CRYSTAL LAKE TOWNSHIP IN BENZIE COUNTY MICHIGAN

NEXT BOARD MEETING: 6 p.m., December 18, 2024 at the township hall. The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend in person, or view a video of the meeting which will be posted the day after the meeting. Below is a draft agenda and links to those downloadable/readable documents that will be available for the board to consult in deciding township business. The main thrust of this meeting shall be the discussion of Short Term Rental Policy (STR). Please note that some documents are quite lengthy and you may want to judge paper usage before printing them out at home. Hard copies are available upon request of the staff. Check back through Friday for any additional items that may be added.

Draft Agenda (*)
Minutes: 11.20,24 (*)
Correspondence: Standerfer/Ironman; Homier/Local Control Ltr
County Commission: Report
Fire & Rescue: Report
Financials: November Summary, Complete Reports, Warrant Report (*)
Calendar: 2025 pkt (*)
Personnel: Dep Treas & Board Rep to collect taxes (*); Raise in pay for B&G/IT Staffer position (*)
Planning & Zoning: 3 PC nominations (*)
Old Business: Ironman action request (*); Draft STR Policy(*)

NEW EMAIL ADDRESSES: The township is trying to always look for more secure avenues for communicating and storing information. One of those steps recently taken is to establish safer emailing and to do that we needed to create all new email addresses for the staff. Prefixes will name the job position (e.g. clerk, deputy treasurer, zoningadmin) and the suffix will henceforward be cltbenzie.org. Please make changes to your address book accordingly.

PAYING TAXES: We are just about to enter the WINTER tax bill season. Invoices will be sent out in the beginning of December. If you haven't received yours via USPS by December 10, please contact the treasurer, Jill Marble [email protected] or 231-352-9791 ext 2. [And while we're on the topic, this is is a good reminder to think, “Did I pay my 2024 summer property taxes?” If you aren’t sure you paid earlier this year, call Treasurer Jill for that, too.] Last but not least, Treasurer Jill or her deputy, Elaine Walton will be in the township hall all day on Friday, December 27 (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) if you want to pay your taxes before the new calendar year.

2024-5 HOLIDAY SCHEDULE: The hall will again close for the year-end holidays at end of day on Fri. Dec. 20 and will reopen for business on Friday, Jan. 3. THE EXCEPTION to this is that the treasurer or her deputy will be in the office from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27 to receive those folks who wish to have their tax payments dated before the new year.

SHORT TERM RENTAL POLICY: An ordinance has been under consideration by the Board to regulate short term rentals in our township. This is a growing area of concern. Many other entities including those across the country and abroad have a policy in place to deal with two possible issues that a plethora of rentals on a very short term basis may bring: nuisances such a noise and loss of a stable community. In northern Michigan, the City of Frankfort, Lake Township and the Grand Traverse all have already instituted policies and installed enforcement mechanisms. Passing an ordinance in CLT isn't a given, but it is being closely studied. Click here to see what the township's Planning Commission submitted as a first draft in October. We may begin to consider edits to --or discontinuation all together of-- this draft at the December or January Board meetings. Your feedback is always welcomed.

IRONMAN 2025 & 2026: WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK. Frankfort City Council recently voted to sponsor another two years of the Ironman Event. Once again, no direct or dedicated communication was received from the City to Crystal Lake Township to discuss or request cooperation. In order to hold the Ironman in much the same fashion as the first four years, Crystal Lake is required to sign off with the proper authorities in order for the use of roads located within our township. Should the board sign off on this for the next two years? Let us know how you feel about this situation, commenting on anything from fun/financial benefits/favorable exposure to our area, to road closures/increased population/overload on our facilities such as police, fire and EMS. How would you advise your CLT representatives to vote on this issue? Use the "MESSAGE US" feature on the banner up above.

FIBER INSTALLATION IN CLT: Are you seeing the workers and the bright orange colored tubing being trenched into the roadsides around our township? Cherry Capital Communications is getting close to connecting homes to the newly constructed Crystal Lake Twp fiber-to-home network. CCC is estimating the first homes will be activated in December! If you are interested in signing up or would like more information, please go to https://portal.cccfiber.com or call 231-264-9970 option 1 for Sales. After signing up, there are several more steps to getting your home connected: 1) Fiber in conduit will be installed from the road to your home. 2) The fiber will be spliced into the network, which will allow for your home to be scheduled for activation. 3) At the time of activation, a fiber cable is installed in your home with CCC electronics. The electronics should be installed in the part of the home that has the most internet activity, typically a living room or office. For larger homes or multiple areas of the home, additional electronics can be installed. The goal is to get as many homes connected along the route as possible. The best time to sign up is now. A fast internet connection will allow you to stream TV, work from home, improve cell phone service. Any questions on common applications we are happy to answer your questions. Click here to view a broadband projected service map.

COMMUNITY GUIDANCE NEEDED ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: We are currently soliciting public feedback regarding environmental concerns/inquiries in Crystal Lake Township. If you have any input, please feel free to fill out our form so that we can capture and collate your feedback as we prioritize our 2025 agenda." Click here for form. Want to volunteer to be on the CLT Environment Committee? Email Abbie Ellsworth.

EMPLOYMENT/VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: Your community needs you! There is an immediate need to fill some township "empty seats." High priority is our need for Cemetery Committee Members with family in North or East Cemeteries; and a second Airport Authority appointee. But actually, we would welcome interested community members to join any of these areas: Blight Committee, Board of Review, Environment Committee; Fire & Rescue Committee; Planning Commission; Roads Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals. However, not only would the township like to see you involved with (y)our local government, in a myriad of ways so would Benzie County and Northern Michigan appreciate your involvement. Your voice and your skills are important. In addition to feedback, consider volunteering, or working in a staff position. Click here to take you to our Employment & Volunteerism webpage for volunteer opportunities. Last but not least, we recommend you check with the county website or look up some of the area's non-profits to might benefit from your assistance.