Dear Hartland Township Taxpayer:

Maintaining the Township’s road infrastructure has become increasingly difficult for the Livingston County Road Commission (LCRC) with substantial reductions in state funding. Try as the Township might to subsidize those costs from its own general fund, several of our major roads are continuing to degrade. For many years, various Township Boards have struggled with the issue of how to pay for needed road repairs, maintenance and improvements that have gone unfunded by the LCRC – an expensive problem with no easy answers. We are seeing fewer and fewer investments in recent years and continuing to accept the deterioration of our roads is no longer an option. We must do more than just minimally maintain these important road networks.

Since 2007, the Board of Trustees has been holding strategic planning sessions to discuss how best to help Hartland Township be a “Township of Excellence”. Investing more in our vital road and pathway networks has always been on our priority list. Good roads and pathways promote public safety, reduce wear and tear on our vehicles, and sustain property values. But, given the declining funding for the LCRC and the current state of the economy, Hartland Township cannot afford to make significant investments from the general fund.

In early 2008, the Board appointed a committee of Township officials and residents to study all issues and research possible funding sources, including the possibility of a voter-approved road millage. The Board has decided to place this question before the voters to decide if they wish to approve additional taxes for Township road improvements and maintenance.

As a community, it is important everyone understands all the complexities of the issues we face and the potential costs associated with them. To bring this to the community, the Board of Trustees is hosting two town hall meetings over the coming months. We ask that you come to one of these meetings to express your concerns and ask the questions that will help us move forward with these difficult issues. The town hall meeting schedule is:

     Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 7:00pm
     Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 7:00pm

Click here for a brochure of Frequently Asked Questions.  We are ready and willing to respond to any questions or concerns you may have on this important issue.

HARTLAND TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES