Orion Twp. Supervisor Chris Barnett delivers annual State of the Township address

By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
ORION TWP. — The state of Orion Township is strong, said Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett during his 11th State of the Township Address on April 17.
During his address to the community, Barnett said Orion Township is a strong, safe community, rife with business and infrastructure development, recreational opportunities for residents and new projects on the horizon. But it is the people who live and work within the community who make it a special place, he said.
As with his previous addresses, the 2024 State of the Township had a theme. This year’s was “A Night at the Movies.”
“If you know me, I like to have a lot of fun and get stuff done,” Barnett said to the hundreds of spectators gathered in Woodside Bible Church for the address. “Tonight, this is about our movie, and Orion movie.”
People
• According to the 2023 Community Survey, 89% of residents rated Orion Township as an excellent or good place to live; 88% said the township was an excellent or good place to raise and educate children; 87% said they had an excellent or good overall quality of life in the township; 86% said the township is a good place for leisure; 78% had an overall favorable image of the township; and 74% of survey respondents felt there was an overall sense of community in the township.
• Dr. Joseph Mastromatteo received the first Orion Township Lifetime Achievement Award for his “tireless efforts” for the Orion Veterans Memorial. Mastromatteo served as the chair of the Orion Veterans Memorial Board for years and was instrumental in bringing the memorial to the township and overseeing its development.
Public Safety
“Public safety is a top priority for your township board,” Barnett said.
• Orion Township was rated the 18th safest city in the 2023 Safewise.com Safest Cities Ranking, up five spots from 2022. Barnett noted that Orion Township is the safest community in the state with a population of more than 25,000 residents. Those communities that ranked higher were smaller communities, such as villages, small cities and rural townships, he said. Orion Township’s population is approximately 40,000 residents.
• In 2023, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Orion Township Substation received 19,661 calls for service. Staff focused on crime prevention and increased traffic support, which helps prevent needless accidents, Barnett said.
• The sheriff’s office has also initiated a new “Active 911” system that allows deputies to hear calls live as they come into the call center. “This assists in response times and has made a large difference within Orion,” Barnett said.
• The Orion Township Fire Department, which transitioned from a Basic Life Support to an Advanced Life Support department in 2021, has seen a steady increase in calls for service over the past 10 years. In 2013 the department responded to 2,101 calls for service; in 2023 it responded to 3,989 calls, 3,115 of which were for Emergency Medical Services.
• The township board also unanimously approved hiring five new firefighters during its April 15 meeting.
Township Finances
• Barnett praised the treasurer’s office for the township’s investment portfolio, which earned the township $832,734.46 in 2023.
• Orion Township had budgeted more than $7.7 million in its 2023 General Fund budget but actual expenditures came in $817,233 under budget. The township’s General Fund balance at the end of 2023 was $2.356 million, 37.5% of operating expenses.
• Orion Township also has an AA bond rating.
The Frugal Index
One of Barnett’s favorite pieces of information that he imparts every year is the Frugal Index, a graph comparing Orion Township’s government expenditures per capita and how it matches up against surrounding communities.
Orion Township spent $630 on government services per resident in 2023. By comparison, Oxford Township spent $745 per resident, Independence Township spent $741 per resident, the Village of Lake Orion spent $895 per resident and Rochester Hills was at $876.
“We are being good stewards of your money,” Barnett said.
Business and residential development
• While Orion Township experienced a peak permit construction value (the value of projects for which developers have pulled construction permits) of $274,622,942 in 2022, in 2023 the township had permit construction value of $168,131,688, more than $76 million more than any of the previous three years, showing significant interest for people to build in Orion Township.
• In 2023, there were 51 new single-family homes built, seven new commercial developments and 155 certificates of occupancy issued. So far in 2024, there have been 2,139 permits issues.
• The township is launching a new interactive digital zoning and development map that will feature information about current projects under development, as well as site plans the township has recently approved, and dates on when those approvals were made.
Recreational amenities
• Orion Township has 571 acres of parks, more than 50 miles of trails, 42 lakes five acres or larger, one county park and one state park for residents to explore.
• Over the past four years, the township has invested $3.84 million in the parks in grants alone.
• Park improvement projects in 2023 included new tennis courts and trailhead at Friendship Park, the fitness course at Civic Center Park, the Camp Agawam beach expansion and purchasing the Great Lakes Athletic Club in December 2023 to turn into a community and fitness center.
According to Barnett, the athletic club’s revenues have surpassed the expenses by $223,673 since the purchase.
Other highlights:
For the sixth year in a row, the University of Michigan College of Business iLabs rated Orion Township a five-star community in its 2023 eCities rankings.
The township restarted its Youth Advisory Council after several years hiatus.
The township received an overall “A” rating from Niche.com in its annual Best Places to Live rankings.