Volume 6  December 2006

SPOTLIGHT

160 E Division St, Sparta MI  49345                                                                           www.sparta-township.com

Phone (616) 887-8863  Fax (616) 887-3823                                                             bonnie@sparta-township.com

 

Township Board Members

Dale Bergman, Supervisor          Bonnie Robinson, Clerk
Pat Fynewever, Treasurer             Cliff Anderson, Trustee             Tom Antor, Trustee                    Bill Goodfellow, Trustee             Rob Steffens, Trustee     

 

Monthly Board Meetings

Township Board –               2nd Thursday 7:00 pm

Planning Commission –       2nd Tuesday 7:00 pm

Zoning Board of Appeals -      2nd Wednesday 7:30 pm

 

 

Contact the Township for:

  • Passport Applications

  • Dog Licenses

  • Maps, Plat Books

  • Assessment Information

  • Voter registration

  • Building & Related Permits

  • Burning Permits

  • Non-village Ordinance Enforcement

Contact the Village of Sparta (887-8251) for:

Water & Sewer Concerns

Village Parks & Streets

Sidewalks

Village Leaf/Brush Pick-up

Village Ordinance Enforcement

 

Sparta Library

80 N. Union St.

Hours of operation:

   Mon/Tues- 9am to 8 pm

   Wed/Fri- 9am to 5pm 

   Sat- 9am to 12 noon

   Closed Thur & Sunday

Winter Reading Programs:

Call 887-9937 or visit the library to find out about upcoming events!

 

Myers Schoolhouse Museum Hours

16 – 13 Mile Rd NW

First Sunday of each month, 2:00 to 5:00 pm

For more information, call 887-2110.

 

 

Old Fashion Christmas

Celebrate in Sparta!

 

Watch the Advance Newspaper for details or call Elizabeth, Chamber of Commerce, at 887-2454.

 

 

Burning Permits

You must have an approved burning permit application on file in our office, renewed each year. There is no fee. When you have an approved form on file, you need to call in to activate it each time you are going to burn. We notify fire dispatch & Sparta Fire Dept, and inform you if there is a burning ban. No open burning is allowed within the Village limits.

 

Reminder:  Burning must be at least 75 feet away from any public road, 50 feet from all buildings, and 150 feet from the dwellings of other people.

 

 

Supervisor - Dale Bergman

Sculptures in Sparta

On November 4, 2006, there was a sculpture dedication at the Sparta Township Library honoring Thurlow Elwin McFall, who was a prominent businessman and community leader.  The beautiful sculpture was purchased by the McFall family and placed in Sparta Library Memorial Park with the approval of the Sparta Township Board.  The Park is located behind and around the Library.

Beginning at the gazebo and walking north along Nash Creek, the following memorials can be seen:  Walt and Mary Miller bench, Rev. Richard VandeKieft “Giant”, Sparta Garden Club 9/11 Memorial Garden, Robert and Maizie Taylor “Angel Flight” and the Thurlow Elwin “Mac” McFall sculpture.  In front of the Library, along Union Street, is a sculpture honoring Thies DeYoung, M.D. and Letty DeYoung.

At Lamoreaux Park in Sparta is a sculpture honoring Don, Al and Howard Lamoreaux, as well as other area people who died in World War I and World War II and veterans of all wars.

All the sculptures are very beautiful and serve as a reminder and memory of very important people in the Sparta area.

Come out and enjoy the sculptures!

 

Clerk - Bonnie Robinson

Elections

Over 60% of the 5780 registered voters in Sparta Township turned out for the November 7th General Election.  Of those 3525 voters, 867 voted by absentee ballot.  We would like to see more people, who are eligible, vote via this method.  Fewer people at the polls gives those that must vote in person a better chance to get in and out of the polls in a timely manner.  Voting by absentee ballot lets the voter take more time in marking their ballot, thus allowing you to give better thought to the process.  Anyone 60 years of age or older is eligible, any type of physical disability gives you qualification, or just being absent from the community the day of the election makes you eligible to request an absentee ballot.  You may vote by absentee ballot anytime up until 4 PM the day before the election.  If you have not voted by absentee ballot and are eligible, please call the township office to have your name put on the absentee list for the next election.

If anyone is interested in working at the elections as an election inspector, please stop by our office to fill out an application.

Sue Bitely, Deputy Clerk (on behalf of the clerk)

Treasurer - Pat Fynewever

TAXES – Enclosed with this newsletter is your winter Sparta Township tax bill.  To avoid paying a penalty on your winter taxes, please pay by February 14, 2007.  If you deferred your summer taxes, remember that bill is also due by February 14.  After February 28, all unpaid tax bills (except business personal property) must be paid to the Kent County Treasurer.

Percent of Taxes

Schools

57.0%

County

25.5%

Kent ISD

11.0%

GRCC

4.0%

Township

2.0%

Sparta Fire Dept

0.5%

Some people think that our Township keeps a large portion of the tax payment because taxes are paid at the township office, but the township actually gets a small part.  (See table at right.)

DOG LICENSES – Dog licenses will be available at the Township office December thru March 1.  The fees are the same as last year: $20 for male or female dog, $9 for neutered/spayed dog.  Senior citizens pay $8 or $5.  If you licensed a dog last year, you should get a renewal form in the mail from Kent County.  Please bring this form in with you.  Proof of rabies shots is necessary if the rabies date is expired on your form or if you are licensing a new dog.  We also need to see proof if your dog has been neutered/spayed.  All dogs four months or older must be licensed.

Assessor – Cliff Turner

The annual establishment of assessment will be complete by February of next year.  The 2007 assessed values will represent refinements since last year.  You will receive a notice by the first week in March 2007 summarizing the changes in the assessed or taxable value of your property if there is an increase in either amount.  Unless there has been construction or demolition of improvements to your property, or a change of ownership since January 2006, the change in assessed value will not alter your taxable value, which is the basis for your property taxes.  The taxable value will only be increased by the Inflation Rate Multiplier (also known as the Consumer Price Index or CPI) as issued by the State Tax Commission.  The inflation rate is 3.7% this year.  Last year the rate was 3.3%.  If you have any concerns about the value changes in the notice, please call the Assessors Office.

For property owners that are considering the division of a parcel of land for sale or any other purpose such as settlement of a trust, you must apply for land division compliance.  The property taxes must be paid to date.  The form is available on the township web site or at the Township Office.  Please call the Assessors Office if you need assistance.

For business owners located in the township, the Personal Property Statements are scheduled to be mailed in December of this year.  As you may be aware, the form is to be used for the report of the acquisition cost of fixed assets subject to taxation.  If you do not receive a form by the end of January, please contact me to avoid any penalty or interest for late filing.

For those with the need for property information, visit Kent County’s website, www.accesskent.com (Online Services/Property Parcel Lookup); for maps, see the REGIS site at ims.gvmc-regis.org/website/public.  Sparta Township’s site, www.sparta-township.com, has links to both of these.

On behalf of the Assessors Office, have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.