We are at an exciting time of the year when the city council finalized a process that began with visualizing and planning for the next fiscal year’s budget. Sure, with the economic factors being as they are the city council’s task seemed formidable but it was within its grasp to maintain a certain level of services as we strive to move forward in an uncertain Michigan future.

The city council recently passed a budget that has a deficit of $259,561. We have a fund balance (savings account) that allows us to provide services near the status quo yet simultaneously it does force us to examine areas where we must step back from normal expectations of services. There will be slight reductions in services but we will be just fine for fiscal year 2010–2011.

I want to stress that we have a healthy fund balance that is to be used for emergencies and financial hardships. As you know we are in a financial hardship right now but another year of deficit spending will not adversely affect the financial health of the city at this time or the next year. City Treasurer Rogers and I have studied our fund balances of the past 14 years and what we found was the following:

• The average fund balance percentage from 1996–1997 to 2004–2005 (the year before Delphi announced their bankruptcy) was 35.14%.

• From 2005–2006 to 2009–2010 the average fund balance has been 67.53%. This percentage is close to double of what we previously thought was a healthy fund balance.

The city has never had a policy of what exactly our fund balance should be or at what percentage we should draw it down to cover deficits in a budget. What I can confidently state is that our fund balance was grown by reducing capital expenditures, postponing road projects, and not filling vacancies in the administrative and DPW staff. We froze wages for a couple of years and reduced numerous administrative expenses in a desire to better prepare for a financial hardship whereby important city services would not be eliminated in a panic.

We have a financial reserve that allows us to cover deficits for a limited period of time. We should use this limited time and the next fiscal year to evaluate where we want to be in Fiscal Year 2011–2012 and continue to have budget workshops. These budget workshops will lay out a logical plan that takes in the big picture of where we want to be and what we want to be as a community in the next five or more years.

In the forthcoming months there will be much written and discussed about future city budgets and what city services might have to be reduced or even eliminated. Much that gets discussed will not happen; but some will. The city for the short-term has prepared for these difficult times and that is why drastic cuts in services are not proposed at this time. But the challenge is not over. We will keep you informed.

Dear Dog Walkers:
As a fellow dog owner and dog walker I understand and feel the occasional disrespect many of us receive when we approach non-dog owners. This is especially true when we bring our dogs (pets) to events such as baseball or soccer games. It appears many think we don’t clean up after our dogs and leave a mess for others to pick up or worse yet, our kids playing their chosen sport fall into a pile left by someone’s dog.
I know my wife and I always carry a bag whenever we take our dog Bowie for a walk regardless of where. We have even picked up after other owners that I’m sure were not aware that their pet had left a mess. Other dog walkers we know have even reminded fellow dog owners of their responsibility to clean up after their pets and most times the reminder is received in a positive fashion.
Unfortunately, I often receive complaints that dog owners are not cleaning up after their dogs especially at the various parks the city provides for organized recreation. Their irritation and their loss of patience are understandable especially when their child or even a parent happens to step into a mess that an owner’s dog has left behind. Even as a dog owner I too am irritated when I happen to step into a mess left by a dog, or even a horse, whose owner has ignored a simple act of courtesy and respect for others.
I have been requested to forbid dogs at the parks and have our Sheriff’s Department strictly enforce the city ordinances against those owners that refuse to clean up after their pets. I am hesitant to do this because I believe that dog owners can “police” themselves and remind their fellow dog owners of their responsibilities as well.
That being said, I also have a responsibility to keep our parks clean for everyone to use and enjoy. So I urge my fellow dog walkers to please remind those that forget to clean up after their pet that all of us must be proactive and courteous to our neighbors. Let’s by our actions create an amicable environment where dog lovers and non-dog lovers can coexist in peace. Carry a bag and create friends!

Due to budgetary considerations city hall and the DPW will be closed on Fridays starting the first week in February 2010 to at least the end of June. ALL city employees are taking a 10% cut in pay and working 36 hours a week instead of 40 hours. The Waste Water Treatment Plant however will work four hours on Friday. This action will save the city approximately $57,000. Other cuts are occurring as the city is facing significant reductions in revenue because of falling property values (taxable value), sharp declines in state-shared revenue, and drastic reductions in interest revenues.

In the next few months the city council and city staff will be preparing for the 2010-2011 Budget which is projected to have a large deficit. During these months all services will be studied and evaluated for areas where costs can be reduced. I cannot say at this time what cuts will be made and where, but what I can say is there will be cuts.

Most cities across Michigan are going through the same crisis. Many cities have already reduced their hours such the City of Walker and I think it’s reasonable to say others will do the same. As most of you know the Michigan economy is quite ill and an immediate recovery is not in the foreseeable future. However, we will survive and we’re confident that the citizens of Coopersville will understand the financial measures required at this time. More articles on the budget will be forthcoming.

MDOT announced recently that the city will receive over $300,000 to reconstruct a portion of West Randall Street from the roundabout to the first drive of Continental Dairy (old Delphi property). The city will have to contribute roughly $80,000. The MDOT money is from their Office of Economic Development that provides road funds for projects that create jobs and that obviously have an impact on local transportation.

When the city applied for these funds it included that portion of West Randall from the roundabout to 64th Street. MDOT however required us to split the project into three segments. The first segment was from the roundabout east to the first drive. The second segment was from the first drive east to the second drive and the third segment was from the second drive east to 64th Street. As of this date only the first segment has been approved for funding by MDOT. Because of a complicated evaluation process MDOT utilizes we believe segment two and three will probably not be approved for economic development dollars from MDOT. Regardless, we are resubmitting the application for segment two and three anyway with a number of design revisions.

It should be noted that the city has other road dollars due to us for the West Randall Street project of around $400,000. This money will be used to offset the cost for segment two and three when that project is released. As you know, West Randall is in need of serious repair or replacement and it is the intent of the city to address this need in 2010 and no later than 2011. I will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

By now most of you seen the new sign at the end of River Street, one word; fantastic! The DDA Board provided the Coopersville merchants with a beautiful and fantastic gift. Progress is one inch at a time and I believe we took a giant step forward in showing businesses we care and support them and also told travelers and visitors along I-96 that this city is alive and well, vibrant and relevant, and a place of pride and importance. Thank you board members and thank you all for supporting our local businesses!

City Clerk Stephanie Pelkey notified me last week she had accepted another position with Plainfield Township as their Deputy Clerk. This did not surprise me as Ms Pelkey is a very competent, intelligent, and talented individual and any organization would be fortunate to have her. But I must admit this was bad news for this city, and for me, as she has done an outstanding job as city clerk. Since the city began cutting its expenditures years ago, many vacant positions have not been filled but the responsibilities of those positions still needed to be addressed. Ms Pelkey, as well as other employees, stepped up and assumed additional responsibilities so that key tasks were completed none-the-less.

All of us at city hall wish her success and all the best in her new position. I personally will miss her as she has become a key employee and whenever I assigned her a task it was completed with professionalism and a desire to do what was right for the city. Thank you for your service Stephanie, and if any of you see her around town wish her well.

As you may have noticed this winter season the city decided to reduce its traditional 24/7 snow plowing policy. This was done primarily because of budgetary concerns that included employee overtime, rentals on equipment, and use of salt and sand. Safety of course is still a prime concern and that is why we strive to make sure the intersections are sanded and/or salted. I have requested that our Sheriff’s Department call for services or salt on second shift if, in their opinion, the roads are impassable or have become dangerously slippery.

In the past the city crew has strived to keep all roads clear and as free from snow and ice as is practically possible. This was a service that many communities around West Michigan did not have as many of you that travel outside of Coopersville already knew. Unfortunately, the economic realities have greatly impacted the city finances and all services are being reviewed not only for costs but also for their impact on the community. I will discuss more on budgetary and financial considerations in future articles.

Another reality is that we DO live in Michigan where snow and ice are the norm for winters and that means driving can sometimes be challenging. The city will do its best to keep the main roads open. But please have patience if your own road or street is not plowed within hours after a snow fall. For the vast majority of residents there has been a great deal of understanding and we thank you.

Please remember to drive safely and if there is an intersection that has become dangerous please call city hall and let us know. Again, thank you for understanding and your cooperation.

Before I discuss the multi-purpose rink (MPR) at Vets Park I first wanted to wish everyone a great New Year and hoping your holidays were everything that you wanted and desired. With luck and hard work I’m sure everyone expects 2010 to be more positive than the previous year. We all could certainly use some good news in Michigan.

Okay, the status of the rink. A number of years ago when the MPR was completed and the first winter arrived, the city had a difficult time in making ice in December even when the weather was below freezing. After a number of failed attempts we learned that the ground under the MPR did not freeze until later in the season, usually sometime in January. We also learned that to hasten the freezing of the soil under the MPR we had to keep snow from accumulating on the surface of the rink that acted as an insulator and slowed the soil from freezing as well. Often the task of clearing snow had, and has a lower priority than other jobs. It is labor intensive so it can be several days or a week before snow is removed under the best of circumstances.

Because of lessons learned on making ice, we decided not to devote time and resources on the MPR until after the holidays and/or after colder weather arrived somewhere in the single digits and the teens especially at night. As most of you know, the MPR does not have mechanical refrigeration so we are at the mercy of mother-nature which can be unpredictable. Now that the colder weather has been with us for a couple of weeks we can seriously begin the process of making ice at Vets Park.

The fire department has graciously volunteered for the past couple of years to assist the city with making ice and we thank them for their time and dedication in this effort. Hopefully this brief explanation on “ice making” has been helpful.

My apologies in not keeping this blog site current in the past few weeks as other matters captured my time. I will strive to be timelier in updating events and the status of issues in the future. I want to thank all those readers that have commented to date, and invite future readers to respond if they so desire. Have a great day.

Last night at the city council meeting Sgt. Fred Rosel of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office was honored for his service to the city for the last six years (close to seven). In my memo to the council I included the following text to describe what his service has meant to the city and what he has accomplish during his tenure here in Coopersville. Sgt. Rosel will be missed and the person chosen to replace him has rather large shoes to fill.

“We want to thank Sgt. Fred Rosel for his excellent service to this city over the past six years and wish him an enjoyable and fruitful retirement. I can say with certainty that Sgt. Rosel has raised the bar for the next sergeant assigned to Coopersville. He has strengthened the community policing side of law enforcement that is required in our city and has instilled in his deputies the same goal they must strive for as well. For all practical purposes Sgt. Rosel was Coopersville’s Police Chief and the manner in which he professionally conducted himself during his tenure here will be the standard for years to come. His commitment to us is sincerely appreciated and will be missed. Congratulations to Sgt. Fred Rosel.”

For-your-information, interviews will begin this Thursday with Sheriff Gary Rosema, the Undersheriff, and I conducting those interviews. Our hope is to announce the next sergeant no later then next week.