A TIME OF OPPORTUNITY

No doubt about it, these are tough times in Michigan’s economic history. The industry that fueled economic growth for generations now struggles. For the first time in recent memory, property values in many communities have fallen. At the same time, prices of many consumer goods, like food and fuel, are rising.

I remain optimistic, though, in part because I am not necessarily convinced that the current national economic slowdown will turn into a deep or long term recession. I am also optimistic because challenging times create opportunities to make difficult political decisions that would be unthinkable during “good times”. 

Although still relatively uncommon, some municipalities are considering merging to contain costs. The same is true of some school districts.  While these would be sound yet probably unpopular decisions in a good economy, they are virtual necessities in a time of declining property tax revenues. The fact is that we can no longer afford the luxury of duplicating layers of infrastructure many times across the state.

The current economic climate will not last forever, yet the results of our current strategic response will endure for many years. We can’t just wait this one out with the hope that the good times will come again. I am concerned that our elected leaders may miss this opportunity to help local communities make some of the tough choices that must be made in order to move us in a new direction. Short term remedies simply won’t be enough this time around. Our elected leaders in Lansing and in Washington must restructure funding streams in a way that will create strong incentives for responsible local and regional planning.