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Plainfield Charter Township
6161 Belmont Ave, NE
Belmont, MI 49306-9609Phone: 616-364-8466
Fax: 616-364-6537
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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Township Government
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Many
residents of our community do not know much about local government –
particularly township government. What they do know typically
relates to paying taxes, voting in elections, or getting a permit to
build something. People in Plainfield Township also recognize some
connection with local government when they pay water and sewer
bills, see fire equipment on the street, participate in a senior
citizens program, buy a cemetery lot, visit a Township park, or
somehow get involved in a rezoning issue. That just about
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Plainfield Charter Township
is a member of the
Michigan Townships
Association.
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sums it up
for most people. Meanwhile, the elected Board of Trustees, various
commissions, committees, boards, and the Township’s employees are
working quietly and diligently to help make Plainfield Township a
better place to live, work, and do business. We feel good when the
only stories in the newspapers are stories of positive change and
good news about things happening here.
Because Plainfield Township is a growing area, new development
and new homes often create tension and anxiety among property owners
who feel that the “rural” nature of their neighborhood is
disappearing. When a rezoning occurs or a new plat is proposed,
large numbers of citizens sometimes show up at the public hearings.
They are concerned about the impact of these new developments on
their property – especially if they think the development will
increase traffic or is a threat to their property values. Except for
occasional flurries of interest like this, we find citizens rarely
become involved and become aware of Plainfield Township’s role and
responsibilities in the growth and development of this community.
In just two short paragraphs, I have nearly covered what
Plainfield Township government means to most of its residents.
Cities and villages typically provide a whole lot more services.
They are responsible for maintaining and improving their streets.
Many maintain extensive parks systems, operate recreation programs,
provide substantial fire and police departments, and get involved in
property maintenance code enforcement. They often house and fund
district court operations, maintain drainage ways, and operate any
number of other programs. They also charge higher rates of local
taxes. For example, Wyoming levies over 10 mills in property taxes.
Grand Rapids collects nearly 8 mills and has a 1.3% city income tax.
Rockford charges about nearly 11 mills. Plainfield Township’s
property tax was about 2.75 mills for the past ten years. This year
it rose from 2.85 to 3.31 mills to begin paying off the loan to
build the new fire station on Plainfield Avenue at 5 Mile Road.
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If you own a home valued at $150,000, you paid about $224 in
property taxes last year and about $249 this year for Plainfield
Township government. The rest went to the other local taxing
districts. See the pie chart to the right showing where your property tax
dollars go.
My point is this: Plainfield Township government receives
relatively little in direct local taxes. This is especially true
compared to “full service” municipalities. That does not mean what
we do is unimportant; it means that our services may not be nearly
as extensive as, say, Rockford, Grandville, Kentwood, or Wyoming. So
what are the public services that Plainfield Township provides and
what do they cost?
Plainfield Township’s largest activities – public water and sewer
services -- are not funded by local taxes; they are funded by user
charges. We produce and distribute our own water, spending about
$3,000,000 last year. Sewer collection and treatment cost about
$2,200,000. The Township’s General Fund is supported by local
property taxes – about $2,300,000 – that are 41% of the total
General Fund revenue. Another 41% comes from revenue sharing from
the State of Michigan. The largest activity in the General Fund is
the Fire Department, for which we will spend about $2,140,000. We
will pay the Kent County Sheriff about $380,000 for extra police
patrol services.
If you live in and own property in Plainfield Township, you get
good and cost-effective “basic” services. You also get a low
property tax rate for township government. In a nutshell, that is
what we are all about. Granted, there is a whole lot more that your
local government can get into in terms of providing local government
services, but doing so will cost money. We all know where that money
would come from – property taxes. Over the years, your elected
officials have accepted the overall mandate from their voters that
they want good, but low cost, government that keeps its property tax
rate low. That’s what we do. And we think we are doing it well.
Robert Homan
Township Manager
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