Holly outlook 2010

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Jesse Lambert, Holly Township ...

HOLLY TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- Holly has been bursting at the seams with activity since early 2008. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see our community improving on so many different levels despite our not-so-optimistic economic backdrop.  

About a dozen downtown building owners have renovated their storefronts or dwellings in preparation for a positive future. This will help to keep our town looking fresh and upbeat as we continually prepare our community for what lies ahead.

A few community events have taken flight in the past few years as well. The Sights, Sounds and Tastes of Holly are sure to be an enlightening night out. The Reunion with a Cause is always a large and successful fundraiser and the planning of this years Dickens and Carry Nation festivals is right on schedule.

Please help to encourage as many people as possible to volunteer for community organizations. It won’t be easy to sustain the level support our community has experienced in these fields unless we are able to continually provide volunteers.

Having been a volunteer within the community for well over a decade I can attest to the fun, learning and memories that have been created. Even within the course of a few hours of volunteer help you, too, can make a difference.  

Through advancements in technology Holly Township has been sending out email correspondences and updating its Web site in order to better accommodate two-way communication between stakeholders and local entities. If you haven’t done so already, please investigate our site at www.hollytownship.org. There is a lot of helpful content that could save you some time down the road.  

In 2009 Holly Township began to mail out newsletters with tax statements in order to better inform the people of Holly about community happenings and help to generate feedback. We will continue to offer this service as it costs very little to implement and it keeps the entire community informed.

Our accounting, assessing, and taxation systems are now fully electronic, interested parties can now visit our office and receive same-day service on many items from tax summaries to parcel maps all while receiving quality face-to-face interaction with elected officials.

Now more than ever local, state and county government will be getting very active. Holly Township is currently trying to budget several years in advance, starting with this year’s budget. The 2010-2011 budget will be balanced, but it will come at a cost.

Recycling and spring/fall clean-up services will be temporarily unavailable. While there are plenty of recycle bins throughout our community there is no substitute for spring/fall clean-up.

While many of you may not wish to see these programs made unavailable, please keep in mind that Holly Township will be faced with even deeper cuts next year. Any cuts made now will help cover future deficits.

The coming years won’t be easy for any of us, however, you may chose to get more involved as you invest more and more time into our community. There are several seats up for election within the village of Holly this year. If one does not agree with current policy they need only contact the village or township offices to get the necessary information to qualify for an election.

There are many election issues this year as well.  Elections this year will be more energetic and debated than ever before as society has the option of picking and choosing which millages to renew, approve or deny.

I hope that any of you interested in volunteering or running for local office will please contact the appropriate agents. The only way Holly will continue to improve is if we have hard working, honest people participating on all levels.

If you have any questions or would like to know who to contact regarding volunteer work please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I thank you all for reading and hope to see or speak with you soon.