We learned today, via the Grand Rapids Press, that 40% of the city of Grand Rapids’ population is on Medicaid and 34% of the city’s population is on food stamps. This is, of course, part of the surging trend of food stamp recipients across the nation, which reached a record-breaking 40,000,000 people this month....
Read more »
The October revenue report for the state of Michigan has been released, and there’s very little good news to be had. Revenues were again below the most recent projections. October saw tax collections that were $31 million below expectations. The best real-time indicators of economic activity, sales taxes and income tax withholding, are both...
Read more »
Don’t forget to vote tomorrow (Tuesday, May 8th). There are three tax issues on the ballot in Grand Rapids, and everyone in Kent County gets to vote on the Grand Rapids Community College tax hike. If you live in Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Walker, Wyoming, or Grandville, you get the pleasure of...
Read more »
Did you know that you should be voting on May 8th? Probably not. And that’s what the folks at the local bus service agency, the Interurban Transit Partnership (also known as The Rapid), are betting on. They are asking for a renewal of their .95 mill property tax, along with an increase of .17...
Read more »
Grand Rapids’ favorite son, Ambassador Peter Secchia, now appears as though he has changed his mind. Formerly the chair of “23 is Enough,” an anti-Wayland casino group, Secchia now seems to believe that 25 is just right. According to Sunday’s Grand Rapids Press, Secchia has resigned his position at 23 and is now campaigning...
Read more »
MiBiz reports that the job market for the Grand Rapids area is looking up for the fourth quarter of 2005. The trend is continuing in favor of service industries. The construction, wholesale/retail trade and finance/insurance/real estate industries are expected to add the most jobs, with manufacturing staying stable with no growth anticipated. But we’ll...
Read more »
In what can only be described as a delicious irony, the labor day parade was cancelled in Grand Rapids. Local unions, which have the responsibility of financing the cost of putting on the parade, simply didn’t have the money this year. They couldn’t come up with the necessary $25,000. Union leaders, however, promise to...
Read more »
An interesting article in today’s Grand Rapids Press says that there are several local businesses that are bucking the “official” line of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. The Commerce folks oppose the casino in Wayland because they think it will sap business from Grand Rapids. Nevermind the fact that there are already people...
Read more »
The federal government is in the process of approving the Gun Lake band of Pottawatomi Indians to open a “class 2″ casino in the Wayland area. A class two casino can only host gaming such as bingo and a few other electronic games. Once that is opened, the tribe can pursue a class three...
Read more »
Today the US Census Bureau released a report showing that the city of Grand Rapids is losing population. Surpised? Hardly. As we’ve reported earlier, the city of Grand Rapids now has the second-highest tax burden in the county. And what do we have to show for it? A nifty new convention center. Even as...
Read more »
