Groveland Township-The township budget belt just became a little tighter.
The 2008-09 township budget will be $160,000 less compared to last year, with no new capital expenditures, and no pay hikes for elected officials and office staff.
The township board OK’d the $986,007 budget by a 5-0 vote on Monday night.
‘The new budget reflects ‘the good, bad and the ugly,? said Bob DePalma, township supervisor prior to the budget vote. ‘Not long ago we averaged 25-30 new homes constructed in the township each year, along with about three home foreclosures. Now that’s flipped, last year we had 36 foreclosures and only four new homes built.?
Despite the rather dismal news and smaller budget, township firefighters will receive a 4.5 percent pay increase, up from about 2.5 percent in previous years.
‘Our financial future is still in good shape,? said DePalma.
‘Our reserves are solid and we’re working on putting 196 acres of township property back on the tax rolls. It’s imperative to this community to develop a business tax base’we’re taking an old piece of abandoned property and putting it on the market.?
Last summer the township board OK’d up to $20,000 for an appraisal of 197 acres of township property located north of Grange Hall Road, east of I-75 and west of Dixie Highway. A small section of the property is located on the southeast corner of Grange Hall and Worden roads.
‘Right now we have two developers that are interested in the township property,? said DePalma.
‘We’d like to get the land back on the taxrolls and businesses on the property.?
While the prospective developers were not identified by DePalma, he did say that a planned unit assisted living facility, along with commercial and light industrial businesses, were under consideration.