Bye-bye Farmington?
There’s been a lot of talk over the years that the small, 11,000-resident city of Farmington should “merge” (for lack of a better word) with its close neighbor, Farmington Hills, which has 84,000 residents. Tomorrow night, results from an $83,000 study – commissioned by the city of Farmington Hills – will reveal whether or not the experts think it’s a good idea.
At issue, of course, is money; dollars are tight in the state and revenue-sharing at the national level is atrocious, and both cities may save money if they merge. There’s also the fact that the two Farmingtons already share some city services (the library and district court), so why not just combine them into one?
I’m not a resident of either city so I don’t have emotional ties, but I’d have to think that Farmington residents prefer the small town feel they have and want to keep it that way. Then again, if Farmington is in dire straits financially – and I have no idea if it is – merging may be one of the best ways to go.
If you’re from either city; I’d love to hear your comments on the subject.
i’m in Farmington Hills right now and grew up in West Bloomfield (next door)… i never really percieved any difference between the two and if they’re already sharing that much, then i don’t see why a “merge” isn’t a good idea… the small town part of the New Farmington can still retain it’s feel, while the sprawling suburban entity that is Farmington Hills now can continue what it’s doing… it’s a nice area altogether…
I always thought that “Farmington” was merely written on correspondence by people who were too lazy to add “Hills”. A shared tax base may be a nice thing for both.