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Significant
fiscal challenges continue this year for cities, villages and
townships in the State of Michigan
. The State’s
strained revenue situation has resulted in cuts to statutory revenue
sharing payments to local units of government and it is clear that
further reductions to this crucial municipal funding source are very
much a possibility. Local
governments have also recently seen new fee increases, regulations,
accounting requirements and mandates that result in significant and
unavoidable expenditures. The
resulting shrinkage of municipal fund balances, combined with
continued low interest rates earned on investments, further erodes
local government revenues. Many
municipalities have been forced to consider service cuts, staffing
freezes or reductions and millage increases to respond to these
circumstances. The City of
Grandville is certainly not immune to these fiscal challenges.
Fortunately, however, the city has been able to temporarily
absorb, to a limited extent, this strain without the necessity of
cutting services to the community.
The following recommended financial plan for the fiscal year
beginning July 1, 2004 and ending on June 30, 2005 maintains all of
the existing levels of service provided by the city but introduces
no new or expanded service levels and authorizes no increase in
staff positions. The total
appropriation recommended for all funds for the 2004-05 fiscal year,
excluding transfers between funds, is $18,507,903.
The plan as presented continues the same General Fund
operating millage rate of 7.2990 mills per $1,000 of taxable
valuation and the existing levy of 1.1550 mills dedicated solely to
long-term funding of the major and local street system.
The total city millage rate levied for Fiscal Year 2004-05 including
the street levy continues to be 8.4540 mills.
This rate is lower than all annual city millage rates levied
from 1975 through 1999. The City has
also budgeted for a $1,500,000 transfer of excess fund balance from
the Water funds to the General Fund.
A 2004 water rate study identified these excess funds and the
transfer has been reviewed by the City attorney and the City’s
audit firm. City water rates
($1.43 per thousand gallons) and sanitary sewer rates ($1.86 per
thousand gallons) remain unchanged from last year, however, in
February 2004 the City eliminated a $0.09 per thousand gallons water
charge to reflect the retirement of water tank bond debt.
The sections that follow contain an overview of select programs and their proposed budgets: General
Fund
General Fund
revenues are projected to total $9,241,896 in the 2004-2005 fiscal
year. The majority of
general fund revenue comes from property taxes (58.1%) and federal
and state shared revenues (17.9%). The General Fund
provides a wide array of city services including police, fire,
district court, parks and recreation, cemetery, general
administration and others. General
Fund expenditures are budgeted at $9,061,447.
This is a decrease of 4.8% from budgeted expenditures
in the current fiscal year. Police
Department
Police
Department and Dispatch Center budgeted expenditures total
$2,926,274 or approximately 32% of total city General Fund
expenditures. Departmental
strength continues this year at 29 full-time officers and six
civilians. Fire
Department Fire and 24
hour emergency medical response budgeted expenditures total $887,593
or approximately 9.7% of total city General Fund expenditures.
Parks
and Recreation
Budgeted Park
and Recreation capital projects include a multi-purpose facility,
restrooms at Calvin Crest Park and baseball field improvements at
the Aaron Street complex. Special
Projects
The 2003-2004
budget contains funding to continue city involvement in such
programs as the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council, REGIS, Michigan
Municipal League, Right Place Program, Community Access television
and the Grandville Chamber of Commerce. Major
and Local Streets
Primary activity
in the Major and Local Street Funds continues to emphasize the
improvements necessary to maintain the integrity of Grandville’s
street system. The most
significant projects are the reconstruction of portions of Chicago
Drive, Prairie Street and 44th Street east of Ivanrest
Avenue. Nine local
streets will be reconstructed including portions of Harvest, Carmel,
Wallace, Sandcrest, Maple, Taplin, Church, Barrett and Higgins. Wastewater
Our Wastewater
budget comprises three Funds: ·
The Wastewater
Collection System Fund is used to account for operations directly
related to the City of Grandville and supported solely by City
residents. ·
The Wastewater
Operations Fund is the primary operating fund for the Wastewater
system and is supported proportionally by Ottawa County users of the
system. The plant has
recently completed an extensive maintenance and renovation program
prior to re-licensing. The
total budget for this fund is $2,730,725.
Wastewater rates will remain stable this year. ·
Capital improvements
for the Wastewater System. Debt
retirement, interest expense, and depreciation reserves are budgeted
for in this fund. An
engineering study is anticipated to determine adequacy of fund
reserves in light of future capacity needs.
Future rates will be adjusted based on this study.
The current budget is $967,325. Water
The Water
system is comprised of two funds.
The Water Fund is the operating fund for the system with a
budget of $1,184,891.
The Water Improvement & Extension Fund accounts for
long-term Capital improvements, debt retirement, interest expense
and depreciation reserves. This
fund has a budget of $952,925 excluding the transfer to the General
Fund of $1,500,000 of excess fund balance. Water is
purchased from the City of Wyoming.
Even though wholesale water rates continue to rise, the
City’s water rates were reduced at the end of the last fiscal year
to reflect the termination of debt charges for the city’s water
tank. General
Debt Service Fund
The Debt
Service Fund provides for the payment of the Library Building bonds
and interest. A General
Fund transfer of $265,000 will be necessary to provide for these
payments. Summary
The Fiscal
Year 2004-2005 Financial Plan for the City of Grandville is a
product of months of considerable effort by many individuals
beginning with the input and analysis of staff members at all levels
of the organization and continuing through the final decisions of a
City Council that values strategic planning and is committed to our
community’s quality of life and efficient stewardship of public
funds. If you have
any questions or comments on the budget, please feel free to direct
them to Ken Krombeen, City Manager, or Tom Guinther, City Treasurer
/ Finance Director. Copies
of the City Financial Plan are available in the Treasurer’s
Office.
Grandville
Senior Neighbors, along with 4 other Senior Neighbors centers,
organized a trip club in 2003. Since
that time our seniors have traveled together to museums, dinner
theatre, casinos, and towns full of old architecture and history.
While several
who travel in our group are married, the overwhelming majority of
our travelers are single. Many
are widows or widowers who have recently lost a spouse after some
30, 40, even 50 or more years of marriage.
Those who have had a travel companion for many years now find
themselves alone when making travel plans.
Group trips
target people of similar interests and provide a social and
companionship value to the older traveler.
The driving is left up to trained professionals and seniors
can just sit back, enjoy each other, and take in the scenery on a
Senior Neighbors group tour. In
addition, the concern seniors may have about finding parking spaces
at attractions and walking distances to doors is eliminated as the
Tour Director traditionally arranges door-to-door transportation
services.
The upcoming
trip lineup includes Shipshewana and the Blue Gate Dinner Theatre on
June 30, 19th Century setting Crossroad’s Village in
Flint on August 10, a Folklore and Legends Tour in October, a trip
to the Fox Theatre in Detroit to see the spectacular Rockettes on
December 3, and an exotic Western Caribbean cruise in February 2005!
Andrew Kietzman
WWTP DOH:
3/1/2004 Steve Doornbos
DPW
DOH: 5/10/2004 May 2004Your historical commission has been very busy this spring. We have had about twenty-five classes take advantage of our #10 schoolhouse. The children have such a good time experiencing school as it was in the 1800’s. The teachers have put a lot of extra work in making this day a memorable one for them. And we of the Historical Commission enjoy watching each class come. We would like our residents to know of the many old and new pictures we have on an array of many subjects. If we should have a picture that you may be interested incopies are available at a reasonable cost. Leave a note at city hall for one of us to call you back to discuss this. We will be in the process for a while of taking pictures of all the old homes in Grandville. But if you already have a picture of your older house, we would also like for you to bring it in to have a copy made or send a copy of it to us. We have a new
supply of souvenir glasses with an old Grandville picture on them
and also note paper with a picture on it for sale. Also our
Grandville “Bend in the River” and our “Pictorial” books are
on sale. Come visit our schoolhouse in Heritage Park on Saturday, July 3rd from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our Museum in lower level of City Hall is always open on first Thursday of each month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Both are open by appointment for groups to go through. There is no charge to visit.
The month of May
was certainly a busy month for all of us involved with the City of
Grandville. The Michigan
Week Celebration was an overwhelming success with the largest crowd
ever in attendance. It
was also an opportunity for us to celebrate National Public Works
Week as we expressed our thanks to the DPW for the excellent job
they do in maintaining Grandville. As I’ve
indicated previously Memorial Day is special here in Grandville, and
this year was no exception. The
parade originated at Wedgwood Park and proceeded from the park to
the Grandville Cemetery. A
special word of thanks to Bill Schrader and members of the American
Legion Fonger Post, and to Chuck Schultz and the students of Prairie
View and Grandville Middle School.
A very impressive ceremony honoring our veterans took place
in spite of inclement weather conditions.
Thanks to all of you who participated in this ceremony.
We are all
looking forward to our 35th Annual 4th of July
Celebration. The
tentative schedule is enclosed in this newsletter.
Note that festivities will begin on Saturday the 3rd
of July; the community worship service is Sunday evening the 4th
with the majority of our activities taking place on Monday, July 5th.
We look forward to a fun filled day concluding with a super
fireworks display. It
promises to be a great weekend!! As I indicated
in the spring newsletter the Downtown Development Authority has
undertaken the updating of our Downtown Master Plan.
Several visioning sessions were held and those results have
been shared with the DDA. A
public hearing was held to present the initial findings and we
anticipate sharing the results of the study at the time of our next
newsletter. While the DDA
Master Plan is underway, a similar project has been undertaken by
the Grandville Park & Recreation Board.
A Master Plan Committee has come together, and have
interviewed four consulting firms who had expressed interest
in completing the study. The
committee was unanimous in their decision, selecting Progressive
A&E to undertake the creation of the new Grandville Master Plan.
There will be ample opportunity for community involvement and
we hope that all of our citizens will participate in these
discussions in the months ahead.
There will be a
substantial amount of road construction during the summer of 2004.
All of us will need some patience and understanding as we
move through these busy months and witness the substantial
improvements to Wilson Avenue, the northern section of Ivanrest, and
many of our local streets. It
was great to see that the Kenowa project has already been completed.
In addition to
our roads, our parks will also see some major construction as we
build the new restrooms in Calvin Crest Park and complete the
irrigation system at Heritage Park for the soccer field.
We will also join with the Little League in undertaking the
updating of several of the Little League fields.
It was also
great to welcome Atlanta Bread to Grandville along with Famous
Dave’s BBQ. You’ll
also note the continued construction of Medical Offices in the Cora
Office Center. Certainly
a warm welcome to all of these new businesses. The flooding and
rains postponed our dedication of the 2 ˝ mile addition to the Kent
Trail. Once the water
subsides we’ll be rescheduling and will make the date available to
everyone. This newsletter
also includes an essay from my good friend Bob Spaanstra as he
shares with us his walk along Buck Creek Trail.
Please take a moment to read Bob’s article, and if time
allows, make a visit to the trail.
Have a super summer!! ENJOY!
Finally, it
seems like summer really will arrive.
It seems like it has been a long winter.
It has continued to be quite busy for the officers of the
department. Safety has
been the primary emphasis of many of the proactive efforts of the
Grandville Police Department during the spring.
May 6 was the first day of this summer’s red light project.
Working with other area departments, officers concentrated
their enforcement efforts at the intersection of Rivertown Parkway
and Canal Avenue SW. That
intersection was the site of the most accidents of any intersection
in the city. The project
will continue in the metropolitan area for the remainder of the
summer concentrating on high accident intersections throughout Kent
County
.
Grandville
High School was the winner of
the 2004 Seat Belt Challenge this spring.
The contest is held each year with students at Grandville,
Hudsonville, and Jenison High Schools competing to see which school
has the greatest percentage of students wearing seat belts.
The police officer assigned to each of the schools works with
the S.A.D.D. groups from the schools to coordinate the contest and
other activities during the week.
This year, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP)
presented Grandville Principal Randy Morris with a plaque
recognizing the event. The
OHSP was so impressed with the project that they would like to
expand the competition across the state.
Bicycle rodeos
and assemblies were held again at most of the elementary schools in
Grandville. These events
are designed to reinforce both the rules of riding and the learning
of skills in an effort to reduce bicycle accidents.
Spring
PARADISE has arrived along Buck Creek Trail.
Foliage and PEOPLE are again ALIVE.
Trees and wildflowers have exploded into many shades of
green, yellow and violet. All
ages of our human race are using the many recreation and picnic
facilities in the Wedgwood Park areas.
Along the south side of the creek the Jenison High School
track team is using our Davis Field at the Grandville Junior High as
their field is being renovated.
East of Wilson, the relaxing paths are interrupted only by other walkers, rollerbladers and bikers enjoying this peaceful Paradise. The loop southward to the “ole swimmin’ hole” offers a quiet oasis in the center of our bustling city. Rabbits appear out of nowhere. Bird offer musical sonatas to enhance the setting. West
of Wilson, beyond the Wedgwood Park area, the scene again offers new
surprises. Two separate
displays give historical information regarding the gypsum mines
which were active underneath this Buck Creek Trail.
Narrow gauge gondolas may be viewed carrying gypsum boulders
which were brought to the surface to be crushed.
The midstream island offers a tempting retreat for complete
solitude. At the top of
the Division Street Ramp, the Grandville Senior Center, near the
gondola display offers to all a “rest break” with free coffee or
iced tea (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) Please,
enjoy Buck Creek Trail and stop by the Grandville Center
Grandville’s 35th Annual 4th
of July Celebration
Schedule
of Events Saturday, July3
Sunday, July 4
Monday, July 5
TAX
BILLS City property
owners will receive this year’s Summer tax bills approximately
July 1st. The
final day for accepting tax payments without penalty is Tuesday,
August 31, 2004. Postmarks
cannot be accepted as date of payment.
If payment is not received in the Treasurer’s Office by
5PM on the due date, a penalty must be assessed regardless of the
circumstances. Please
also remember that Grandville Public Schools now collects 100% of
its taxes on the summer bill. That
means that over 80% of the total annual property taxes are now
collected in the summer. All mailed tax
payments will be directed to the City’s Bank One lockbox for the
first time. This will
assure faster credit to your account.
Please utilize the return window envelope to mail your
payment. CREDIT
CARDS
The ability to
pay City Property Taxes and Utility Bills with a major credit card
is available. Since the
City cannot legally accept credit cards, we have contracted with Official
Payments Corporation, which accepts credit card payments on
behalf of the City and then forwards your payment to the
Treasurer’s office for credit to your account.
To pay your tax bill with a credit card please follow the
instructions printed on the back of your tax bill.
TAX AND ASSESSING INFORMATION
Tax
and Assessing information is now available online 24 hours a day, 7
days a week! Merely log
on to the City’s web site at: cityofgrandville.com and use
the Quick Link to Tax and Assessing. The
Treasurer’s Office is here to assist you in any way that we can.
Please call if you have any questions. Tom
Guinther, Treasurer / Finance
Director - 530-4970 Tammy Butler,
Asst. Fin. Director - 257-5101
Ruthann Fenske, Dep. Treasurer – 530-4971
ELECTION
INFORMATION The
Primary Election will be held on August 3, 2004 and the Presidential
Election on November 2, 2004. Voting precincts are open from 7:00
a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on those dates. In
Michigan, you must register 30 days before the election. In order to
register to vote in Michigan you must be: ·
a citizen of the United
States
· you are a resident of the State of Michigan and will be at least a 30 day resident of the city or township where you are applying to register to vote ·
at least 18 years of
age by election day After
registering to vote an ID card will be sent to the voter indicating
their polling location. Voters
can access information on their voter registration status, find the
location and get directions to their polling place, and preview
their ballot by visiting http://www.publius.org
. You may register or
change your voters registration at the same time you renew your
driver’s license. Absent
voter ballots are available for all elections.
This is a means of providing voters with a convenient method
of casting a ballot when they are unable to attend the polls on
election day. As a registered voter, you may obtain an absentee
ballot if you are: ·
age 60 years or older ·
unable to vote without
assistance at the polls ·
expecting to be out of
town on election day ·
in jail awaiting
arraignment or trial ·
unable to attend the
polls due to religious reasons ·
appointed to work as an
election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of
residence If you
are eligible for an absentee ballot, call the City Clerk’s Office
at 724-1906 for a ballot application.
The City Clerk’s Office will be open on the Saturday
preceding each election from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for issuing absentee
ballots. This is the
last time you may request a “regular” absentee ballot. You have until 8:00 p.m. on election day to
complete the ballot and return it to the clerk’s office. The law
provides the voter an opportunity to make a “late”
absent voter ballot request. “Late”
absent voter ballot requests may be made up to 4:00 p.m. on the day
before the election. The
voter must personally appear in the clerk’s office to apply for
the ballot. Once a completed application is submitted by the voter,
an absent voter ballot is immediately issued to the voter.
The voter may not take the ballot out of the clerk’s
office. It must be voted
in the clerk’s office and returned to the clerk. We’ll
see you at the polls!!! Mary
Meines, City Clerk
Emerald
Ash Borer We are receiving
more and more calls about the Emerald Ash Borer, with concerns about
their existence in our area. The Emerald Ash
Borer belongs to a group of insects known as metallic wood-boring
beetles. Adults are dark metallic green in color, ˝ inch in length
and 1/16th inch wide. They are only
present from mid May until late July. Larvae are creamy white in
color and are found under the bark. The borer’s
host range is limited to species of ash trees, identified by their
distinctive leaves, which are located directly across from each
other on the leaf stem, and bark. In Usually their
presence goes undetected until the trees show symptoms of
infestation – typically the upper third of a tree will die back
first, followed by the rest the next year. This is often
followed by a large number of shoots or sprouts arising below the
dead portions of the trunk. For more
information call 866-325-0023 or visit www.michigan.gov/mda The Public Works
Department will again be conducting a program to destroy the Culex
Mosquito Larvae in the storm drainage system. The Culex Mosquito has
been identified as the insect that spreads the West Nile Virus. Our
program consists of inspecting catch basins in our storm drainage
system to determine if any larvae are present. If larvae are found,
the catch basin is treated with a larvicide to kill them before they
can hatch into mosquitoes. The catch basins
to be inspected are selected based on information from the Kent
County Health Department, and the current listing of reported dead
bird findings. The larvicide used out our department is a natural
occurring bacterium (Bacillus Thuringiensis) which does not harm the
environment. Inspections and necessary treatment of catch basins
will be conducted monthly during warm weather months. While the
Grandville Department of Public Work’s is actively attempting to
reduce the mosquito population in our drainage system, property
owners can do some things as well to eliminate mosquito breeding
locations on their own property. Keep fresh water daily in
birdbaths, pet dishes, children’s pools, etc. Keep eaves
troughs/rain gutters clean and free flowing, and store items that
may contain water upside down. Also keep your lawn and bushes cut.
If you have any questions regarding the City’s program, contact
the Department of Public Works at (616) 538-1990. For questions
regarding West Nile Virus you may contact the Kent County Health
Department at (616) 336-3030. OZONE
Action Days: http://www.epa.gov/region5/air/naaqs/o3info.htm
v SALE OF MOTORIZED VEHICLES The
City recently modified the rules for the sale of motorized vehicles
on residential lots. This
includes cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles and boats.
The new regulations continue to allow residents to sell these
vehicles on their lots, however, there must be a valid title in the
name of the resident. The
changes were made to ensure that residents could sell one of their
own vehicles and also make sure that residential lots were not
becoming informal used car lots. v GARAGE SALES As
the days get nicer there are more garage sales throughout the City.
We just wanted to remind everyone that sales are not to
exceed three consecutive days and residents are limited to three
sales annually at a location. Also,
if you are putting up signs advertising your sale make sure they are
not attached to any utility poles. v
NEW
CITY WEBSITE Our City website, www.cityofgrandville.com, has recently undergone a transformation. The new site has more information and resources for all visitors. It now has lots of forms, minutes, contact information and more. Please take a look at the site and feel free to let us know what you think. v
RECREATION
MASTER PLAN A
committee made of Grandville residents has just begun the process of
updating the City’s Five Year Recreation Master Plan.
This plan helps us determine the future of parks and
recreation opportunities in the City.
The most critical component of the development of this plan
will be public input. Please
keep an eye out for information on upcoming opportunities to share
your thoughts on the future of Grandville parks and recreation.
Contact the webmaster by clicking here. An online community since 2000. City of Grandville This page last modified
03/14/07 .
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