Volume 1 Issue 1 North Branch Villager 4th Quarter

The Official Newsletter for North Branch Village Inside this Issue: Laura Lyon………………2 A Message from our President, Kelly Martin: 5k Walk/ Run...…………3 To all of our Citizens and neighbors, on behalf of your Village Council Leaf Burning ...………….3 and Department of Public Works, thank you for your patience and cooper- Christmas decorations for ation this summer. We have had some substantial public works projects sale…...... 4 during this most difficult of times. Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 Fall Fertilizing……….…..4 pandemic, we were able to complete pavement reconstruction projects on Police Warning………….5 Mill Street, the West end of Banker Street and the South ends of both Millage info……………...6 Spring and Monroe Streets. Village Office hours for I would also like to express our thanks to The Michigan Department of the summer are 8am-4pm Transportation for the beautiful job they did in improving the side street Monday thru Thursday crossings along Huron Street sidewalks, and the resurfacing of Huron Deadlines to register to Street itself! vote are as follows: With all this nice new pavement, combined with the other Street projects Online: October 19th of recent vintage, please "enjoy the ride"! Mail to vote: (postmarked We are concluding a two year long study of our sewer and storm water by) October 19th systems, funded by a $400,000+ SAW Grant. The objective is to have a In Person: November 3rd full evaluation of the condition of one of the Village's most expensive in- If you need an absentee vestments- the mostly underground system of plumbing that handles the ballot call the North removal of rainwater and sewage safely from our Village. Parts of those Branch Township at 810- systems are nearly 100 years old! A full knowledge of what conditions ex- 688-2785. ist within these systems will allow us to plan for foreseeable maintenance, Office will be closed: Labor Day September 7th repairs and upgrades. Without the information we get with such a study, Veterans Day November we can only respond to failures, which creates incon- 11th venience for our residents and increases costs in the Thanksgiving November long run. 26th We now have a commercial Electric Vehicle Charging Police Department: Station, situated in the large downtown parking lot by 810-688-3020 Subway. We are hopeful travelers along the M-53 and or Non-emergency M-24 corridors will take advantage of it and stop in 810-667-0292 town for a "Top-Off" of their electric vehicle on trips Emergency 911 through the Thumb! DPW Hours Everyone please stay safe, and know that work con- Monday Thru Friday tinues on your behalf as we all shoulder the weight of 6am to 2:30pm Contact these difficult times. DPW at (810) 688-3410 M. Kelly Martin Contact us at Village President (810) 688-2620 Thanksgiving is coming around the corner, go out and visit family that you have not been Day light Savings time able to see in a long ends November 1st so time, they miss don’t forget to set your you! clocks back an hour. A new face in the Village of North Branch Staff: Laura Lyon Born and raised in Silverwood, Michigan, Laura is a 1979 graduate of Mayville, HS, and has a BA in Business Administration from Ferris State Univer- sity. She recently moved back to MI after 30 years working across the country and now resides in the Village of North Branch with her daughter who attends NBHS. Laura’s eager to become a contrib- uting member of the community and she was ap- pointed to the Planning Board. From 1986-1990, Laura served in the U.S. Army as a Personnel Specialist in the Human Resources Command in Alexandria, VA. She was based at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, VA. Her position at the Office of the General for Enlisted Personnel, provided unique, once in a lifetime opportunity by supporting the highest levels of the Army eche- lon, responsible for all enlisted personnel assignments. She also had the extraordinary opportunity to serve on special assignment to the United Nations in New York City, working in the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nation’s Office. After leaving the Army, Ms. Lyon worked as an Executive Assistant and Procurement Manager at a small, privately held Virginia based company. Her procurement experience there led her to new opportunities – first as a Procurement Manager with Pepperidge Farm, in Norwalk, Connecticut, and as Senior Procurement Man- ager at Campbell Soup, in Camden, New Jersey. Laura is currently the Chief Operating Officer at MIRACORP Inc., a Phoenix based government contractor specializing in providing Professional, Technical and Administrative Support to the federal government. Her role is to provide the leadership, management, and vision necessary to ensure that the company has the proper operational controls and efficiencies, adminis- trative and reporting procedures, and personnel related program and systems, in place to effectively grow the organization. State general election November 3rd do not forget to go out and North Branch Lions are having their 5k timed walk/run on Saturday September 12th. Early bird registration: Before 9/4— $20 Regular Registration: 9/5—9/12—$25 Children 8 to adults: 5k walk/run and T-shirt Children under 8: Free walk/run no T-shirt Registration: mail Completed form and non-refundable fee to North Branch Lions PO Box 283, North Branch, MI 48461 The walk/ run starts at the North Branch Lions club (6640 Beach St. behind Harmon’s Oil) Check in for the race starts at 8 am September 12 in the Lions Club House The walk/run starts at 9 am and the money collected from this event will go to charity. Trash Day Any trash taken out the day before the trash is picked up should cover their trash cans in some way. This will prevent racoons and other creatures from getting inside and generally tipping them over causing a mess in the street and in your yard. Make sure to only take out trash the day before or the day of trash day. Leaf Burning & Recreational Fires  The burning of leaves, grass or twigs shall only be per- mitted during Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm and Saturdays from 3:30pm to 7:30pm.  No burning on streets or sidewalks within the village  Water source, such as a garden hose available at the fire site at all times  Burning shall be under the immediate supervision of a responsible person at least 18 years of age.  No burning within 20 feet of any building, within 5 feet of any lot line or near any combustible material.  No burning at anytime or place when wind conditions will create or be apt to create a nuisance or a danger to any person or property.  No burning on October 30th or the 31st  Recreational fires should be outside in a container that is commercially constructed for use as a fire pit that can contain all ashes and cinder. All fires are lim- ited to a container no larger 36 inches in diameter. Burning is only allowed in the rear yard. We have the Village of North Branch Christmas Decorations now can be purchased at half price ONLY $25 A PIECE. The decorations come with a variety of faces to choose from in addition to brackets that were once used to hold them onto poles in town. Come by the office at 4018 Huron St, hurry quantity of decorations is limited, first come first serve.

This is one of seven different covers that you can have for your own decora- tions. So please come by our office and get a piece of North Branch history. To check out the decorations please contact the DPW supervi- sor John Ihrke at 810 688 3410.

2020 CENSUS Don’t forget to respond to your 2020 census, it is not to late to go online and fill it out. Just go to Census.gov and fill in the corresponding information about yourself and family. You have almost a month to respond and get your information in as the last day of collection for the Census is September 30th.

Fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn for quickly improving vigor and grow- ing a healthier, greener lawn next spring. Don’t over use any type of fertilizer as it causes water quality problems in lakes and local watersheds. Try fertilizers that have 50% or more slow release nitrogen and do not contain herbicides or weed- control. Let leaves lie where they fall and mow them into the lawn. Leaves eventually decompose and can improve soil. Shredded leaves carry up to 80% of the nutrients a tree extracts from the soil and air. UTILITY BILLS The next bill will be sent out October 1st and will pay for the months of July, August, and September. The amount owed will be $163.12 and after November 1st a penalty will be put on and the total will be $179.44. Over the past week the Lapeer County Police Department has documented a small number of thefts from vehicles in the Village. In each occurrence the vehicles were unlocked and items were returned to the vic- tims. We are asking residents and guests of our community to be proactive when leaving a vehicle unattend- ed. The Lapeer County Police Department is committed to maintaining a safe and pleasant environment, but a strong community partnership is needed to minimize this form of theft. The following vehicle burglary pre- vention strategies will decrease the likelihood of being a victim: • Always lock your car and pull the handles to double check. • Do not leave items of value in the vehicle, especially in plain-sight. • Place any valuables you choose to leave in your vehicle in a locked compartment • (glove box, trunk). • Make sure all car windows are closed when the vehicle is unoccupied. • During hours of darkness, park in a busy well-lighted area if possible. • Set your alarm or anti-theft device. Help the department keep you and your property safe by reporting any suspicious behaviors. You can report any suspicious behavior or activity to the Lapeer County Central Dispatch at 810-667-0292, you can remain anonymous (its better to be safe than sorry).

Halloween Halloween will be celebrated in the village on Saturday October 31st from 6pm-8pm. Please leave your porch light on during this time if you are passing out treats. Trick-or -Treaters should wear light, reflective material or carry a flashlight or glowstick. Be sure kids have a clear field of vision and can hear proper- ly, all these things will help keep kids safe while they are out and about in the village. A responsible adult should also accompany them.

2020 TAXES The 2020 taxes will be due on the 14th of September so do not for- get to send them into the village office at Village of North Branch PO Box 704. Or come by the office and drop taxes into the drop- box. Our office hours are 8am-4pm Monday-Thursday and we will be accepting payments anytime.

Village President M. Kelly Martin Email: [email protected] Clerk: Betty L Kennedy Email: [email protected] Deputy Clerk/ Treasurer: Travis Sweeney Email: [email protected] Village Council Members Leonard Cowles Email: [email protected] Matt Hohman Email: [email protected] Nichole Guerra Email: [email protected] Richard Evans Email: [email protected] VETERANS AFFAIRS MILLAGE PROPOSAL

LAPEER COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL MILLAGE PROPOSAL Shall Lapeer County be authorized to levy upon the taxable value of all property subject to ad valorem taxa- tion, two-tenths (.20) mills ($0.20 for each $1,000) of taxable value of such property within the County of Lapeer, Michigan, for a period of five (5) years commencing in 2020 through 2024, inclusive, for the pur- pose of providing operational funds related to the health and safety of the public through control of various animals within Lapeer County, and the care of animals housed at the Lapeer County Animal Control, as well as capital and program needs? This millage would raise an estimated $635,749 in the first calendar year, if the millage is approved and levied in the first year of the levy. In accordance with State law, a portion of the total millage revenues from the tax levy may be captured by the tax increment finance districts within Lapeer County.

911 SURCHARGE RATE Shall the County of Lapeer, Michigan, be authorized to assess a surcharge on all landline, wireless, and voice over Internet protocol service users located within Lapeer County of $2.29 per month, an increase of 74 cents for a period allowed by statute to be distributed exclusively for funding of 9-1-1 emergency call answering and dispatch services within Lapeer County including facilities, equipment, maintenance and operating costs?

NORTH BRANCH AREA SCHOOLS OPERATING MILLAGE PROPOSAL This proposal will allow the school district to levy the statutory rate of not to exceed 18 mills on all proper- ty, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, required for the school district to receive its revenue per pupil foundation allowance. Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property, except principal res- idence and other property exempted by law, in North Branch Area Schools, Lapeer County, Michigan, be increased by 2 mills ($2.00 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 3 years, 2020, 2021 and 2022, to provide funds for operating purposes; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2020 is approxi- mately $12,561 (this millage is to restore millage lost as a result of the reduction required by the Michigan Constitution of 1963 and will be levied only to the extent necessary to restore that reduction)?