Prepared by Diane Purgiel
![Text Box: The Elmira Township planning commission has been working on draft language for Multiple Use Zoning (MUZ) and Large Parcel Zoning ordinances.
A MUZ district is designed and intended to promote the development of a pedestrian oriented and accessible, central commercial service district where a variety of mutually supporting retail, commercial, office, civic and limited residential uses are permitted. Each use shall be complementary to the stated function and purpose of the district and shall not have adverse impact upon adjacent street capacity and safety utilities. In an effort to encourage this type of character, and provide for the health, welfare and safety of the pedestrian in the area, drive-in and drive-through operations are excluded from this district. The Large Parcel [ordinance] is established for the purpose of maintaining an ecologically sound balance between human activities and the environment, and to retain the County’s (Township’s) scenic and rural character. The Large Parcel applies to all publicly owned lands (state, county, township, etc.) within Otsego County (Elmira Township) as of the date of adoption of this ordinance. All publicly owned parcels 160 acres or more in size shall have a minimum parcel size of 160 acres. Any parcel less than 160 acres will remain at its existing size, except for publicly owned parcels that were originally acquired for purposes of redevelopment prior to this ordinance, examples include: Air industrial Park, Yuill Center, etc. Any [publicly owned] parcel more than 160 acres but less than 320 acres is not eligible to be split.](102007news_files/image008.gif)
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Elmira Township Board Members |
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Supervisor Diane Franckowiak 231-546-3241 |
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Clerk Sue Schaedig 989-732-2920 |
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Treasurer Diane Purgiel 989-732-4560 989-732-9702 fax dpurgielelmiratownshiptreasurer @yahoo.com |
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Trustee Leonard Skop 231-546-3659 |
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Trustee Theresa Plachta 231-546-3834 |
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Assessor Margaret Black 989-731-1707 989-731-4606 fax MEJBL8@charter.net |
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Meetings are held at 6:00pm on the
second Thursday of the month. |
Elmira Township
Planning
Commission
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Chairman
Duane Hoffman
231-546-3324 |
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Vice Chairman
Jack Middleton
231-546-3554 |
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Secretary Gloria Torello |
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Trustee Jim Theisen 231-546-3392 |
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Board
Representative
Leonard Skop 231-546-3659 |
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Honorary Member
John Ernst
231-546-3998 |
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Meetings are held at 7:00pm on the
second Tuesday of the month.
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According to Maxine Berman, Governor Granholm’s point person assigned to head the Michigan Center for Regional Excellence, their goal is to change our local government structure to a “countywide” form of government. In doing this, Governor Granholm feels that money would be saved. However, there is much controversy to this line of thinking. The July 16th issue of the Detroit Free Press (front-page story “Townships Fight Push to Merge”) dispels many of these claims.
To implement the shift in duties, a new definition of a rural township will be established. Its new definition says that a township will be considered “rural” if it has a population below 10,000, or with a population between 10,000 and 20,000 that does not provide for or has a 24-hour fire and police protection or provide water to 50% or more of its residents. These “rural” townships will shift the duties of tax collecting, elections, and assessing to the county and the townships will be required to pay the county a fee to perform these duties. As of now, legislation is at a stall, but the threat of taking away local control from townships is still on many legislator’s agenda. For more information regarding this issue follow the newspapers and check out the following websites: www.michigantownships.org and www.michigan.gov.
A new service has been offered by BS&A, our taxing program service, that allows taxpayers to view the status of their bill online. The website will upload data daily, which allows you to view when your payment was posted to your account. Also with this service, you can view your legal description, escrow holder, primary residence exemption, mailing address, past payments and assessments, taxable value, and more.
This service is at no charge to you or Elmira Township. To view your information, all you need to do is create an account by following the steps below.
1. Go to: http://elmiratwp.is.bsasoftware.com
2. Select “Create an Account”
3. Fill in the “required” fields (the other fields are not necessary to create an account).
4. BS&A will immediately send you a password to your email account. (You may change your password under the “Manage Your Profile” tab.)
That’s all there is to creating your account! We hope you enjoy this service!
The Elmira-Warner Fire Department has been serving your township for over 50 years. They currently serve as both your Fire Department and also as First Responders for your Medical needs. They average 100 plus calls per year, and those calls go up every year. They operate on a voted 1 mill tax levy that will need to be renewed in 2008. The Emergency vehicles serving you comprise of a 1980 Pumper, a 1980 Tanker, a 1987 tanker and a 1997 First Responder EMS vehicle. The 1997 EMS vehicle was donated by the Antrim County
Ambulance Authority two years ago. The Fire Department currently shares quarters at the Elmira Township Hall. The Elmira-Warner Fire Authority Board meets the 1st Thursday of the month at 6:00pm to conduct the business side of the Department. Anyone who may have the desire or skills to serve your fellow neighbors as fire-fighters are invited to the Fire Department any Tuesday at 7:00pm for information on joining our team.