Alice Pickering
Linwood Area ReporterLinwood supervisors scheduled a special budget meeting for 4:45 p.m. today (Thursday) to make firm decisions about how to cover the cost of street repairs that have been scheduled and/or already completed.
Marie Holm, the supervisor who made the request, wants to specifically tie down how much money and where it is to be transferred. Supervisors are in agreement of notifying departments of the funding changes.
By the end of 2004, the road and bridge fund will be about $200,000 in the red, while waiting for funds to pay for projects. The only way the township can cover the expenses is to transfer money from other departmentsí capital funds and reserves.
At the annual meeting last March, auditor David Stene told residents the township was in good financial shape. Stene advised that a reserve of 50-60 percent in each department is an adequate cushion between semi-annual draw from the county. At that meeting, most departments had about a 70 percent reserve.
Now, the township must draw on reserves and capital funds to make up the shortfall in road and bridge funds.
The original proposed levy for 2004 was $1,138,000. At a special budget meeting last April 14, supervisors voted to reduce the proposed 2004 levy by $106,000, to the same amount as the 2003 levy of $1,031,677.
Items eliminated from the 2004 budget were $6000 for the Sunrise Watershed because it was adequately funded and $100,000 from the capital improvement fund. There were no changes in the budget then.
At the continuation of the annual meeting in August, residents approved a levy of only $900,000 for 2004, $138,000 less than the $1,038,000 requested by the town board. The boardís proposal was less than 1 percent higher than the 2003 levy of $1,031,677. About 35 of the 2700 registered voters attended the August meeting.
Then, it was clear from a failed motion before the levy vote, that some residents wanted to have the road and bridge and parks budgets reduced by $100,000 and $30,000, respectively. Only a recommendation could be made. Now some proportional adjustments must be made.
Property cleanup
Attorney Gerald Randall is continuing to reach homeowners about property cleanup. Randall told the board one letter has been returned. However, there have been responses from two property owners.
One house is in probate and the family is working on the cleanup. Both have asked for 30-day extensions to continue the work and intend to show progress on the job.
Town Clerk Judy Hanna was directed to write letters telling owners the board is granting the requested extensions.
Randall told the board he is trying to schedule a hearing about a property on Typo Creek Drive. There has been no response to the request to clean up the site. If the township is authorized to proceed with the cleanup, recovery of the cost would come from assessment to the property. With a court order, the township might be given some choice about how it wants to clean up the lot.
In another instance, Randall said he has to be certain of ìvalid service of process,î while the property owner is at home. He will continue work on this project.
Finally, he is trying to contact the owner of a dilapidated garage on West Fawn Lake Drive, to have it demolished or perhaps destroyed as a controlled burn training exercise for the fire department.
Ordinance update
At the last meeting, the cable franchise ordinance was approved. Randall is to prepare a summary ordinance for publication.
He will have the cemetery ordinance ready for the boardís consideration at the next meeting.
He is also waiting for Glenn Barrottís attorney to check over the legal papers related to granting permanent easement to his property west of the Linwood Community and School Forest.
As a final piece of business, Randall said he is working on the draft of a methamphetamine lab ordinance as directed by the board. Copies are to be provided to the planning and zoning commission and the fire department for suggestions.
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