SPRING IS HERE! Some reminders about spring activities:
Lawn Debris BHV staff will pick up brush and sticks gathered by homeowners for disposal (lawn service providers are expected to haul away their clean-up debris). Place piles near the driveway or road where the staff can see and collect them as their work schedule allows.
Septic Pumping Please contact the BHV Clerk’s Office when making an appointment for septic pumping so a staff member can come at the same time to fill out necessary paperwork. BHV Ordinance No. 21 requires pumping at least every 4 years or more often as needed.
Driveway Sealing Consider an asphalt-based sealcoat rather than coal-tars that are high in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) which have been identified as toxic and are easily spread by weather elements. For more information check out the Huron River Watershed Council website at www.hrwc.org/coaltar. (Lots of other interesting information at that site too)
Garlic Mustard Control Garlic mustard is an aggressive invasive herb that crowds out native plant species in and near forested areas. Early spring is the ideal time to look for and pull out the dark purple/green rosettes with kidney-shaped, scalloped-edge leaves growing close to the ground. Pull the upper portion of the root as well as the stem, and leave the pulled plants out for pick up and proper disposal by BHV staff. More information about garlic mustard will be printed in subsequent Barton Bulletins and is also widely available on line.
Event Planning As outdoor parties and celebrations increase, please consider guest parking, noise levels and other things that could impact neighbors. Contact Supt. Walter Esch (734-368-7874) for great advice in handling extra cars while maintaining safe roadways.
Traffic Safety Drivers please use extra caution and lower speeds to avoid contact with wildlife, pedestrians, joggers, dog-walkers and service workers who may be in the traffic lanes. Bicyclists should ride with traffic, single file when vehicles are present. Walkers/runners should face traffic and also be single file when vehicles approach.
Ecological Burning From now until May 29, 2015 on weekdays between 11 AM and 7 PM Ann Arbor City may be conducting controlled burns in natural areas near BHV which may cause smoke/haze. For more information contact Ann Arbor City Natural Area Preservation at A2gov.org/NAP or 734-794-6627.
ORDINANCE CODIFICATION (What’s that?) An ordinance is a law or regulation made by a city or village government. Ordinances are rules that communities agree to abide by to promote public safety and well-being.
Codification means to put things in order. BHV has nearly forty individual ordinances, each of which is a separate piece of legislation that requires a specific process to change. When gathered together into a code, the individual parts can be more easily updated and amended.
The BHV Board of Trustees has been working on the codification of the Village ordinances. The first step is to make sure the ordinances are up to date and accurate.
The Trustees follow a procedure to adopt or amend ordinances: consideration of the proposed ordinance at a Board meeting, printing the proposed ordinance in the Barton Bulletin so residents have opportunity to read and comment, more consideration at a subsequent Board meeting, approval, and printing of the final ordinance in the Barton Bulletin/on the BHV website.
Following are three ordinances proposed at the March 9, 2015 BHV Board of Trustees meeting that will aid in the codification process. Residents may comment on the ordinances:
–by attending to speak in person at the April 13, 2015 Board of Trustees meeting which begins
at 6:00 PM at the Village Hall, and/or
–by contacting any Trustee, and/or
–by sending written comments to the Trustees in care of the Clerk’s Office by mail (199 Barton
Shore Drive, Ann Arbor MI 48105), fax (734-222-9177) or email (bhvclerk@comcast.net).
PROPOSED ORDINANCE No. 49 Repeal three ordinances that are still active but no longer have a legal effect.
SECTION 1. REPEAL
Ordinances 13, 17 and 22 are repealed.
SECTION 2. EFFECTIVE DATE
This ordinance shall take effect upon publication.
PROPOSED ORDINANCE No. 50 Amend Ord. 26 & 27 Planning Commission to read as follows.
SECTION 1. CREATION AND MEMBERSHIP OF PLANNING COMMISSION
A. A seven member Planning Commission is created under the Michigan Planning Enabling Act, MCL 125.3801 et seq.
B. The Village President shall appoint the members of the Planning Commission, subject to approval of the Village Board of Trustees.
C. The membership of the Planning Commission shall be representative of important segments of the community, such as the economic, governmental, educational, and social development of the municipality, in accordance with the major interests as they exist in the municipality, such as agriculture, natural resources, recreation, education, public health, government, transportation, industry, and commerce. The membership shall also be representative of the entire geography of the Village to the extent practicable.
D. Members of the Planning Commission shall be qualified electors of the municipality, except that up to two Planning Commission members may be individuals who are not qualified electors of the Village.
E. Members of the Planning Commission, other than ex officio members, shall be appointed for three-year terms. However, initial appointments shall be made so that the terms of two Commission members expire each year.
F. One member of the Board of Trustees shall be appointed as an ex official member of the Planning Commission. That appointment shall expire at the end of that member’s term of office as a trustee.
G. All appointed members of the Planning Commission may be compensated at a rate to be determined by the legislative body.
H. The ex officio member of the Planning Commission shall have full voting rights.
SECTION 2. VACANCY
If a vacancy occurs on the Planning Commission, the vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as provided for an original appointment. A member shall hold office until his or her successor is appointed.
SECTION 3. REMOVAL
The Board of Trustees may remove a member of the Planning Commission for misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance in office upon written charges and after a public hearing. Before casting a vote on a matter on which a member may reasonably be considered to have a conflict of interest as defined in the Planning Commission bylaws, the member shall disclose the potential conflict of interest to the Planning Commission. The member is disqualified from voting on the matter if so provided by the Planning Commission bylaws or by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Planning Commission. Failure of a member to disclose a potential conflict of interest as required by this subsection constitutes malfeasance in office. A conflict of interest exists if a member has a direct financial interest in a matter before the Commission.
SECTION 4. PLANNING COMMISSION OFFICERS
At its first regular meeting each year, the Planning Commission shall elect a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary from among its members. An ex officio member of the Planning Commission is not eligible to serve as chairperson or vice-chairperson.
SECTION 5. MEETINGS
A. The Planning Commission shall hold not less than four regular meetings each year.
B. The Planning Commission shall adopt bylaws for transaction of business and shall keep a record of its resolutions, transactions, findings, and determinations, which record shall be a public record.
C. Meetings of the Planning Commission are subject to the Open Meetings Act, as amended MCL 15.261 et seq, and the Freedom of Information Act, MCL 15.231 et seq.
SECTION 6. FUNDING
The expenditures of the Planning Commission, exclusive of gifts, shall be within the amounts appropriated for the purpose by the Board of Trustees, which shall provide the funds, equipment, and accommodations necessary for the Planning Commission’s work.
SECTION 7. MASTER PLAN
The Planning Commission shall make and approve a master plan in accordance with the provisions of the Planning Enabling Act.
PROPOSED ORDINANCE No. 51 Establish civil infraction procedures.
SECTION 1. INITIATION OF CIVIL INFRACTION ENFORCEMENT.
Enforcement action regarding violation of a Village ordinance designated as a civil infraction may be started in two ways:
A. A citation may be issued requiring an appearance in District Court 14A.
B. A violation notice may be issued which will permit payment of a fine at the Village Violations Bureau.
SECTION 2. SERVICE OF CITATIONS AND NOTICES.
A. Civil infraction citations and notices shall be served by persons authorized by ordinance or by resolution of the Board of Trustees.
B. Civil infraction citations and notices shall be on the forms approved by the State Court Administrative Office.
C. Service and processing of civil infraction citations and notices shall be made in accordance with MCL 800.8705, MCL 800.8707 and MCL 800.8709.
SECTION 3. VIOLATIONS BUREAU.
The Violations Bureau is established in the Village Hall, 199 Barton Shore Drive. Persons or organizations served with civil infraction notices may admit responsibility and pay the civil fine specified on the violation notice at the Violations Bureau. If the civil fine is not paid, a civil infraction citation shall be issued and be processed with 14A District Court in the manner specified in MCL 800.8707. Fine money paid at the Violations Bureau shall be retained by the Village.
SECTION 4. CIVIL FINES PAYABLE AT THE VIOLATIONS BUREAU.
Civil fines payable at the Village Violation Bureau shall be in accordance with the following schedule. A repeat offense is one occurring within six months of the previous offense.
| Ordinance number and subject | First Offense | First Repeat Offense | Second and subsequent repeat offenses |
| 2. Disorderly conduct | $100 | $200 | $500 |
| 5. Noise | $100 | $200 | $500 |
| 12. Auctions | $25 | $50 | $100 |
| 14. Dogs | $75 | $200 | $400 |
| 21. Septic systems | $100 | $200 | $500 |
| 29. Geothermal systems | $500 | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| 32. Road use | $25 | $100 | $200 |
| 33. Traffic | $100 | $200 | $300 |
| 36. Tree maintenance | $25 | $50 | $100 |
| 37. Illicit discharge | $100 | $200 | $500 |
| 40. Bicycles | $25 | $50 | $100 |
| 41. Signs | $50 | $100 | $200 |
| 46. Pedestrians | $25 | $50 | $100 |
| 48. Zoning | $100 | $200 | $500 |
February 2015 VOL. LXI No. 1
PUBLIC BUDGET HEARING Barton Hills Village will hold a public budget hearing at the Village Hall, 199 Barton Shore Drive, on Monday, March 9, 2015 beginning at 6:00 PM. A copy of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2015-2016 will be on file and available to the public in the Clerk’s Office after March 1, 2015. The property tax millage rate proposed to be levied to support the proposed budget will be the subject of this hearing.
WATER CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT The attached annual report for calendar year 2014 is published in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and summarizes the status of the BHV water system during the last calendar year. Please read it carefully and contact the numbers given for questions or concerns.
DIRECTORY UPDATE Please contact the Clerk’s office for information.
IN SYMPATHY Deepest sympathies to the families of Pamela Shultz and Douglas Sherwin, former long-time residents who passed away recently.
SECURITY REMINDER Since tax season is here, be aware of scams perpetrated by people who are posing as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents. Callers claim that money is owed and legal action will follow. The IRS will never contact anyone by phone to collect on debts. You can simply hang up on the caller; you can also report the scam to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484. If you need tax information call the IRS at 800-829-1040 or visit www.irs.gov. Forward any emails from the IRS to phishing@irs.gov. Do not open attachments or click on links in suspicious emails. Never give personal information over the phone unless you initiate the call and/or are sure of the recipient.
Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department reported a recent burglary near BHV. Remember to keep things locked up and be watchful.
TRASH/RECYCLING Winter weather and holidays can play havoc with schedules, but trash collection days are kept as consistent as possible on the first, third and fifth Mondays of the month. Collection begins at 7:30 AM so please plan accordingly.
Please do not put corrugated cardboard boxes in the green recycling bin. BHV recycles these boxes in another way that doesn’t involve the expense of the green bin exchange, so just leave corrugated cardboard alongside the building next to the green bin.
THINK SPRING! With all the white still surrounding us, thoughts of spring may be a major antidote to cabin fever. While you’re leafing through seed catalogs and dreaming of warmer days, please keep these things in mind:
–If you’re planning an outdoor project, please check with the BHV Clerk’s office about necessary approvals. The BHV Zoning Ordinance covers all structures including porches, decks, patios and terraces, accessory buildings, fences, walls over 18” tall, lighting and play structures
–Take a look at where the snow is piled up this year, for reference when you think about plantings, lights, sprinklers and other aspects of landscaping. Such items that are beautiful in the warm weather are invisible under the snow, making it difficult for the snowplow drivers to determine where to drive. The trucks plow from the road towards your house and the snow has to go somewhere at the end—an important thought to consider when planting bushes or placing decorative elements.
–If a sprinkler system is part of your dream, please keep water conservation in mind. Systems with moisture sensors will save energy and money as well as providing just the right amount of water for your location.
–Consider using native plants which have adapted to regional conditions over a long period of time. They are drought resistant due to deep root systems, disease resistant, require little to no fertilizer and improve soil quality while working in community with each other and other habitat members.
Only 17 days until Daylight Savings Time begins (March 8)!
Only 29 days until the first day of Spring (March 20)!