At the first meeting of 2024, Holland Village Council reviewed zoning and administrative reports for 2023.
Leslie Ferman, administrative assistant, provided council with the report at the January 2 meeting. Her report focused on several areas: zoning permits and complaints; lodge and community building rentals; community reinvestment area program; Rail Park ballfield scheduling, and stormwater management oversight.
Zoning
The zoning department responded to 20 complaints pertaining to various zoning violations and general complaints, Ms. Ferman said.
Complaints filed last year were for junk and junk motor vehicles, 11; exterior property, four; front yard parking, three; exterior condition, and chickens and recreation vehicles, one apiece.
Over the past year, 11 permits were issued for signage, five; fencing, four, and driveway and porch enclosure, one each.
“Three cases were in Sylvania Municipal Court,” she said, adding, “Two were dismissed with prejudice and can be refiled should the violations recur. One case, a junk motor vehicle case, had a pre-trial scheduled for December 29, 2023.”
Rentals
“Both rental facilities are holding steady in rentals with the lodge having an increase of seven rentals from 2022,” Ms. Ferman said, noting that community building rentals decreased by two.
Rental fees remained balanced with $46,355 in fees collected last year compared to $43,705 in 2022. Of those $29,105 was collected for the lodge and $17,250 for the community building. The village paid employees a total of $45,385 to clean the buildings between rentals.
Strawberry Acres Lodge was rented 88 times last year. April was the busiest month for rentals, 10; followed by November, nine; February, July, October and December, eight apiece; January, June and August, seven each; May, six, and March and September, five apiece.
Community Reinvestment Area
“There were no new property tax abatements granted in 2023,” she said.
She noted that there is one last active CRA which will return to taxable status on January 1, 2025.
Created in 1989, the Holland CRA offers 100 percent abatements on improvements for new construction and remodeling over $5,000 for a 15-year period.
Asphalt is not considered an abatable improvement.
Ballfield
Use of Rail Park has remained steady throughout the spring and fall softball season.
“Several youth football coaches also have used the field for practice after the fall softball season,” Ms. Ferman said.
Stormwater Management
“The village is a co-permittee on the Lucas County permit,” Ms. Ferman explained, and the permit was renewed in 2021.
To keep the village consistent in site reviews, inspections and enforcement actions, council enacted a memorandum of understanding with the Lucas County engineer’s office and adopted the county’s stormwater management plan, illicit discharge and soil and erosion regulations.
“The Lucas County stormwater program will oversee field inspections and site plan reviews for new construction projects,” she said, and added, “The village will be responsible for reimbursing the county for associated costs.”
Holland also is responsible for several minimum control measures contained in the permit including public education and public involvement, Ms. Ferman noted.
These measures can be met by continuing our relationships with the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments stormwater coalition, Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District and by participating in the Clean Water Campaign website.
Since implementing the agreement with the county, a total of $662 has been invoiced for services rendered and the village’s cost for public education/media campaigns.
She added that costs for services through the county engineer’s office and soil and water conservation district total $1,500 and annual dues and media campaigns through TMACOG are $700. Both are budgeted for 2024.
