Putting our Best Foot Forward

Open Discussion - for our Readers, Islanders, and Web Site Visitors alike. Discussion regarding any and all aspects of Beaver Island are welcome here. Also a place for general Beaver Island conversation and discussion.

Moderator: Gillespie

AEW
Posts: 614
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2006 11:38 am
Location: Beaver Island/The world

Post by AEW »

I could post it here but it is in a format that I need to convert. The main documents are in a PDF.
AE Wirth
islandliving
Posts: 526
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:10 am
Location: Beaver Island, Michigan

Post by islandliving »

So did I read your post correctly. 47 employees and 38 students??
Richards
Posts: 214
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:35 am

Post by Richards »

I am thinking a list of employees might be helpful. Please feel free to add to this list if I have left someone out:

1. Wil Cwikiel - Superintendent

Administrative Staff
2. Kerry Smith
3. Jamie Moon

Teachers
4. Connie Boyle
5. Beth Croswhite
6. Adam Richards
7. Deb Robert
8. Marlene Wiser
9. Maeve Green
10. Kate DeJonge
11. Bryan Foli
12. Jenna Wilk
13. Dianna Behl

Janitorial
14. Rita Palmer
15. Mike Meyers

Coaches
16. Dan Burton
17. Tammy Lafreniere

Lawncare/Snow Removal
18. Jean's Lawn Care Service

School Board
19. Susan Meyers
20. Jessica Anderson
21. Judy Boyle
22. Ryann Turner
23. David Avery
24. Andy Stebbins
25. Mark Engelsman

This is all I can come up with. Are there any other school employees missing?

Vince - I think your idea of a taxpayer (member) only forum is worthwhile discussing. The threads on this forum do tend to rabbit trail, and it does become heated at times. However, I think the Forum is entertaining for those looking for such a venue. A fascinating quality about Beaver Island is the type of person it draws. Those who choose to live and vacation here are of the adventurous sort, and much enjoyment can be had while basking in such company. I would hope that we can all grow together in our communication skills. Thanks for the post.

~ Sheri Richards
AEW
Posts: 614
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2006 11:38 am
Location: Beaver Island/The world

Post by AEW »

Ill email you the FOIA
AE Wirth
islandliving
Posts: 526
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:10 am
Location: Beaver Island, Michigan

Post by islandliving »

Very shocking numbers to a tax payer. I had no clue. The poor non-homestead taxpayer. Ouch!!!!

John McCafferty
PScott
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2016 9:41 pm
Location: Here and Mason, MI

Post by PScott »

I believe this a net gain to Beaver Island as residents donâ??t pay for all the money that comes in to support the school. Itâ??s from the state school aid fund and if my memory serves me correctly, our rural school receives more than the formula due to the added expense of running a rural school. Beaver Island school outperforms due to its low student to teacher ratio. Itâ??s a crown jewel of Beaver Island.
Trish Scott
islandliving
Posts: 526
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:10 am
Location: Beaver Island, Michigan

Post by islandliving »

47 people were compensated by Beaver Island Community School
$1,573,983.25 from 7-1-16 through 6-30-17. We have a great school indeed but possibly a little over staffed?

John McCafferty
Ron Wojan
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:36 pm
Location: Beaver Island
Contact:

Post by Ron Wojan »

Adam, Iâ??ve been pre-occupied as I had to put my beloved dog Molly down on Sunday. Iâ??d rather not give you my e-mail to you on the internet but Iâ??ll get it to you some other way. I assure you I will look into your claims and get back to you. If they are credible then they need to be addressed. Where I disagree with you is your statement on Nepotism,corruption, etc. Most of us long term Islanders, did not want to spend the time we did on these boards. You should have poof and not speculation to make a claim like that. Especially on the internet. I assure you I did not see any of that on any of the boards that I sat on. And personally, I did not see any personal gain for all those hours, trips to Lansing , running from work to township meeting,etc. The township clerk convinced me she needed my help and I reluctantly agreed to run for supervisor. It was a big job to close the city dump, build the transfer station, repair the township docks, extend the airport for Gary Comberâ??s jet, build he Library, create the Marine related zoning on the harbor so that we can drive around the harbor today and still see water, to mention a few. We couldnâ??t please everyone. I had a person threaten to kill me to my face, in front of the hardware store. Change is very hard for some people. The Beaver Island Boat Co. was bought back from a forced merger by the businessmen and our generous benefactors , who own homes on the Island -to serve the people of Beaver island. If costs are getting high then we need to find out why and whether those charges are legitimate based on current wages, fuel costs, wages, etc. or not. We did not buy those boats back to make a profit or pay a big dividend. Furture needs, and some restricted reserve are necessary. I havenâ??t seen a dividend since fuel prices have gotten so high. Also thereâ??s a reason that plumbers, electricians and other trades now have to charge 75.00 to 80.00 per hour these days. Thereâ??s a tremendous amount of overhead. Beaver Island has traditionally lagged behind the mainland by about 20 years and thatâ??s one of the things people love about it. I would love to live in the 80â??s. It was hard for me to charge what the CPA said I should charge for wages. I never got above 49.00 per hour for any of my guys or myself. It does take longer to get things one on the Island. Iâ??m retired now and will have more time. If it helps, we are currently having discussions on the PABI board to host some town meetings on some of the recent contentious issues. Get all the facts on the table and then decide if there is a legitimate isssue that needs to me solved. That would include consolidation, BIBCO, taxes, the school. We wonâ??t solve all the worlds problems but we can try to find some common ground. But I can assure you that wonâ??t happen on this forum. Other issues that need to be addressed include this thing about whoâ??s an Islander, St.Jamesâ??s opportunity to obtain the property at Beaver Island marine, our roads , cost of living on the Island, etc. etc. Perhaps , at a group meeting people would feel free to voice their concerns - more so than at a board meeting. Itâ??s more of a Fact finding opportunity and a chance to educate the public on many issues like property taxes, limitations on pavement, transportation issues, etc. That's hard to do at a township meeting or boat company meting when they are tying to conduct business. Enough said for now. Adam your recent post was much more civil. I thank you for that.
Ronald L. Wojan
islandliving
Posts: 526
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:10 am
Location: Beaver Island, Michigan

Post by islandliving »

Take a look at the school budget. Number of students, number of staff, it is insane to see the numbers. Maybe a tax savings road to look down.

John McCafferty
Ron Wojan
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:36 pm
Location: Beaver Island
Contact:

Post by Ron Wojan »

First, If there is a problem at the school, it will be looked at. The accusations have been put out there and as a community we will look at it and correct it , if necessary.
Second, high property taxes are not unique to Beaver Island. The cost of everything, inflation, and many other factors affect our tax bills. My summer and winter taxes for my property and buildings on Kings Highway (next to Peaine Township hall) are 5,174.64. My little two bed room condo in Petoskey is 4,019.10. We are in a building with 2 other condos and have people overhead and attached to the side. We only have a â??peek of the bay as there are large buildings in front of us. My vacant lot on Donegal bay is 2,734.42. There are people inland with a home that pay less taxes than I do on my vacant lot. So, yes, you can have a lake front lot with a pole barn on it and pay 4,000.00 a year as Adam Wirth does on his property. Michigan has done a lot in the last twenty years in tax relief. We have the heady amendment which limits us to only collect the same amount each year on levied millage regardless of the increases in property values. Michigan changed their sales tax from 4% to 7 % to help fund the schools and his reduced tax bills considerably. Homesteaders got relief on school taxes. I believe that if you qualify, elderly people pay their tax bill but then get reimbursed. That was the case with my mother in law. Also, as property values increase your taxable amount can only go up a small percentage each year. It used to be that your assessed value (1/2 the market value) and your taxable value were the same. Can you imagine what your tax bil would look like without these limitations?
And no, the township is not ripping you off on your taxes. If you are like me, I used to look at my tax bill, curse a few times , throw it in a drawer and pay it on the last possible day. After sitting on the board of review and being township supervisor for years, I learned a lot about taxes. You need to sit down with your tax bill and study it line by line and understand what your tax dollar are paying for. A lot of it is for county purposes. The townships operate on a moderate budget of approx. 4 mills. Which on an assessment of say 100,000.00 your money to help run the township, township saleries, etc. would be about 400.00 per year. The rest of the township collections are for fire dept., Medical center, township airport, roads, transit bus, EMS, and Library. The school is roughly 40 mills . The rest is the county services and State education. If your total assessment is 100,000.00 times 40 mills , your tax bill is going to be approximately. $4,000.00. Thatâ??s the price now days to live, work and have the essential services that a community needs. Without them you wonâ??t have a job to make the money you need to pay your taxes. Without taxes, Beaver Island would be wilderness. I know people who would prefer that. Whoâ??s going to maintain the roads , plow the snow, heal the sick, transport ill patients to the mainland, put out your house fire, maintain the airport, or keep the historical society and Library open????? So, you canâ??t just â??takeâ?￾ form a community. So pay your taxes with a bit of security and well being. Sure it marts to pay these tax bills. If you think your tax bill or asesssed value is higher than what you can sell the property for then there is the Board of Review every year at each township hall. Download a form and mail it or get someone on thee Island to represent you and take it to th meeting. There is a large book with ever property owners information. It used to be called â??a cardâ?￾. Itâ??s probably digital these days but every property is measured, building, well, and septic tanks, size of the home, condition of the home et. Etc. If your property bill is to be lowered it has to be because the information is incorrect or itâ??s not worth what the â??cardâ?￾ says itâ??s worth. Take a little time to investigate your tax bill. You may have to get it out of the drawer sometime sooner than the day before itâ??s due to be paid.
Ronald L. Wojan
Ron Wojan
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:36 pm
Location: Beaver Island
Contact:

Post by Ron Wojan »

Woops, the total millage is roughly 40 mills, the school levy is approx. 20 mills. Add up the lines on your tax bill to get the exact amounts.
Ronald L. Wojan
Ron Wojan
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:36 pm
Location: Beaver Island
Contact:

Post by Ron Wojan »

P.S. Maybe it would help if we put a sign ,on the side of the EMS vehicles, the Health Center, the Library, the airport, the fire station, the Hisorical Society, the school, the Township Halls etc. â??Your Tax Dollars ar Workâ?￾. 🙂. God Bless and have a good day.
Ronald L. Wojan
JFPowers
Posts: 506
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 8:15 am

Post by JFPowers »

The size of the school and the size of the school budget grew during the period of the exuberance of the early 2000's, when real estate values soared the population of the island increased and the projections such as the Ferry Boat plan showed that the island was in a "rapid growth phase". In fact as was recently reported the Boat Company is now asking for close to 900,000 from the state to remain operational. https://www.petoskeynews.com/news/local ... 26bdb.html


The projections of growth never held and the facts exist today that are pointed out in the latest Census results.

https://censusreporter.org/profiles/970 ... school-mi/

https://censusreporter.org/profiles/060 ... county-mi/

https://censusreporter.org/profiles/060 ... county-mi/

The rapid growth phase stopped and the island went into stasis with an aging population. The metrics of our community present some problems going forward as it appears very unlikely that the school population will increase as, especially in Peaine, but Island wide we lack a significant population of younger folks who would have families and school age children here. What is the solution?

Long term one would believe that unless the economy grows in perhaps a new direction the island will have a smaller school enrollment and costs would need to come down. The flip side of this problem is that many of the teachers currently employed at the school represent the only real good jobs with benefits on the island for those in the younger age demographic.

These same demographics also indicate why private businesses struggle here as the vast majority of the island properties sit vacant most of the year.

Tough facts, but you can't begin to forge a new future unless you are willing to look at where you actually are.
stardust
Posts: 158
Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2013 4:11 pm

question

Post by stardust »

"These same demographics also indicate why private businesses struggle here as the vast majority of the island properties sit vacant most of the year." What is the ratio of vacant developed properties to non-developed properties.
Ron Wojan
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:36 pm
Location: Beaver Island
Contact:

Post by Ron Wojan »

Great post Jeff. The 2009 Recession was really tough. I did not have a new home 2009 -2012. About killed my business. Thank goodness for all the previous customers and friends that saw our problem and kept us busy.
Ronald L. Wojan
Post Reply