Groveland supervisor talks 2011 accomplishments, looks ahead for things to come

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Groveland Township Supervisor,...

As the New Year 2012 begins, the township staff thought you might like to know what your township board, fire department, and staff have done in 2011, and plans for 2012.

Growth has continued its dramatic drop. There were zero new homes built in 2011 versus a typical year of 27-32 new homes. This is the third year in a row.

Well, here it goes…

•    Continued NO-Haz days.

•    Continued financial support to Holly and Ortonville Youth Assistance (A special thanks to Diane Howell for her involvement).

•    Continued financial support to allow our residents to use Holly Library without a millage fee.

•    Continuing support to OCEF and Neighbor for Neighbor.

•    Continued financial support for senior citizen van program in Holly and Ortonville.

•    Provided free mosquito spray(s) to residents through county funding program.

•    Continued road chloride and gravel programs.

Fiscal Responsibility

•    Continue dumpster serves at Grange Hall and I-75 (Free to residents).

•    Continue collecting paper for recycling at Township Hall with fund to OCEF.

•    Continued our township tax rate at 1 mill for the township and raised the fire department only .44 to 3.94.

•    Continued cost recovery through the fire department.

•    No elected official or staff received an annual salary adjustment in 2008, 2009, 2010, or 2011; no fire department personnel received a raise in 2009, 2010, or 2011.

•    Continued to maintain a balanced budget.


Fire Department

•    Now offering wheel chair van service at a fee.

•    Fire department was the first fire department in Michigan to get our Ambulance Service CAAS compliant. (A special thanks to Lt. Mason for his efforts).

Miscellaneous

•    Grant funding through CDBG in 2009-2010 was used to renovate Fire #1 to be ADA compliant. Township further approved additional funding to renovate the station office and service area.

•    No Haz was held three days during 2011.

Future plans for 2012

•    Continue to meet the needs of the township while facing the seventh year of revenue cuts. Our population has dropped 11 percent in the 2010 Census, reducing revenue sharing by 11 percent.

•    Another priority will be working to finalize the sale to township property at I-75.

•    We have reduced the size of the fire department and township staff to the size they were in the early 1990s.

•    There will be no new construction projects.

•    New health care program with significant savings will begin to be phased in.

•    Township entrance will be made ADA compliant.

•    There is reason to be optimistic about 2012. For the first time in first time in five years, the township’s state equalized value will not be negative – instead it is positive at 1.75 percent. Recent sales reports have shown a number of homes selling for more than their SEV. It looks like we may have hit the bottom of 2011 and started the slow road back to growth in housing prices. 2012 will tell if the trend continues.

•    Our biggest positive news is our review of a project to start on the township property. The Planning Commission and township board are reviewing an offer to develop a portion of the township property for a recycling operation. This project could start an eventual Eco park for environmental projects. The proposal would allow us to move our dumpster service to Shields Road and make it permanent as well as add services like plastic recycling and commercial paper shredding for residents.

•    In the last quarter, we should have the ability to accept credit card payment for taxes, gas line payoffs, BZA or PC meeting fees with only a 2.5 percent administration fee charged to the user. Currently, taxes paid online incur a 2.75 percent fee.

I believe 2012 will be a turning point for Groveland Township. It appears that property values are slowly starting to rise and some new building projects may finally start to develop.

Sincerely,
Robert DePalma
Supervisor, Groveland Township