Property Tax Bill Drives Farmington Hills Resident to Council Race

When Farmington Hills resident George Varghese got his property tax bill last year, he went to city hall to find out why it was so high. 

"Everyone had a story," said Varghese, who is among nine candidates vying for three seats on city council.

Varghese said the owner of a $300,000 home in West Bloomfield Township or the City of Novi would pay much less in property taxes, for the same services. He said he believes the city could apply for grants and other alternative funding sources to cover the costs of some programs and lessen the tax burden on citizens. 

Also, he said, "We are the second largest city in Oakland County, we should have the bargaining power to do anything we want." 

If elected, Varghese said he would put together a "think tank" of the business leaders who live in the community, to tap their wealth of knowledge. 

Varghese and his family have been Farmington Hills residents for 12 years. 

Why he decided to run
Varghese said his high tax bill, combined with city staffers not being able to tell him how it was calculated, inspired him to run for office. He believes he could look at the city's budgets and find efficiencies. 

Community connections
Varghese describes himself as an "accidental" basketball and soccer coach for his children's sports teams. 

Employment
Varghese works in computers; he is a certified program manager and program director with Vision IT.

Campaign information
Contact Varghese by email, sholly_george@yahoo.com.

Editor's note: This is article is one in a series of profiles and issues-based articles featuring candidates in this year's Farmington Hills city council race.