The Village of Baroda in Berrien County is on the Nov. 3 ballot. That’s not a candidate seeking votes, but the actual village itself.
The village was incorporated in 1907 and named for the city of Baroda in India, after village founder Michael Houser was too modest to name it after himself. A train conductor at the time said he had been born in the Indian city and Houser liked the name’s exotic sound.
But on Nov. 3 village residents can decide whether the village should disincorporate and be absorbed by the surrounding Baroda Township.
The village has 914 residents according to annual Census Bureau estimates, up from 875 counted in the 2000 Census.
The Herald-Palladium reports that a married couple in the village, Jim and Joanna Whitehead, started the disincorporation petition because they think their property taxes are too high.
But opponents of disincorporation say there’s no guarantee property taxes in the village would decline once the township takes over. The township would need a way to pay for services that village residents now enjoy but village residents don’t have, like trash pickup, road maintenance, sewers and water.
