It's not cost-effective to consolidate the governments of the two cities.
                                                                  - This rumor was also repeated by local government officials at the
                                                                     Boundary Commission hearing.

Fact:   We know for sure that Douglas and Saugatuck residents are paying double what comparable communities are (on a per-capita basis) for "city manager" services.  Reducing that to just one city manager would save $75,000 every year.  The two most recent studies put minimum annual cost-savings at $500,000, but the GCG expects the number to be even higher depending on operating efficiencies, possibly approaching $1 million. Remember, these savings will occur every year.