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Township Board Members
Dale Bergman, Supervisor
Bonnie
Robinson, Clerk
Pat Fynewever, Treasurer
Cliff Anderson, Trustee
Tom Antor, Trustee
Bill Goodfellow, Trustee
Rob Steffens, Trustee
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
Water & Sewer concerns
Village parks & streets
Sidewalks
Village Leaf/Brush Pick-up
Village Ordinance
Enforcement
Hours
of operation:
Mon/Tues- 9am
to 8 pm
Wed/Fri- 9am
to 5pm
Sat- 9am
to 12 noon
Closed Thur
& Sunday
Summer Reading Program:
Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales
For all ages – If you signed up
in June, be sure to report in when you reach your goals.
Special Displays:
July – Foundry
August – Churches
Sept – Sports
Oct – Apple Harvest
Town & Country Days
Our Hometown Fair!
July
12 – 16, 2006
Parade, Fireworks,
Apple Run 5K Race,
Ty Herndon Concert,
and much more!
www.spartafair.com
Passports
Will soon be needed for travel
to Canada and Mexico. You may apply for one at our office; it then
takes as long as 8 weeks to receive it from the Dept of State; plan ahead!
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Supervisor - Dale Bergman
Annexation
The main reason for annexation requests is the desire
for public sewer and water services to develop property. The Township does not supply sewer and
water services, and the Village currently will not extend services into the
Township without the property becoming part of the Village.
Typically, a property owner who wishes to annex into the
Village will make a request in writing.
The Village Council and the Township Board will each make a
recommendation; then it will go on to the Kent County Board of Commissioners
for final approval (or denial).
Property annexation from the Township to the Village is
always a concern for the Township. Not
only does the Township lose control of how the property may be developed, the
potential for lost tax revenues also exists.
An alternate method of annexation which is advantageous
to the Township is a ‘425 Agreement.’
The 425 Agreement can include tax revenue guarantees for a specified
number of years; can incorporate certain conditions on allowable development;
and can be used for property which is not adjacent to the Village. The Township and Village have worked
together to adopt 425 Agreements for the former ‘Rodeo Grounds’ property near
13 Mile Rd & M-37, as well as the former VanderZee
property on 12 Mile Rd (now Bedford Falls).
On several smaller parcels adjacent to the Village, we have agreed to
straight annexations.
If you want more information on annexations, please feel
free to give me a call. I hope you are
enjoying the warmer weather!
Clerk - Bonnie Robinson
Vote on August 8 (Primary)
and November 7 (General)! Both
elections will be at Trinity Christian Reformed Church, 660 S. State St. Come to our office for voter registration
and absentee ballot information. On
the ballots: governor; village,
county, state & federal reps; proposals. Check www.accesskent.com
for more details.
Treasurer - Pat Fynewever
Along with this newsletter, you will find your 2006 Sparta Township summer tax bill. Please look it over carefully and give us a
call if you find any errors. (Have we
misspelled your name? Do we have your
correct address?) Your summer bill is
higher again as another one-third of the County tax millage
is shifted from the winter to the summer bill, as mandated by state law.
Deferment applications are available in our office until
9/14/06. You qualify for a deferment
if your household income in the preceding calendar year did not exceed
$37,500 and you are a senior citizen (62 years or older) or paraplegic,
blind, or totally & permanently disabled.
There is also an agricultural deferment available if the property you
own in Sparta Township is zoned agricultural and
your farm income was greater than your income from other employment. The deferment does not mean that you do not
have to pay your taxes, but that you can wait to pay your summer bill until
February 14 without any interest or penalties.
Assessor – Cliff Turner
The process of
establishing the 2007 assessed and taxable values for all real property
within the township commenced in April of this year. A cursory review of real estate sales
activity revealed patterns much similar to last year except for agricultural
acreage values which appear to have risen to levels substantially greater
than in previous years. More precise
and definitive statistics will be available by the end of the year.
A couple of
reminders: first, for all types of property
tax forms, please visit the State Tax Commission Web Site at www.michigan.gov/treasury/ .
The forms are available in text or portable document formats and
most can accept live data and will automatically perform any mathematical
operations. Also, there is a Property
Tax Estimator function that allows you to calculate property taxes based on
your taxable value and school district.
Second, for those with
the need for property information, visit Sparta
Township’s Website at www.sparta-township.com
and access “LINKS” and then “K” for Kent County. Select “Online Services” then
“Property/Parcel Lookup.” Available is
ownership, property type, sales history, land size, delinquent taxes, aerial
mapping, and other property features.
On behalf of the Assessors Office,
have a safe and enjoyable summer!
Sparta Township Carnegie
Library
LOVE YOUR LIBRARY? BE
OUR FRIEND!
Who are Friends of the
Library?
People
like you who are interested in supporting your library.
What can I do if I am
Interested?
Come
to a meeting at the Library, 1:30
pm on the 4th Wednesday of the month.
What do the Friends of Sparta Township Carnegie Library do?
Sponsor
special programs and events such as the summer reading program for
children. Purchase needed furnishings
and equipment for the library. One
such project was a new handmade bulletin board and donation box for used books
made by Dave Huizenga. We also hold a major book sale every year
during the Town & Country Days Fair.
Please join us! 80 N. Union St., Sparta 887-9937
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