Delhi Township and
nine other mid-Michigan communities are participating in a
competition to win significant grant dollars from Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Michigan for projects to encourage walking and fitness.
We need your help! We're calling on
all residents, businesses, churches,
clubs and groups who’d like to begin or continue a healthy
lifestyle.Help your
health and help Delhi Township win grant money
foryour parks
and walking trails.
Join Delhi’s effort in the 2010 Winter Warm-Up Challenge
today. Sign up at: http://www.bcbs.com/innovations/walkingworks/ (see
directions for signing up)
Last year was a
light-hearted competition between area Mayors/Supervisors to see who
could log the most steps over a 9-week period for cash grants toward
community fitness. Though not the victor,
Delhi Township Supervisor Stuart Goodrich did
very well. Goodrich won $300 to put towards a community
health or fitness project. This money was used towards the new
Valhalla Park playground equipment to help promote youth fitness.
This year’s
competition is not between Mayors and
Supervisors, but between communities. So,
You can help!
All you have to do
is
sign up on-line and track your activity
each day or week through minutes, steps or miles of activity. At
the end of the 10 week period, the community with the most activity
averaged per participant wins a grant prize donated by Blue Cross
Blue Shield.
It's hard keeping active in winter in
Mid-Michigan. But walking sessions at Holt Junior High makes it easier and warmer!
A satellite group
has been formed for Delhi
residents to walk at the Holt Junior High on Tuesdays from 5:30 to
6:30 p.m. in conjunction with the Winter Warm-Up. The first session
is Tuesday, February 2, 2010.
The Winter Warm-Up offers more than
just a warm place to walk, however. Each week will feature
information on a variety of health-related
topics and you can walk with Township and School
officials. There are contests and prizes
including Lansing Mall gift certificates, 1-month YMCA guest passes,
walking shoes from Playmakers, season passes to Ingham County Parks,
fitness class certificates, “fun and fitness” prize baskets and
more!
Already active? Or can't make it
to the Tuesday walking sessions? Then just log
the activity you're already doing. Whether you're a regular jogger
or thinking about getting a little more active, you can help your
health and help Delhi win this challenge.
The Challenge
begins January 23rd and runs through March 27th.
Sign up hereor call Tricia VanderPloeg, Deputy
Supervisor, at (517) 694-2137. Please join us in our challenge to
become a healthier community.
The Delhi Township Public Services Department is sponsoring a free
vegetable gardening seminar on Thursday March 18, 2010 at the Holt
Junior High School, 1784 Aurelius, Holt. Learn great tips from
Gary Heilig, Horticulture Educator for the MSU Ingham County
Extension. You can even sign up for your free garden plot from Delhi
Township after the seminar. It's FREE, but you must sign up because
space is limited.
Sign up here.
To be quickly
notified of area emergencies and other important information that
may not be pertinent for the township web site, facebook or twitter,
Delhi Township residents may now subscribe to the Delhi Township
Nixle site. The Nixle site provides the user with the ability to
sign up for instant notification in cases where information needs to
be disseminated to the public quickly.
Nixle is a
Community Information Service providing one source for access to
credible real-time community information. Nixle provides communities
throughout the country with news and information that is both
proximate and personally relevant. Nixle makes this information
instantly available over web, mobile, and smart phone devices.
As an example,
Delhi Township Public Works may have a road closed, and a message
may then be sent out to subscribers updating the community on the
road closure.
There is no cost
for this service. Any interested Delhi Township resident may
subscribe by going to
www.nixle.com.
When signing up,
you will first fill in pertinent information, then be directed to a
page wherein you can specify what information you wish to receive,
i.e., a Delhi Township resident may request information for Holt,
Delhi Township and Ingham County, or you may wish to request only
Holt information.
The Live RoofTM has now been
placed on the roof of the new Sam Corey Senior Center. This live
vegetation roof is just one of the reasons the newest building in
Delhi Township is considered LEED certified. LEED is a third-party
certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the
design, construction and operation of high performance green
buildings.
The roof will
provide the already operating Sam Corey Senior Center with a
better way to reduce heating and cooling costs, increase the
roofs life span, reduce stormwater run off, filter pollutants
and carbon dioxide out of the air and also filter pollutants and
heavy metals out of the rainwater.
For
a virtual tour of Holt’s beautiful new
senior center that was built with an environmental conscience,
visit the Sam Corey Senior Center page
at
http://delhitownship.com/parks-SeniorCenter.htm.
The U.S. Census
counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the
Constitution to take place every 10 years.
The 2010 Census
will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal
funds each year for things like:
Hospitals
Job training
centers
Schools
Senior centers
Bridges,
tunnels and other-public works projects
Emergency
services
The data collected
by the census also help determine the number of seats your state has
in the U.S. House of Representatives.
We can't move
forward until you mail it back.
In March of 2010,
census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United
States and Puerto Rico. When you receive yours, just answer the 10
short questions and then mail the form back in the postage-paid
envelope provided. If you don't mail the form back, you may receive
a visit from a
census taker, who will ask you the
questions from the form.
Remember to keep your sidewalks
clear in the winter season. It's not just a matter of being
courteous, it's a Township ordinance. For the safety of the public, ice and snow must be removed from
sidewalks within 24 hours after such accumulation. Remember,
school children and other pedestrians depend upon the sidewalks for
safe travel. If you have neighbors that are senior citizens or
are unable to clear their sidewalks, please lend a hand.
Obstructing sidewalks with parked cars or by any other means
is also not permitted.
Sheep were purchased
this spring and have been grazing on two large plots of township
land at the Waste Water Treatment Plant. The sheep munch
contently under the watch of a llama that protects them from coyotes
and wild dogs.
The natural
approach to lawn care should save the township $10,000 or more
compared to the costs of mowing six months out of the year. The
township has found the sheep can munch in places where lawn mowers
can't mow. Once a year, a week was spent trimming steep, rocky
slopes on the land. The sheep have taken care of the slopes,
saving additional money and man-hours.
Not only that,
instead of consuming gas and polluting the air with fumes from power
equipment, the township will actually have something useful when the
sheep's work is done: wool. Their wool has been made into
socks and are available for sale. Sock sales are a fundraiser with
the proceeds going back to the sheep project.
Of course, there may
also be another by-product of the project: lambs. Any offspring will
be offered to local kids in the 4-H program.
Designed for
activities and fellowship, Holt's
beautiful new senior center was also built with an
environmental conscience--the
first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) building constructed for Delhi
Township. A geothermal
heating/cooling system and a "live" roof are just a couple
examples of what makes this a "green" building.
Delhi
Charter Township received the
Certificate of Achievement for
Excellence in Financial Reporting by the
Government Finance Officers Association
of the United States and Canada (GFOA)
for its comprehensive annual financial
report (CAFR).
The
certificate of achievement is the
highest form of recognition in the area
of governmental accounting and financial
reporting, and its attainment represents
a significant accomplishment by a
government and its management.
The
CAFR has been judged by an impartial
panel to meet the high standards of the
program including demonstrating a
constructive "spirit of full disclosure"
to clearly communicate its financial
story and motivate potential users and
groups to read the CAFR.
The
GFOA is a nonprofit professional
association serving approximately 16,000
government finance professionals with
offices in Chicago, IL and Washington,
D.C.
The Delhi Charter Township
Wastewater Treatment Plant has been honored bythe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for innovative
efforts to protectour environment.
The Delhi plant received the
PISCES (Performance and Innovation in the
SRF Creating Environmental Success) award for developing the state's
firstintegrated biomass-to-energy
digester system, in which residuals or “leftovers”from the wastewater treatment process are “digested” (treated
and stabilized) sothey can be safely
returned to the environment as nutrient-rich biosolids. Theheat and energy component of this system will reduce the
demand for naturalgas and electricity,
yielding an annual energy savings of more than $75,000. Thenew digester should go online by this summer.
“We are honored to have our work
recognized by the EPA,” said Sandra Diorka,Director of Public Services for Delhi Charter Township. “The
digester systemrepresents another
important advance toward sustainability in Delhi Township.”Township Supervisor Stuart Goodrich added, “The digester
project is the lateststride taken by the
township in its ongoing commitment to recycling, reuse,environmental education, and a ‘green’ approach to wastewater
and solid waste management.”
The Delhi Township plant serves
more than 25,000 people in the township andtwo small portions of the city of Lansing. "It is an honor
for the U.S.Environmental Protection
Agency to recognize one of Michigan's wastewatertreatment facilities for their innovative, efficient,
effective protection of theenvironment,"
said Director Steven Chester, who presented the award.
Delhi Township can no
longer accept household alkaline batteries at the Township Recycling
Center. The Township is currently looking at all options to
provide battery recycling again. Until then, we regret that we
can no longer accept household batteries.
Many residents who
pay their summer and winter tax bills at the Treasurer's
Office ask where all their tax money goes. While the Township's
Treasurer is responsible for collecting the tax bill, the Township
receives only twelve percent of the total bill. So where does
the rest go?
For a typical home
worth $150,000 within the Holt School District and paying a tax bill
of $3,000, Delhi Township keeps $355 with the remainder distributed
to the following taxing units:
Each one of these
units provides valuable services to the residents of our community.
If you need additional information on how each unit spends your tax
dollars, please do not hesitate to contact
that unit. For questions relating directly to Delhi Township,
please contact the Township Treasurer at 694-0333 or the Township
Manager at 694-2137.
In 1994 Proposal A
was added to the Michigan Constitution by a vote of the people as
their response to escalating property taxes. Before Proposal A
became law, property taxes were based upon the fair market value of
a property. After Proposal A was approved and enacted into law it
significantly limited how quickly individual property tax bills
could increase from year to year. It stated that the value of
property, described as Taxable Value, could not increase by more
than the increase in inflation or 5%, whichever is less. Meanwhile,
there was no limit on determining the fair market value, described
as Assessed Value. This allowed the Assessed Value to increase more
rapidly than the Taxable Value creating a widening gap between the
two since 1994. During this economic downturn declining market
values have resulted in declining Assessed Values. Properties with
Taxable Values significantly lower than the Assessed Value will
still see a property tax increase until the Taxable Value is equal
to the Assessed Value.
Learn how
the wastewater process works and about the
"first in the state" technology that is the
center of the POTW upgrades. The video
was filmed at the annual POTW open house as
part of Water Quality Awareness Week last
May.
The Delhi
Charter Township Planning Commission will conduct a Public Hearing on
Monday, February 8, 2010 beginning at 7:00 PM, at the Delhi Charter
Township Community Services Center, 2074 Aurelius Road, Holt, Michigan
48842.
The subject of
the public hearing will be the consideration of an Amendment to the
Zoning Ordinance in regard to the following:
Zoning Case No.
09-863:AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE DELHI
CHARTER TOWNSHIP ZONING ORDINANCE; SPECIFICALLY TO AMEND SUB-SECTION
3.3.2 (3) REGARDING THE WAIVER OF SITE PLAN REVIEW REQUIREMENTS AND
REPORTING TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION, ADD SUB-SECTION 3.3.2(4)(a)(4) TO
INCLUDE ON-SITE USE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ANEMOMETER TOWERS TO THE
LIST OF MINOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR SITE PLAN REVIEW, AND TO ADD
SUB-SECTION 3.3.2(4)(b)(6) TO INCLUDE ANEMOMETER TOWERS, UTILITY GRID
WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS AND/OR ON-SITE USE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS OVER 20
METERS IN HEIGHT TO THE LIST OF MAJOR SITE PLAN PROJECTS, TO AMEND
SUB-SECTION 3.3.5(2)(a) TO DELETE THE REQUIREMENT FOR PLANNING
COMMISSION NOTICE ON MINOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, TO AMEND SUB-SECTIONS
3.3.5(3) AND 3.3.6 TO PROVIDE REFERENCE TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF
SUB-SECTION 3.3.2(3), TO DELETE SUB-SECTION 3.3.6(7) WHICH IS A
DUPLICATE, TO ADD SUB-SECTION 3.3.6.1 THAT PROVIDES SITE PLAN
REQUIREMENTS FOR WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS, TO ADD SUB-SECTION 5.2.3(6) TO
PERMIT ON-SITE USE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ANEMOMETER TOWER AS A USE
PERMITTED UNDER SPECIAL CONDITIONS AND ADD SUB-SECTION 5.2.4(5) TO
PERMIT ANEMOMETER TOWERS, UTILITY GRID AND/OR ON-SITE WIND ENERGY
SYSTEMS OVER 20 METERS HIGH AS A USE PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE PERMIT IN
THE R-1A ZONING DISTRICT, AMEND SUB-SECTION 5.3.3(1) TO EXCLUDE
ANEMOMETER TOWERS, UTILITY GRID AND/OR ON-SITE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS OVER
20 METERS HIGH FROM THE LIST OF USES PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE PERMIT IN
THE R-1B ZONING DISTRICT, AMEND SUB-SECTION 5.4.2.2 TO CHANGE THE WORD
“OR” TO “AND” REGARDING USES PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE PERMIT IN THE R-1C
ZONING DISTRICT, AMEND SUB-SECTION 5.5.2.2 TO CLARIFY THAT THE USES
PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE PERMIT IN THE R-1D ZONING DISTRICT ARE THE SAME
AS THOSE USES PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE PERMIT IN THE R-1B DISTRICT, TO
ADD SUB-SECTION 5.7.4(8) TO ALLOW ANEMOMETER TOWERS AND/OR ON-SITE WIND
ENERGY SYSTEMS OVER 20 METERS HIGH AND SUB-SECTION 5.7.4(9) TO ALLOW ONE
OR MORE ON-SITE USE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS AND/OR ANEMOMETER TOWERS BY
SPECIAL USE PERMIT IN THE RM ZONING DISTRICT, TO ADD SUB-SECTIONS
5.9.3(4), 5.10.3(8) AND 5.11.3(9) TO PERMIT BY SPECIAL CONDITION ON-SITE
USE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ANEMOMETER TOWERS WITHIN THE C-1, C-2 AND
C-3 ZONING DISTRICTS, TO ADD SUB-SECTIONS 5.9.4(7), 5.10.4(9) AND
5.11.5(10) TO ADD ANEMOMETER TOWERS, UTILITY GRID AND/OR ON-SITE WIND
ENERGY SYSTEMS OVER 20 METERS HIGH AS A USE ALLOWED BY SPECIAL USE
PERMIT IN THE C-1, C-2 AND C-3 ZONING DISTRICTS, TO ADD SUB-SECTION
5.13.4(6) TO PERMIT UNDER SPECIAL CONDITIONS ON-SITE USE WIND ENERGY
SYSTEMS IN THE TC ZONING DISTRICT, TO ADD SUB-SECTION 5.15.2(f),
5.16.2(f), 5.17.2(f), 5.18.2(f) AND 5.19.2(6) TO THE LIST OF USES
PERMITTED WITHIN THE IW, IR, IA, IM AND IP ZONING DISTRICT ON-SITE USE
WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS, AND TO ADD SUB-SECTION 5.15.3(9), 5.16.3(3),
5.17.3(6), 5.18.3(3) AND 5.19.3(7) TO ADD ANEMOMETER TOWERS, UTILITY
GRID AND/OR ON-SITE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS OVER 20 METERS HIGH TO THE LIST
OF USES PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE PERMIT IN THE IW, IR, IA, IM AND IP
DISTRICTS, TO ADD SUB-SECTION 5.19.2(5) WHICH RELOCATES EXISTING
LANGUAGE REGARDING ALLOWABLE ACCESSORY USES IN THE IP ZONING DISTRICT
FROM SECTION 5.19.3(6), TO DELETE SUB-SECTION 5.19.3(6) FOR THE REASON
STATED IMMEDIATELY ABOVE, TO ADD SUB-SECTION 5.20.4(6) TO ADD ON-SITE
USE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ANEMOMETER TOWER, AND ADD SUB-SECTION
5.20.4(7) TO PERMIT ONE (1) OR MORE ON-SITE USE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS
AND/OR ANEMOMETER TOWERS TO THE LIST OF USES PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE
PERMIT IN THE RM-1 ZONING DISTRICT, TO ADD SUB-SECTION 5.21.3(4)(c) TO
THE LIST OF USES PERMITTED UNDER SPECIAL CONDITIONS ON-SITE USE WIND
ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ANEMOMETER TOWER, ADD SUB-SECTION 5.21.4(20) TO ADD
ANEMOMETER TOWERS, UTILITY GRID AND/OR ON-SITE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS OVER
20 METERS HIGH TO THE USES PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE PERMIT IN THE A-1
ZONING DISTRICT, ADD SUB-SECTION 5.22.2.1 WHICH ESTABLISHES THAT ON-SITE
USE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ANEMOMETER TOWERS ARE PERMITTED UNDER
SPECIAL CONDITIONS WITHIN THE PP ZONING DISTRICT, ADD SUB-SECTION
5.22.3(2) TO ADD ANEMOMETER TOWERS, UTILITY GRID AND/OR ON-SITE WIND
ENERGY SYSTEMS OVER 20 METERS HIGH AS A USE PERMITTED BY SPECIAL USE
PERMIT WITHIN THE PP ZONING DISTRICT, AMEND SUB-SECTION 5.22.4(5) TO
INCLUDE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS AS A LISTED EXCEPTION, ADD SUB-SECTION
6.2.2.1 WHICH PROVIDES THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS AND REGULATIONS FOR
ON-SITE USE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ANEMOMETER TOWERS IN ALL PERMITTED
DISTRICTS, AMEND SUB-SECTION 6.5.3 AND 6.5.3(1) TO DELETE THE WORD
“BUSINESS” AND INSERT “COMMERCIAL” IN ITS PLACE, AMEND 8.6.2(11) WHICH
IS CURRENTLY A DUPLICATE OF SUB-SECTION 8.6.2(8) TO ADD ANEMOMETER
TOWERS, UTILITY GRID AND/OR ON-SITE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS OVER 20 METERS
HIGH TO THE LIST OF USES CLASSIFIED AS A SPECIAL USE IN DISTRICTS CITED
AND ADD SUB-SECTION 8.6.3(10) WHICH PROVIDES THE SPECIFIC PROVISIONS
THAT MUST BE MET TO OBTAIN A SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR A ANEMOMETER TOWERS,
UTILITY GRID AND/OR ON-SITE WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS OVER 20 METERS HIGH, ADD
THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS TO SUB-SECTION 10.2, “AMBIENT”, ANEMOMETER
TOWER”, “ANSI”, “dB(A)”, “DECIBEL”, “IEC”, “ISO”, “LEASE UNIT BOUNDARY”,
“ON-SITE WIND ENERGY SYSTEM”, “ROTOR”, “SHADOW FLICKER”, “SOUND
PRESSURE”, “UTILITY GRID WIND ENERGY SYSTEM”, “WIND ENERGY SYSTEM”,
“WIND ENERGY SYSTEM HEIGHT” AND “WIND SITE ASSESSMENT”. THESE AMENDMENTS
WILL APPLY TO ZONING DISTRICTS AS OUTLINED ABOVE; AND TO PROVIDE AN
EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF.
A copy of the
proposed Amendments are available for public inspection
in PDF format here or at the Township Offices during regular
office hours, which are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00
p.m.
Written
comments will be considered and may be forwarded to the Delhi Charter
Township Department of Community Development until 5:00 p.m. the day of
the hearing. Please call (517) 694-8281 for further information.
