Blogs

SEPTEMBER 2009

What’s New on Community Connection:

The new home page of Community Connection is very interactive. The “Recent Posts” column will display once a member has logged in. Click on any post from this column to view the thread. A thread is the original message and all consecutive responses to it (follow the instructions below to view all threads to a post). [more]

Townships across Michigan are experiencing an increasing number of foreclosures in residential homes. Initially led by the sub-prime loan debacle, home foreclosures are now being further fueled by growing unemployment, in which Michigan leads the country. This condition threatens township financial integrity and quality of life in myriad ways. Here are a few ideas on how to cope with problems caused by the continuing foreclosure crisis. [more]

It sounded like a good idea: Modernize all the floodplain maps throughout the country and put them in digital format so that they can be easily accessed online. Unfortunately, like many good ideas, things can go wrong between conception and implementation. In this case, Michigan townships and their residents have to deal with new FEMA floodplain maps that are seriously inaccurate and now may have to pay to correct those mistakes. Read on to find how your township and your residents can deal with the new FEMA floodplain maps. [more]

Michigan continues to experience a slow period in land development and construction. Townships are reporting extremely low levels of development and building activity again this year. Despite the economy and the slowdown in real estate development, the courts are deciding zoning litigation at a heavy pace. We dedicate this blog to the Michigan zoning and land use developments of interest to townships in the first half of 2009. [more]

The Michigan Township Association recently released a memorandum to MTA member townships advising them that certain township officials, such as assessors, may no longer be classified as "independent contractors" for payroll tax purposes. Because many townships contract out some traditional township functions, we have received numerous inquiries about which township officials must be classified as "employees" for payroll tax purposes. Townships also want to know what to do about "independent contractors" who may have been incorrectly classified. This blog responds to those frequently asked questions. [more]