All the petitions that were signed and dated were reviewed and verified by the township assessor on September 6. These signed petitions made up 80 of the 156 parcels around the lake which included 61.8% of the land area and 57.2% of beach frontage. (50% of the land area is required to proceed.) This data was then presented at the township board meeting that evening. A resolution was passed by the board that permitted the process of forming a Special Assessment District (SAD) to move forward. The next step is a public hearing toward the end of the month.
Special thanks to all of you who signed them. It’s all about the lake and the quality of the water. This is why we live and play here.
The township cannot, by law, assess a fee any other way than by parcel number. Hundreds of SADs around the state are assessed the same way. The board, of which I am a member, has agreed with this SAD assessment. The water that laps up on my sand is no different than any other lot. The weeds around my dock are the same as the ones around the lake. We pay to treat the weeds by the acre not by lake frontage. We all enjoy the whole lake, all 316 acres, not just the water in front of our properties. Those with several lots will be paying for each parcel number they own. Most owners around the lake have chosen to combine their attached lots into one parcel number.
How do you feel about this? Greg A is the first one to express his views in writing and I certainly appreciate it. I would love to hear from many more of you. Please share your thoughts here.
You barely have 50% of the petitions returned. The people that I have spoken to, all feel that the way it is being assessed is unfair. Especially with lots that are 100 feet, vs those that have multiple lots but make up less than 50 feet of frontage. This will not get better. A more equitable adjustment needs to be configured. A straight assessment by feet of frontage would be fairer and represent everyone equally. It would be better to have 100% of support than 50%