Category: Politics
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Election Results August 2017
Three millage renewals were proposed: the Maples, Council on Aging, and Animal Control. Elberta/Gilmore cast 131 ballots (approximately a 20 percent voter turnout) and approved all three measures. Here are the details.
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Guest Column: Electric Skateboard Debate Ramps Up
Please help stop Frankfort City Council’s ongoing effort to create an ordinance banning electric skateboards citywide. By Carolyn Thayer July 14, 2017 I’m asking for your help to spread the news about the Frankfort City Council’s ongoing effort to create an ordinance banning electric skateboards citywide based on the potential for a public safety…
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Coyote Crossing: November Council Meeting Reports
By Emily Votruba Regular Meeting, November 17, 2016 On the way to the regular council meeting, Linda Manville saw a coyote cross the road in front of her. The meeting was held at the Life Saving Station for the first time ever as far as anyone could remember. The room…
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Elberta & Gilmore November 2016 Election Results
For Benzie County totals, go and keep refreshing here. Here is a pdf of elberta-gilmore-election-2016-results. Scroll down for visuals of all the data.
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Get Ready to Vote Tuesday!
GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT PREVIEW for Village of Elberta and Gilmore Township Tuesday, November 8, 2016 Open from: 7 am to 8 pm Our Polling Place: The Village Community Building 401 First Street Elberta, MI 49628 Complete Michigan voting instructions, including “write-in” instructions, are available here. PDF Download: Ballot Preview 2016 See the…
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Get It in Writing: Council Approves Additional Compensation for Clerk
By Emily Votruba What follows is a (mostly) direct transcript of the special council meeting that took place on Saturday, October 1, at 1 pm. Background: In a September 6 letter to council (obtained by me from the clerk by FOIA request), our clerk, Catherine Anderson, asked for salaried compensation for the nonclerk duties she…
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August Primary 2016 on Tuesday the 2nd
Don’t miss the Gilmore/Elberta Primary Election this coming Tuesday, August 2, from 7:00 am to 8 pm at the Community Building, 401 First Street. Gilmore Township/Elberta voters will be choosing State (101st District) and U.S. congressional (1st District) representatives, as well as county prosecutor (Sara Swanson running unopposed), sheriff (Ted…
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Candidate Says Water Management, Passenger Rail, Internet Access Will Help NoMI Folks Stay and Succeed
Meet the Candidate: Lon Johnson Democrat 1st Congressional District Lon Johnson spoke at the Bayview Grille in Frankfort to a group of potential supporters on March 29 from 6 to 7 pm. Here are selections from his remarks, arranged by topic. Meet the Candidate is nonpartisan and offers any candidate…
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Signs of the Times: July Council Meeting Report
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING July 16, 2015 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| July 16, 2015 • 7 PM The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, July 16, 2015, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called…
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Burn After Reading: June Council Meeting
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING June 18, 2015 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, June 18, 2015, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order by Diane Jenks at 7:02…
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Solstice Approved: May Council Meeting
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING —DRAFT Minutes— May 21, 2015 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order by Diane…
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February 2015 Council Meeting: Budget Adopted
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING —DRAFT Minutes— —FINAL Minutes— —ADOPTED FY2015 VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BUDGET— February 19, 2015 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO |||
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Where There’s Smoke: January Council Meeting
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING —DRAFT Minutes— —FINAL Minutes— January 15, 2015 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order…
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Short and Sweet: December Council Meeting
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING —Minutes— December 18, 2014 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Thursday, December 18, 2014, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order by president Diane…
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“Do We Want to Remain a Village? I Think It’s Worth It”—Diane Jenks
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING —DRAFT Minutes— November 20, 2014 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The newly elected Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held its first regular meeting on Thursday, November 20, 2014, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to…
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Midterm Election 2014! Wolves, Drugs, Fire
UPDATE: View up-to the minute election results (as available) from the various Benzie townships here, and the final official Benzie County results page here. UPDATE: From Aubrey Parker: “BENZIE COUNTY: We’re hoping to do LIVE election results again tonight like we brought you in 2013, but we need your help! All…
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Op-ed: Re-elect Don Tanner
I sent the following letter to the Record-Patriot for publication this week. The Record-Patriot accepts political letters to the editor limited to 100 words. Below that is a longer version. These are my opinions and are not meant to be the Alert‘s official stance on this candidate or this race. I’ll accept…
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Revising the DEP: Special Meeting of the Village Council October 27, 2014
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING —DRAFT Minutes TO COME— October 27, 2014 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| Revised DEP Cover Letter from Chris Olson Audit Analysis and Projections Revised DEP Resolution of Adoption
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Regular Meeting of the Village Council October 2014
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING —DRAFT Minutes— October 16, 2014 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Thursday, October 16, 2014, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order by president…
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Council Holds Workshop Meeting to Deal with Deficit Elimination Plan Shortfall
August 28, 2014 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| —DRAFT— VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES WORKSHOP MEETING August 28, 2014 • 7 PM The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held a special budget workshop meeting on Thursday, August 28, 2014, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta,…
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Regular (and Special) Meeting of the Village Council August 2014
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR AND SPECIAL MEETING —DRAFT Minutes— August 21, 2014 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Thursday, August 21, 2014, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order…
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Regular Meeting of the Village Council July 2014
VILLAGE OF ELBERTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING —Minutes— July 17, 2014 • 7 PM ||| AUDIO ||| The Village of Elberta Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Thursday, July 17, 2014, at the Community Building, 401 First Street, Elberta, Michigan. The meeting was called to order by Village…
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Elberta Business Owners Speak! On State Proposal 14-1
By Emily Votruba Tomorrow, August 5, voters will decide whether to adopt a proposal to eliminate the personal property tax. The strangely worded measure doesn’t actually mention “personal property tax,” but instead says the following: Approval or disapproval of amendatory act to reduce state use tax and replace with a…
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Parks & Rec Cites Improper Transfer of Funds by Village President Pro Tem
By Emily Votruba At their June 12 regular meeting, the Parks and Recreation Commission voted to submit a letter to Council reprimanding president pro tempore Robin Rommell for improper transfer of funds. (Full disclosure: I am one of the signatories of that letter.) A statement obtained by P&R secretary Jennifer…
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Motion to Fire DPW Head Fails; Raucous Public Meeting Ends Early
By Emily Votruba I’ll post a summary of last night’s Special Meeting soonish. In the meantime, here’s the audio and the documents I tweeted to the Facebook feed last night. Full audio of meeting: Police Report in the Case of the Possibly Stolen Building County Prosecutor’s Letter Declining to Pursue Case…
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Manville Takes Leave of Leave of Absence to Call Special Meeting Monday May 5
Via email from president pro tem Robin Rommell today, Village President Reggie Manville has come out of his leave of absence to call a special meeting for this coming Monday at 7 pm to discuss the following: 1. Theft of Village property 2. DPW Superintendent and 3. Parks and Recreation…
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The Sacred and the Profane
By Emily Votruba BREAKING: A special meeting of the Village Council will be held this Wednesday at 7 pm in the Community Building to deal with agenda items council didn’t get to at last Thursday’s meeting and to finalize the budget. A great deal of time was spent on 2/20 dealing…
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Deficit Elimination: A Proposal from Chris Olson
The following email and pdf was received by several council members and the Village office today from former Benzie county administrator Chris Olson, in response to president Reg Manville’s request for assistance with the Village’s deficit elimination plan. This information was forwarded to the Alert by trustee Jennifer Wilkins. Tomorrow…
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Alert Reader: Some Notes on Possible Actions the People of Elberta May Take According to the Village General Law and MML, and a Word on Village Tax Rates
The Alert received the following by email from Elberta resident Teri McGregor December 20, 2013. Letters to the editor may be edited for length and minor typos/spelling issues. We welcome anyone’s input. Send letters to elberta.alert@gmail.com, subject line “Alert Reader.” Thanks for reading! By Teri McGregor The Elberta Village meeting was stimulating…
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Benzie General Election Results
November 6, 2013 Hey, everyone. Well, last night was fun. With the help of social media, roving volunteer poll reporters, friendly poll workers, and our tech-savvy friend Aubrey Ann Parker, we were able to bring you election results for several districts in real time over Facebook. Next time we hope to…
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Mini Million Mask March in Benzonia
By Robert Bruce Bushway UPDATED 11/7/13 On November 5, supporters of the activist group Anonymous rallied all around the world to protest corporate greed and government corruption. Here at home, while some citizens in Benzonia were lined up at the fire station Tuesday to cast their ballot in the general…
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Fuzz-y Math: Has the Sheriff Made the Case for the Public Safety Millage?
By Emily Votruba On November 5 (tomorrow), county residents will be asked to approve a funding increase for the Benzie County Sheriff’s Office. The 1.5 mill “public safety millage” will replace the jail millage (.9 mills) and is meant to allow the return of 24-hour road patrol, which proponents say…
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Important Council Meeting Tomorrow
(Not that they’re not all important…) Attention Elbertians (and their friends)! Please attend the council meeting tomorrow night (Thursday, October 17) at 7 pm in the Community Building (401 First St.) to hear our council’s plan to prevent our being taken over by an emergency manager.
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Village Deficit Crisis: Brief, Important Update
By Emily Votruba According to Reggie and Laura Manville, the state expects to see a plan that might realistically eliminate our $558K+ deficit within the next 5 years.* If the Village does not come up with an acceptable plan by October 17, it’s very likely, again according to Reggie Manville, that…
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Special Meeting to Discuss Village Deficit, Possible Asset Sales
By Emily Votruba UPDATED 10/10/13 Look around you, in our green (and now red and orange and golden) Village. What do you see? Trees, bluffs, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, parkland, and a few small but important business concerns. If you’re a longtime resident, you can’t…
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Sept 24 County Commissioners Meeting
Draft Minutes County Commissioners Meeting Minutes Sept 24 2013 Agenda
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Special Meeting Monday to Discuss Millage for Sheriff Department
UPDATE: County clerk Dawn Olney sent an email today, August 26, at about noon with an agenda attached for either a continued or rescheduled meeting on the Sheriff millage issue, to be held tomorrow (Aug. 27) at 1 pm, same place. 8 am, County Commissioners Room, Benzie County Government Center, 448…
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Council Contemplates Selling Old Library…And Much, Much More
It was another nearly three hour meeting, with lots of decisions made and some deferred. President Reggie Manville was back, after a three-meeting absence. Employee benefits were discussed and a vote was taken on Linda Manville’s proposal that employees begin contributing 20% toward their health-care premiums. This motion was voted…
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Frankfort DDA Seeks Board Members
This morning the Alert received the following from Josh Mills: [T]he City of Frankfort is soliciting dedicated members of the community to serve on the newly created Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Membership shall consist of business owners, business owner representative, property owner and/or resident of the DDA corridor. We…
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Gilmore Township Meeting Report, April 2013
By James Ward April 9, 2013 ELBERTA LIBRARY—Present: Carl Noffsinger, Doug Holmes, Ron Beyette, Sharyn Bower. Guest: Don Tanner, James Ward Don Tanner, our county commissioner for District 7, spoke about the reorganization of health care services. Benzie County is among the 21 counties in the Northern Zone that shares state…
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Putney Begins Moving Workers in to Elberta School Apartments; Zoning Still up in the Air
By Emily Votruba Three days after the Planning Commission’s inconclusive hearing on Loy Putney’s special permit application to put apartments in the old Bay Valley Inn Property, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development approved and licensed three of the completed units, and workers will begin to move in.…
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Grand Vision Meeting: Assisting Government or Agenda 21?
By Eric Pyne UPDATED 4/29/13 UPDATED 4/24/13 MILLS COMMUNITY HOUSE, April 22, 2013—The “Framework for Our Future” Input Expo at the Mills Community House in Benzonia drew members of the public and some protesters. “The Grand Vision,” a project of the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, held an open house…
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Benzie County Water Festival 2013! (Video)
UPDATE For the third year in a row, the Benzie County Water Festival convenes this coming Friday at Benzie Central High School from 3:30 pm to 9 pm. This year’s theme is: “Under The Surface,” focused on youth and lesser-understood impacts to our water resources. Once again it brings Michigan musicians, panel discussions,…
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League of Women Voters Education Forum (Video)
On February 25, the League of Women Voters held a forum on new education legislation and how it might affect local control of schools. Jonathan Maue took this video and has generously let us post it here. The League of Women Voters is a national nonpartisan organization. The Benzie chapter…
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March Elberta Council Meeting Report: Holier Than Thou
By Emily Votruba VILLAGE COMMUNITY BUILDING March 21, 2013—Sharyn Bower announced that the County Board of Commissioners would be holding their regular meeting at the Village Community Building on April 16 at 6 pm as part of their tour around the county. The Planning Commission will hold two public hearings…
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Gilmore Township Meeting Report, March 2013
By James Ward March 12, 2013 ELBERTA LIBRARY—Present: Carl Noffsinger, Doug Holmes, Ron Beyette, Sharyn Bower, and Linda Manville. Guest: James Ward The treasurer’s report and minutes were approved from the meeting in February 2013. A motion was seconded to close the regular meeting and go into a public hearing on…
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Gilmore Township Meeting Report, February 2013
By James Ward February 12, 2013 ELBERTA LIBRARY—Present: Laura Manville, Carl Noffsinger, Doug Holmes, and Ron Beyette. Guest: James Ward The treasurer’s report was accepted. New business included the approval of Charlie Hendershott, Ken Holmes, and Bob Delanoy to the Board of Review. Further New Business included the following: The Axtells…
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February Elberta Council Meeting Report: Same Playing Field
By Emily Votruba VILLAGE COMMUNITY BUILDING, February 20, 2013—A date and the spelling of Jennifer Wilkins’s name were corrected on the January meeting minutes. Wilkins’s name was also added to the agenda under the Beach Committee report, as she is a new member of that committee. PUBLIC HEARING ON 2013–14…
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Village of Elberta Budget for 2013–14
This budget was adopted at the February 21, 2013, council meeting after a public hearing held before the meeting. Read more about the budget adoption and other Village matters in the upcoming Council Meeting report. Village of Elberta Budget 2013-14
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Strict Construction: The New County Property Maintenance Code
By Emily Votruba At the February 19 County Commissioners meeting, the commissioners voted 6 to 1 to adopt the International Property Maintenance Code (see link below). The vote occurred during the department head reports portion of the meeting and was not on the agenda. After a presentation by Robert Theobald…
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New County Property Maintenance Rules Are Intensely Detailed, Possibly Unconstitutional
Thanks to the Joyfield Residents group on Facebook for making the pdf of the new county property maintenance code available. We haven’t actually read it yet, but you can! We’ve heard it’s pretty strict, which should please lovers of neatly trimmed grass, but cause some headaches (and pocketbook aches) for…
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Gilmore Township Meeting Report, January
By James Ward January 8, 2013—Board members present: Ron Beyette, Carl Noffsinger, Doug Holmes, and Sharyn Bower. Guests: Dennis Holcombe, Mike Jones, James Ward Recent personnel changes include the resignation of Michael Barnes from the Township Planning Commission. Connie Barnes was approved to be his replacement. The new zoning regulations were…
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Gilmore Township Meetings Roundup, November and December
By James Ward November 13, 2012—Board members present: Ron Beyette, Carl Noffsinger, Doug Holmes, Laura Manville, and Sharyn Bower. Guests: Donald Tanner, Carolee Ness, James Ward Donald Tanner, newly elected County Commissioner for our district (VII), thanked the voters for their support. He discussed the upcoming process of allocating funds for…
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Dan Benishek at the Sleeping Bear Inn
I hope to stand firm enough to not go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country’s cause.—Abraham Lincoln FRANKFORT—At 2 pm Friday afternoon a small group gathered around the congressman from Michigan’s 1st District, Dr. Dan Benishek. Benishek was to have gone on a two-day…
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Proposed Downtown Development Authority Would Sequester Funds for Improvements to Entice New Businesses
FRANKFORT CITY HALL—Frankfort City Council held a public hearing this evening on its proposed Downtown Development Authority and Downtown Development District (seen below outlined in yellow). City Superintendent Josh Mills made a presentation on the proposal, along with city attorney Peter Dorn. Business owners Dale Evans, Bob Korten, and Steve…
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Alert Readers: A Message from Don Tanner
THE ALERT WELCOMES LETTERS FROM OUR READERS! Call or text 231-399-0098, send mail to Elberta Alert Letters, PO Box 357, Elberta, MI 49628, or write to elberta.alert@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for length. Profanity will be indicated but not replicated. THANK YOU, voters of Blaine, Gilmore, Joyfield and Weldon Townships…
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Gov Watch: Bills to Take the Public Out of Michigan Education?
By Emily Votruba State legislators may soon vote on a set of bills that would make sweeping “emergency manager”–style changes to state public education, while making it easier to establish private and charter schools. The Benzie Democrats and Frankfort–Elberta Schools superintendent Tom Stobie have voiced their concern, as has Bloomfield…
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Election Results 2012
Our turnout was about 73%, down from 2004 (79.2%) and 2008 (77.9%). 478 ballots were cast, including 5 from overseas. Thank you to election workers Carole Anne Lee, Pat Appleton, Cathleen Christie, Nancy Wing, and Charlie Hendershott, with great assistance from Sharyn Bower. Poll watchers were Karen Roberts and Mike…
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Sheriff Race 2012: Indy Candidate Carland
By Bob Kenison and Emily Votruba Back in July of this year, the Alert’s Morgan Feger interviewed the candidates for Benzie County sheriff—three Republicans. Ted Schendel won the August primary and would have been unopposed in the general election. But in July, Coury Carland announced he was running for the…
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New District Draws Fierce Battle Lines
By Eric Pyne The redistricting of May 2011 split representation for Elberta and Frankfort and created a larger District 7, which will now include the Village of Elberta; Gilmore, Joyfield, Weldon, and Blaine Townships; and part of Thompsonville. Don Tanner (D), the current District 7 rep and county commission chair,…
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District VII Candidate Forum Canceled
Attention, attention! The League of Women Voters Candidate Forum scheduled for tonight (Tuesday), which was to feature county commission candidates Don Tanner and Adrian Poulisse, has been canceled. There will still be a law & order candidate forum on Wednesday, tomorrow, however, featuring sheriff candidates Ted Schendel and Coury Carland,…
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Leaked: Consumers Power Line Map
An anonymous source gave the Alert a copy of the map below on Thursday morning. The source said the map had been presented at the Blaine Township board meeting Wednesday night and was taken by someone present at the meeting. The Blaine Township board had invited Consumers Energy reps to…
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Council Meeting Report for August 16, 2012
Waiting for Somebody to Do Something By Emily Votruba BILL SOPER asked that “Parks and Rec credit card” and “village taxes” be added to the agenda. The meeting lasted two hours. Absent was Ken Holmes, who was recovering from hip-replacement surgery. INITIAL PUBLIC COMMENT Cheryl Gross spoke about…
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Public Safety Meeting Synopsis: No Cuts to Sheriff Budget
The Public Safety Committee meets monthly to provide an opportunity for the public to share their concerns and questions about county safety and other matters of interest to the community with Sheriff Rory Heckman. By Bob Kenison The Public Safety Committee met at the Sheriff’s Department on September 20 at…
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DNR, Local Leaders Respond to Salmon Crisis: “Leave the Fish Alone”
By Emily Votruba Historic low levels in Lake Michigan (the lowest since 1961) have caused extreme low water in Betsie Lake. Thousands of salmon are dead and dying as they try to breach the sandbars and get into Betsie River to spawn. Don Tanner, Benzie County commissioner and a licensed…
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Candidates for 2012 Village Election
The deadline for submitting a minimum of 6 signatures on a candidate petition was today at 4 pm. Here are the candidates: Trustee Candidates (3 open slots): Joyce Gatrell, Ken Holmes, Bill Soper, Dave Bower, Jennifer Wilkins Treasurer Candidate: Laura Manville
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Primary Results 2012
Gilmore Township polls closed at 8 pm, and at 8:15 the results were in: 257 votes cast (Nonpartisan, 10. Republican, 144. Democrat, 103) PROPOSAL Restore and renew millage for Council on Aging, .6600 mill for 5 years YES 187; NO 43 CONGRESSIONAL: United States Senator R Clark Durant 36 R Gary Glenn…
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Council Meeting Report, July 19, 2012
Matt Stapleton was absent again this month. INITIAL PUBLIC COMMENT County Commissioner’s Report: Marcia Stobie said the commission had approved a budget of $10,179 for marine patrol. Marine patrol is usually funded by a grant from the Department of Transportation, but because it’s an election year things are being held…
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Council Meeting Report for June 2012
INITIAL PUBLIC COMMENT An unidentified woman spoke regarding the beach: “Whether an ordinance is needed or not, I urge the council to take action and move on protecting the fragile environment.” She cited three clear tracks including the well-established track at the base of the dune. She questioned the claim…
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The Top Man: Sheriff Race ’12
At press time, three Republican candidates were to meet in the August primary, seeking to serve as our county sheriff for the next four years: Dave Casey, Blair Moss, and Ted Schendel. We were not able to obtain a response to our interview questions from Mr. Casey, but here we…
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Bailey: Bridge Builder, Budget Balancer
By Eric Pyne DEREK BAILEY SAYS he wants to shake things up for the “old guard” in Lansing. He saw a similar situation when he took over the chairmanship of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. “When I started as chairman in 2004, the Band had a…
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Guide to the 2012 August Primary Elections
The Elberta Village Board election is nonpartisan, so we don’t have a primary. Petitions for candidacy (minimum of six signatures) must be filed by 4 pm August 14. Important note: Because you cannot “split your ticket,” you will not be able to vote in the Republican-candidate-only races (prosecuting attorney, sheriff,…
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Zoning Board of Appeals Upholds Putney Land Use Permit Denial
The Zoning Board of Appeals, minus recused members Reg Manville and Ken Holmes, voted unanimously to uphold zoning administrator Carl Noffsinger’s initial denial of a land-use permit to Loy Putney, who back in December 2011 petitioned to use the former Bay Valley Inn property as worker housing. The three-plus hour…
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Questions for Sheriff Candidates
Ahead of the League of Women Voters candidate forum, sometime in July (TBA here), the Alert asked several community members what they’d ask the candidates if they could. Here are the results, in no particular order. If you have additional questions, please post them in comments here or on the…
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Putney Land Use Hearing Tomorrow
The public hearing on the land use permit denial(s) for the Bay Valley Inn property, purchased by Loy Putney, will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, May 30, at 7 pm at the Village Community Building. All are welcome to attend and give their comments. This is a resumption of the hearing…
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Public Hearing on Putney Land Use Denial Postponed
About 55 people turned out on Wednesday night, April 25, as the Village Council, sitting as the zoning board of appeals (ZBA), attempted to hold a public hearing on the land-use permit denial issued by zoning administrator Carl Noffsinger for Loy Putney. Putney has purchased the former Bay Valley Inn…
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Putney Sues Village over Bay Valley Inn Property
UPDATES * The office of Plunkett Cooney confirmed yesterday (4/9) that Gretchen Olsen is representing the Village and its agents in the Putney litigation. ** Channel 7&4 reported on the case yesterday (4/9) evening. The video may be viewed here. Note that because of the ongoing litigation, the news reporter…
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December Council Meeting Report
Chipping Away By Emily Votruba December 12, 2011—Art Melendez brought cookies. Frankfort mayor Bob Johnson asked for volunteers to serve on the subcommittee of the Frankfort Tree Board dealing with the new nursery on the BLUA property. Meetings are every third Tuesday, 1 pm, at City Hall. Marcia Stobie reported…
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November Council Meeting Report
Where the Short Grass Grows By Emily Votruba November 17, 2011—The two-hour meeting began with a public hearing on the proposed lawn maintenance ordinance. Resident Amanda Rommell said the Village should foster pride through free community cleanup initiatives rather than pass more ordinances they can’t enforce. “I’ve heard Frankfort and…
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Abandoned by the System
The following story appeared in print issue 9 of the Elberta Alert. By Emily Votruba KELLY BEATON WORKED as a welder for about 11 years at a shop in Honor, until he was laid off. He never had health care coverage as an adult and didn’t care much for going…
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Plan B… October Council Meeting Report
By Emily Votruba October 20, 2011 MARCIA STOBIE, district 3 county commissioner, said they’ve hired a county administrator, Chris Olson. “He’s from Bear Lake,” Marcia said, “so he knows about losing to Benzie Central and Frankfort.” The county is negotiating with three unions over changes to municipal worker health care…
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Election Results for Gilmore Twp
With 75 votes, Rick Schmitt won Gilmore’s vote for Frankfort–Elberta school board. William Storrer had 19 votes. Lorene Hill-Cota had 6 votes for Benzie Central school board, and Tyson Burch had 0. Matt Stapleton was the 101nd and final voter, scooting into the Elberta Library at about 7:56 p.m. Janet…
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Commissioners Consider Wind Resolution
At the November 1 County Commissioners meeting, Allan O’Shea presented a draft of a wind resolution for the commissioners to adopt. Mr. O’Shea works for Contractors Building Supply in Copemish, which deals in solar photovoltaic systems, windows, and other energy-related supplies, and is reportedly also an employee of Duke Energy…
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Election Next Tuesday, November 8
The Gilmore Township Board regular meeting will be held in the Village Community Building on First Street to make way for the election, which will be held in the Elberta Library. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for Gilmore residents to vote for school board members…
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Proposed Lawn Maintenance Ordinance
At the regular Village council meeting on Thursday, the Board of Trustees will consider the following wording for a lawn maintenance ordinance (see enclosed pdf). There will be opportunity for public comment at the meeting as the wording is reviewed. The ordinance would then come up for a vote as…
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September Council Meeting Report: Signs
DIANE JENKS ASKED that audio recordings be made of all future council meetings. Linda Manville asked Village treasurer Laura Manville to find out the renewal date for the Village employees’ health care package and where we stand vis à vis the new state health care benefit bill for municipal employees,…
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(Re)Paving Paradise: Council Accepts Roadwork Bid
The Village Council held a special meeting on Friday, August 5, to review a bid put in by Ron Brown & Sons for various street repair projects around the Village. The bid came in at $28,092 for fill and resurfacing work on Lincoln Avenue from Bigley all the way to…
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Council Meeting Report: July 21, 2011
This report is an amended version of the Issue 6 print version. Amendments are shown in brackets. MATT STAPLETON again proposed beginning the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. “I’d just love to see us say the Pledge, since it’s a public meeting, a government meeting.” The matter will be…
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Agenda: July Council Meeting
At Thursday’s council meeting this week, we’ll have a special guest, Vickie Smith, of Wildlife and Wetland Solutions, who specializes in the eradication of invasive phragmites, which we have a lot of in the bay and inlet. The Friends of Betsie Bay and other concerned citizens plan to begin an…
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At Mills House Forum, Dems Agitate for Snyder Recall over Emergency Manager Bill
By Susan Koenig BENZONIA – On Wednesday, May 18, the Benzie County Democrats sponsored a community forum on state budget proposals and Public Act 4 (known as the Emergency Financial Manager Bill; see “Show Us the Money,” Elberta Alert, April 29) at the Mills Community House in Benzonia. Presenters were…
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Agenda: May Council Meeting
At Thursday’s council meeting this week, we’ll have a special guest, the devil himself, Hell, MI, mayor John Colone. In addition, a public hearing on a variance for the construction of Jerry Little’s home will be held. As with many Village lots, Jerry’s is nonconforming, and requires a variance so…
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Judgment of Solomon: Reapportionment Splits Elberta and Frankfort
In about fifty minutes last night at the government center, the Reapportionment Committee concluded their redistricting of the county to reflect population shifts over the past decade. The committee consists of Don Nugent, Republican Party chair; Jill Kimball, Benzie Democrats chair; Linda Wilson, county treasurer; Dawn Olney, county clerk; and…
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Stairway to Heaven: May Twp Board Meeting Report
Gilmore Township Board Meeting, Tuesday, May 11, 2011 Dennis Holcombe and Karen Roberts of the township planning commission reported on a meeting they attended with AES (Alliance for Economic Success), who are offering to assist the townships (Blaine, Pleasanton, Arcadia, Gilmore, Crystal Lake, and Joyfield were mentioned) with a joint…
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Foghorn: Reapportionment and the Emergency Manager Act Forum
Thursday, May 12, 7 PM County District Reapportionment Committee Meeting. The question is whether to stick with 7 county districts—because of declining population, some districts will be combined. There can be a no more than a 12% difference in population between districts. Gilmore Township and Frankfort have lost population, while…
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Poor Kids in the Spin Cycle: Deunionizing Day Care
REP RAP: RAY FRANZ By Eric Pyne OUR STATE HOUSE representative, Ray Franz (R–101st District), has introduced three bills in Lansing. The first was a law to declare June 8 “Remember the USS Liberty Day,” honoring the U.S. spy ship that was torpedoed by Israeli forces during the Six-Day War…
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Agenda: April Council Meeting
At Thursday’s council meeting this week, the Village’s annual auditor, Dave Wilson (CPA), will be on hand to address concerns over our scary 8 status, the state of our finances, and how the Village leadership has been addressing our $700K-plus reserve deficit over the past few years. Come out and…
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Elberta Placed on State Government Fiscal Watch List
On the front page of today’s Record-Patriot, below the fold, appeared a headline no less disturbing for being not entirely surprising: “Elberta ‘Working Diligently’ on Financial Woes Cited by State.” According to a chart released on the Detroit Free Press website on April 6, Elberta has been placed on a…
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Foghorn: 37 Questions on Smart Growth
Monday, March 28, at 1:30 pm at Frankfort City Hall, waterfront property owners have been invited to fill out a survey. This survey will be used by MSU Extension agents to evaluate our “readiness for smart growth.” Please spread the word to Elberta waterfront stakeholders you know. The meeting is…
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Council Meeting Report: Start Your Bidding
Meeting date: March 17, 2011, 7 PM AT THE BEGINNING OF the meeting, new trustee Matt Stapleton asked how to go about getting an item on the council meeting agenda. President Reg Manville said people can go straight to the president or to Sharyn Bower at the Village Office. If…