ISSUES
TAXES
I believe it is important that in Plymouth Township, we strive to provide a high quality of life for our residents. This includes our twice a week trash collection, our police, fire, and emergency services, our network of parks and open space, and our constantly maintained roads and infrastructure.We should always do this while minimizing the tax burden on our residents. In our 2019 budget, 40% of the revenue comes from commercial taxes and just 10% comes from residential real estate taxes. It is important that we maintain this ratio and ensure that all commercial taxes are being collected. We live in a busy community and our residents deserve to benefit from our large amount of commercial business..
PLANNING
Planning for the present and the future, with a respect of the past, is essential for responsible governance in Plymouth Township. Over the past year, we have been working on our Plymouth 2040 Comprehensive Plan and our Parks, Recreation, and Open Space comprehensive plan. These are just two of the tangible ways we are outlining priorities and a vision for the township’s future.
While we plan for the future, it is still extremely important that we look for opportunities for responsible growth in the present that enhances our standard of living. Identifying and effectively planning for challenges such as traffic, historic preservation, and natural land preservation that come with growth is crucial to responsible development in the township.
PARKS & RECREATION
There are 11 parks throughout Plymouth Township, and within each, programming and public use that make Plymouth a great place to live. As a coach, I constantly see first hand the struggles that exist within youth sports to compete for available field space, maintain playing fields, and keep costs low for families. Our township government can play a major role in minimizing these struggles by keeping our parks updated for growing and current needs, maintaining the facilities within each, and helping our youth sports organizations to offset some costs wherever possible.
Our parks and recreation department has been responsible for great new events over the past few years, such as our Veterans Recognition Ceremony and our holiday tree lighting. Combining these new events with classics like Township Day, summer camps, our MLK Day of Service, and many others, we should always be looking for fun opportunities to strengthen our sense of community in Plymouth Township. While doing so, we need to keep the heart of our township parks and recreation system, the Greater Plymouth Community Center, updated and modern to serve the needs of our residents.
TOWNSHIP SERVICES
Our tax dollars are put to work in Plymouth Township, and much of that can be seen through the variety of services that are provided to residents. It is important than even when budgets get tight, we continue to prioritize these services and their importance to all of us.
Twice a week trash collection, yard waste and leaf collection, and maintenance of our roads with an annual paving schedule are just some of the most visible actions of our public works department and huge points of pride for our township.
In 2018, we approved funds for the purchase of new body cameras for our police department. This is just one example of the ways in which we must continue to take progressive measures to ensure public safety for all of our residents and visitors to the township.
In 2018, we also worked with our volunteer fire companies to help combat the struggle that many fire organizations face when it comes to recruiting and maintaining members. We have two volunteer fire companies, both with rich history and success in our township, and we need to continue to work with them to ensure that they can be effective in protecting residents each and every day.
