Carthago delenda est -- Cato the Elder
Sell Normandy Oaks Golf Course and Dissolve the DDA -- FJV  

PART ONE

Recommendation

Sell Normandy Oaks Golf Course. Convert the site to a revenue generator.

Objections

1. Selling city assets is a short-term, band-aid solution to the city's financial problems.

2. Once the green space is gone, it can never be replaced.

3. The number of green spaces in the city, including Normandy Oaks, is an important dimension making up the attractive qualify of life in Royal Oak. People won't move to the city if it seems that that the quality of life is dropping.

4. Normandy Oaks belongs to the people of Royal Oak. Elected officials have no right to sell it, especially since Public Comment has made it clear that the majority don't want it sold.

My Reply

1. Selling Normandy Oaks provides both short-term and long-term financial help to the city. Short-term, the benefits include minimizing or making unnecessary a substantial reduction-in-force of city workers. Long-term, even the lowest estimates predict annual tax revenues, after development, of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thus, the permanent benefits from the sale are both human and financial.

2. Once the city's department heads and skilled workers are gone, they can never be replaced either. They aren't going to sit around waiting to be recalled. What's more important -- playing golf or saving jobs? If Royal Oak had lousy administrators and an incompetent workforce, the budget crisis would provide an excuse for getting rid of them. Does anyone out there, though, think that Royal Oak is over-policed, as one example?

Save the workforce. Renegotiate fringe benefits for existing and new employees. Take the necessary legal steps to reduce retiree benefits.

3. If green space is such a factor in the city's quality of life, why has Royal Oak's population been steadily decreasing?  Will those condo-buyers who have -- for whatever reasons -- purchased units not yet built or will those seeking a home in any of the city's lovely neighborhoods be dissuaded if the number of city parks drops from 52 to, say, 30 or because a few hundred golfers may have to crowd onto the remaining golf course after Normandy Oaks is sold?

4. Within the existing legal structure, city officials have the right to sell certain properties. They can let the terms of "dedicated" parks expire. They -- through the DDA or otherwise -- can acquire property. For a minority of citizens to attempt to control decisions about individual assets would be reverse-micromanaging. Recall or don't re-elect offending officials, but do not attempt to frighten them into making short-sighted decisions.

About the many "don't sell" statements during Public Comment: The tone and substance of comments were just as numerous and strongly against widening North Main, but the commission wisely chose not to reject that largely federally funded project.

The forced "settlement" of the Easter Seals flap over placement of a club house for persons with mental problems in a largely residential neighborhood is another example of officials being forced to make an unpopular decision by factors which override and overbear the preferences of the voters.

Ergo

    Normandy Oak Golf Course must be sold.

30 Nov 2005
Next Week: PART TWO -- Dissolve the DDA

Date :  23 November 2005

Memo for:   43rd Royal Oak City Commission

From:         VersagiVoice

Topic:          Work Fast

Before the election, two candidates and several city hall observers told VersagiVoice that any of you, incumbent or newcomer, can expect to be voted out of office if you make the necessary tough decisions called for by the city's financial situation.

Not if you act quickly enough.

Sell Normandy Oaks Golf Course and Dissolve the DDA.

Work fast, get it done. Voter-anger will be diluted after the voters experience the pluses and minuses of a couple of years of routine commission business. A passage from Machiavelli's The Prince fits nicely here:

For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavor of them may last longer.

__________

Readers agree and oppose
Opinion concerning that memo ranges from "Rock on regarding your comments on what the commission should do in the next term. I agree with you totally" to "You are doing a great disservice to our community by being so outspoken with regard to the sale of the Normandy Oaks Golf Course."

Then there are those who reject selling any green space, reject a millage increase, and insist that the city somehow maintain "Royal Oak's quality of life" without cutting payroll.

And those who are willing to "cut staff, cut fringes, reduce services" as the price of keeping Normandy Oaks and of paying no increased tax. Good citizens, all.

Out-going Commissioner Andrew Prentice adds
Have you seen the plans for Normandy?  I was the only commissioner to grab "my set."  Most are amazing tho some suck.  The nicer plans have huge 40 foot trees, little lakes with fountains...more "greenery" than what is there now....not to mention the removal of that fence that rivals anything in the ghetto . . . 

Commission must work fast to sell Normandy Oaks

Dissolve the DDA

How to watch a city commission meeting -- or any meeting

From the report out of  the 15 May 2006 City Commission meeting

There was a disappointing development, really a non-development, about selling Normandy Oaks.

NOTE:
The original agenda posted on the city's website listed as the 10th item, "Normandy Oaks Committee Recommendations." The agenda used for the meeting omitted that item. Without making awkward telephone calls to find out what happened, someone like me -- who was about to ask for the umpteenth time for a report from the Normandy Oaks committee -- can imagine several things:

• The Normandy Oaks Committee couldn't come up with a recommendation or two and would have been embarrassed to admit that in an open meeting.

• The Committee did come up with recommendations but felt that any discussion of Normandy Oaks should either (1)  be a part of the coming budget discussions or (2) wait until after the budget has been approved.

• The elected officials are split over the wisdom of bringing Normandy Oaks up (a) now or (2) ever.

• The Commission and the Administration are at odds over selling green space issues or even considering selling.

Probably none of those speculations matters, because among these otherwise admirable and dedicated elected officials not one is brave enough to bring the matter to the table. Cowed by the apparent crescendo of  "don't you dare" public comment, our commissioners are unwilling to give the full electorate something tangible to look at and to decide about. Instead, they are once again going to punt and take money from an enterprise fund or two to balance the budget.

How disappointing.