Fiscal year ended in good financial shape, official says

The Cleveland Township Board adopted a 2007-08 General Fund Budget as well as a "truth in taxation" resolution at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday evening.

A $151,500 spending plan for the fiscal year beginning April 1 was the subject of a budget hearing at the township’s Annual Meeting on March 24, supervisor Tim Stein noted. The budget formally adopted this week included changes from salary resolutions that were addressed in some detail at the Annual Meeting, he added.

The “truth in taxation” resolution adopted this week as required by state law contained estimated millage rates to support the budget in the coming fiscal year.

The township will collect millage of 0.5995 to support its own operations, plus an extra-voted 0.482-mill property tax to support its contract for services from the Solon-Centerville Fire and Rescue Department.

Stein also noted that Cleveland Township ended the 2006-07 fiscal year in good financial shape, having collected more in revenues than forecast while spending less than expected.

In other business at this week’s meeting, the Cleveland Township Board and about a dozen audience members:

• Heard a briefing from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore assistant superintendent Tom Ulrich about the ongoing General Management Plan and Wilderness Study process at the park. Park Service officials are continuing to seek public input and anyone with questions should contact park officials at 326-5134 or visit the website at www.nps.gov/slbe.

• Learned that the owner of a long-uncompleted home project in the Scenic Mountain View Estates subdivision had obtained permits to continue his project, but may be occupying the structure unlawfully. Stein said the Leelanau County prosecuting attorney had been notified about the occupancy issue, “but that the prosecutor has opted to sit on the issue at this point.”

• Learned that the township Planning Commission completed work on a zoning ordinance amendment outlining requirements for residential wind turbine generators. Trustee Cynthia Shimek, who serves as the township board’s representative on the Planning Commission, reported that the draft amendment has been forwarded to the Leelanau County Planning Commission for a review. Meanwhile, township planners will continue their work on a series of zoning ordinance changes they tabled last spring outlining new residential district designations.

• Learned that no word had been received from Sugar Loaf Resort owner Kate Wickstrom regarding approval of her proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) project to redevelop the defunct ski resort. Township planners last spring set aside all their other projects to rewrite portions of the township zoning ordinance to accommodate Wickstrom’s stated desires for the property. The new zoning ordinance provisions, in force since last month, were designed to streamline a PUD approval process for Sugar Loaf redevelopment.