The Ile Camera
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Supervisor provides status report at annual meeting
PUBLISHED: March 21, 2008
Following is the prepared 2008 "State of the Township" address. The address was given by Grosse Ile Township Supervisor Kurt Kobiljak at the 2007-08 Annual Meeting held Saturday.
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As township supervisor, I am honored today to present to all of you the 2008 State of the Township address.
My address focuses both on what has transpired in 2007 and what we, the board, will strive to accomplish in 2008.
This address will be unique relative to prior years' addresses because I will also be providing pictures of the many 2007 township accomplishments within this address. As the saying goes, "A picture is truly worth 1,000 words."
Before moving into my pictures, however, I want to share a perspective on Grosse Ile that I have gained from my current position as chairman of two key Downriver governmental organizations — the Downriver Community Conference and the Downriver Mutual Aid Board.
These organizations are heavily involved in ensuring the welfare and public safety of all our Downriver communities — including Grosse Ile.
The Downriver Community Conference board, or DCC for short, is comprised of 20 communities' chief elected officials. It oversees regional programs related to transportation for those in need, weatherization programs, aid for those financially struggling, employment and relocation opportunities, joint purchasing programs, and legislative involvement with both the state and federal governments.
The Downriver Mutual Aid board, or DMA for short, is made up of 18 communities' chief elected officials, and their respective police and fire chiefs. DMA focuses on public safety, managing regional drug enforcement, hazardous material response, dive and SWAT teams.
As the chairman of these boards, I have established relationships with my elected officials counterparts, police and fire chiefs, the Michigan State Police and the Wayne County and federal departments of Homeland Security.
These relationships have enabled me to gauge where Grosse Ile stands relative to services provided, labor management issues, infrastructure problems, financial stability, and budgetary concerns.
I have learned that our township is uniquely well positioned in each area. Our government services are meaningful and provided efficiently; our working relationship with township police, fire and township employees is strong; our infrastructure is sound; and our financial position is so very solid.
This unique position of Grosse Ile among other communities did not happen by accident. It is the direct result of the effective leadership of the township board and the dedication and skill of the township management team, the police, fire and township employees, as well as the many commission and committee volunteers.
This collective effort in 2007 has positioned Grosse Ile to be in the best shape it has been in years in spite of the current difficult economic times.
Let me provide you a quick list of our 2007 accomplishments. They are truly significant:
•†Our financial position is strong. We maintained our conservative budgetary practices and saw stable general fund balance growth so as to provide security in the face of ever more challenging economic times.
We continued to grow and implement programs and projects while always controlling spending and remaining on, or under, budget.
•†The 2008 approved budget has only a 1.5 percent increase during a time when gas, insurance, health care, and related service costs are escalating at a double or triple digit rates — consider only a 1.5 percent increase.
•†The township taxing rate is one of the lowest among the Downriver municipalities. Since 2004 our operating millages have decreased almost 2 full mills, from 10.84 to 8.90.
In light of our sound financial position, the township board will improve this further by decreasing your township millage rate in 2008 by 0.3 mill while residents will also see a 0.35 sewer debt millage disappear from their tax bill by the end of the year.
•†$3.5 million were secured from critical bridge funding to aid in the remediation of the Wayne County free bridge.
With great township oversight and some pretty cold days touring the bridge during the early winter months, this $7.5 million project was completed within a week of the stated completion date — one week — that is pretty amazing.
•†We initiated, and fully completed, road projects such as the West River Road ramp, the installation of a smart light, the redesign of Four Corners, and the reconstruction of a major roadway servicing our residents just off Ferry Road.
Recall that all these projects were predicated upon a guarantee that all work would be completed prior to the completion of the remediation of the Wayne County free bridge.
This board fulfilled its promise and all these projects were operational prior to the opening of the free bridge.
•†The Airport Commerce Park Commission made great strides.
They prepared and have already implemented a comprehensive Commerce Park master plan to stimulate business growth opportunities.
You will see true investment this spring in such areas as remediating rentable hangar tenant spaces, adding landscaping, improving maintenance, and restoring the roads which run through the campus.
Further, the commission is actively working with Commerce Park businesses to foster additional investment to expand commercial ventures.
While the road project is funded by road millage monies, all other commerce park and airport improvements will be accomplished without the use of any tax dollars, since the airport is a financially self-sustaining enterprise zone funded via lease payments, usage fees and state and federal grants.
•†The Downtown Development Authority continued to advance the redevelopment of the Macomb business district.
They brought new businesses to Macomb. They proposed a new entranceway design for both ends of Macomb that will highlight the many benefits of "Staying at Home and Shopping on Macomb."
Similar to the airport, what is great about these projects is that they are fully paid for by captured funds, not township tax dollars, which would otherwise go to the county and the state.
Amidst the arrival of some new additional businesses on tap for the spring, including the presence of Metro Shores Credit Union, you will see these capital improvements, as well as a more encompassing Farmer's Market, commence in spring 2008.
•†The township's Water's Edge also made great strides.
It transitioned from a private club to a more open and public club. The golf course, marina, pool and clubhouse are in excellent condition.
This has been achieved while selectively cutting unnecessary spending. Consider that over the last several years we have cut the Water's Edge annual budget in excess of $130,000. This represents a 21 percent reduction of its prior budget.
Coupled with these cuts, however, we reinvested monies in the marina for the first time in a decade, saw lines forming to get into the public pool, had a restaurateur create their niche on the island, saw recreational programs integrate the pool and related facilities, and saw residents continue to play golf during a time when the free bridge was shut down.
2008 brings even greater improvements to the marina, the pool, the creation of a public driving range, the construction of a pavilion and an outdoor basketball court.
•†I and this board advocated against the closure of Van Horn Road. When this issue arose I emphasized to Trenton, the county and MDOT that options existed.
I and this board surely had opposition with our position but today you see the success of our advocacy — the new Chrysler plant has been constructed and Van Horn is fully operational for all our residents to use now and in the future.
•†Finally, we saw a new relationship develop between the school and the township related to the marketing of Grosse Ile.
During 2007 I had the opportunity of working with the school district's superintendent and marketing committee to determine the best mechanism to highlight our community.
To that end a "request for proposal" was developed and recently processed to marketing firms to investigate the best method to market Grosse Ile schools and the township as a whole to those who live off the island, and potentially those who have never even heard of Grosse Ile.
The instant success for the schools would be an increase in enrollment. The potential successes for the island are far reaching.
Marketing the island would help our residents/ realtors in the selling of their homes, bringing new residents to the island, while aiding Water's Edge, the Commerce Park, the Tennis Center, the private clubs, our nonprofit organizations, our churches, as well as all of our island businesses.
Such a venture has never been pursued to this extent and I would like to personally thank the superintendent and school district for sitting down with me to develop a strategy that will surely reap benefits in 2008 and beyond.
When speaking with my fellow elected officials, or reading The News-Herald or the Free Press, it is apparent that many Downriver communities struggle with million dollar deficits, political strife, crumbling infrastructures, depleted or nonexistent general funds, and see evidence of a reduction of services provided to their residents.
Grosse Ile is such a solid community and, as a resident and taxpayer, I am thankful Grosse Ile is not confronted by any of these issues.
The fact that Grosse Ile is a solid community, however, does not allow me or this board to sit on its laurels. Our community, your Grosse Ile, will only become greater by thinking out of the box and constantly moving forward positively even during these tough economic times.
During 2008 you will see continued capital improvements in our roadways (more than you have seen in decades), you will see an enhanced Water's Edge Club as a viable community asset, a diverse Tennis Center as an income provider to the Airport Commerce Park, a business district expanding and being redeveloped, bike paths being restored and constructed, for the first time a drainage grant program curing residential drainage problems, and a conservative, controlled budget which drives all of these programs and projects.
Rest assured your community is moving forward in a positive and economically viable manner.
I am extremely satisfied with what has transpired on Grosse Ile in 2007 but look to 2008 and beyond as a time when our community becomes even better.
I want to continue leading our community and making it a better place to live. For this reason, yesterday I filed my petition for re-election as your township supervisor.
With the support of our residents I am looking forward to serving my community another four years - for even though I have helped move your community forward there is so much more I want to accomplish before my volunteer service to my island is complete.
Thank you for listening - thank you for making Grosse Ile a great place to live!
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