This Past Week at Holland Rotary...
Kurt Dykstra, Russ Miller, Paul Elzinga
Holland Rotary Speaker Kurt Dykstra, Mayor - City of Holland
STATE OF THE CITY
Organizational
The last 5 years has been difficult financially for Holland MI. The Budget for 2013 is $163,000,000.
General Fund $19,810,000. Property Taxes are 51% of Fund. 65% of Revenues are under stress.
EVIP (Economic Vitality Incentive Program) run by the State of MI may be a source of funds.
2008 to 2013 saw a 20% decline in Holland's tax base, a permanent reset for even lower property taxes.
Proposal A allows 3% maximum increase in property taxes/year, impossible now to catch up to 2008 level.
Property values since 2008 have decreased 20%. Budget is down to 2005 level.
Of the $19,810,000 in the General Fund ½ goes to Public Safety (police and fire).
Kurt is glad that the economy is getting better!
Transformational
For the last 5 years the City has been in crisis mode, not in long term planning
City of Holland provides services for the city plus 4 townships: Park, Holland, Fillmore and Laketown.
In 1960 the City of Holland had 60% of the total population of the 5 governmental units. In 1990 it was 40%, and in 2010 it was 35%. Kurt would like to have more collaboration financially and physically with the 4 townships.
Projects
1 Windmill Island: Opened in 1965. Recently, Holland started rebuilding old decks on the windmill, then a beam broke, leading to discovery of several other serious problems and no money to repair. Now looking for help from community and the 4 townships. Future plans may be to create a “Park of Parks” which would connect Windmill Island to Holland Township, and Windmill Island to Lake Macatawa at Kollen Park, making Windmill Island centrally located.
2 Holland Civic Center: Built in early 1960's. Options are, to remodel or tear down, build a new building or not replace. It is a connecting point between downtown Holland and Lake Macatawa.
3 BPW: Community Energy Plan -- Retire Unit 3, Convert Units 4 and 5 to natural gas fired, and continue using Units 1 and 2 as coal fired while also purchasing 32 megawatts of wind energy at a competitive rate. Snow Melt will increase in capacity by 5 times. After some of the existing BPW buildings are torn down there will be green space between Pine Av and Lake Macatawa.
Questions:
1 What will happen to the Padnos business location? Nothing until the BPW buildings are torn down.
2 What can we do about Proposal A? Proposal A is an amendment to the Michigan Constitution, and it is very hard to change the Constitution.