Ravenna Township News June 2014 …click here for the original publication sent with the summer tax bills or read it below.
RAVENNA TOWNSHIP NEWS
JUNE 2014
Ravenna Township 3770 Blackmer Road Ravenna, MI 49451
ravennatwp.com (231) 853-6205 fax (231) 853-5155
Assessor’s Actions (Jerry Groeneveld & Dennis Burns)
What is a Principal Residence Exemption (PRE)? In accordance with MCL 211.7dd, a principal residence is defined as the “…one place where an owner of the property has his or her true, fixed, and permanent home, to which whenever absent, he or she intends to return…”. An exemption means that the home, after applying and qualifying with the local assessor, is not subject to the tax levied by a local school district for school operating purposes up to 18 mills.
What is acceptable verification of occupancy and Michigan residency to show I am entitled to the exemption? Copies of at least four different pieces of documentation dated between January 1 and May 2 for each of the years being appealed. Some examples of acceptable documents that show the property was occupied as the principal residence of the owner for the year(s) in question are: A. Both sides of your driver’s license with property address. B. Your voter’s registration record. C. A cancelled check showing the property address. (Black out any information other than the address and date the check was written.) D. A statement from a bank, charge account, medical billing, utility bills, etc. (Only the portion showing your mailing address and date need be submitted.) E. Property tax bill with the property as the mailing address. F. Copy of your passport. G. Your income tax return showing the mailing address. (Black out any sensitive information.) H. An insurance policy. (Only the portion showing your mailing address and date need be submitted.) NOTE: This is not an all inclusive list and no one item is particularly controlling.
The assessor’s office hours are every Tuesday 9:00am to 3:00pm. If you need to speak with an assessor, please call or stop in at the township hall during those hours.
Board Briefs
The township board (Elmer Hoyle, Sonja Patterson, Ken Punter, Penny Sherman, Bruce Yonker) welcomes any comments, suggestions, or complaints that can help us to serve you better. We want to invite you to attend our board meetings that are held on the 2nd Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm.
Information regarding the township is available anytime on the township website ravennatwp.com
The office is open on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Check the website for specific holiday information.
Clerk’s Corner (Penny Sherman)
Here are a few updates I’d like to tell you about:
The August Primary will be held on August 5, 2014 and polls will be opened from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. The last day to register to vote for the August Primary is July 7th. There is a Ravenna Township Trustee seat that will be on this ballot and 2 individuals have filed to run for this seat. The winner of this Primary will appear on the General Election ballot as well. The General Election will be held on November 4, 2014. Polls for the General Election will be opened from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. The last day to register to vote in the General Election is October 6th.
This year Ravenna Township is once again participating in the Scrap Tire Collection Event. This is the 2nd year that we have been fortunate enough to participate in this event. This year the grant allows us to collect a total of 15,000 tires between 4 townships (Ravenna, Egelston, Moorland and Sullivan). On the first day of the event, Saturday, May 17th, 3358 tires were collected. The remaining dates of the Scrap Tire Collection Event are: June 14th, July 26th and August 16 from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The Collection Site address is: 4970 E. Apple Avenue, Muskegon. On May 3rd we held our annual Ravenna Dump Day and it was very well attended.
The storm on April 12, 2014 did a lot of damage to our Ravenna Township Cemetery. Many trees were uprooted. Also, there were headstones knocked over and damage to the fence along the creek. Larry Darcy has worked very hard at getting it cleaned up and it’s beginning to look beautiful once again. Prices for cemetery graves are as follows: Ravenna Township Residents $100 per grave and Non Resident $400 per grave. The opening/closing fee for each grave is $400 for full burial and $150 for a cremain burial. There is an additional $85 fee for Saturday burials, $100 for Sunday burials and $150 for holiday burials.
Please feel free to contact me with any concerns or needs you may have. I can be reached at the Township, my home 231-670-9360 or by e-mail at penny.sherman@ravennatwp.com. Please have a safe and fun summer!
Fire Department Flash (Greg Crowley)
Reflective Address Signs may be purchased for $20.
Bowling fundraiser that was held the end of January was very successful. The Fire Department will be holding a pig roast at Dog Daze July 18, 2014 from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Smokey Bear will be coming for Fire Prevention in October watch for more details later.
Library Lingo
Our library project is now complete and our open house was very well attended! If you missed the open house, please stop in and check out our new space! We added 2,720 square feet and remodeled the existing 1,920 square feet. Our Friends Of The Library Group meet regularly, if you are interested in joining or have ideas for the group please check us out on Facebook. The friends group is collecting Ravenna Foods Receipts, the library receives 1% of the total sales per quarter.
Our library has been blessed with many people giving of their time, talents and generous donations. A donation tree covers a large portion of the south wall in the children’s section, if you would like your name imprinted on a leaf or a rock we still have room. For donations of $100 – $499 you will receive a bronze leaf, $500 –$999 will receive a silver leaf, $1,000 – $4,999 will receive a gold leaf, and $5,000 or more will receive a rock. All donations are welcome and will receive some form of recognition.
Library Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., closed on Thursday, Friday 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The library offers several summer reading programs so stop in soon and pick up a list of scheduled events for the summer of 2014.
Museum Musings
This summer please stop by and check out the museum. Our museum ladies have many interesting pieces of Ravenna History displayed. Thanks to the library addition and remodel the museum benefitted with a freshly remodeled entryway. The beautiful decorative outside lamps were purchased and installed by the Ravenna Historical Society. The ladies also do an amazing job with the community garden on the west side of the building and will be adding more things on the east side this summer.
The museum is open on Wednesday’s from 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. or by appointment. If you would like to speak with a Historical Society member you may reach Marydee Housler at 231-853-2400.
Supervisor’s Scoop (Ken Punter)
The gravel roads in Ravenna Township will be brined by D&B Brining out of White Cloud. This is a test run to see how it compares with the brining usually done by the county road commission through its contracted brining company. One brining will occur this summer though the date has yet to be established. The county road commission will grade the roads just prior to the brining.
The planning commission is reviewing the current township master plan. There will be meetings held throughout the summer and public input is wanted. This is a chance to have input on current zoning and what the long-term vision should be for the township. Call the township office or check on the website for the date of the next meeting.
I can be reached by cell at (616)915-0485 or email at ken.punter@ravennatwp.com.
Treasurer’s Touts (Sonja Patterson)
Spring is finally here!!!! Let the summer fun begin. I sure hope everyone has an awesome summer filled with a lot of family time.
July 1, 2014 is the beginning of the 2014 tax cycle. Due to the fact that September 14, 2014 is a Sunday you will have until Monday, September 15, 2014 to pay your 2014 summer taxes without penalty. After Monday, September 15, 2014 your taxes will go up 1% per month and are still payable at the Ravenna Township Office until Monday, March 2, 2015.
Taxes are payable at the Ravenna Township office at 3770 Blackmer Road directly across from the Ravenna Area Fire Department.
Also, taxes may be paid at our local Choice One Bank. Remember when paying at the different branches it takes longer for the Township to receive your paid receipt and has caused some problems in the past, so if possible please pay Ravenna Township Taxes at the Ravenna Branch of Choice One.
Application for Deferrment of Summer Taxes are available at the Township Office during business hours. Any questions please feel free tocall Sonja Patterson, Ravenna Township Treasurer at 231-853-6205.
Dog Licenses may be purchased at the Township Office during business hours year round. Your renewal date for your dog’s license is the month your dog’s rabies vaccine expires. You may purchase a three year license for your dog depending on your dog’s rabies expiration date.
Zoning & Building Blurb (Tony Zaidel)
Michigan Township Services (MTS) is now conducting all building and construction inspections within Ravenna Township. MTS is located in Fruitport and is committed to a quick response to any inspection request. Go to ravennatwp.com and click on DEPARTMENTS, then BUILDING DEPARTMENT to locate their contact information and any other information needed for your project. All zoning and building projects still begin with the Ravenna Township Zoning Administrator and all forms are available at the township hall or on the website. All projects are begun by filling out the Zoning Compliance Form. Once your project is approved by the township zoning administrator, the ZA will get your project shifted over to MTS for inspection purposes.
