Supervisor Says Township Will Adopt Pro-Business Focus in 2012

With a population in excess of 75,000 and a surplus in the budget, Supervisor Mark Grabow said Macomb Township is in an ideal position to now focus its energies on expanding the area’s business sector.

"My specific goals are to fill (Macomb’s) vacant businesses and retain them," Grabow said, following his State of Macomb Township Address Friday at . “I look forward to another great year with extending growth and improvements in 2012.” 

In 2011, Macomb Township awarded certificates of zoning compliance and/or occupancy to 58 new businesses, an increase of 18 over 2010, and saw several current businesses expand their facilities and staff.

“, , and –these are companies that three years ago were extremely hurting and trying to sustain themselves,” Grabow said. “As of today, these companies are scrambling trying to do their add-ons (and) manpower recruitment.”

Receiving support from the township in the form of industrial facilities exemption certificates, or tax abatements, these companies have expanded their manufacturing capabilities and enlarged their workforces.

“This is definitely a sign of the rebirth that Michigan is need of,” Grabow said. “These are companies now employing people to become a part of Macomb Township. Some of those employees continue to relocate their families to Macomb.”

In addition to the expansion of industry, Grabow credits the community’s sound finances and diverse services with the sustaining the area’s population growth.

“While the economic times are not as stable as we’d like them to be, I’m proud to say that Macomb Township has continued to remain strong in the building and the sound financial future of our residents. We continue to watch and be extremely cautious in our expenditures. We are not reactive to the economics of the local areas surrounding us. We are responsive to the needs of Macomb Township.”

Calling 2011 a “fantastic year,” Grabow noted the success of various township departments and services with a by-the-numbers report, the highlights of which are as follows:

Building and Assessing Departments

• Issued 388 residential permits in 2011, making Macomb again a leader in the State of Michigan
• Is responsible for assessing some 25,800 residencies
• Monitors 245 commercial buildings, 103 industrial buildings, nine churches, 18 schools and four cemeteries in the township

Treasurer's Department

• Saw 2,600 residents sign up for automatic water/sewer withdrawals in the past six months
• Implemented online bill pay options

Broadcast Media

• Increased visitor traffic to the township website by 13 percent in 2011
• Regularly oversees more than 100 cable programs
• Maintains web-streaming for 4,200 programs and meetings
• Provides video coverage of 28 local high school sports

Parks and Recreation

• 5,214 members of the in 2011
• 46,000 daily visits annually
• 1,800 swim lessons
• 600 birthday parties
• Completed phase II of , which now includes six ball diamonds, seven soccer fields, two sand volleyball, a playscape, several picnic shelters, a one-mile walking path and inline skating rink

SMART Dial-A-Ride

• Runs three vans Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Employs eight part-time drivers, a program coordinator and a dispatcher
• Had 6,291 rides last year, up 48 percent from 2010
• Boasts 275 annual passengers, a 16 percent increase over 2010
• Plans are in place to build a vehicle garage by the end of 2012

Fire Department

• with a new state-of-the-art vehicle
• Responded to just under 3,800 calls in 2011, 200 more than 2010

Macomb County Sheriff's Office

• Completed a $60,000
• 20 deputies, a dispatcher and two command staff in the township
• 10 patrol vehicles based at the sub-station drove 350,000 miles within township in 2011