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City of Northville A weekly eNewsletter For The community - December 15, 2022

Government and Politics

December 15, 2022

From: City of Northville

City offices will be closed on Friday, Dec. 23, and Monday, Dec. 26, in observance of the holidays.

Meetings

Agendas and minutes are available by clicking here

Special City Council - Monday, Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m. - Council Chambers, City Hall
City Council - Monday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. - Council Chambers, City Hall or Via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82305459983 Or Telephone: 1 305 224 1968 or +1 312 626 6799 
Webinar ID: 823 0545 9983
Downtown Development Authority - Tuesday, Dec. 20, 8 a.m. - Council Chambers, City Hall
CANCELED - Planning Commission - Tuesday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m. - Council Chambers, City Hall
Brownfield Redevelopment Authority - Wed, Dec. 21, 4:30 p.m. - Council Chambers, City Hall
Historic District Commission - Wednesday, Dec. 21, 7 p.m. - Council Chambers, City Hall
Anyone needing assistance should contact the City Manager's office at 248-449-9905. More information about online meetings and a user guide are available here.
This Just In
Help keep our streets safe through meeting/app input

The Department of Public Works and Fleis & Vandenbrink (F&V) are holding a public meeting tonight, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. at City Hall to gather input from the community on the pedestrian plan for the Downtown Northville street closures and surrounding streets, as it impacts walkability, new vehicle traffic patterns, safe crosswalks and more.

To aid in gathering input for the meeting, an interactive web page has been developed that presents a map of the area being reviewed. This application gives people the ability to mark areas of concern and leave comments (view it here). Many comments have been posted and can be viewed on the app. Users of the app also may choose to like or dislike a comment, which indicates concerns shared by others. All data received will provide a better understanding of public concerns.

City Council approved a $59,800 contract with F&V with support from MKSK to study traffic patterns and pedestrian safety in and around the closed streets of Downtown Northville and recommend strategies to improve traffic flow. The scope of work will evaluate pedestrian safety improvements to be made within a 1,200 foot radius of Center and Main; and conduct a neighborhood traffic management plan for the non-arterial roads between 7 Mile and 8 Mile and between Rogers and S. Main/Northville Road. 
DPW and F&V are collaborating with the Mobility Network, which is a sub team of the Sustainability Team and River Restoration Task Force.

F&V’s report will be integrated with Grissim Metz Andriese’s street design and activation recommendations for the pedestrian/business environment on the closed sections of Main Street and N. Center.      

Photo: Cars lined up bumper to bumper in snowy conditions. Office of Highway Safety Patrol.
         
New building under construction in Historic District
 
The exterior at 156 N. Center is taking shape for a new three-story building with six residential units and a first-floor restaurant. It is the newest building in the Historic District to be built from the ground up in more than 15 years. Two former buildings were fully or partially demolished to make way for this new build. Rafi Kuredjian is the developer with involvement by M Architects and Presley Architecture.

Photo by Liz Cezat

Volunteers needed to fill role on Northville Senior Advisory Commission

The city of Northville is accepting applications for qualified volunteers interested in serving on the Northville Senior Advisory Commission, which acts as an advisory board for senior services and programs in the Northville community.
 
The application is available on the city website. To be considered, applications must be submitted by Dec. 16.
 
Applicants must be a resident of the city of Northville (at least two years) and a registered voter in the city. Meetings are held at 1 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at Northville Community Center. Learn more on the city website or contact Interim Parks and Recreation Director Debra Bilbrey-Honsowetz.

Photo: Senior holiday parties are among the services overseen by this commission. File photo by Liz Cezat.

It’s time to renew annual parking permits
 
Parking is prohibited on city streets, municipal lots and in the Central Business District between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. If you need to park your vehicle on a city street or in a lot overnight for an extended period of time, you will need a permit. Please complete this application and submit it to the Police Department to obtain a permit. If you have any outstanding parking tickets, you must pay those tickets before a permit will be issued.
 
An annual parking permit costs $120 per year and is valid from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. The accompanying parking sticker should be placed on the vehicle’s rear window in the upper left corner.
If residents have a short-term parking concern, such as having a visitor, they can call the overnight parking hotline at 248-305-2790 to avoid being issued a citation. This permission is not granted on a continuous basis.
 
The Police Dept. Records Bureau will be closed on Dec. 23, 26, 30 and Jan. 2 for the holidays.

Northvillians and friends,

This series on “Northville Through the Centuries” is designed to give you background on where we’ve been in our past, where we are today and what we can do together, for our future.

Soon, we will start planning our bicentennial celebration. It’s time to look at the trajectory of this journey. We started as a milling community on three rivers, then we embraced the Industrial Revolution and now we are setting our sights on what’s to come.
View the entire letter here or on the city website.

Keep that Northville Faith!

Brian Turnbull
Mayor, Northville

Things to do

Doing Business

Winter tax bills can be paid now through Feb. 14

Winter tax bills have been mailed. Winter 2022 taxes are due Dec. 1 and payable without penalty and/or interest through Feb. 14. On Feb. 15, 2023, a 3% penalty will be added.

Taxpayers who live in Oakland County, north of 8 Mile, will see an additional tax on their winter tax bill to cover the voter-approved .95 mill transportation millage to maintain and expand public transit services in Oakland County for the next 10 years.

Tax & Assessing data lookup

You may retrieve tax and assessing data from the city website. If you have any questions, call the Tax and Assessing office at 248-449-9901.

Sign up for automatic utility bill payment or e-bills
 
Utility bill customers may sign up to receive email bills or arrange for automatic payment by completing the online form. E-bills are emailed on the billing date with a full-page bill attached as a PDF. Payments can be made by ACH, which is an electronic transaction agreed to by the customer that allows the city’s bank to withdraw the amount due from the customer's bank account. For questions, call 248-449-9901.

Accountability & Transparency

To meet the requirements for Accountability & Transparency under City, Village, and Township Revenue Sharing/County Incentive Program (CVTRS/CIP), the City of Northville must certify to the Michigan Department of Treasury that they have made readily available to the public:

A Citizen's Guide of its most recent local finances, including recognition of its unfunded liabilities
A Performance Dashboard
A Debt Service Report containing a detailed listing of its debt service requirements, including, at a minimum, the issuance date, issuance amount, type of debt instrument, a listing of all revenues pledged to finance debt service by debt instrument, and a listing of the annual payment amounts until maturity
A Projected Budget Report of revenues and expenditures including, at a minimum, the current fiscal year and a projection for the immediately following year and an explanation of the assumptions used for the projections
The above documents may be found on the city website.

Around Town

Parking overnight on City streets requires a permit

It is illegal to park on City streets overnight without a permit. If you are having visitors or work done on your driveway and must park in the street overnight, call the Overnight Parking hotline at 248-305-2790 before 10 p.m. the evening you are parking on the street. You will be asked for your vehicle’s license plate number and the street name so you won’t be issued a ticket.  

It’s time for cemetery blankets and wreaths
 
Winter grave blankets and wreaths are permitted Nov. 15 to March 1. At that time, these holiday items will need to be removed by the owner if they want to keep them. Otherwise, the maintenance staff will dispose of them. During the holidays, many people place items such as pumpkins, Christmas trees, and other holiday decorations on or near grave sites. Any of these items that are unsightly or interfere with normal cemetery maintenance will be removed.

Keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice

Property owners (residents and businesses) must clear sidewalks within 24 hours of a snow or ice event by ordinance. When clearing snow, do not blow or shovel snow into any roadway. The DPW only clears sidewalks that are on city-owned or operated properties, such as those at City Hall, the Fire Station and cemeteries. Prompt removal of snow reduces the need for salt. That means less salt travels to storm drains, which discharge into the Middle Rouge River.

At Home

Compost collection

Leaf pickup has ended. Residents can continue to rely on brush pick-up throughout winter. Place twigs and branches on your property by the curb on your regular trash pick-up day. When compost season resumes in the spring, brush can once again be placed in or near compost containers.

Tree permits required

Prior to cutting down any tree with a diameter of more than six inches, you must make an application with the city, which will then determine whether a permit is required. Contact the Building Dept. by phone: 248-449-9902 or email. This ordinance is strongly enforced and there are associated fines. Learn more on the city website.

Safely dispose of expired or unused medicinal drugs

If you need to dispose of unused, unwanted or expired medications, take them to the permanent, secure drop box located inside the lobby at the Northville Township Police Department, 41600 Six Mile Road. Proper disposal of medications helps prevent potential misuse by people who may be tempted to take drugs without a prescription or steal them for street sale. It also helps protect the environment by keeping drugs out of our rivers, streams, lakes and landfills. Pets and wildlife can also be adversely impacted by ingesting human medicine that’s not disposed of properly. Pharmacists are not allowed to take drugs back once they are dispensed. Drugs can be dropped off 24/7 and no paperwork is required.

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View these social media platforms to see stories, photos and videos of the City's people, places and events. We'll let you know about City services, such as trash pick-up, payment of taxes and utility bills, and roads under construction. Plus, we want to hear from you. Share your photos and comments; ask questions. If you "like" the Northville Facebook page, you'll see our posts in your news feed.

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If you have comments or requests for specific news items, please e-mail Liz Cezat, communications manager, at [email protected].