The whole 'Detroit is back' story misses the real problem on the ground

I run a small print shop near Grand River. For the last three years, I saw my business taxes go up by almost 15% total. The city says it's for improvements, but the street outside my door still floods every heavy rain. The before and after is simple: my costs are way up, but the basic city services I need to operate are the same or worse. It feels like the narrative is about big downtown projects, not helping the small shops that have been here. Has anyone else in a neighborhood business seen their bills climb without a real change in support?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimr743d agoTop Commenter

You mentioned the street still floods every heavy rain. That's actually one thing I've seen get a bit better over on the west side, but only after years of complaining. The tax hikes are real though. It's frustrating because the money seems to go where the cameras are, not to fixing the basic stuff that keeps a neighborhood running. My supplier on the east side is dealing with the same stuff you are.

linda1143d ago

Wait, it actually got better on the west side after complaining? @kimr74, that's wild. I've called about our drains for a decade and they just send a truck to suck out the water for a day. Never fixes the actual pipe.

dakotab933d ago

Used to think it was just bad luck until I saw the same pattern everywhere. They patch the symptom so the problem looks fixed for a bit. Makes you wonder where the real money goes.