn and end up at Burger King, McDonalds, or one of the gas stations sucking up soft drinks or Power Aid?
Is downtown attractive enough to entice those on the trail to venture downtown and sample what is there? I have my doubts, but maybe I’m the only one who does.
I’m asking supporters of the trail to take a good, hard look at the questions to be answered before you ask for a vote from the citizens of the City of Wayland for an additional tax burden on an already high tax rate for such a small town. This little town is highly taxed for the services it receives. Of course, those wishing for the trail evidently don’t care about cost, or we would already know how much it would cost through town. They may want to rethink their plans.
Before a vote to raise taxes for this, let’s determine if it is really needed, and if it is determined it is, what are we willing to give up, because I and I’m sure a few others are sick and tired of paying high taxes. We, as the Townbroadcast editor also has determined through examining the taxation of all the towns and cities in the county, Wayland is the highest taxed.
A friend in the real estate business asked me why the tax rate in Wayland was so high and I told him he was crazy. Then I investigated and sure enough, he was right. He said it was like this; first was East Grand Rapids, second was Rockford, third was Wayland! Our little town was one of the highest taxed in the area and the real estate agents knew it, but we didn’t.
The rotting of America and Wayland from within continues…
Do you like the antique street lights in Wayland’s downtown on Main and Superior? Those were at least partially paid for by state grants after a grant request was written.
Federal, state and some municipal governments budget annual grant money. In their budgets are projects such as downtown development that include things like decorative street lighting (as opposed to 25′-30′ untility poles with a 5′ arm and a highway fixture), sidewalk improvements and outdoor furniture like benches etc. The bike trail falls into the same grant category. Use it or lose it. It’s the nature of grants. It’s why there is a market for people who can write effective grant requests.
The grant is there to provide covering a portion of and sometimes up to all of the initial costs on projects groups see as improving their community. The difficult thing is that grant money is a moving target. Just because it’s here this year doesn’t mean its there next year or three to five years from now and if Wayland and other communities from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids delay.
I can tell you the Kai-Haven Trail that runs from Kalamazoo to South Haven using an old railroad right of way has benefited businesses because riders and hikers stop at places they would otherwise drive past. If the Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids trail is built, I will use it and based on the traffic seen on Kai-Haven and the portion of Paul Henry trail that currently runs from Caledonia to Kentwood and connects with a trail that runs parallel on M-6 it will boost the number of people who will see more of Wayland than a 131 exit sign. There are also other trails being built that will connect the proposed trail to those being built that will interconnect.
I’ve been unable to find even a rough approximation of what the trail would add the annual taxes to Wayland residents. According to the City of Wayland website, city residents who claim the personal residence exemption have a combined tax of 43.1186 mils annually. According to the Kent County website comparing tax rates East Grand Rapids/EGR Schools pays 49.5561 mills and surprisingly Wyoming/Godfrey-Lee Schools pays 48.9074 mills. Cedar Springs is at 43.8334 and Rockford is 43.1463 (both with their own school system). Wyoming residents who are in the Byron Center district pay 42.3468 mils. In Allegan County, Hopkins is at 41.1966 and Allegan and its school system come in at 42.8680. The Allegan County numbers came from MI.gov 2016 tax rates site
Here’s the link with those Kent County numbers.
https://www.opengovernmentproject.org/compare-tax-rates/
Wayland taxes are on par with Hopkins and Allegan. Hopkins has a similar lack of major tax base like Wayland. EGR is landlocked, in Kent County and has hardly ever turned down a millage proposal.
If you want to see what the “culture of no” brings, all one has to do is drive a few miles north on Division, turn left at 144th and look at what’s left of Moline. That community said no to alcohol sales, no to businesses open on Sundays and no to development for decades. Moline said no for so long that it can’t support any local retail trade.
To me, the proposed bike trail maintenance shouldn’t be a deal breaker unless someone can show how it’s going to raise millages in the communities it goes through by more than .1-.2 mills.
Taxes pay for services, schools and amenities. There are those who will say when times are good, we need to cut taxes and when times are bad we need to cut taxes. Have never figured out that logic other than the end game is there should be no taxes.
And so it goes.
I like your article, you present a huge and just list of excellent questions and it is easy to say no, no I do not want to pay, that is a lot of money long term maintenance, even policing costs, and that is the quick, easy answer.
Maybe we should ask ourselves, where would we be today if Ford did not endeavor to build his first car, where if nobody invested in asphalt or concrete or our road system, by the time the Clydesdales got here from Bell’s the beer would be warm.
The people who came before us had to ask themselves similar and sometimes tougher questions to lay the ground work for what we, yes you and I, enjoy today, no denying that.
I may not be a local, as that takes decades to earn in my book, However, yes I most definitely can see Wayland being a Way Station, an attractive comfort stop on this trail. And yes the business owners in this The City of Wayland are a tough bunch that can and will stand up to your challenge, and we will deliver a great experience to every traveler that we attract. And yes, I am ready and willing to invest in advancing The City of Wayland.
A lot of people in this town are working very hard to make this a nice attractive place to be and bring their families, and they are getting traction. Every event is loaded with volunteers working long hard hours, the efforts of Main Street, the DDA, small business owners investing huge amounts of their lives, not just dollars; it takes years of your life to make a business go.
Every one of the business owners in town had to ask themselves the question — Do I invest in Wayland, and do I try to create a destination, a wonderful experience for the people that we attract? Why do I make that investment, what does Wayland offer me, and so will the next person or business owner.
What is your dream? Where do you put your time, what are you willing to invest in, risk your efforts time and life?
If it was to inspire dialogue, you sure did here as I have never written something like this. I will use spell check on this, yet anticipate a little conversation from someone very close to me, as teachers never are really quiet.
PS — Thank you for writing your column, as your questions are good, and in my seven years here I never understood the blessing of the trail until now.
Our taxes are crazy high and the interurban has a lot of leases on it from farmers to residents, any person whose property buts up the the power line can lease the property from consumers power for $25.00 a year. It does not matter if it is 100 feet or three miles