HALLOWEEN There is still time to sign up for the BHV Halloween event being held on Friday, October 31. The evening begins at 5:30 PM with pizza at the Village Hall, after which the children will board Dollie the Trolley for the two hour trick-or-treat ride through the Village. To join the fun, please contact Jody at jodyglancyscott@gmail.com or 734-834-2420 with the names/ages of the children riding the Trolley. Residents are also invited to come down to the Village Hall from 5:30-6:00 PM to admire the costumes and share in the pizza before the Trolley departs.
AUDIT The Barton Hills Village annual audit for fiscal year ending March 31, 2014 is now available for public inspection at the Clerk’s Office.
IN SYMPATHY Contact the Clerk’s Office for information.
SOLICITATION In response to recent reports of people soliciting funds and selling items door to door, BHV residents are reminded that while the Village cannot legally prohibit this activity, a permit is required under an Ann Arbor Township ordinance that applies in BHV. Besides simply not answering the door, residents can ask solicitors for their permit and ID and/or ask them to leave private property. If they refuse, the resident may call the Washtenaw County Sheriff at 734-994-2911 (if solicitor behavior is threatening in any way, call 911).
BARTON HILLS VILLAGE ELECTION
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Voting location: Ann Arbor Township Fire Station 1 (Precinct 1)
3792 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor MI 48105
Polls open 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Voters will be asked for photo identification.
For information contact Ann Arbor Township at 734-663-3418 or www.aatwp.org
A sample ballot is available online at www.michigan.gov/vote
Write-in candidates must file a Declaration of Intent form at the Ann Arbor Township office no
later than 4:00 PM on Friday, October 24, 2014.
Along with state and local races/proposals, the ballot will include the Barton Hills Village
Trustees race and two proposals to amend the Barton Hills Village Charter.
Candidates for the Board of Trustees (5 candidates running for 4 seats)
The following information has been provided by the candidates.
Linda R. Benson (incumbent)
I am Linda Benson, and I am finishing my first term on the Village board, serving as chair of the Recreation Committee. Providing social opportunities including the annual bar-b-q picnics, good-bye parties for retiring employees, and the socials at Barton Hills Country Club has been a pleasurable experience for me during the past four years and an opportunity to know many newer residents in the Village as well.
However, it has had its challenges, especially when Walter Esch announced that he could no longer continue driving the Halloween hay wagon for the youngest residents in our Village. Those were big shoes to fill, and safety for our kids was a major concern. Two years ago, the Recreation Committee began a very successful arrangement using Dollie the Trolley, part of Tecumseh Trolley, a professionally operated transportation service with insured drivers. This arrangement provides our kids with a fun experience on an enclosed, old-fashioned trolley and a safe opportunity to get around the neighborhood.
I wish to continue to serve on the board because I see future issues that need to be addressed. We are still struggling with the expanding deer population and we must recognize that new construction proposals on the outskirts of the village threaten to put strains on our area. After 34 years of residence, I am still amazed at the natural beauty of our Village, whatever season of the year. I wish to continue the challenge of finding solutions to maintain the quality of life in this area.
Will Boddie (incumbent)
Will Boddie has lived in Barton Hills Village since 1989. He is a retired vice president of Ford Motor Company and has served as a Village trustee since 2001. He was treasurer between 2002 and 2010, and has been president since 2009. He believes in maintaining the character of the Village, proper maintenance of the roads, water system and Village buildings and conservative management of the Village’s finances.
George E. Borel (incumbent)
I have been a resident of Barton Hills since 2002 and have lived in the Ann Arbor area since 1973. I have been engaged in the practice of public accounting for over 40 years. I retired from Deloitte at the end of 2012 and am currently a principal in the Rehmann accounting firm. I have served on the Village Board since 2009 and am currently the Treasurer of the Village.
Cheryl MacKrell (incumbent)
Cheryl MacKrell has lived in Barton Hills Village with her husband John for 27 years. She taught French and English as a Second Language at Pioneer High School for 23 years. She has served as a Trustee for 18 years, chairing the Security and Long Range Planning Committees. She is currently the Village Clerk. In addition to establishing recycling in BHV in the late 1980’s, Mrs. MacKrell was involved in keeping the Barton Drive/M-14 ramp open and is still actively working with the Michigan Department of Transportation on further safety improvements in that area. More recently she worked to keep Argo Dam in place, and is currently the Village’s representative to the Huron River Watershed Council. She represents the Trustees on the Planning Commission, thus has participated in the updating of the Master Plan and the Zoning Ordinance. Right now she is working with Northfield Township residents to relocate the Biltmore development proposed for 440 acres along Whitmore Lake Road between Joy and Northfield Church Roads to a more appropriate area. Mrs. MacKrell values the preservation of natural features and the ambiance of Barton Hills Village, which has been prominently singled out as a part of Ann Arbor that makes it one of the ten best places in the U.S. to live.
Monica Ponce de Leon
Monica Ponce de Leon lives at 715 Spring Valley Road with her husband Gregory Saldana and their two children Beatriz and Simon. She is an architect and current Dean of the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. As a business owner and dean, Monica will bring over 23 years of professional experience to the Village Board of Trustees. This includes responsibility for complex operating budgets, managing public and private clientele, and her commitment to higher education. Monica shares our common concerns for the quality of life in Barton Hills Village and will bring the leadership needed to preserve it for years to come.
Charter Amendment Proposals
Two amendments are proposed to bring the BHV Charter up to date with current state r
requirements.
Proposal 1Shall sections 7.2 and 7.4 of the Barton Hills Village charter be amended to provide that the Village President shall submit the fiscal year budget proposal to the Board of Trustees at the first regular meeting in January and that the budget shall be adopted in March of each year? Yes ☐ No ☐
Charter language as it would be amended:
Section 7.2. Budget Procedure. The President of the Village shall prepare a complete program for Village operations and a complete itemized budget proposal for each fiscal year. Such budget shall be submitted to the
Village Board of Trustees at its first regular meeting in March January of each year. The budget document shall present a complete financial plan for the ensuing fiscal year. It shall include at least the following information:
(a) Detailed estimates of all proposed expenditures for each department and office of the Village showing the expenditures for corresponding items for the current and last preceding fiscal year, including contingent, miscellaneous or other similar fund expenditures, with reasons for increases and decreases recommended, as compared with appropriations for the preceding year.
(b) Statements of the bonded and other indebtedness of the Village showing the debt redemption and interest requirement, the debt authorized and unissued, and the condition of the sinking funds, if any.
(c) Detailed estimates of all anticipated income of the Village from sources other than taxes and borrowing, with a comparative statement of the amounts received by the Village from each of the same or similar sources for the last preceding and current fiscal year.
(d) A statement of the estimated balance or deficit, as the case may be, for the end of the current fiscal year.
(e) An estimate of the amount of money to be raised from current and delinquent taxes and the amount to be raised from bond issues which, together with income from other sources, will be necessary to meet the proposed expenditures and commitments of the Village during the ensuing fiscal year.
(f) Such other supporting schedules as the Board may deem necessary.
Section 7.4. Adoption of Budget. In May March of each year, the Board of Trustees shall, by resolution, adopt the budget for the current fiscal year and shall, in such resolution, make an appropriation of the money needed for Village purposes during the current fiscal year and shall provide for a tax levy in the amount necessary to be raised by taxes upon real and personal property in the Village for Village purposes, which levy shall not exceed two (2%) percent of the assessed value of all real and personal property subject to taxation in the Village, which levy the said Board of Trustees is hereby authorized to make in accordance with law. The Board of Trustees shall have the power to revise the proposed budget prior to adoption of the final Village budget before or after the public hearing on the budget, in such manner as it shall deem appropriate. The budget as adopted shall be available for inspection by the public at the Office of the Village Clerk.
Proposal 2 Shall section 8.8 of the Barton Hills Village charter be amended to provide that village taxes may be paid without penalty or interest if paid by September 14 of each year? Yes ☐ No ☐
Charter language as it would be amended:
Section 8.8. Collection of Village Taxes. Village taxes shall be due and payable on the first day of July of each year and may be paid at the Office of the Village Treasurer during regular business hours until and including August 31 September 14. To all taxes paid after August 31 September 14, there shall be added a four (4%) percent penalty, and to all taxes paid after August 31 September 14, there shall also be added interest at the rate of one-half (1/2) of one (1%) percent for each month or fraction of a month intervening between August 31 September 14 and the date of payment. The added penalties and interest herein provided shall belong to the Village and shall constitute a charge and shall be a lien against the property to which the taxes themselves apply, collectible in the same manner as the taxes to which they are added.