Cemetery grounds look great
(In response to, “Ortonville Cemetery clean up April 1,” The Citizen, March 6, page 4)
Dear Editor,
Can you please print one more letter about the Ortonville Cemetery? I have friends and relatives interred there and have never seen the grounds look so good, as they do now.
Just want to compliment the grounds keepers, keep up the good job!
Sincerely
Gerald Marecki

(In response to, “One stitch at a time, The Citizen, March 13, page 3)
Thank you
Dear Editor,
I just wanted to thank you for printing (in The Citizen) the recent story about the donating of special projects that I do. From the article, I have received a box of quilt tops to finish and use.
It was so nice to have Pat come to our house. He is such a nice young man and a good representative of your paper.
What a delight it was talking with Shelby Stewart, Citizen staff writer. She certainly did a great job of putting my scattered thoughts into making such a readable, interesting article. Of which I have had several people tell me, ‘what a great article, Nancy.’
Also, thank you for the weekly religious articles. I certainly had missed them but understand why they stopped for a time. Thankfully, Nancy Tenniswood
Groveland Township’s
excellent finances
Dear Editor,
This report from the Treasurer’s office serves to update the residents of Groveland Township as the new fiscal year began April 1, 2021. This report recaps what has been stated in budget and board meetings and printed for all to preview and discuss. This does not recap the fire department’s finances as they are a separate entity with a separate millage and budget.
The township receives revenue from three sources: 46.8 percent from State of Michigan Revenue Sharing, 20.7 percent from millage levied on property owners, 32.5 percent from projects generating income within the township.

Sales revenue increased over the past yeardue to the surge in online spending during the Covid and these increases were passed on to every municipality in the state, resulting in more money than anticipated. This trend is forecast to continue.
The millage rate was lowered for the 2020 tax levy and remains the same for the 2021 tax levy. Although this is the lowest millage historically, property values continue to increase due to the strong housing market and the tax revenue generated to the township remains consistent. (only 14% of your property tax remains in the township, the remainder goes to the state, county and schools).
Projects within the township are the culmination of years of work from present and past board members to bring revenue generating assets that will provide income for years if properly managed. This is why the millage can remain low. These projects are mainly on township owned property and include cell tower rental agreements, mining agreements, a property sale, a billboard rental agreement, cable franchise agreements and rental from MABAS-TF1 on Grange Hall Rd. The future development of township owned properties near the ORV park and Grange Hall near I-75
will provide additional streams of income for years to come. This should allow the township millage rate to be reduced again in the future.
Every decision regarding budgeting is looked at through the lens of sustainability and stewardship. Groveland Township is in excellent financial shape. In times of uncertainty, it is good to know that years worth of hard work by many township boards have paid off to allow this confidence. As always, the doors are open and questions welcome. We have a positive future to look forward to and the board is committed to serving the residents. Theresa Bills, Treasurer
Clean up voter rolls
Dear Editor:
Your readers deserve to know that efforts in Michigan and across the nation by Republicans to strengthen practices around the ballot box will not create roadblocks for voters.
As I read the March 21st letter to the Detroit News and Free Press editor written by an attorney making such claims, I was shocked that he also said Republicans “were yearning for the good old days of Jim Crow politics.” I guess he failed his history classes; otherwise, he would know Jim Crow Laws that suppressed the vote of African Americans came from Southern Democrats.
Democrats such as Alabama Governor George Wallace, Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor, and U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, who in his youth was a Kleagle – a Ku Klux Klan recruiter — actively enforced those terrible laws. His Democrat Party led and protected racism for over 100 years but today wants you to think they care about protecting your vote. His party kept women from voting for a similar period. While only one Republican senator voted against the Voting Right Act of 1965, seventeen Democrats also did so.
From my perspective, Republicans like John Reilly and Patrick Colbeck are only looking to ensure that your vote is not canceled out by someone who does not have the right to vote. Many people don’t know about Federal legislation proposed by Democrats known as HR-1 – it is dangerous and takes away the local control we’ve had since 1789. This bill, if passed, will take us back to policies in the old Democrat South that dilute each vote and give Washington DC our power. We cannot let this happen.
Instead of HR-1, we need laws and policies that assure only those eligible to vote can do so — and can only vote once. Why were this attorney and his Democrat followers against that? Why are Democrats including our Secretary of State working so hard to stop this movement to clean up voter rolls?
Jay R. Taylor