'UCllC*1!!I' 29, 1989 - 0 eaiber 4, 1989 MICHIGAN �ITIZE 15
Benton Harbor Area News
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Rea praisal plan
prom s protes
By Bernice B
Correspondent
BENTON HARBOR-Within
days of the announcement that
the city was to begin reapprais­
ing residential property,
homeowners were in front of
the city commission to protest
any tax hikes.
At the Monday, October 23,
Bento Harbor City Commis­
sion meeting, three city resi­
dents from the Salem Street
area, John Dickey, Dorothy
Steward and Deborah McLea,
were present to express their
concerns over the reappraisal of
residential property in the city.
John Dickey of Dickey Real­
ty, passed out a copy of an ar­
. tide on the reappraisal that
. appeared in Friday, October 20,
Herald Palladium. On the copy
Dicke)' had written a note, "We
can do something about this!!
My taxes have already doubled
to over $2,000 per year and I'm
sure yours have doubled also.
Let's have a strategy meeting to
plan a course of action. Time is
of the essence!!!"
�ere are people in the area I
that are concerned about their
. taxes being doubled already,
paying over $2,000 a year,"
Dicke� said.
"If ypu raise taxes anymore in
this area it will be impossible to
sell an)'thing."
McLea told the
that s e doesn't nd paying
her taxes, but, when she comes
home c(nd find her rbage still
out in ont of her h use, it "up­
sets he ".
CUI TAXES THIGH
She ent on to s y that the
people are p ying n "exhor­
bitant" amount of t es and if
they t to sell their omes, they
would ever get the ount for
the lov and care th t they put
into th m.
"No ne is goin to buy a
house d pay th e kind of
proper taxe whe they are
notget 'ngthe enn sthatthey
are pa g for," she ded.
began Tuesday, October 24 i
Ward I commencing with e
Mayfax Terrace Subdivis on
(bounded on the north by May
Street, on the south by Robbins,
on the east by Colfax, and on the
west by the City Limits).
Commission Ra ph Cren­
shaw said he doesn' think the
tax assessment in the city of
Benton Harbor i "out of
proportion", but he does agree
with the residents when they
said that they deserve "better
service and better streets for
their tax dollars."
Mayor William Wolf, said
the last time the city did reas­
sessments they found numerou
properties that were evaluated
too high, higher than commer­
cial properties and some that
were not paying their share.
Wolf said, just because the
city is doing reassessments, the
people should not over-react,
that it doesn't necessarily mean
a tax increase, it just means the
city is doing a "100 percent -
sessment".
.. Also at Monday night com­
mission meeting Kenya Hoyl ,
of Pearl St., told the commi ion
that she's been going to the
Recreation Center since second
grade and now this is her la t
year in school and the center i
closing down. "The Center has
put some pride in me" Hoyle
. aid, and now "many of the
youth are going to b hurt by the
closing of the center."
City Manager teve Man­
ning said he is waiting to hear
from the school district on the
proposed seven-year lease
before he takes action.
Commission George
Wysinger said the resident
coming to the commission are
"mis-informed" about the
recrea ion center.
"The City of Benton Harbor
do not want to clo e the recrea­
tion center up," Wysinger said.
Of all the people that come
to the commissi n meetings on
Monday nights, talking about
the clo e of the rec center, aid
Wysinger, not on ha c me and
told the commission where they
could get funds to keep it open.
... _
HOW TO PAY FOR IT?
"It takes money to keep the
building heated, it takes money
to keep the pool operated.
money to pay people to work in
the recreation center," said
Wysinger.
"The city is negotia ing with
the school system to take over
the recreation center, b cause
the recreation building is sitting
on school land, not city land.
The school system ha the funds
CODtlDued OD P 16