Schlegel Sees Positives in Township Quality of Life

Township Manager Helene Schlegel has lived in the town for close to 30 years now and when she gave her State of The Township Address at the recent council meeting she said she has seen a lot of changes in that time. Even with all the changes Schlegel said she still believes Howell’s residents have a quality of life that she believes is “exceptional.”

Schlegel pointed to several examples of why she believes the township is such a special place to live including the fact that out of 565 municipalities in the state Howell ranks 21st in total area but only 402nd in population density. “Clearly this indicates that much of the Township is dedicated to open space, much of which is publicly owned and offers a wide assortment of both passive and active recreational and outdoor activities for families to enjoy.”

Since the 1980’s Schlegel said the population has grown significantly, also requiring more services than when she first moved into the township. While saying the intention of her speech was not to “impart a history lesson,” she added, “I do feel that to fully appreciate the context of today we must first understand where we were yesterday, because when tomorrow arrives and we look back on today we will be viewing our legacy.”

Looking forward Schlegel said she believed, “It is this council’s mission to leave a legacy where the quality of life in Howell will be even better for the next generation to enjoy.” Part of that legacy, she said, was giving the speech in the new Municipal Building for the first time. Schlegel said she was able to do that, “because the governing body had the courage in the face of adversity to make a difficult decision.” And because of that decision, she said the township has gone from a “fragmented” organization into a “centralized organization providing local government services in an efficient and business like environment.”

As part of the move she said the cost for renovations and site improvements “remain well under the budgeted amounts and that rental income has exceeded all anticipated amounts.” She said the overall income from the building exceeded expenses by more than $171 thousand.

The township has also faced its fair share of challenges, particularly when it comes to Hurricane Sandy. Even with the work of cleaning up from the storm Schlegel said the administration worked to be as economically efficient as possible, paying close to $1.5 million less for some of the same services other municipalities used. “This effort exemplifies the Township’s commitment to the prudent stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

On the economic front Schlegel said the township has seen a 6.54 percent reduction in debt service, which she said saves $66 thousand annually. She also said construction revenue is up $136 thousand from last year. When it comes to taxes Schlegel said the average bill for residents this year was $7,547.53 of which the township collects less than 18 percent with that money funding things like the police department, roadway maintenance and other administrative and community programs.

Schlegel said the fiscal position for the township is “stable and at an acceptable level,” but added that “unanticipated expenditures as always remain a concern.”

There are also other projects the administration is working on including looking at ways to alleviate congestion on Route 9 as well as what she called a “major beautification project,” for the Route 9 and Route 33 corridors. She also pointed to an improved relationship with the Howell Chamber of Commerce and the business community as a whole as important changes for the past year. “This governing body has worked diligently to rebrand Howell as business friendly to attract good clean commercial ratables.”

Overall Schlegel said she was proud to call herself a resident of the township and was glad to see others feel the same way. “When measured in terms of personal wealth, Howell Township is not a rich town. But in what really matters Howell Township is a rich town, because Howell is rich in history and heritage, rich in diversity and rich in community.”