KCFFR Hits the Streets to Fight $70 Million Tax Hike
April 26th 2009 09:16 am
Opponents of the proposed $70 million tax increase for the ITP (or Rapid) began actively campaigning door-to-door today. Volunteers of the Kent County Families for Fiscal Responsibility began the grassroots work today with literature drops across the metropolitan area.
The organization’s mission is to promote good governance with a rational tax policy and has fought other millages in the past. Its most recent battle was to stop the second failed GRCC millage request in August 2007. KCFFR credited itself partially in the defeat by turning out double the no votes in certain key precincts which helped defeat the millage by a razor thin margin. It also was the only organized opposition in May 2007 to the Rapid’s last millage request in which they advertised against the millage request on the side of one of the ITP’s buses with a “This Pig Stinks” campaign.
“There are many reasons why the millage request is being opposed so strongly this time,” says Eric Larson, spokesman for the group. “Aside from asking for a lot of money during hard economic times, they are presenting a poorly hatched plan that would be a detriment to Division Ave. The plan calls for eliminating half the lanes of traffic during peak commute times which would not only add to congestion but would eliminate parking for some small businesses along the route. Also, it is a route which already has a bus and would travel, according to their numbers, even slower than the current route. Finally, this particular unfair project provides no benefit to three of the cities taxed (Grandville, East Grand Rapids, and Walker) since the line is nowhere near their city borders.”
The group expects to continue its neighborhood campaigning up until next Tuesday’s election and feels optimistic about its chances in defeating the millage.
