The Open Meetings Act (OMA) of Michigan requires notice to be given before a meeting is held and requires minutes to be prepared as a record of actions taken at the meeting. Perhaps most importantly, the OMA is the source of requirement that all votes of a public body must be made public.
Lawrence Township complies with the OMA by posting notices of meetings at three locations: Lawrence Community Services Building (Fire Station), Lawrence Post Office, Lawrence Township Hall (near the Business Office door). In addition, public notices are posted to this website.
NOTICE OF THE LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Board Meeting
Lawrence Township Hall
411 N. PAW PAW STREET
LAWRENCE, MICHIGAN
To: The residents and property owners of Lawrence Township, Van Buren County, Michigan, and any other interested parties.
Please take notice that a Regular Board Meeting of the LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES will be held on April 11, 2024 at 7:00 p.m(possibly 6pm). It will be held in-person at the Lawrence Township Hall 411 N. Paw Paw St. Lawrence, MI 49064.
Starting with the April 2023 meeting we will no longer be offering internet connection for the public. If you have questions or want a copy of the Agenda the week of the meeting please feel free to contact Clerk Janssen at 269-674-4255 or at clerk@lawrence-township.org.
The public may participate in the meeting via computer or smart phone, through freeconferencecall.com, using the following link. For best performance, please download the desktop or mobile app for Free Conference Call (FCC). https://join.freeconferencecall.com/clerk060. Online meeting ID: clerk060
The public may also participate by calling into the phone numbers below: Non-Toll-Free number (760) 548-9303 or Toll Free (844) 854-2222 and providing access code 475629#
All meeting will be held in-person at 411 N. Paw Paw St. Lawrence, MI 49064.
BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
To be held
on 03/28/2023 at 4:00 P.M.,
at 411 N. Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI 49064.
The Lawrence Township Board will hold a special meeting and public hearing on the proposed township budget for fiscal year starting April 1, 2024, 411 N Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI 49064, on 03/28/2024 at 4:00 P.M. *The property tax millage rate proposed to be levied to support the proposed budget will be a subject of this hearing. Additionally, the budget, and/or a General Appropriations Act for the Township, and/or millage rates, may be reviewed and adopted. The Township Board will meet at the above address, if the entire meeting will be in person at said address.
The public may participate in the meeting by attending at 411 N. Paw Paw Street, Lawrence, MI 49064. Members of the public will only be able to speak at the meeting during the public comment portion of the meeting and such comment will be limited to two minutes per person. To provide for orderly public comment, a person wishing to speak during public comment must state their name and request to be recognized by the Moderator. The Moderator will recognize all persons wishing to speak during public comment. If, prior to the meeting, members of the public have certain questions or wish to provide input on any business that will be addressed at the meeting then such persons may contact the BOARD OF TRUSTEES members by emailing the Clerk at the email address below.
The Lawrence Township Board of Trustees will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as signers for the hearing impaired and audio recordings of printed materials being considered at the meeting, to individuals with disabilities at the meeting or public hearing upon 7 day notice to the Lawrence Township Board of Trustees. Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or services should contact the Township by writing or calling the following: Township Clerk, 411 N. Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI 49064, (269) 674-4255 |
A copy of this notice is on file in the Clerk’s Office, located at 411 N. Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI 49064, (269) 674-4255.
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ELECTORS
THE LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP
To be held
on 03/28/2023 at 4:30P.M.
Upon majority vote of the Lawrence Township Board of Trustees, the ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ELECTORS will be held at the Lawrence Township Hall, 411 N. Paw Paw St. Lawrence MI.
Take note, an increase in the road millage by Township Board of Trustees by vote and without submission to the voters will be discussed, as well as a potential Township wide special assessment for roads. The level consistent expected to be imposed is a millage or special assessment approximating to an extent the road millage the recently expired road millage.
The Lawrence Township Board of Trustees will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as signers for the hearing impaired and audio recordings of printed materials being considered at the meeting, to individuals with disabilities at the meeting or public hearing upon 7 day notice to the Lawrence Township Board of Trustees. Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or services should contact the Township by writing or calling the following: Township Clerk, 411 N. Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI 49064, (269) 674-4255 |
A copy of this notice is on file in the Clerk’s Office, located at 411 N. Paw Paw St., Lawrence, MI 49064, (269) 674-4255.
Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2023
State Tax Commission's
New Poverty Exemption Procedure
The STC has created a new application. Click below for related documents that need to be used when one applies.
We are often asked about local food pantries. Here is a great website that is helpful for local listings.
Feedwm.org/findfood/
If you want Programs you have to qualify for that do distributions locally.
SMCAA Commodity supplemental Food Program: http://www.smcaa.com/programs/commodity-supplemental-food-program
Cannabis Agency Notice
Paid for with a grant from the State of Michigan, Lawrence Township has secure lock boxes available for residents. These boxes help prevent unwanted consumption of legal drugs and provide a safe means of legal transportation. Please visit the Township Hall at 411 N. Paw Paw St. to request a free lock box.
Van Buren County Brush and Invasive Species Spray Program
Road Commission Launches New
Service Request App
Recently the Van Buren County launched SeeClickFix, a new app allowing citizens to report non-emergency road issues. Residents and the motoring public can take a photo of a road issue, such as a pothole, give the location, add a description, and click “submit” to send requests directly to the Van Buren County Road Commission through SeeClickFix.
Road Commission Interim Managing Director/Operations Director, Greg Brucks, states, “SeeClickFix makes it easier for staff at the Van Buren County Road Commission to identify and address road-related issues in a timely fashion. SeeClickFix is a mobile app that lets citizens report issues on-the-go, and receive real time notifications when the service request has been updated. This will not only serve to increase civic engagement by involving citizens in community dialogue, but will also improve the efficiency in which service requests are addressed.”
SeeClickFix is available immediately for citizen use as follows:
•On Facebook at www.facebook.com/VBCRC
•On the Van Buren County Road Commission’s website at www.VBCRC.org
•Download on the App Store or on Google Play
•On line at www.SeeClickFix.com
For answers to any questions about SeeClickFix, please contact the Van Buren County Road Commission at 269-674-8011, Extension 0. The Road Commission urges you to, “Get Connected. Get Involved. Get Results.”
VAN BUREN COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION
NEWS RELEASE BETTER HIGHWAYS: SAVE LIVES, SAVE TIME,
SAVE MONEY _____________________________________________________________________________________
Lawrence, Michigan 2024-02
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
DATE: March 13, 2024 CONTACT: Bret
Witkowski, Managing Director
Van Buren County Road
Commission
RELEASE: Immediately Post Office
Box 156
Lawrence, Michigan 49064
PHONE: (269) 674-8011, Extension
222
FARMERS ARE ASKED
TO KEEP RIGHT-OF-WAY CROP FREE
“We Mow - So Don’t Sow!”
THE ROAD COMMISSION WANTS YOU TO KNOW . . .
With spring quickly approaching, area farmers are anxiously awaiting another planting season. But before spring tillage and planting gets underway, the Van Buren County
Road Commission wants to remind farmers that crops must be a minimum of 14' from the road’s edge, or behind the “back
slope” of an existing ditch as set forth in the diagram below. Any crops planted in the right-of-way are there at the farmers’ risk and
no compensation for loss of crops in the right-of-way will be considered pursuant to Road Commission Policy 2022-02.
Because the Road Commission
maintains the right-of-way by performing mowing cycles to keep roadsides and intersections clear and suitable for travel, farmers should be
aware that any crops planted within the right-of-way will be mowed. The Road Commission also performs roadside chemical
vegetation management in the late summer to control brush and woody vegetation within the road right-of-way. The road
right-of-way is specifically reserved for the placement of road signs, and public utilities.
The road right-of-way is typically
a width of 66 feet (33 feet on either side of the centerline of the road). To review a copy of the Board of County Road
Commission’s Policy 2022-02, Right-of-Way Mowing, Brush Control & Spraying Policy visit the Road Commission’s website at:
www.vbcrc.org/vegetationmaintenance, or contact the Road Commission’s Managing Director, Bret Witkowski, at 269-674-8011,
Extension 222, BretWitkowski@vbcrc.org. The Road Commission’s Policy complies with the standards created by law (MCL
247.665b).
VAN BUREN COUNTY ROAD
COMMISSION
More Information from the Road Commission
Obstacles in the Road Right-of-Way
THE ROAD COMMISSION WANTS YOU TO KNOW . . .
It’s the end of November and Michigan’s first snowflakes have already fallen. The County Road Commission reminds all residents that obstacles in the road right-of-way which could be hidden by snow and struck by snow removal equipment should be removed as soon as possible. These encroachments include, but are not limited to:
▸ Basketball hoops
▸ Holiday decorations
▸ Fencing
▸ Signs
▸ Landscaping rocks, timbers or bricks
Other encroachments include temporarily parking or placing items in the road right-of-way, such as:
▸ Boat lifts
▸ Garbage dumpsters
▸ Vehicles
These encroachment obstacles can cause injury to people and/or damage to equipment for which a property owner can be held responsible. If the Road Commission discovers an obstruction and determines that there is not a permit on file, we will require the responsible individual(s) to pay for any damage costs.
Mailboxes are the only object allowed in the road right-of-way without a permit. Mailboxes must conform to Guidelines established by the US Postal Service and the Van Buren County Road Commission. The mailbox must be constructed of light steel, aluminum or plastic that meets the USPS Postmaster General’s seal of approval. The post must be a 4"x4" wooden support, or a 2" diameter standard steel or aluminum pipe imbedded no more than 24" in the ground. Mailbox posts should not be set in concrete, or fitted with a bottom anchor plate, but the mailbox should be attached to the post well enough to prevent separation.
If you have a question regarding encroachments, or your mailbox or post, please contact the Van Buren County Road Commission at 269-674-8011.
VAN BUREN COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION
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