The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Leaders paint bleak picture
City, school officials host meeting on the state's fiscal crisis
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 8, 2007
The moderator of a town hall meeting held last week in Saline on the state of Michigan's fiscal crisis compared the presenter to Paul Revere.
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An estimated 100 area residents filed into the Saline High School auditorium March 1 to hear Craig Thiel of the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan deliver the message that the state has a structural deficit problem that it will not "grow out of."
"I can't stress enough how important it is for a community who wants to affect fiscal policy come together like this," Thiel told the audience before proceeding with slide after slide to paint a dark picture of the state's fiscal future.
"There is a serious disconnect between revenues and the state's economy," warned Thiel, who recently worked as a fiscal analyst for the Senate Fiscal Agency as well as the House Fiscal Agency before joining the Citizens Research Council.
The meeting was organized through the combined efforts of Saline Mayor Gretchen Driskell and Superintendent Beverley Geltner, who wanted to present the full scope of the budget challenges their administrations face.
"We are jointly connected to a very urgent issue," Geltner said. "People's active engagement is necessary."
Thiel walked through a series of slides that presented stark statistics:
•Michigan is 50th in personal income growth, unemployment rate and employment growth.
•A shortfall in the general fund of $585 million.
•A shortfall in the School Aid Fund of $377 million.
•An economic forecast that is not expected to improve in 2008.
"The light has been shining on this problem for sometime," Thiel said. "These are real sobering thoughts."
Many of those attending the meeting appreciated a chance to see the overall financial picture and its root causes as opposed to just bits and pieces.
"Too often you hear things from special interests," said Harriet Amsler of Pittsfield Township, who came with her husband Rolf. "This was balanced."
"This is very good," agreed Rolf Amsler. "Very informative. These types of meetings need to be promoted."
Marianne Hendricks also found the meeting informative and was surprised to learn the state's structural deficit had been a problem for so long.
"It's not just a school issue," Hendricks said. "It's communitywide."
And that is what Driskell and Geltner hoped would be made clear.
"I hope this starts a dialogue in the community," said Driskell, adding that the meeting was the first in a planned series.
State Rep. Pam Byrnes, D-52nd District, also attended the meeting. She explained that legislators in Lansing were afraid of being recalled if there was any talk of a tax increase.
"I need specifics from you," she urged the audience. "Don't e-mail me and just say fix it. You've got to tell me how you want me to fix it."
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