Boards

114 N Kidd St

Ionia, MI 48846

616-527-4170 Fax: 616-527-0810

Monday -Friday 8:00 to 5:00

Boards and Commissions:

Members of the City’s various Boards and Commissions play a vital role in the governance of the City. They provide an opportunity for residents to participate in the local decision making process. In most instances, appointees are nominated by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. If you are interested in serving on a Board or Commission, please contact the City Manager at ioniamanager@ci.ionia.mi.us for further information.

A list of meeting dates for most Boards and Commissions is available upon request from City Hall.

Board of Review: The Board of Review consists of three residents who, at the time of their appointment, are not either elected or appointed officials of the City. Members serve three year terms. Responsibilities of the Board of Review include the following:

· Correct or amend the property tax assessment roll and to increase or decrease any assessment or valuation of taxable property.

· Review and act upon Homestead Property affidavits.

· Endorse the property tax roll.

The Board of Review meets in March of each year to hear appeals on property tax assessments. The Board also meets in December to review Homestead Property affidavits.

Meetings are held at City Hall. The meetings are open to the public.

Board of Zoning Appeals (ZBA): The ZBA consists of seven members appointed for three year terms. The ZBA is responsible for hearing requests from those appealing a decision of the City’s Community Development Director or those requesting special exceptions from the City’s Zoning Ordinance. The ZBA receives City staff assistance from the City’s Community Development Director.

Meetings of the ZBA are held on an as needed basis beginning at noon at City Hall. The public is invited to attend.

Building Authority: The Building Authority consists of three members which serve as its Board of Commissioners. As established by ordinance, members of the Commission are the City Manager, City Attorney and Finance Director. The Authority is responsible for acquiring, furnishing, equipping, owning, improving, enlarging, operating and maintaining certain public buildings, automobile parking lots or structures, recreational facilities and the related sites.

Projects completed by the Authority include improvements to City Hall, construction of the Department of Public Works building and Public Safety buildings and improvements to the Armory Community Center.

Unless the Authority has an active project, the Board only meets periodically to approve the payments on outstanding bonds that were used to finance projects. Meetings are held at City Hall and open to the public.

Downtown Development Authority (DDA): The DDA consists of the Mayor, DDA Director, and eight members appointed by the Mayor. At least five of the eight members shall be persons having an interest in the DDA development district. Terms of office are four years.

The DDA is responsible for:

· Acting as the planning body for future development in the DDA district.

· Overseeing the expense of funds collected by the Tax Increment Finance Authority (TIFA) district.

· Developing plans for marketing the downtown and its businesses.

· Acting as the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

Meetings of the DDA are held at 8:00 am on the third, Wednesday of each month at City Hall. The public is invited to attend.

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Regular Meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month beginning at 8:00 AM at City Hall, 114 North Kidd Street.

January 16, 2008 July 16, 2008

February 20, 2008 August 20, 2008

March 19, 2008 September 17, 2008

April 16, 2008 October 15, 2008

May 21, 2008 November 19, 2008

June 18, 2008 December 17, 2008

Housing Commission: The Housing Commission consists of five members who are appointed by the Mayor for terms that are five years. Responsibilities of the Housing Commission include operating and managing housing developed specifically for those with lower incomes. The Housing Commission currently manages two facilities in the City, Pine Vista Apartments located on Union Street and West Meadows Apartments located on Haynor Road and Robertson Court.

Meetings of the Housing Commission are held the Housing Commission’s Offices at Pine Visa Apartments. You may contact the Housing Commission at (616) 527-9060.

Ionia Community Library Board of Trustees: The Ionia Community Library was formed on July 1, 2004 to provide library services to residents of the Ionia Public School District (minus Portland and Lyons Townships which are served by other district libraries). Effective July 1, 2006, the Library will be governed by a seven member Board of Trustees consisting of two members each from the City of Ionia, Ionia Township and Easton Township and one member appointed by the Ionia Public School District. The Board of Trustees is responsible overseeing the operations of the library.

Board of Trustees meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 PM at the Hall-Fowler Memorial Library. In addition, the Board meets as a Committee-of-the-Whole at 5:30 PM on the first Wednesday of each month. The public is invited to attend.

Further information about the services provided by the Ionia Community Library is available on the Library’s website at www.ionia.llcoop.org.

Local Development Finance Authority: The Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA) is governed by a ten member Board of Directors, seven of whom are appointed by the Mayor with the confirmation of the City Council. One member is appointed by the Ionia County Board of Commissioners and two members are appointed by the chief executive officer of the North LeValley School District. The LDFA district consists of the City’s Orchard View Industrial Park. The purpose of the LDFA is to work towards the elimination of unemployment, underemployment and joblessness and to promote economic growth in the City.

The LDFA Board of Directors meets periodically to conduct the business of the LDFA. Meetings are held at City Hall and the public is invited to attend.

Local Officers Compensation Commission: The Local Officers Compensation Commission consists of five residents of the community who are appointed to recommend the salaries of the Mayor, City Councilmembers and City Clerk. Members may not an employee of the City nor a member of the immediate family of any elected official. By local ordinance the Commission may only meet in odd numbered years at which time they recommend salaries for the following two calendar years. Meetings are held at City Hall and open to the public.

Planning Commission: The City of Ionia Planning Commission consists of nine members; three ex officio members without a vote and six members with a vote. The ex officio members are the Mayor, City Attorney and a member of the City Council, as appointed by the Mayor. The six other members are residents of the community who are interested in serving their community and come from varying professional backgrounds. The term of a voting member is three years.

The responsibilities of the Planning Commission include the following:

· To make and adopt a comprehensive development plan for the future physical development of the City.

· To divide the City into zoning districts or “zones” and recommend appropriate regulations for these zones.

· To make recommendations to the City Council, to public officials, and to citizens regarding all matters relating to the planning and development of the City.

The Planning Commission receives City staff assistance from the Community Development Director. Planning Commission meetings are held on an as-needed basis usually beginning at 4:00 PM in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Meetings are open to the public.

PLANNING COMMISSION Regular Meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month, unless otherwise noted, beginning at 4:00 PM at City Hall on the dates noted below:

January 9, 2008 July 9, 2008

February 13, 2008 August 13, 2008

March 12, 2008 September 10, 2008

April 16, 2008* October 8, 2008

May 14, 2008 November 12, 2008

June 11, 2008 December 10, 2008

*The April meeting will be held the third Wednesday of the month due to a conflict with Spring Break.

Minutes of the Planning Commission (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these Minutes): December 21 2007, December 13 2007, November 2007, October 2007, September 2007, August 2007, June 2007, May 2007, April 2007, March 2007, January 2007