A prudent approach
to road expenditures

8/9/07

Too often in government, politics gets in the way of common sense (think about the Twelve Mile Road expansion a few years back). In Novi, fortunately, this is generally not the case. This summer's road work plans are a good example of prudent planning and spending of tax money.

The City of Novi will expand Haggerty Road from 8 to 9 Mile to eliminate those annoying "choke points" and smooth out traffic. This is a fairly inexpensive road project that will have immediate benefits.

We need more of this type of common sense thinking in Michigan. State, county and local budgets are tight, and as such even more careful monitoring of expenses is justified. This improvement will pave the way for smoother traffic on the city's south-east side for the benefit of all.

What's interesting here is that the city didn't wait until there were tens of millions of dollars available to fix what's really a much smaller issue. Simply put, Haggerty Road was built up over the years from dirt to the state it's in today, and some simple widening at points will effectively turn it into a four lane road until it can be completely rebuilt. And of course that may take years.

What's also interesting is that you don't see anyone taking credit for this project. It was deemed necessary by Novi City Council and city administrators, put out for bids, and will be completed - all without fanfare.

We the People are very pleased with the way the city is handling such capital improvement projects. This is a testament to the way this city is being managed - with the needs of the people coming first.

What an amazing concept!

For those who planned this improvement we say well done, and thank you too!

p.s. - Novi Schools will start charging kids $150 per sport to play this year. That's too bad. Such activities have historically been, and should be, paid for by the taxpayers. Budget cuts are said to make such things necessary, but we're sorry to see that once again it's the kids and their parents who are getting hit with the bill for the state's overall budget problems.