It was wall-to-wall good news last week as Rana Emmons, a partner with the Plymouth-based PSLZ LLP Certified Public Accountants, presented the Oxford Township Board with the audit report for the 2015 fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31.
Emmons was pleased to report the property tax revenue that feeds the township’s general fund – the municipality’s chief operating fund – increased by 2.7 percent, from $650,725 in 2014 to $668,410 in 2015.
“That is significantly higher than what you would find in Oakland County,” she said.
The county is “leading the pack” when it comes to taxable value increases for residential properties with the average being 1.8 to 1.9 percent, according to Emmons.
For Oxford to be above that, “speaks very highly of the township and the development that you have going on here,” she told the board.
Township cash reserves continued to be quite robust as the general fund ended the year with an unrestricted fund balance of $2.047 million, according to the audit report. This money can be spent or saved at the township’s discretion.
There was a lot of activity in the township last year as far as capital outlay and projects that were accomplished.
Emmons summarized them for the board.
They included adding safety paths to Seymour Lake Rd. and M-24; repairing cemetery mausoleums; building an addition to the main fire station; purchasing two new ambulances; completing the new township meeting room and Oakland County Sheriff’s substation; and selling the Oxford Veterans Memorial Civic Center (28 N. Washington St.), commonly known as the Vets Hall, for $450,000.
“It was a busy year, but all good things,” Emmons said.
Selling the Vets Hall netted $420,713 in proceeds for the township, which will be used to build a small community center in Seymour Lake Twp. Park.
The township was also able to pay $483,680 up front for repairs and improvements to the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor (OMI) Drain.
“We actually didn’t go into debt for that one,” Emmons said. “We paid that one off.”
Oxford’s sewage flows through the OMI Drain on its way to Detroit for treatment.
Emmons was also pleased to report the township made its final payment this month on the combined fire/library bond debt.
The township had been levying a property tax to pay it off, the most recent rate being 0.45 mill in December 2015. Prior to that, it was 1.65 mills.
“That’s all done now,” Emmons said. “Going forward, you won’t be levying that millage. That’s a significant savings to the residents here. Everyone ought to be happy about that one.”
Nothing but good news in township’s audit report added by CJ Carnacchio on
View all posts by CJ Carnacchio →
Yeah right! Some safety path on M24. It starts out fine but then you have about 400 feet in the middle without a path causing pedestrians and bicyclists to walk and ride on the shoulder of busy M24.
The reason for the gap is despite many attempts, the township has been unable to get ahold of the property owner in order to secure the necessary easement to allow the safety path in front of his property. The township cannot build a safety path there without the property owner’s consent.
Mr. Carnacchio…How about eminent domain for public safety? The township needs to stop pussy footing around with these people. Another area that needs a safety path is from the quick oil change on M24 to Drahner Road.
These two areas are important for the citizens of Oxford. A path from Drahner to Lake Orion safety path system would allow us to bicycle and walk to Lake Orion and then onto their vast safety path system. Finishing the path from the Burning Oak to the south would allow the citizens to walk or ride bicycles to Meijer and McDonalds..
Can’t the township see how dangerous it is for us to walk or ride our bikes on the shoulder of M24? Besides the shoulder is littered with small stones and debris making it almost impossible to ride a bicycle on.
The lazy politicians need to go!
I was simply explaining why the gap exists.
Thank you. I was just venting my frustration with Oxford’s inadequate safety paths.