This Past Week at Holland Rotary...

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.