Suspend the Ferndale Sidewalk Program for 1 year.

With unemployment in Oakland County reaching its highest levels in 40 years, and with home mortgages in trouble among hundreds of families in Ferndale, it is incumbate on elected leaders to do all they can to rein in costs, and give taxpayers a break wherever we can. Join me in advocating to suspend the sidewalk replacement project for one year.

Ferndale has been instituting a ten year cycle of sidewalk repair and replacement for the past thirteen years. It is a good program that keeps sidewalks safe, attractive, and handicap accessible. We are ahead of many of our neighboring communities in this regard.

Postponing this years replacement will affect less than ten percent of our residents and business owners, but in these harrowing economic doldrums, let's take this action and move everyone's next sidewalk replacement one year back.

It will save $100,000 for southwest Ferndale taxpayers and postpone those costs for one year. We will still do the work, using the same contactor, at the same price. But the assessment will not show up on your taxes until one year later.

It is unclear whether the votes are on the current City Council to make this happen. Three votes are needed to pass such a resolution. Councilman Lennon as agreed to vote to suspend the program until next year. Contact your other Council members if you agree that we should take this action.