Grand Beach Village Council approves millage rate factor, budgets for 2023-2024

Members of the Grand Beach Village Council adopted a millage rate factor of 5.8278 mills for 2023, as well as adopted a resolution to adopt all budgets for fiscal year 2023-2024, at their Wednesday, May 17, meeting.

Council president Harry Walder said that they’re “not changing anything,” as the millage is state driven.

Council member Blake O’Halloran said that it’s important for people to know that the state continues to have the millage rate go down.

“At some point, it gets to where villages and municipalities can’t continue to meet the budget, so I want to make people aware at some point it needs to be addressed,” he said.

He added that it’s statewide situation and not just Grand Beach, with council member Peter Doerr adding that they have the lowest millage rate in the area.

Council members adopted a resolution to apply for grant funding for village streets.

Per the resolution, the village is applying for $223.083.25 in funding through MDOT from the Transportation Economic Development Category B Program to resurface/reconstruct Holiday Hills Road, Royal Avenue, Grand Beach Road, Crescent Road and Main Drive.

Walder said that these were the streets that were on last year’s list, with the addition of two streets, when they applied for the grant and that they’re the ones that are in the worst condition.

Streets and water commissioner James Bracewell said that, like last year when they didn’t receive the grant, if they don’t receive it this year, they’ll be in the “same position” and they’ll only have minor funds to patch the streets.

Council members also approved

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

transferring funds in the amount of $39,834.03 from a class action lawsuit to the Major Streets Fund. Bracewell said that, when he discovered that the village had benefited from two class action lawsuits to “the tune of almost $39,000,” he suggested to Walder that the funds be earmarked for the roads.

Council members discussed the possibility of doing swimming pool inspections, which have never been done before.

Walder said the village’s ordinance states that swimming pools be inspected “periodically;” however, he said they’d have to define what “periodic” means.

Building and zoning administrator Chad Butler said several items would be inspected, including checking to make sure the gate, the latch and the fence are being kept up to code, if the automatic cover is broken if there is one, if there are trip hazards and receptacles near the pool.

Walder added that the council needs to decide at what frequency they’d do the inspections and if a fee should be charged. If they don’t want to do inspections, then the ordinance should be revised.

The zoning renewal fees were approved: new house construction, $250; additions to existing homes, $100; new swimming pools, $50; fences, $50 and accessory structures, $50. The fees will be paid into the General Fund and used for funding the zoning administrator.

Council members approved refunding 70% of building permit fees when the work has not started within 180 days.

Walder said that the village doesn’t have a written policy on what to do when someone takes out a permit and then doesn’t start construction. The village has refunded the full amount in the past; however, once they get the permit application, the village incurs the cost for the plan and zoning reviews that Butler must do.

Council members approved paying Butler $3500 per month from the building inspection fund for his services and $1,000 a month from the General Fund for his duties as the zoning administrator.

Council members received documents of proposed upgrades to the village hall and maintenance building. Walder said they can look them over and discuss it in a couple of months, as work won’t be done before the fall.

Council members approved a bid from Versaw Earthworks Excavating & Trucking in the amount of $6,450 as presented, contingent upon if the court action tells the village that it can proceed with the demolition of property at 48305 Rohde Court in week.

Councilmembers learned last month from village attorney Sara Senica that a civil infraction ticket had been issued and that they were waiting for the court to default. Currently, there’s a warrant on the residence at that address because previous tickets had been issued and one of them was a misdemeanor. With a civil infraction ticket, a judgement can be obtained against the property, where either the village or company hired by the village can go in and clean up the property, bringing it into compliance and tearing down the property.

Walder said if the owner of that property doesn’t respond to the court within a week, the village would be allowed by the judge to demolish the home and bring the property “up to site.”

Police training for Creo Brewster in the amount of $1,235 was approved.