November ballot and more
Commission Seats And Streets On November Ballot: The November 5th local election is less than two weeks away. For those voting in Precinct #1, please remember the location has been moved to the old Swegles Street School due to ongoing renovations at the First Baptist Church.
Voters will be filling two city commission seats as well as voting on the proposed City street improvement millage. Seven of ten city residents surveyed indicated City street repairs should be our top priority.
 Mayor Dana Beaman |  Robert Craig |  Tyler Palmer |
The City Commission determined a limited four year, four mill dedicated street millage is the best approach to funding a street improvement and repair program. Several years ago an income tax was considered as a source for street funding, but was rejected by the City Commission because it was seen as likely impeding commercial development and job creation.
Anyone familiar with the City’s annual budget knows the funding for streets is grossly inadequate. The Act 51 money we receive from the state through the gasoline tax does not even cover basic maintenance, snow plowing and the salting of our streets in the winter. The last several years we have had to add general fund monies to our street fund budget to provide essential street services and complete very limited street projects. The notion that the City has sufficient street funds to repair poor streets, or is somehow diverting street money to non-street projects, is plainly wrong and based on misinformation. A review of our annual financial audit shows the integrity with which our budget is managed. For the thirteenth straight year the City received the GFOA Award for excellence in financial reporting. Fewer than 5% of Michigan municipalities receive this annual award. ‘The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management”.
If no funding source is secured to repair our streets they will only continue to deteriorate, costing residents even more tax dollars “down the road”. While no one wants to pay additional taxes, maintaining City infrastructure is an essential function of government. The City simply cannot repair its streets unless sufficient funding is obtained.
New Dialysis Center Under Construction: You may have noticed some commercial construction activity underway just west of Walgreen’s Drug Store. When completed in the spring of 2014, this structure will house a kidney dialysis center. The 8,900 square foot medical building will be a state-of-the-art facility for evaluating and treating individuals with kidney disease.
Autumn Leaf Pick Up And Disposal: The City continues to pick up bagged leaves placed curbside by residents. This method of disposal is encouraged by city staff, as it minimizes the accumulation of leaves in the city storm water sewer system. We commend our residents for their widespread use of leaf bags for leaf collection this fall. If you need more leaf bags they can be obtained at no charge from the City Offices, the City Library or by calling DPW supervisor Steve Rademacher at 224-8944, ext. 229.
Loose leaves left in piles near the curb will be removed by city crews the week of November 18th, weather permitting. Do not rake loose leaves into the street as they tend to get washed down the storm sewers during heavy rains. Also keep in mind that the City’s leaf and tree limb drop off site is located at the Department of Public Works behind the salt storage barn and is open 24-7 for your convenience.
Halloween Hours: Last year the City Commission established slightly modified hours for City trick or treating. The new hours are from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., which means the start time is now ½ hour later than in past years. This will still leave plenty of time for ghouls and goblins to fill up their Halloween bags with treats. If you’re out on the road during this time please be very careful of little ones in costume as their vision is often limited by scary masks and other headgear.