City of Sylvan Lake

City Council Agenda

March 10, 2010

Attached is the March 10, 2010 Agenda

Oakland County's Mobile Office

March 25, 2010

Oakland County Clerk’s New Mobile Office to
Visit West Bloomfield Public Library on Thursday, March 25.

Anyone who lives in the area or surrounding communities is welcome. The Mobile Office will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the library, 4600 Walnut Lake Road, in West Bloomfield.

A Perfect Storm

Presentation from Robert Daddow, Oakland County, Deputy County Executive. This presentation looks at financial issues of the State/Region and how it impact local communities. Since the presentation a month ago, there have been a couple of items of interest.

· The Governor has issued her recommended budget and some of the pertinent matters are very troubling – reliance on ‘Caid passage of legislation nationally to the tune of $500M that hasn’t occurred. Reliance on sales tax expansion to service to the tune of $500M as well. The schools are going to receive a $235M increase in the pension bill / retirees’ healthcare bill from the State even as the base foundation allowances are being reduced.

· The projected ending equity in the General Fund will be reduced to $4.6 million as there is an intention on using equity to help balance the budgets for 2010 and 2011. The $4.6 million, when compared to operating expenditures for the General Fund, represents just 5 hours, 12 minutes and 7 seconds of equity. That is really good budgeting. However if any assumptions in a volatile economy turn sideways, you can easily miss it by hundreds of millions anyway.

· More emphasis needs to be placed on the reliance for the use of equity to solve the upcoming fiscal issues – equity that exists in book form but is NOT backed by cash. Cash is king.

A Perfect Storm Presentation

Boat Dock Applications Due

March 1, 2010

Boat dock holders must have your application, dock insurance, original boat registration, and boat insurance turned into City Hall. Beginning March 2, 2010, a $300 penalty applies. Drop all applicable items in the drop box. Keys and tags can be picked when City Hall is open and your boat registration will be given back.

On Line Bill Payment

January 28, 2010

Credit Card payments are now accepted on-line. Click on the left tree "On Line Payments" for more details.

2010 CENSUS

2010 Census Timeline: Key Dates

February - March 2010
Census questionnaires are mailed or delivered to households.

April 1, 2010
CENSUS DAY

April - July 2010
Census takers visit households that did not return a questionnaire by mail.

• Your participation in the census is required by law.
• It takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
• The 2010 Census questionnaire asks only a few simple questions of each person -- name, relationship, gender, age and date of birth, race, and whether the respondent owns or rents his or her home. This simple, short questionnaire takes just a few minutes to complete and return by mail.
• Federal law protects the personal information you share during the census.
• Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what community services to provide, and to distribute $300 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year.

Sylvan Shuffle

May 1, 2010

Information on Sylvan Shuffle

Sylvan Lake Home & Garden Tour

June 19, 2010

Save the date and watch for further details.

Garbage Cans for Sale

Richfield is providing large black garbage cans for sale. Cans are available to purchase at City Hall. There are three sizes: 35 gallon are $41, 64 gallon are $46 and 96 gallon are $52. They have a 10 year warranty.

RV Storage Space Available

There are currently 10 spaces open in the City's Recreational Vehicle Storage area behind City Hall. The cost is $400 per year (we do not lease by the month).

These spaces are available on a first-come first-served basis. The first 10 residents that submit their application and fee will receive a space.

Attached for your convenience are:

RV Policy for your review.

RV Lease Form. If you are interested in leasing a space, please print and complete this form and bring it to City Hall.

RV Wait List Application if you do not receive a space this year or are not ready for a space this year (and haven't filed this form before), but would like to be placed on the wait list.

If you have any questions, please call City Hall, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. 248-682-1440

Leaf Collection Map

Leaf Collection Map
Also found under City Services.

Code of Ordinances - Now Available Online

In a continuing effort to make important information more easily accessible to all of our residents and business owners, an electronic version of the Sylvan Lake Code of Ordinances is now available online. You may access the documents by clicking on the left tree Ordinances/Charter. The ordinance documents are externally hosted, so please be aware that clicking on the link will redirect your web browser to another company’s website (MuniCode.com).

This request was initiated by City Council and acted upon by the City Manager and City Clerk/Treasurer, who successfully negotiated a first year discount. We are pleased to share that the first year of service is being provided at no cost to the City. In subsequent years, beginning with the 2010/2011 budget, we will be charged a minimal fee of $400 per year.

With 24x7 Internet availability, both the City and residents now have a more convenient and cost effective way to research and find answers to common code related questions. In addition, the MuniCode.com website provides advanced search capabilities that make finding information even faster.

It is City Council’s belief that informed citizens make better decisions and can positively impact the City’s operating expenses by reducing the number of administrative inquiries.

Drivers are Urged to Call Lawmakers On Rd Funding

Legislators tell us they want to hear from you on Michigan’s failing transportation system so the Michigan Transportation Team (MTT) created a way for this to happen. By dialing toll-free 888-719-3087, callers will only have to enter their five digit zip code to be connected with their legislator. This number is for anyone who is fed up with crumbling roads and wants to let their legislators know that we need to fix them.

The plan currently before legislators is expected to yield an additional $1.8 billion in new transportation revenue per year – increasing the amount local road commissions would receive to maintain, repair and replace existing roads as well as create 46,000 jobs for the state.

Swine Flu Info

FACTS

Enhanced Driver’s License and State Identification

Beginning June 1, 2009, travelers must present an identity and citizenship document approved under WHTI to gain re-entry into the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean. (Before you travel, please check to make sure that you have met the specific identity and citizenship document requirements for any country you may be visiting.)

U.S. citizens age 16 and older must present one of the following:
a. Passport
b. Passport card
c. Enhanced driver’s license or state ID card
d. Trusted Traveler card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST)

U.S. citizens younger than 16 should present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate (original or a photocopy), a naturalization certificate or a citizenship card.

Young people ages 16-18 who are traveling in a group with adult supervision as part of a school, church, social organization or sports team need only present their birth certificate (original or a photocopy) or other proof of citizenship.

For more information on WHTI and other federal travel requirements, visit www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov

Attached are FAQ and examples of what the license will look like: FAQ DL Examples

City Hall Closed Mondays

City Hall is now closed on Mondays in order to save money. Full-time staff is still working, but there will be no front counter help and City Hall is not open to the public. If you need the Police or Fire for an emergency, call 911. If you need the Police for a non-emergency, or if there is a DPW emergency (e.g., sewer back up, water main break) please call 248-682-2104 and that will connect you with West Bloomfield Dispatch who can then inform our police of the issue. We are open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Budget Deficit

Since the millage proposal was not passed at the last election, City Council is continuing their discussion on how to address the budget deficit. They are asking residents to come to the meetings and voice their opinions, to learn what is going on and being done. The city has been proactive in making cuts in expenses, including cutting employees and changing medical benefits over the past years, but the budget is still not balanced. Some of the items being discussed are:
• Increase in summer fees (docks, parks, etc.)
• Increase the fee for the RV storage lot
• Sell some city property
• Open the rental of the Community Center to nonresidents
• Open the Parks to the public at an increased fee for an annual park tag
• Eliminate the park ranger and extra summer park patrol by the police department
• Reduce the frequency of lawn mowing
• Outsourcing the Police Department if economically advantageous
• Reduce the hours of the Ordinance Enforcement Officer by half (done)
• Close City Hall one day per week (done)
• No capital improvements in the City (done)

Unfortunately, most of these items are not long-term cost-effective solutions and the City cannot continue to operate at the current level of service on the current income.

Minutes are on the Sylvan Lake Web Site for residents to review. Council voted to put a millage proposal on the November 3, 2009 ballot, with the exact language to be determined.

Consumers Power Lawn Repair

If Consumers has replaced your meter and damaged the road and your yard in the process, Consumers requires that your call customer service with your name, address, and your account number. Please let them know when the damage occurred and repairs required, e.i. road repair, soil and seed.
They will give you a notification # for your repair. Do not lose this number. You
should call Consumers at 1-800-477-5050, refer to customer service, lawn repair.

Call before you dig

Call 811 (Toll-free) three working days before starting any digging. One call gets free staking of underground utility lines and helps reduce the chance of injury and expense. You also may call MISS DIG at 800-427-7171 or go to MissDig.

If someone hits a pipeline, even if there is no apparent damage, they must call 800-477-5050.

Boat Trailer and Recreational Vehicle Storage

Boat Trailer and Recreational Vehicle Storage Please remember when storing your boat to keep your registration with you. You will need to provide it to register your boat and dock space next year. We do have a recreational vehicle (RV) storage ordinance that governs where recreational vehicles may be stored. This includes boats and boat trailers. Here are some of the requirements:
 All RV’s must be placed within a completely enclosed building or located behind the required front yard setback (appx. 45' from the street) and at least 3' from the side and rear lot lines.
 You cannot store a RV on a vacant piece of property.
 You cannot hook up a RV to water, sewer, or electricity and they must remain unoccupied.
 No more than two RV’s may be stored on one piece of property at one time. (A boat hoist is considered an RV)
 RV’s may not be stored in the road right of way at any time.

Streetlighting

The City of Sylvan Lake has been working with Detroit Edison's Community Lighting group to expedite the repair and maintenance of the streelights in our community. In the event of a streetlight outage, please call City Hall, 248-682-1440 with the following information:

1. A specific street light location.

2. Whether the pole is wooden or metal.

3. The streetlight pole number(for metal poles it is located at the base of the streetlight pole. For wood poles it is located approximately eight feet up the pole.

4. Details about the outage (i.e. Light off during the night, light turns on and off at night, light stays on during days, etc).

In cases where a pole has been knocked down or any other emergency please call Detroit Edison at 1-800-477-4747.

Bicyclers

A reminder to obey speed and traffic signals. This includes stopping at the stop signs on the trail.

Dogs in Park

At the March City Council meeting it was approved to allow leashed dogs at the Community Center Park east of Pontiac Drive. That is the side of Pontiac Drive toward the Community Center. Not the side toward the lake and boat docks. This is the only park where dogs will be allowed. Dogs must be on a leash that is no more than 10-feet long and being held by the owner/walker. The dog must be picked up after. These same rules apply to dogs being walked anywhere in the City. The police will be issuing tickets for unleashed dogs, not cleaning up after the dog and unlicensed dogs. The penalty for violating this ordinance is a misdemeanor with a minimum fine of $150. Dogs may be walked on a leash to your boat.

Ordinance Violations Hotline

Residents can call in with any ordinance violations you may see. You do not have to identify yourself, but we need you to provide an address and description of the problem. Call 248-682-1440 extension 6 after hours or email sylvanlakeordinance@gmail.com.