BENTON HARBOR
BIL DU
22 days r readin . After the 22
days a 10 percent late fee will be
c rged.
,
y
VA CE ID $200,000 that
w recently paid to the city from the
Michigan Department of Natural
R ources w the local match that
ent to the Michi n Department of
Transportation for the Riverview
Drive project.
"MOOT bas frozen our major and
local street monies," Vance aid.
"We have not' really received any
money from MOOT !rom tax
. nee Scp mber or October."
"The expen e over revenue
received out of m [or and local street
fund, you're down to about a
$.40,000 surplus," Vance told the
eommi ion.
Vance also id of the re idential
property taxe , $568,000, which
amounts to 58 percent, worth of sum
mer taxes was uncollected. "That is
a cash flow problem for us as c10 e
to a loss," he aid. The city's share
would have been S259,000.
"As of 1990, all of the city's busi
ness, commercial, industrial and per
sonal property went under enterprise
zone," Vance aid. "We get only
what we collect."
BE SAID TO coueet real proper
ty the city could go to Circult Court
and forclosure on the property,
where the individual would have six
months to clear the taxes wf1h the
city. But if that didn't pen the
property is forclosed on and be
comes the city's, hich they can put
up for sale.
Vance said out of $1.9 million in
taxes owed to the city, which is due
February 15, $1.6 million is still out
standing.
"I'm hopeful in what we are going
to see between February 1,-actual
ly I hope it's sooner than that, be
cause what I'm really getting down
to' a severe cash flow problem,"
Vance said.
"We are at this point barely
making it from pay day to pay day,"
he said. "I don't see it as a long term
problem unless the economy con
tinues and we will know better by
February 15,just how much' <klin-
quent and how much we will have to
tart the collection proce on. "
He aid of February 15, a first
clas letter will be mailed to in
dividual nd then within a 30 day
period a certified .letter will be ent.
If there be no re pon e, the in
dividual within another 30 day
period will receive a hand delivered
final notice, nd that's when action
will tart.
VANCE SAID thi will be a
public i ue and omeone will end up
setting an example for the others.
"We are going to have to take some
body through the whole proces ,
there' no question in my mind about '
that", he aid.
"Citizens have to realize that we
have to pay our taxes both p rsonal
and property taxes in order or the
city to run," Commi ioner Ralph
Crenshaw said. "We need the tax
dollars in order to provide the kind of
serrvice that our city residents
need."
"We need to let the message go
out clear and loud to all tho e in
dividuals or businesses that have not
been paying their taxes that we in ..
tend to collect tho e taxes. If you are
going to do business in this city you
are going to pay taxes in this city. If
yo don't want to pay taxes, then you
bouldn't be here."
"We are going to collect those
taxes whether you volunteer to pay
them or we have to go into court and
seize the property in order to get the
tax money," he added.
"Historically, for ome reason, no
one really believes that Benton Har
bor intends 10 collect taxes," Vance
said. "I'm certainly going to need'
your input," he told the commis ion.
"I don't want to throw out words like
layoff and things like that, because I
just don't know if that i the answer, .
but we really do have a severe prob
lem, and I don't think I could say it
any stronger."
CALENDAR
At.
Pre-Scbool StoryTImc .
-on Wed day and Friday, January
29 and 31, from 10-10:45 a.m. The
film, Arthur's Eyes, wlllbe shown at
both sessions along with songs and
fingerplay for young children, age
3-5.
Movie are hown on turdlya'
at 1 p.m. Showing on Februry 1, will
be "Anansi" - an African folktale
and "The Red Shoes" - A tale of
some magic shoe that won't top
dancing.
pleung federal financial aid applica
tion forms, inlcuding the Financial
Aid Form, the Famil y Financial
Statement and the Application for
Federal Student Aid, from 12 noon
To assist students and parents in . to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday,
finding out what types of aid arc January 29 and 30 in the Mendel
available with the co- ponsorship of, Center.
area high schools, a Financial Aid There i no charge for the
Workshop will be held from 6:30 to worbbop or the as . lance in filling
8 p.m., on Tuesday, J 28, in 0 t rma. Pre-registration is not re-
the Mendel Cen r or Arts IDd quirc4 for either.
Technology at LMC. For more information call (616)
College's financial aid staff will 927-3571 or 1-800-252-1LMC, ext
be available to ist paren in com- 213.
BERNIC ROW ..
Benton Harbor City Commis
looers were informed by the Citf
Finance Director Michael Vance at a
January 18, Mayor and Comrni -
loner peel 1 wor bop that the City
of Benton Harbor w having finan
cial problems.
Uncollected ummer taxe , a
I e 1m ed freeze on road f'uDds,
poor ater bill collection and bip
ater department and road e.xpeDIe
have contributed to the dJht flnan
ueeze, Vance said.
:: : BentonHarbordidn'tj tgetinto
.::= : financial bind. Its money woes
:. • e made h dlines ince the late
: :uno's, pushing the city to the brink
_._- .
• -. ny times.
.: .:: But to many re idents it seem
: 8dd that new of the city' money
� !k>ubles should come to light now
that a new mayor and commissioners
• have taken office. Outgoing Mayor
: :WiIliam Wolf made a career out of.
�: ·announcing. the "City was prosper-
and coming back."
ory onth
MOUNT - au lecture. a dramatization of
African-American poetry. . Ebony contest and a world
cultural festival are some of the activities planned for eMU's 20th
annual observance of Black History Month in February.
This year' theme ·Black by nature, proud by choice."
The purp of ng 81ack Hi ory Month is "to
by -American people to thl
country,. Id director of eMU's office of
minority affairs. I
Contact: Steven Clark. (517) n4-3945 for event information.
. .
, I
,
._.. WOLF'S APPARENTLY mia-
0' • ding statements were carried by
daily paper as the truth.
: : : Aa:ordlng to Vance a lot of the
.. " y's h flow problem II mainly
:. ming from delinquent taxes and
'. ater bills.
�:�:- Vance said, even though the
:: .�venue sy tern wasn't put in place
:: expenses continued, along with
: _l'�pairs, including the $320,()()()
.. .. nt by the City on filters at the
:. �ty's water plant.
. ... Vance told the commission that
,. the other problem was major and
local streets. He said the Riverview
Drive project, which is completed,
but has not been finalalized out.
"Who owes who, oow much the
states need to reimburse us on tbe
engineering, which was pre-paid by
city." He said they don't know
-what their final cost was going to be
,. n the project.
..
,d igncdby
Ophelia Bryant; Cor-
, Ophelia Bry t nd
te ; Refre hmen ,
Mildred G Y and vert Will m;
U her, G die 80 den; nd
Publicity, Vera White.
AACP Officer
Allen Sr., P ident; Ora
Pre ident; Dorothy Green,
Secret ry; Very White, 1.
Secret ry; and Margaret B nk ,
Tre urer.
Rev. Gear King' the t P -
tor of Grant Chapel.
. I
... -
. .
........
. .
:. • 8Iood DrIve Set
.......
'. January is National Blood Donor
,..
• onth, and Mercy Memorial Medi-
cal Center will be hosting the
American Red Cross' bloQd drive on
Friday. January 31. Donors should
go to the Mercy Center Lecture
oom, Benton Harbor, between 11
.m. and 5 p.m.
Donors must be at least 17 years
• old, weigh 110 pounds and be in
.: good health. First-time donors m t
. be under 60 year old, but in
dividuals may donate up to age 72.
in .
A pecial piano election, "Go
Down Mo e "wa done by Mrs.
Mary White and excerpts from th
THE JUBILEE Day Committee
included, Rev. Doris Morgan, Chair-
...
won 'wD
club in
The Berrien County Democratic Committee. voted to recommend for charter two new Democratic
organizations. 'Club hi h '11 (i
The Benton Charter Township Democratic Club and the Benton Harbor Democratic w C. WI ocus
their effortson registering voters, get out the vote drives nd electin Democrats to-office accordmg to Jerry
Sirk Chairman, Berrien County Democratic Committee. ..
The requests for charter must be first approved by the county organization and then forwarded to tbe
Michigan State Democratic Party, who issu the charters. . .
Sirk said, "The applications seem to be in order an� I see nothing to. prevent MOP from I umg the chartera.
Once the charters have been issued the club can rat e funds on tbeir own to p�m�tc .Democratic gOOs in
thei r areas, The two new organizations will complement the efforts of the county, district fand tate Democratic
organizations."
MEMBERSHIP IN THE two clubs i open to all members of the Democratic Party 'who live in the club's
area. O'B .
The Benton Charter Township Democratic Club is chaired by Jack ram. .
Persons interested in assisting the Benton Charter Township Democratic Cl�b may contact O'Brain at
925-8905.
-Iohn Odom
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