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JACKSON TWP. —
The lights at North Park that illuminate the walking track at night will remain off next week, as township trustees deal with the defeat of its property tax levy.
Starting Nov. 20, North Park will be open from dawn to dusk to save on electricity costs. The park at Wales Avenue and Fulton Drive NW opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. All other township parks already operate from dawn to dusk.
Trustees also will reduce the hours when residents can drop off their grass clippings, tree limbs and other yard debris. Beginning Nov. 26, operating hours for the yard waste collection site on Fulton Drive NW will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Currently, the year-round collection site is available 24-hours-a-day.
Administrator Marilyn Lyon said the township will save money because it no longer will need to pay workers overtime to maintain the waste pile on evenings and weekends.
Estimates on how much the township could save from the reductions were unavailable Wednesday.
Trustees said they were forced to make the cuts because voters last week defeated a 2.2-mill levy that would have raised about $2.9 million a year for the township’s road and park departments. Upkeep and maintenance of Jackson’s eight parks costs roughly $1 million a year, and funding historically had come from estate tax revenues, which state legislators eliminated for 2013.
Trustee James Walters said Tuesday the board will consider several options, including a levy devoted to the park system, possible employee layoffs or doing nothing. He hoped trustees would make a decision within the next few weeks.
The lights at North Park that illuminate the walking track at night will remain off next week, as township trustees deal with the defeat of its property tax levy.
Starting Nov. 20, North Park will be open from dawn to dusk to save on electricity costs. The park at Wales Avenue and Fulton Drive NW opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. All other township parks already operate from dawn to dusk.
Trustees also will reduce the hours when residents can drop off their grass clippings, tree limbs and other yard debris. Beginning Nov. 26, operating hours for the yard waste collection site on Fulton Drive NW will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Currently, the year-round collection site is available 24-hours-a-day.
Administrator Marilyn Lyon said the township will save money because it no longer will need to pay workers overtime to maintain the waste pile on evenings and weekends.
Estimates on how much the township could save from the reductions were unavailable Wednesday.
Trustees said they were forced to make the cuts because voters last week defeated a 2.2-mill levy that would have raised about $2.9 million a year for the township’s road and park departments. Upkeep and maintenance of Jackson’s eight parks costs roughly $1 million a year, and funding historically had come from estate tax revenues, which state legislators eliminated for 2013.
Trustee James Walters said Tuesday the board will consider several options, including a levy devoted to the park system, possible employee layoffs or doing nothing. He hoped trustees would make a decision within the next few weeks.
