With city resources so limited, it appears citizens in Detroit are going to have to turn to programs like this if they want more services.
Detroit is making it easier for neighborhood groups to assess extra fees for services such as security patrols, snow removal and flower-planting in public areas, Christine Ferretti of The Detroit News writes.
The program was approved last year, but was weighed down.
The problem: The program required that neighborhood districts had to have 51 percent approval of property owners to collect extra fees. But the catch was that an existing city code required that 80 percent of residents within a district be current on their property taxes. That 80 percent threshold, The News reports, made it difficult for groups to pursue the fees.
Last month, the City Council voted to make it easier by lowering the requirement to 60 percent. The amendment takes effect Tuesday.
