Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Avoid long lines when taxes or water bills are due.
How can you tell city taxes or bills are due? Look for the long lines at Dearborn City Hall. But the city's Treasury Department is aiming to change that, and is encouraging residents to take advantage of a number of payment options for taxes and other bills—no waiting in line necessary. These options are paying by mail, internet or phone; and using the city’s drop boxes. Residents will benefit from using one of the electronic options, especially as the treasury department moves to a system with less cashiers accepting payments starting in January 2013. At that time, the city will also stop offering residents a "paid" stamp on their bills. Here's a look at some of the other payment options: Residents should never put cash in the drop box. …
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Residents of Dearborn's Hemlock area are invited to learn more about a tax that would keep their neighborhood pool open.
Dearborn residents in the Hemlock Park area are invited to a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26 at Hemlock Cabin concerning the future of Hemlock Pool. The meeting is intended as a public forum to provide information about the proposed future of Hemlock Pool. It will be hosted by Dearborn Recreation & Parks Department Director Greg Orner and include other city officials. Hemlock Pool is one of two pools that city officials decided to close in 2011 in a series of severe budget cuts that also included the closure of the Snow Branch Library, and the city's Health Department. Residents of the Hemlock area were the only to turn in petitions to look into the creation of a Special Assessment District, which would give homeowners the …
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Hemlock area is the only neighborhood surrounding a local pool that is moving forward with a plan to have residents pay to operate and upgrade the facility.
Despite uncertainty about the fate of all of Dearborn's community pools, City Council on Tuesday approved the boundaries for a special assessment district that would, if passed, make residents of the district responsible for the cost of Hemlock Pool. The issue now goes to a public education meeting; and following that, ballots will be sent to the nearly 2,000 homes in the district that must be mailed back with their response to the question: Do you want to be taxed to keep Hemlock Pool operational? The SAD, if passed, would remain in place for 10 years, and would be paid equally by every homeowner in the district. It would amount to around $67, according to City Attorney Debra Walling, although the actual amount billed each year would be …
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Mayor Jack O'Reilly hopes personnel reductions will help offset spending in excess of revenue.
A closer look at revenue and spending trends–with a focus on projected property tax income–show that even if the city of Dearborn levies the full 3.5 mills additional afforded to them by voters, the general fund will end up in the red by 2015. A combination of continually decreasing property values and increasing personnel expenses make up the bulk of the problem, poising the city to reach a $7.8 million general fund deficit within three years if further expenditures are not cut. Expenses will be reduced, and revenues will go up, but the city will still be spending $8.4 million over its annual revenues, and “we’ll still have a problem,” said Director of Finance Jim O’Connor at Monday’s budget session at City Hall. Problem Lies Largely with…
Sadie
10:56 am on Thursday, November 15, 2012
Agreed! I would have paid online when it first became available but am unwilling to pay a "convenience fee" for something that helps the city out just as much as it does me. more ›