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East Express | February 18, 2021

CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE & FINANCE

A NOTE FROM CITY MANAGER SHEA CHARLES
East Grand Rapids Residents and Community Members,

To say EGR is a vibrant and thriving community is quite the understatement. In the (nearly) three weeks I’ve been with the City, I have taken a deep dive into each department’s projects and operations and learned much about how the community functions as a whole. This includes the important work of our partners and, of course, your crucial involvement with City happenings.

So far, I’ve been particularly impressed with our team here at City Hall, which has managed to keep things running smoothly, even during a pandemic. The more I delve into the various facets of the City, the more I look forward to working with staff in our common mission to continue making East Grand Rapids a great place to live, work and play.

For those of you who don’t know me, I come to EGR from the east side of the state — although I have previous experience on the lakeshore here in West Michigan. I most recently served as interim CEO of the Michigan Municipal Services Authority and prior to that served as the City Manager of Howell for 15 years. I’m happy to be back to and am ready to serve you.

I have moved to the Grand Rapids area and my wife, Barb, will be joining me once things are wrapped up in Howell. We are hoping to find a home in EGR soon. We’re both especially looking forward to regularly visiting Gaslight Village and taking advantage of the City's beautiful parks and trails. We’re also very glad to be closer to our son, Ethan, who is in his first year at Kalamazoo College.

If it weren’t for the pandemic, I would have loved the opportunity to get to know you via a casual gathering in person here at City Hall. However, it’s best that we postpone this kind of event until it’s safe to do so. I am still eager to meet you, though — if you’d like to schedule a virtual meeting, either individually or with a group of friends or neighbors, please contact with me at 616.949.2110.

Hope you are all staying warm during these cold Michigan days.
 
Best,

Shea



DOUG LAFAVE PROMOTED TO DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
In recognition of all of the additional work performed and responsibilities taken on during the last two years as Interim City Manager, Doug LaFave was promoted to Deputy City Manager on February 15. To complement the added title, Doug was presented with a key to the city as a symbolic thank you for his work in maintaining all core city services, exploring and implementing several new initiatives and overseeing all of the responses and safety measures needed for City operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On top of his duties as Director of Public Works, Doug will continue to play a key role in City management. Congratulations, Doug!

MAYOR FAVALE HOSTS EGR TALK
Mayor Favale would love to meet and chat with you! Her next EGR Talk will be on March 3 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Please contact her directly if you are interested in joining her for conversation and coffee: kfavale@eastgr.org or 616.949.2110 x 887. An appropriate venue will be chosen based on the number of attendees.

UPCOMING CITY COMMISSION MEETING RESCHEDULED
To accommodate any spring break traveling, the Monday, April 5 City Commission meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, March 29.

BOARD OF REVIEW NOTICE
The taxpayers of the City of East Grand Rapids are hereby notified that the Board of Review shall meet for the purpose of reviewing and correcting the 2021 City of East Grand Rapids Assessment Roll.

The Organizational Meeting will be Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. The Board of Review meetings will be held at the East Grand Rapids City offices, located at 750 Lakeside Dr, on the following dates in accordance with Michigan State Law: Monday, March 8, 2021 and Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

Appointments must be made by calling 616.940.4818. Non-residents may appeal by letters received no later than the adjournment of the Board's hearings. Residents may appear in person or by representative. All appellants must have completed an appeal form for each parcel prior to their hearing. Appeal forms are available on the City’s website at www.eastgr.org/appeal. Members of the public and others wishing to attend or participate may do so electronically by joining Google Meet. Meeting details and links will be available on the City’s website at www.eastgr.org.

The Consumer Price Index for assessment purposes for the 2021 year is 1.4%. If there was NOT a transfer of ownership on your property in 2020, your 2021 taxable value is calculated by multiplying your 2020 taxable value by 1.014. Physical changes of your property may also increase or decrease your taxable value. If there was a transfer of ownership on your property in 2020, your 2021 taxable value will be the same as your 2021 state equalized value.

Property Ratio Factors

In accordance with Act 165 of the Public Acts of 1971, the current Analysis for Equalized Valuation submitted to Kent County indicates a ratio of assessed to true cash value of fifty percent (50%) for all classes. Based upon this, it is estimated that the assessment equalization factor for 2021 will be 1.0000 for all classes.

The City of East Grand Rapids does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment in, its programs or activities. Please call 616.949.2110 to coordinate compliance with the non-discrimination requirements contained in Section 35.107 of the Department of Justice regulations. Requests for accommodation under ADA should be addressed to the Assessor, preferably at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

UPCOMING EGR COMMUNITY BLOOD DRIVE
The next EGR Community Blood Drive is on Feb. 23 from 2 – 7 p.m. in room 105 of the Community Center. Sign up at versiti.org.

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PUBLIC SAFETY



PUBLIC SAFETY RECOGNIZES OFFICE STAFF
On Monday, Feb. 15, Public Safety Director Mark Herald presented Chief’s Citation Awards to department office staff members Dave VanHouten and Bianca Postema for their dedication during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dave and Bianca were recognized for all their efforts in procuring hard-to-find supplies, sanitizing work areas and making hand sanitizer and cloth masks for all city staff members when these items could not be found in stores. Thank you for all your work!

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSION NEXT WEEK
Public Safety’s first Quarterly Community Engagement Session is coming up! Join the department on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. to meet your officers and discuss the department's firefighting training and protocols. Due to the evolving nature of the pandemic, this first meeting will take place virtually via Zoom. You can find meeting details at eastgr.org/communityengagement. The Zoom link will be posted on this webpage on Feb. 24.

Save the date for future 2021 meetings: May 13, Aug. 26, Dec. 9. View these events on Facebook.

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PUBLIC WORKS
CONSTRUCTION & ROAD CLOSURES
Full road closures will continue at Greenwood Avenue and Lakeside Drive due to sanitary sewer lift station construction until Friday, Feb. 19. Traffic will be directed to a detour at Lakeside Drive and Wealthy Street. Please refer to the map below and contact Public Works at 616.940.4817 with any questions.

WINTER IS HERE
Looking for details on EGR winter maintenance operations and more? Take a look at the resources below:

Be sure to follow us on Facebook for updates on plowing during major snow events.



SNOW FORT SAFETY
Building snow forts can be a fun winter outdoor activity for children in the community, but it can also be dangerous. The City asks parents to help protect and educate children about appropriate areas to play outside and discuss the dangers with them. City plow crews operate large, heavy equipment and it is difficult to see children playing in the road right of way where snow piles can accumulate. Please help protect children and make sure they’re playing in a safe area away from the street.

CONSUMERS ENERGY TREE TRIMMING/REMOVAL
Consumers Energy continues to conduct tree trimming and removal in private utility easements through February in various areas around EGR. Learn more.

RIGHT-OF-WAY TREE PRUNING
City contractor CHOP also continues to conduct tree maintenance. Right-of-way tree pruning will take place throughout the remainder of the month in cycles 5 and 1. CHOP will remove and clean up limbs and branches that are removed as part of the pruning process. Learn more about the right-of-way.

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COMMUNITY PARTNERS



UPGRADED OUTDOOR REFRESHMENT AREA
Public Works has installed electric heaters in the covered outdoor refreshment area in Gaslight Village to keep guests warm while enjoying takeout outside. The heaters are controlled by a timer, allowing guests to select intervals of 20, 30 and 60 minutes. Stop by the village to safely enjoy coffee or a meal with friends. It may be cold and snowy, but we know there are some Michiganders ready to safely enjoy food together no matter the weather.

SUPPORT EGRPS ATHLETICS: 2021 GERKEN OPEN GOLF OUTING
Save the date — the 2021 Gerken Open Golf Outing is Wednesday, June 9.

You do not want to miss this fun event at Thousand Oaks. The Gerken Open supports athletics and co-curriculars through the Jimmy Gerken Fund and EGR Team Boosters. You can register to play in the always-popular event or sign up to sponsor it by visiting www.egrsf.org. 

This year's event is focused on bringing back EGRPS Athletics' strength and conditioning program for the 2021-22 school year. You can help tee-off this fundraising effort by scanning the 2021 Gerken Open QR code below with your smart phone to contribute directly. 

Questions? Contact Maria Allen at mallen@egrps.org.