Champine adds that these legacies extend throughout the community. “You have families like the Rinkes, who have been here over a century, and the Novaks, who run the Rudy Funeral Home and Lee’s Florist. Even our bike shop owner, Denny, is still wrenching on bikes in his 80s. It’s rare to see so many long-standing, family-run businesses still thriving.” MEETING MANDATES WITH RESOURCEFULNESS While Center Line’s small size fosters community closeness, it also presents a significant challenge in complying with state and federal mandates.“We’ve had to deal with numerous unfunded mandates,” Binson says. “For example, the state required us to make $125,000 worth of court changes but only provided $25,000 in funding.” He also points to the costly lead and copper replacement mandates that stemmed from the Flint water crisis. “We’re required to inspect and replace private service lines, but those are on private property. It’s not fair to taxpayers who end up paying for someone else’s replacement.” Champine elaborates on the financial strain.“We’ve secured grant dollars for identification, but not nearly enough for replacement of those lead and copper water service lines. Center Line’s annual budget is around $10 million, and our taxpayers already pay one of the highest millage rates in Macomb County. These mandates create an ongoing fiscal burden.” Sobota provides a stark list of additional costs: “We’ve lost over $16,000 in property tax revenue from veterans’ exemptions. Early voting cost us $24,000 We’re building a new Elite Commercial Vehicle Center, designed from the ground up to address the unique needs of commercial customers. This cutting edge facility will allow us a great selection of commercial vehicles for sale as well as quickly servicing them to get you back on the road and on the job. KEEP YOUR BUSINESS ON TRACK WITH CREST FORD PRO (586) 755-2100 WWW.CRESTFORDCENTERLINE.COM SALES SERVICE COLLISION 188 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 11
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