News & Info for the TWP Residents
Bob Baldwin, Supervisor, Editor, Reporter, Etc.

In the News

December 17, 2009
During the pass few weeks many have been inundated by all the hype of "Climate Change".  Our global climate is constantly changing and is nothing new but through efforts of finding research monies, political power grabs and fear mongering, the public is led to believe that the planet is coming to an end and please give your government all the power to divert this theorized problem.  The real problem is "Based on What?"   If you have been seeking other viewpoints and repeatable scientific data then you might like to review Icecap web link for a source of information and other data sets: http://www.icecap.us/   

Today's excerpt from Icecap: 

It is crucial that scientists are factually accurate when they do speak out, that they ignore media hype and maintain a clinical detachment from social or other agendas. There are facts and data that are ignored in the maelstrom of social and economic agendas swirling about Copenhagen.

Greenhouse gases and their effects are well-known. Here are some of things we know: 

� The most effective greenhouse gas is water vapor, comprising approximately 95 percent of the total greenhouse effect.

� Carbon dioxide concentration has been continually rising for nearly 100 years. It continues to rise, but carbon dioxide concentrations at present are near the lowest in geologic history.

� Temperature change correlation with carbon dioxide levels is not statistically significant.

� There are no data that definitively relate carbon dioxide levels to temperature changes.

� The greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide logarithmically declines with increasing concentration. At present levels, any additional carbon dioxide can have very little effect.

We also know a lot about Earth temperature changes:

� Global temperature changes naturally all of the time, in both directions and at many scales of intensity.

� The warmest year in the U.S. in the last century was 1934, not 1998. The U.S. has the best and most extensive temperature records in the world.

� Global temperature peaked in 1998 on the current 60-80 year cycle, and has been episodically declining ever since. This cooling absolutely falsifies claims that human carbon dioxide emissions are a controlling factor in Earth temperature.

� Voluminous historic records demonstrate the Medieval Climate Optimum (MCO) was real and that the “hockey stick” graphic that attempted to deny that fact was at best bad science. The MCO was considerably warmer than the end of the 20th century.

� During the last 100 years, temperature has both risen and fallen, including the present cooling. All the changes in temperature of the last 100 years are in normal historic ranges, both in absolute value and, most importantly, rate of change.

Contrary to many public statements:

� Effects of temperature change are absolutely independent of the cause of the temperature change.

� Global hurricane, cyclonic and major storm activity is near 30-year lows. Any increase in cost of damages by storms is a product of increasing population density in vulnerable areas such as along the shores and property value inflation, not due to any increase in frequency or severity of storms.

� Polar bears have survived and thrived over periods of extreme cold and extreme warmth over hundreds of thousands of years - extremes far in excess of modern temperature changes.

� The 2009 minimum Arctic ice extent was significantly larger than the previous two years. The 2009 Antarctic maximum ice extent was significantly above the 30-year average. There are only 30 years of records.

� Rate and magnitude of sea level changes observed during the last 100 years are within normal historical ranges. Current sea level rise is tiny and, at most, justifies a prediction of perhaps ten centimeters rise in this century.

The present climate debate is a classic conflict between data and computer programs. The computer programs are the source of concern over climate change and global warming, not the data. Data are measurements. Computer programs are artificial constructs.

Public announcements use a great deal of hyperbole and inflammatory language. For instance, the word “ever” is misused by media and in public pronouncements alike. It does not mean “in the last 20 years,” or “the last 70 years.” “Ever” means the last 4.5 billion years.

For example, some argue that the Arctic is melting, with the warmest-ever temperatures. One should ask, “How long is ever?” The answer is since 1979. And then ask, “Is it still warming?” The answer is unequivocally “No.” Earth temperatures are cooling. Similarly, the word “unprecedented” cannot be legitimately used to describe any climate change in the last 8,000 years.

There is not an unlimited supply of liquid fuels. At some point, sooner or later, global oil production will decline, and transportation costs will become insurmountable if we do not develop alternative energy sources. However, those alternative energy sources do not now exist.

A legislated reduction in energy use or significant increase in cost will severely harm the global economy and force a reduction in the standard of living in the United States. It is time we spent the research dollars to invent an order-of-magnitude better solar converter and an order-of-magnitude better battery. Once we learn how to store electrical energy, we can electrify transportation. But these are separate issues. Energy conversion is not related to climate change science.

I have been a reviewer of the last two IPCC reports, one of the several thousand scientists who purportedly are supporters of the IPCC view that humans control global temperature. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many of us try to bring better and more current science to the IPCC, but we usually fail. Recently we found out why. The whistleblower release of e-mails and files from the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia University has demonstrated scientific malfeasance and a sickening violation of scientific ethics.

If the game of Russian roulette with the environment that Adrian Melott contends is going on, is it how will we feed all the people when the cold of the inevitable Little Ice Age returns? It will return. We just don’t know when. Read more here.

November 3, 2009
It's been a year, since being elected, but I never would have thought it would take this long to get the sewer rates - out of the frozen rates - and back on track in setting the user charges, but it did.  At last night's City Commission meeting, the Township board members were attended with our legal counsel, where we finally found a way to end one phase and get on to the next.  A new user rate for Green Township was establish for up to a year (maybe shorter).  Township and City representatives will get working on the next phase of reviewing, cleaning, clarifying and any other necessary requirements that may be needed to modify the 1995 contract between the Townships and the City.  Hopefully, we can make it all more transparent and easier to understand.  All rate payers in the township should be advised that during the next couple years there will be multiple adjustments that will be used for the debt load of the new construction at the Waste Water Treatment Plant.  So through credits and charges expect changes will be happening with your bill.  Further info will be posted on this website and notices with your statement.  When in doubt, call or stop by the Town Hall for further information.

Elections are being held today in Big Rapids Township (on 3 recalls) and the City voting (on Mayor and 2 commission seats).  Good luck to all, but if you are a resident of those municipalities - please take time to vote on your local issues!

October 9, 2009
Well, it has been a while since our last comments within our Township concerning local news events and by now many you may have heard about the investigation of the Big Rapids Township Supervisor. You may be thinking there is something going on if your reading the article(s) in the local paper. You might also be talking in the local coffee shops or restaurants about this background information, but please realize, if a formal complaint is made to the State - an investigation will most likely happen.

Is this justified, a political witch hunt or even completion of a political threat - only time will tell, but If you had a major recall underway and wanted the voters to question the affairs of our Southern neighbor, now would be the time to start a distraction. Once again, I urge residents of both Townships to do some of your own questioning/investigating and don’t let any one source become your exclusive information source on this current political affair!

August 17, 2009
Since our August 6th meeting with the City and Big Rapids Township, some progress is settling the three points  of said issues of Administration Salaries, Accounting of the Upgrade Charges and  whether an Audit v. Budget accounting practices should be used when setting the user charge.  As negotiations progress, further updates will be posted. 

August is now quickly coming to a close and our very short Summer will soon again show its colors, take time to enjoy the Summer weather while its still here!

August 8, 2009
In the last few weeks there has been much discussion in our country about a universal healthcare plan for the U.S.  As a reader, you might like to review the latest bill language but may not have found a easy link to the language.    This is a long piece of legislation but is also a more readable form available on the internet/

August 7, 2009
We held a meeting of the three municipalities involved with the City of Big Rapids Wastewater Treatment Plant User Charge Reports.  The meeting was called for the purposes of bringing all government officials up to the same level of information concerning this topic and show how some real issues had become a stumbling block between the Townships and City.  The City presented another analysis (#5) and the Townships presented their own presentation.  After three hours, we had some basis agreements of what to pursue next and a possible mechanism to proceed with in the future.

City Presentation                      Townships Presentation 

August 6, 2009
Sawmill Fire.  At this time we have little information about what all happened last night.  Many thanks to the Big Rapids Fire Dept. and the other fire departments that came to the aid of containing this fire as well as they did.  When more details become available, I'll make another posting.

July 28, 2009
Newspapers and Blogs?  Many thanks to the Pioneer Editorial Staff member Mr. Dave Clark in the July 28th issue for pointing out the TWP News tab on our website.  For a site that doesn't have much traffic, we now expect more of the area residents to visit the TWP web page for some of the local political issues of the day.  If you would reread what I presented here on this link, please scroll down to May 20th entry.  On the issue "as a frequent critic of the Pioneer and a one sided newspaper" Mr. Clark has read my mind but for writing anything about the subject I don't believe that I have ever gone that far.  Another point, if I am telling the residents of Big Rapids Township to sign the recall effort, then why is he printing such a statement in the Pioneer? 

July1, 2009
Libraries, Libraries and Libraries where art thou?  Does the City of Big Rapids operate a library? Is the library located in the City of Big Rapids a true community library?  Does the City of Big Rapids Library operate as a sole entity?  Or should there be a new District Library formed for area residents to utilize?  Many questions about the same topic have been discussed over the last couple years but recently (June 29) brought us to the next step. 

Brief history:  When I took office, it was my understanding that the area townships helped subsidize the local community library in the City of Big Rapids through the use of the Township's penal fines and state aid appropriated to the local libraries.  The City and Townships agreed a decade ago, by contract, to help in the funding of said library through either Penal Fines or 3/10 of mill funding sources for operations of the library.  Green Township uses this method with Big Rapids Library and also helps support the Reed City Library (2/3rds to Big Rapids, 1/3rd to Reed City).  Earlier this year, the City Commissioners of Big Rapids were disturbed that the Townships may not be holding up there end of the agreements and thought the City was subsidizing the townships users with City monies. 

As the new Supervisor, it became my mission to find out where our township actually stood and if shortcomings were fact, then our Township Board would need to take corrective actions, but this was the first time anyone in Green Township government was aware of any problems.  I in turn, asked the Mayor of Big Rapids (Mark Warba) to produce documentation because in the ten years of the said contract no information of our standing had been forwarded to our township!  The information for all townships were produced and delivered to all the participating townships.  Some were delinquent for a while, others had just become delinquent but none had been notified by the City of these funding issues which where required by the contract.  Odd isn't it?  If the City truly controls the operation of the Library (which they do) and the funding operations were running short, wouldn't you be speaking up way before this time about this problem with the Townships?

So what is contained in the information provided by the City?  In the review of the Township's contracts with the City the presentation tables indicate Penal Fines collected, what 3/10 of a mill would be and that difference between the two.  Of the townships it becomes obvious that Green, Big Rapids and Colfax are the larger funding sources and Grant, Barton, Norwich and Home were the lesser in funding sources.  But where was the State Aid that goes along with the penal fines that is based on population numbers?  Also there are monies calculated and paid from the Statutory Revenue Fund (which the townships currently receives none, but the City does) of the State that also addresses some costs that should be directed to services provided (ex: the library) to outside community residents.  Another, where was any credit from Big Rapids Income Tax systems reflecting township residents that work in the City boundaries and pay 1/2 of 1 per cent city income tax on their wages.  All elements that need to be addressed and calculated but often combined or manipulated to be difficult to interpret from data provided by the City. 

June 8th, the City invited the Townships to a meeting to discuss other avenues that may be used to fund the library and a representative with background in District Libraries formation was present and gave a program on the same.  The meeting went nearly three hours and we never really talked about anything else but a district library.  It really was the only thing that City representatives wanted to talked about these last few months.  If you are thinking as a reader, that the City was looking into how to fund the current library or from the stand point of the library committee had offered, that a new district library and building be pursued, it appears the later was the only option being pursued.  So much for mutual cooperation!

If you are a reader of the local paper and if you think you understand the situation between the Townships and the City, you might want to review some of the following information that I compiled for the Townships and City Commissioners to review:
Spreadsheet            Spreadsheet analysis logic            Township's contracts            Data supplied by City/Consulting
(Let the reader also be aware that the City Manager did take issue in how some of the calculations were obtained but also let the reader be aware that the data was mostly from the City own references, only the State Statutory Revenues was calculated from a conservative educated viewpoint).

Are the Township's delinquent with monies promised?  Is the City providing accurate information on Library funding?  Is the current library controlled by the City or Not?  Is it a true Community Library with shared services and costs?  Does a NEW District Library solve all the problems indicated these last few months?  Or are there other avenues yet to be investigated that makes more sense in the realities of the world?

I believe if you live in our Township or the other neighboring townships that you should voice your views to your trustees or if you live within the City that you should be asking your commissioners what they are up to! 

Which premise do you prefer:  A library within the City of Big Rapids or a library that is within the District that may be formed in the coming days? 

Please feel free to comment on this subject and I will post your comments to this website.

Scroll down this page for more library information

June 9, 2009
Roads are always a favorite topic, I attended this morning Road Commission meeting to discuss recent letters that were exchange between the Township and the Commission.  We are all being told how tight the budgets are but as a township pitching in extra taxpayers monies for road repairs and maintenance it was felt we should require maximum return for the dollars spent.  Well, that blew up with the letters attached, but some meeting of the minds came to middle ground and were discussed this morning.  We will be seal coating part of 18 Mile and Spruce Roads, hopefully will get Round Lake Road overlay done between 190th and Fir Drive, Meceola portion is with Osceola County and that will happen either this year or next.  As for the last mile of 22 Mile Road to be done this year, it is probably not going to get done this year, but maybe (Take time and discuss this with your Road Commissioners about completing this project)  The Newcosta problem area with culverts near Ralph Wallace place will have to have more time to straighten out the politics and regulatory paperwork but hopefully someday fixed properly. 

The reality is a township has no legal obligation to maintain or repair county roads. There is also no legal requirement for a township to match funds expended by a county road commission for either maintenance or construction of county roads, but if we don't want our roads to return to gravel status then other funding arrangements need to be utilize until a better system can be develop.  More info http://www.michigantownships.org/roads.asp
 

June 9, 2009
Several members of the board along with several surrounding townships attended last nights meeting with the City Commissioners about funding the Big Rapids Community Library.  The discussion was heavily weighted to forming a District Library but how to structure this device is still up in the air.  It could be formed with the BR school district, other surrounding townships or Big Rapids could itself create the district.  The real question about this topic is funding.  District Libraries once formed can use a millage system up to 4 mills to fund the library, use bonding for building construction but can a district library get it passed in today's economy?  The City would like to reduce funding to the library system and have a district structure to fund it over a larger region.  The Townships worry about representation and funding.  Long discussion but little direction decided last night.  Questions to the community, what do you want in a library system?  Best location?  Amenities' that you would like to have?  Service desired?  Take time to contact your township board members about this subject and let us know what you think is needed?  The City would like to come to a final decision by June 29.

May 20, 2009
If you read the local paper about neighboring township government, you would swear that all is lost south of our township.  But, are you getting the complete picture of the problems facing our neighbor to the south of us.  Today's press seems to have lost the art of reporting versus expressing an opinion.  Does the average reading receive a complete story or a slanted one?  You would think that with today's technology that a resident anywhere's in the United States would and could review the various facts of any argument, complaint, thought, disagreement or any other matter, easily and fairly, but just the opposite seems to be happening.  Talk about propaganda machine in action!  If you are reading this brief statement from the northern neighbor of Big Rapids Township, please take the time to do your homework about the issues, who is involved, what is being questions, problems of the day and anything else that you might have questions about AND in particular, remember the info in the paper tend these days to be very one sided!  Please do your own homework, so that you may come to a logical conclusion of what the problem really is!

April 27, 2009
A statement of concern to MTA county members about accurate election information being made available to the public that is not always available through the news media.

April 24, 2009
Letter from City of Big Rapids
Subject: District Library June 8th Meeting.

April 20, 2009
Green Charter Township is making it known to the City of Big Rapids (Library Funding) of our Board members intentions of what monies will be used to aid in funding of the city's library for township residents usage.  (please follow the blue hyperlink)

Big Rapids Library Options or District Library Options

Library services offered for the township residents are funded through contracts between the two primary school districts ( Big Rapids and Reed City ) serving the township.  Penal fines collected within our township are used to fund these two libraries at a one third - two third ratio between the two respective school districts.  Contractual obligations with the City of Big Rapids call for a 3/10th of a mill obligation should penal fines not exceed the 3/10th (option to withdraw available within contract) but Green Twp has always indicated to the City that because of the two districts, the township would only fund by penal fine sources.

Data for  your review

April 17,2009
In order to convey the position of the Township with the City of Big Rapids, the Board came to an official consensus of where the Township should stand for the Waster Water User Charge System contract with the City.   The Board does this, in order that our residents who utilize the system may be brought up-to-date on their true cost for services.  (please follow the blue hyperlink)

April 8, 2009
I attended last night Board meeting of Big Rapids Township and the topics of IPP charges and User rates continued to be a continence matter between Board members.  It was interesting but disturbing that their was such a disconnect between fractions of the Board.  One set has an agenda of their own, another is trying to serve their community and the last group seems to be measuring the public response attending the meeting.  The problem of the day is getting the user rates back on track and up-to-date since the City's freezing rates at the '06-'07 levels.

Whether you are referring to Big Rapids or Green townships were are both under the same '95 contract with the City.  Once the City had restarted rate discussions, both township's needed to review the City's (3) separate analysis and audit the predicted budgetary numbers for accuracy.  It takes time and effort to sort it all out.  One of the big continuing contentions of Tuesday's night meeting was the paying of back surcharge fines for non-domestic commercial facilities within Big Rapids TWP.  These sewer customers have been identified for IPP violations (were tested directly at their facilities) but the testing sites and notification process to my understanding was not conducted through the normal operation channels construed under the 1995 contract.  The businesses know this and have been refusing to pay such fines, which in turns put the Township under pressure in how to resolve the issue with the City. (Either there is a serious mis-communication going on or there is a serious mismanagement of the IPP system!)  The IPP system is called Industrial Pretreatment Program for a reason under the Federal and States laws covering environmental concerns.

Hopefully, the Board can heal some of their political wounds and get back to Township business.  I will offer this suggestion to residents of either Township to come to the Board meetings to see, hear and participate in your local township affairs.  See YOU at the Next Board Meeting!

Background Topics in the News

April 4, 2009
Lately, our township residents have been reading about User Rates, Avigation Agreements, Attorney's Fees and Dysfunctional Township Governments in the local newspaper front page stories and editorial pages.  To the reader, you might be thinking what is going on and how are the government officials handling (rightfully so - by the way) taxpayer's monies?  The taxpayers have been presented one side of the issues but do you have all the information that you may need to make an informed decision and/or opinion on these topics of the day?  Therefore, we would like to provide you with some of the missing data that has been left out of the discussion process.

User Charges (Sewer)
The City of Big Rapids is under contract with the Townships of Green and Big Rapids to provide sewer treatment services for each municipality respective user districts.  For Green Twp that is primarily the residential area known as the Green Haven Neighborhood, a portion of residents just east of 205th Ave. / South of Spruce Ave., and the businesses along Northland Drive up to Michael Oil.  Big Rapids Twp provides similar services but their user district is much broader and more expansive than that compared to Green Twp.  That aside, both townships rely on the city for treatment services and the contracts that initiated these commitments started in 1977 for Green Twp and 1978 for Big Rapids Twp.  Over time to present day, the contracts has been amended but the main contractual considerations are from what is known as the 1995 contract.  This has been the model template for all calculations in determining sewer user charges that the Twp bills you for on a quarterly basis.

The '95 contract has been used as the model template through 2006-2007 user charge analysis report.  The process was then frozen at the '06-'07 rates for 2007-2008, 2008-2009 report years, we are now coming to the next reporting cycle (2009-2010) that should start by May 15th, 2009.  During last few years, the Twp could only work with what we had from the City billing, but we knew that the longer the process dragged out, your billing statement could reflect a considerable spike and that may very well upset your household budgets.  Then, late in November 2008, the City finally caught up with an analysis for the Twp to review (and by mid December for Big Rapids Twp) but it had prepared the report using a different template style, similar but different approach. 

First, being a new elected Supervisor for the Twp I had my hands full to catch up on all the details of the previous contract and what was being proposed.  Two, all historical contract activities with the City - needed to be reviewed so that I could better understand the history of the Sewer User Charge system.  Lastly, to learn and ask questions from our Twp long standing attorney Jim White (Mika Meyers Beckett & Jones) for all of the historical caveats - since he had been the primary counsel through all the years the contract had be in effect.

If you like to better understand the process that goes into your user rates and all the components that are used to provide your household or business with service, please review the following documents.

Contract Archives:

City of Big Rapids Resolution

2007-2008 Sewer User Charge System (audited accounts)

Reviewing, challenging and seeking counsel occurred additional costs to both Townships.

For the record, neither Township had signed off for any changes to the accounting methodology being used, the change was initiated by the City.

Also for the record, the Townships agree that the language and formulation of the present contract could be streamlined and written better than it currently is.

Comparative Rate Information from Big Rapids Township '94 to '09