ypsi~dixit

The Tap Room a restaurant?

Now thats the camel that broke the straws back.

The Tap Room Annex is a restaurant -- and a great one at that. I'm sorry to hear you've never been to Ypsilanti before Anon Y. Mous.

You ever had a jogie at Greasies speakeasy?

I did.

The bathroom was my home for three days.

Never eat there.

Gazpacho soup was invented for the summer. Refreshingly cold on hot summer days, this adaptation of the classic Spanish soup deliciously combines the best of summer vegetables. Make sure you only use the freshest, highest quality ingredients for this soup.

6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 purple onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cups tomato juice

Combine all ingredients. Blend slightly, to desired consistency. Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.

Serves 8.

I've never been to the Tap Room, but am thinking I should try it out. What's good there foodwise? What is a "jogie"?

That gazpacho recipe has my mouth watering. My first tomato is pink. It'll be red within the week. Thank you for the delicious-sounding recipe--I'll give gazpacho a try.

I'll speak to the quality of the Tap Room Annex veggie wet burrito. YUM. Now I'm hungry...

A jogie is a cross between a hogie and a sloppy joe.

Its made from leftover grease and coney sauce thats been sitting in an unheated pot for three days in an infested kitchen. It's usually cooked on wednesday, but served on a Sunday when it has fully matured.

It was invented by a cook that constantly scratches his genitals and has big dreams of glory.

Pfizer is looking into making it into pill form to treat impacted bowel syndrome. Its been extremely sucessful in triaqls at grease-c's.

Katy: that sounds good. I'd probably choose the meat version, if there is one.

Anonymous: Ah. Sounds delightful. Thanks for the warning. I'll give it a wide berth.

I havent been to the Tap Room Annex but I have heard good things about it. I used to go to The Tap Room years ago when I lived in my old apartment and I always liked it because it reminded of the sort of bar one might find in the U.P.

Sounds like one to try.

Well put Brian Brickley

When I talk to people in the surrounding areas and tell them that Ypsi has the highest property tax rate in the county the reaction is "Why"!?!

My parents have lower taxes. When they call 911, the State Police come out from the post in Ypsi. Eventually. Their Township was talking about opting out of their regional fire coalition to save money. Lower taxes are better, right? Oh, and don't forget the knee-jerk right-wing tax revolts c. 1980 and 1994 that crippled Michigan's cities.

Now why would I buy a home in Ypsi when the property tax rate is the highest in the county and I have to pay a city income tax?

The math here is flawed. Rate is not equivalent to tax. If I were to buy the house I bought in Ypsi in Ann Arbor instead, it would have cost $100k or so more. The higher assessed value (which is not at all the same as the relative value I assign to it) would have meant I'd be paying higher total taxes in A2, even at a lower rate. Townships? I wouldn't buy a house in the Townships. I like being an 8 minute walk to work, and around the corner from a couple of convenience stores, coffee shop, bookstore, etc. Part of what I'm paying "more" for in the City is locational value.

the successful program that Fargo North Dakota has used to revitalize downtown and RAISE their tax base.

Which was? Sounds something like OPRA, a project specific program which the City has used a few times, or like a Renaissance Zone, which the City has none of - I don't know if we've ever applied to the State to create one. The problem I'd see with creating too large a RZ is that 15 years is too long to wait - Ypsi will be sunk before the values pop up. It would take some work to find something that's large enough to induce an effect elsewhere, but small enough that there are business areas outside of it for the effect to be induced in, so that the city doesn't sink.

Personally, I bought a house and moved here when the income tax looked (to me) like more of a sure thing than it does right now. So it didn't stop me. (Really, I would have been more scared away if I had thought the income tax was unlikely. No income tax -> drastic cuts in services -> tell me why I want to live here, again?)

I'll listen to any proposal to prevent a bankrupt city, but so far the most viable ones I've heard are,
* An income tax
* Cut more services, oh, and, p.s., why doesn't the City do x, y, and z?

Neither of those is good, but one seems clearly better to me.

Ironically, I just came from the tap room, but didn't see brian or lisa when I was there.

Too bad.

I would have asked them why they want to be forced out by an Applebee's.

Just for some context, here is Mayor Farmer's letter that prompted Brian Brickley's response:

"July 30, 2006

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hate the idea of a city income tax. Everyone on Council hates the idea of a city income tax. All of the Mayoral candidates hate the idea of a city income tax. So why are we still talking about a city income tax?

A city income tax is the only tool the state gives us that would be powerful enough to overcome our anticipated $800,000 budget deficit in 2007-2008.

The Blue Ribbon Committee on City Finances studied this issue at length last year. They recommended a number of additional budget cuts, which have been made. They recommended regionalization of some services, which we are pursuing. They concluded that a city income tax is the only tool the state gives us that would be powerful enough to overcome this predicted $800,000 budget deficit .

The Blue Ribbon Committee anticipated that it could be several more years before enough cities would be on the brink of financial ruin to force the state legislature to take action, and so suggested that a temporary income tax be put on the ballot for up to 5 years to give us some budgetary breathing room The members of this committee include Tom Biggs, Fred Davis, Peter Fletcher, Ingrid Kock, Dr. James Hawkins, Christian Overland, Steve Pierce, Timothy Robinson, Deborah Strong, and Paul Tait (Chair). You know these community leaders. Call them for details.

The present state tax structure rewards sprawl in the townships and fails to provide adequate funding for the older built-out cities that anchor them - to the long term detriment of both. I spoke to members of the State Legislature about this deplorable situation at the Michigan Municipal League forum on May 10, 2006, and have attached my remarks for your information.

As your Mayor, I do not have the authority to impose an income tax on us. Neither does any future Mayor nor Council have that authority. We the residents are the only ones who can impose an income tax on ourselves through a vote. No Mayor and Council will ever put an income tax issue on the ballot unless they think it is necessary in order to preserve the jobs
of our tireless, dedicated city staff. We know how important their
services are to our quality of life, and even to life itself.

Serious cuts have already been made to our police force, fire department, DPW and administrative staff. The only reason these cuts have so far been relatively invisible to you and me is because our remaining committed employees have worked their hearts out to pick up the slack and do more and more with less and less. This cannot continue indefinitely. Further staff cuts would be devastating.

The only way to avoid a terrible choice between a temporary 5 year city income tax and devastating cuts to services is to change the assumptions regarding anticipated revenues. If Visteon reverses its decision to close our plant; if we elect more Democrats and Milliken Republicans to the state legislature in November; if the state adopts the recommendations of the Governor's task force to change the tax structure so that it is more equitable, if the state economy recovers, then we may be able to avoid this terrible choice.

Some candidates have been saying on the campaign trail that they totally oppose an income tax. They say that new residents won't come to a city with a temporary 5 year income tax. Will new residents come to a city with inadequate police protection? Will current residents want to stay? They say new businesses won't come to a city with a temporary 5 year income tax. Will new businesses come to a city with inadequate fire protection and higher insurance rates? Will existing businesses want to stay?

As you can see, this is a complex issue, not well explained or understood through sound bites.

If the assumptions regarding anticipated revenues don't change, and if circumstances present us with two terrible choices in the next budget cycle, I hope we will have a Mayor and Council with the courage to put the issue to a vote so that the whole community has the opportunity to participate in the
decision. Additional deep cuts or a temporary 5 year income tax ? If it
comes to that, let the people decide at the polls. Meanwhile, let's
continue to work to change the assumptions.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Farmer
Your Mayor

P.s. You may want to take a look at Peter Luke's excellent article in today's Ann Arbor News discussing the issue of taxes and services. As Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "Taxes are the price we pay for civilization."

Balancing a budget in hard times shouldn't mean sitting around frightened and depressed, with a focus solely on cuts. The term itself implies striking a balance. Perhaps if the city would bring more of its residents into the process and actually listen to what people have to say about what is important and what is not, it might learn a thing or two about how to attract residents, how to attract businesses, and how to do so without creating deterrents to moving here or opening businesses here. I realize listening to people who disagree is hard. I realize it is time consuming. But if the city can't bring the community into what it's doing, then it acts in spite of the community, not in leadership of it.

People are overwhelmingly opposed to an income tax. Instead of stepping up advocacy, the city should be putting together its "B" plan. Instead of telling us what's best for us and pushing it, there ought to be more listening going on and, dare I say it, more attention to the principles of Democracy. It's time to relax the white-knuckled grip that the city seems have on the idea of an income tax.

"Anonymous" (the grump who wrote that stupid thing about the Tap Room) is standing right near me and just admitted he's, well, a jerk. I will add, only sometimes. Was just snarly from the heat and a sore throat. He takes it back!!!

Oh man, I love gazpacho and have been living on it this summer. Nice and cool. No sour cream or ice cubes please. I first picked up my addiction as a cook at the Pantree aeons ago. They had a very good recipe there, supplied by one of the managers if I remember correctly. The above recipe also looks very tasty and I plan to try it.

Interestingly, gazpacho started life as a stale bread/olive oil/table scraps based cold soup and has evolved into a tomato/cucumber/pepper/onion concoction. Which is fine by me as i love 'em all.

By the way, I too had the Joegie with the earlier poster circa 1996 at TC's and I was sick and couldn't eat for 3 days. I imagine it was just an inexperienced cook probably trying to move some old stock with the Joegie special (sloppy joe in a hoagie bun). No doubt an isolated incident. I can laugh about it now, but it was a rough 3 days.

I love the tap room and I think Brian has done a fine damn job with both the bar and the resturant.

Yay for Ypsi bars.

Gazpacho is best kept cool in a cave.

I think city council is dragging its feet on supporting this gazpacho and putting up barriers to the import of tomatoes into Ypsilanti. I can't believe their incompetence and their failure to attract tomatoes (as well as other vegetables) to our downtown. I'm appalled at their focus solely on cut tomatoes, when gazpacho clearly calls for ground and finely chopped. It's disgusting how they continue to place blame on farmers "throughout the state" for our lack of tomatoes. Without a balance of tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, peppers, onions and herbs, we will never fill those empty storefronts. And who would buy a home in Ypsilanti without plenty of tomatoes on Michigan Avenue? Not me.

Lisa, we agree on something!

I can always be relied upon to oggle a good looking tomato.

(Okay, I have to laugh).

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