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My, What A Big Swamp You Have

By Corinthian Scales, Section News
Posted on Fri Sep 30, 2011 at 01:03:31 PM EST
Tags: Jennifer Granholm, Michigan Democratic Party, Reckless Waste Of Taxpayer Money (all tags)

The peeling of the Governor Granholm taxpayer funded onion continues.

A state agency did a poor job of tracking community revitalization grants and on dozens of occasions paid cities twice to demolish the same home, according to an audit released Friday.
The report by Auditor General Thomas McTavish also said the Michigan State Housing Development Authority "did not follow sound business practices" in awarding personal service contracts, including a $340,000 no-bid contract to a consultant.
Further, the report - which covered a period from July 2006 through June 2009 -- questioned whether the agency has authority to spend money on programs not related to affordable housing and said it should seek an attorney general's opinion on that question.
The housing development agency said in its written response it agrees with six of the report's 13 recommendations, partly agrees with four and disagrees with three.
The audit looked at $6.6 million demolition grants awarded under the Cities of Promise program to reduce blight in Detroit, Benton Harbor, Flint, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Muskegon Heights, Pontiac and Saginaw.

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My, What A Big Swamp You Have | 5 comments (5 topical, 0 hidden)

I am glad you posted this. (none / 0) (#2)
by JGillman on Fri Sep 30, 2011 at 01:28:27 PM EST

On this issue I have had the opportunity to call this stuff what it is. Two days ago. SEPT 28 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

The discussion of $495,000 in grants from MSHDA starts at about 9 minutes in, and my comments 13 minutes in.

Its worth sticking around for the rest of the conversation to the vote. Only TWO Republicans (including myself)out of 6 present, voted against this.

This is happening EVERYWHERE in the state, and costs us a great deal of money. As an aside, I would be curious to see certain numbers if MSHDA could provide. Numbers showing the actual percentage of those who are helped with the down payment grants, and repair grants, and have kept their homes through the entire mortgage to sale or payoff.

Now here is the kicker for us up here in TC.

The quote you used above is par for the course. Up until the county took over the "affordable housing" program, it was run by the city. EXCEPT, the city had only an employee with no superior or chain of command entity which to report. The COUNTY for its part paid $40,000 to the city who in turn paid the worker who had no boss. This person was paid roughly the amount of the county's contribution.

Think about the cost of managing that grant money as well. Percentage wise it is similar to a number of other programs I was never even aware until assuming the role of county commissioner.

There is plenty of room for reductions in cost to the state and our local communities if we can admit it.

Ah, Sonny-boy... by Corinthian Scales, 09/30/2011 02:21:00 PM EST (none / 0)

All of blding 50 is a prime example don't u think? (none / 0) (#4)
by maidintheus on Fri Sep 30, 2011 at 06:28:50 PM EST

The exterior walls have no insulation. None. The blding units have air and heating. The historical society was able to require that no screens be allowed on the windows because there weren't any originally. The residence will be using a lot of the heat and air conditioning installed in all 39 units. Yeah, all that plumbing/air/heating AND MICROWAVES/dishwashers are things you'd have found in the blding historically!

Abate asbestos and lead...how much did that cost? Btw, that took longer than the time it took to remodel/refurbish.

People worked in the blding who couldn't understand English. The electricians severed a gas pipe and people in the blding were warned to stay in the blding. Some who didn't understand went outside and lit up cigarettes. Oh well (snark), it's not like it was in a park. These same people continually urinated into the bath tubs! Aren't you glad there are those who will do the jobs that Americas won't?

It would obviously have been far less costly to build something from scratch for the no income people. It would be far less costly for using, with it's lack of insulation and ALL of the 12' ceilings. Yes, lovely, 12 foot ceilings.

How many so called tax payers (or some law makers) even know about these things?

We hear about these things, often after the fact. Why can't these people/agencies/whomever be held responsible anyway? Isn't it a dereliction of duty to allow taxes to be spent without proper accountable?

8-O by Corinthian Scales, 09/30/2011 07:25:36 PM EST (none / 0)

Eres bienvenido senor! by maidintheus, 09/30/2011 09:42:39 PM EST (none / 0)

My, What A Big Swamp You Have | 5 comments (5 topical, 0 hidden)

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