Annexation may be legal, but it's still wrong

Maureen Miller Brosnan

July 24, 2008

The concept of annexation is a new one for most Livonia residents, but back in 1984 there was already one person in Livonia who saw this day coming.

Here's how the story goes. A young intern entered the office of Mayor Ed McNamara to get his assignment, and Mayor McNamara challenged, "Livonia is embarking on a long-range planning process called Livonia 2000. Your assignment is to come up with an idea that will make Livonia economically stronger." The young intern accepted the challenge and as he was leaving the office McNamara said, "And by the way, don't come back in here and tell me we should annex Northville."

I think Mr. McNamara was right. I will not be voting in favor of taking property from our neighbor. There are many reasons, not the least of which is how the whole deal came together. On that front, I'll simply say it's wrong. It may be legal, but it's still wrong.

But, perhaps more importantly, I don't think our community leaders have done a thorough job determining what the potential liabilities may be for the future of Livonia residents. In my book, there are far too many questions that have not been addressed, and far too many guarantees that have not been secured.

Did you know the water and sewer system developed in Livonia narrows as it approaches the Haggerty border? As part of the Wayne County system, it was designed to accommodate Livonia, not an additional community. The Northville Township's waste water is processed by a different consortium, Western Townships Utilities Authority (WTUA), and they have already recognized that, not only will their water pressure be impacted by the proposed development, but their sewer system won't be able to handle the additional waste. So, where does that leave Livonia? If we don't want north end back yards to flood, or sewage to back up in their basements, chances are we're going to have to invest in expanding our system. Has anyone secured a guarantee that the developer will take on the cost of additional infrastructure?

And then there's the liability of annexing contaminated property. Have we picked the best partner when it comes to working with REI and Schostak to get it cleaned up? Have we talked with the leadership in Taylor to determine how this relationship has worked for them? After all, they have a similar experience, where they partnered with REI and went out and secured a $14 million bond with promises that homes would be built by June 2008 and the proceeds from those homes would make the bond payments. The homes aren't built, the bond payment is due, and if REI defaults the Taylor residents "are screwed," according to their mayor. Those are his words not mine. Have we talked to them?

Does anyone really know what kinds of jobs are going to be created? I don't know about you, but I'm looking for companies that are going to provide research and development jobs, manufacturing jobs, and management positions. I'm not real excited about more Wal-Mart jobs, L.A. Fitness jobs, coffee shop jobs and mobile phone sales jobs.

I'm still looking for a plan that will carry us into the next 25 years, and I'm not certain this is it. More importantly, I don't feel certain that by embracing this plan for annexation that our city leaders have even begun to ask the questions necessary to protect our future.

How do I know these questions haven't been asked? I got a copy of the Freedom of Information Act asking for copies of all the documents the mayor and council had related to the annexation because I wanted to be sure I had all the facts before sharing my thoughts with you. There were pages of phone messages from concerned residents and copies of newspaper articles - that's all. If that's all our elected leaders are looking at when advocating for your support on this issue, I'd encourage you to look a bit deeper.

Oh, and how do I know the annexation story is true? Because it was told to me one morning over breakfast with Mr. McNamara when we were talking about ways to secure Livonia's future.

Maureen Miller Brosnan is a former member of Livonia City Council and former mayoral candidate in 2007.

Paid for by Citizens to Stop Annexation.