Possible Lansing & East Lansing merger?

JaredJared
edited June 2007 in Regional
If I didn't predict enough in the City Pulse article towards the end where I said sometimes it seems that Lansing would like to be East Lansing and vice versa, WILX reported last night that Virg Bernero has been talking now about a possible merge between the cities. East Lansing's mayor, Sam Singh, says that could possibly be a decade off.

Singh is waiting for Lansing to get under control its pensions and other liabilities first.

Virg would like to see this done within the next few years, but Singh is open to the conversation. Any such event would require voter approval.

Here is a link to the article: Mayor presses merging EL and Lansing
There is also the video portion as well.
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Comments

  • Banker0422Banker0422
    I watched the interviews last night and was amazed by how on target your article was. It was as though the interviewer read it and ran with it.
  • hoodhood
    In other metro areas where cities and their surrounding communities merged it has been greatly benificial. They are able to attract more jobs larger facilities, it really helps to put them "on the map." Thats besides the savings of consolidating services. The one thing that would kill this idea entirely, merging the school districts along with the cities/townships. In order to keep peoples support the school districts must remain individual, for now.
  • hoodhood
    Has anyone seen the firetruck that says "Metro Lansing Fire Dept" on it? Anyone know whats up with that? It's based out of the downtown station.
  • JaredJared
    I saw it when I was riding my bike near the Stadium District. I think it is used by the dive team, which is shared between East Lansing and Lansing.
  • mindbendermindbender
    edited June 2007
    We have a dive team? Awesome...

    I guess I shouldn't say we. After all, I live in Delta Township and am not a real Lansing citizen. ;)
  • cliffordzangcliffordzang
    Wow, I thought that Eaton and Clinton already helped fund the airport. I thought that's what the Capital Region Airport Authority was, but reading about it now I see that it's just Lansing and Ingham county. Pretty sad seeing that the entire airport is within Clinton County.
  • sabatoasabatoa
    10-11 years ago I co-wrote an op-ed to LSJ that they published. We were touting this very idea way back then. We included the lecherous townships surrounding Lansing, not just EL.

    Does anyone know, without having to lookup, where this has been successful in the past?
  • hoodhood
    Louisville, Ky has had some success I heard, It seems I heard of some other ones on the Urbanplanet forums also, but I can't remember off the top of my head.
  • sabatoasabatoa
    edited July 2007
    While I'd like to see this, I'd be happy to see an annexation of Lansing Township first. That way there would not be municiple islands within the newly formed City. (ala Hamtramck)

    Of course, the residents of Lansing Township would never vote in favor of annexation. Forget the fact that although they comprise less than 5 square miles, are divided themselves on the east and west side of Lansing, have under 10,000 residents they still pay for their own police and fire.

    I've never seen a more anachronistic governing body than Lansing Township.
  • hoodhood
    I dont see why they wouldn't. It would actually provide a benifit to the areas outside the immediate vicinity of Eastwood and the nicer neighborhoods just south and north of Willow. Most of the rest of the township is very poorly maintained, especially on the east side, those neighborhoods look horrible.
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