Dealing with Grand
Ledge Government
"The problem with government
at every level in our culture today is that those in the government
have forgotten they are supposed to be there 'for the people,' not trying
to make lives more difficult for the citizens they are elected, or hired,
to serve." — william
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It has been my experience here
in Grand Ledge that the government simply tells you in threatening terms
that you are in violation of something without offering any reasonable
solutions. The above letter is a fine example of how a government can
alienate its citizenry, cause stress, place burdens on them, plus add
a not so subtle form of blackmail, all in one fell swoop.
It took five days for the letter
to arrive. I checked our mail Tuesday afternoon on July 20, 2024, and
immediately opened the envelope to see whatever it was the city might
be sending us. I was more than a little bit miffed for all of the reasons
I have stated in the previous paragraph. Since the fourteen days was
from the date of the letter, and it took five days for the letter to
get to us, this meant we only effectively had nine days at ages 70 and
73 to take down a 10X40 well designed heavy structure in the middle
of winter, and figure out where to store it since our garage repairs
were being held hostage by the building permit requirement. That would
be the very garage where we intended to store the carport tents. The
same garage we had to remove all of the contents from and keep empty
until the company we hired to repair and straighten it did their work.
It became out of square when a 40 foot 24 inch in diameter tree fell
on it last August during a major storm. When the insurance company finally
approved repairs, we were number 65 in line waiting to be placed on
the schedule. After the letter, I received a voicemail from the contractor
stating they were ready to get us scheduled, but were being prevented
by the city which was holding up the building permit, as is clearly
stated in the letter we received.
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In addition to that, we have
to figure out how to protect our cars from the weather, considering
we are still in the heart of winter, even if we have been blessed with
some nice days. All of this is supposed to take place in a nine day
time frame, or the government is going to penalize us with stiff fines
because we happen to live in one of three residential houses at the
very edge of the "Central Business District" zoning, and are in violation
of rules created by these government servants who are supposed to be
in place "for the people." It is no wonder our country is in such a
disarray when even a local government is creating such stress on its
citizens for simply trying to protect their cars from the weather.
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As you can see, it is not like we just threw up some
temporary shanty behind a business storefront for whatever purpose.
My wife suggested we try to start taking the carports down that day
since we had decent weather. First, I immediately went to the Grand
Ledge city hall to get information that might enlighten me on what our
options were to keep our cars protected. I was told the person who sent
us this letter is only in Grand Ledge one day per week. I asked for
a copy of a zoning map. I wanted to see if Joyce Park was in the same
zoning. I was told they do not have that information, only the one day
per week person has the information I requested. For virtually every
question I asked, the response was I needed to see the city government
employee who was in town only one day per week. Luckily, as I was walking
down the hall toward the police department, the city clerk happened
to come out of his office, saw me looking at some maps on the walls,
and asked if I had any questions. When I told him I was looking for
a zoning map, he said he had one on the wall in his office, and was
gracious enough to take a moment to show it to me. He also mentioned
that zoning violations were usually triggered by complaints.
None of our neighbors have complained about us protecting
our cars in the winter with the carport tents between our house and
our next door neighbor's fence. In fact, they offered to sign if needed
months ago that they were alright with how close things are to property
lines on our small lots. This letter apparently was precipitated because
that 40 foot tree fell on our garage, and finally, after six months,
the company we hired to fix it needed to get a building permit to start
the repairs.
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The car I am most concerned about protecting is the
2000 Impala my dad owned for twenty-one years in Florida. We bought
it from my step-mother several years after he died, and brought it to
Michigan. I suppose I could cover it with a tarp. But, that would not
make it very easy to access any time I needed to drive it somewhere.
With all the setback rules, there is no room for a garage, or a permanent
carport, on our small lot, even if we could afford it, which we cannot.
I placed the carports back even with the house, so they would not be
obtrusive. In fact, the neighboring six foot wood fence extends farther
toward the road than our carport tent.
". . . Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever
any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the
Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing
its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect
their Safety and Happiness." — The unanimous Declaration of
the thirteen united States of America. July 4, 1776.
They had more to worry about than a local government
bullying citizens over trying to protect their cars with a quality carport
tent. Yet, the intent of those philosophies that created our country
are clear. I have been a resident of Grand Ledge, Michigan for about
half a century. We will comply not because our government threatens
and blackmails us, but because we are law abiding citizens, and believe
in a God who instructs us to respect authorities. Yet, if it is becoming
a threatening unjust government of rules and laws lacking common sense,
that places burdens on its citizens, rather than a town that helps its
citizens, then I no longer recommend Grand Ledge as a place to live.
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The Rest Of The Story
(added February 29th)
I had also asked the city clerk if he could get me
a copy of the city ordinance the letter pertained to, which he did.
The reason for this is our previous experience with building codes some
years ago. Our front porch was in great need of repair, but we could
not afford to hire it done. So, my wife and I, with occasionally a little
help from other family members, were doing the work. We came home one
day to find a red tag on our door telling us to stop repairs because
we had violated some ordinance, which meant we were now required to
get a building permit. I had no issue paying for a building permit,
but that came along with a requirement to meet all the current building
codes. We were told we would have to put a railing around our front
porch. We could not afford a railing, nor did we have the skills to
properly put one in place. Our house was almost a hundred years old
at the time, and had never had a railing around the porch. As it turned
out, the code actually only required a railing if the porch was a certain
distance from the ground. So we built up flower beds all around the
porch to a level which solved the issue. Jesus said the truth will
set you free. It also helps to know the whole truth before determining
how you can deal with government rules and regulations.
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From: Gregory Newman (gnewman@cityofgrandledge.com)
Date: Tue, Feb 20, 2024 at 4:09 PM
To: "wsharing.com@gmail.com"
Zoning Ordinance - temporary structures in CBD
William,
I’ve attached City Code Section 46-281. The pertinent
section is 46-281(8)a which states, “Accessory structures are permitted
in a rear yard only.” There may be another section(s) which also apply
to your situation. I’m not as versed in the Zoning Ordinance as Zoning
Administrator Stachowiak.
I hope you can find a solution!
Gregory Newman, City Clerk
City of Grand Ledge
310 Greenwood St.
Grand Ledge MI 48837
(517) 622-7920 office
(517) 402-3370 mobile
Attachment: Grand Ledge, MI Code of Ordinances.pdf
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From: William Gibbons Jr (wsharing.com@gmail.com)
Date: Thu, Feb 22, 2024 at 2:25 PM
To: Gregory Newman (gnewman@cityofgrandledge.com)
Cc: sstachowiak@cityofgrandledge.com, kmulder@cityofgrandledge.com,
dwillems@cityofgrandledge.com, tjancek@cityofgrandledge.com
Gregory,
Thank you for the copy of the ordinance I was seeking at city hall,
along with a zoning map. I am going to use your email for a reply since
you were on my list of persons to receive my response to the letter
we were sent. I created a webpage, which I have just uploaded and can
now be seen online. Here is the direct link:
Dealing With Grand Ledge Government (wsharing.com)
https://www.wsharing.com/WS-NLE-240221-GL.htm
Both links take you to the same place. I found when dealing with
Comcast/Xfinity, State Farm Insurance, and a vendor of Walmart.com,
where multiple people are involved, a webpage was my best alternative
to make sure everybody is seeing the same information. To that end,
I will be adding your email, and this reply to the page in a week when
I will go back online to upload my picture of the week to my site.
Informational note: As reply to a voicemail I left for Mayor Keith
Mulder, he stopped by yesterday. I explained to him the main reason
I desired his involvement was if, after reviewing all the complicated
rules, I were left with no alternative to protect my vehicles from winter
weather while living in Grand Ledge, before we would start looking at
any possibility to move elsewhere, I would seek input on the political
process necessary to change the rules to make city government more citizen
friendly.
God's peace,
william
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The above reference to moving elsewhere was not
meant to be cavalier. In my walk as a domestic missionary, I have
discovered that sometimes God initiates change in my life utilizing
experiences of dissatisfaction with something. After twenty years of
owning my own State Farm office, I had been becoming disillusioned
by some of the things State Farm was doing. It took a few years, but
eventually I gave up my State Farm career to follow the promptings I
was feeling for what I do now. After the turmoil of 2023, I was
finally feeling like things were settling down a bit when the letter
from the city arrived. One of my considerations needed to be if this
was another one of those times when God was nudging me toward a
significant change. I do not think so at this juncture. Or at least
I do not believe it would involve moving.
We hired a couple of young men, who have done
work for us before, to take down one tent, and move the other to
Joyce Park yesterday (February 26th). Rain was being predicted over
the next few days, and I did not want to have to deal with wet
tents. Keith Mulder, mayor of Grand Ledge, stopped by in the midst
of this to let me know he had read this page, and had some
conversation with others about the situation. We spoke about the
impersonal way the use of computers have affected almost everything.
At one point, the boys came over and indicated they thought they
could move the one tent without disassembling it entirely if they
could get some extra help. The mayor stepped right in and helped us
move it. For a moment, nasty letters generated by computers faded in
the light of where small towns usually find their strengths. Person
to person. I grew up in what is referred to as downriver Detroit.
When I moved into Grand Ledge to become the State Farm agent, I
figured we might live above the office I bought for a couple of
years, then look for a place out in the country. That was almost
fifty years ago. I now live in the house next to that office, and
the office is now a spiritual resource center. I think of Grand
Ledge as my hometown, even though I did not grow up here. It feels
like home. I think it can remain that way if it remembers its roots,
and has the wisdom to listen to people like Mayor Keith Mulder, who
sets an example rather than just rhetoric. We still have some issues
to figure out, because winter will come around again next year. We
have been pretty blessed this year. But, on a mostly fixed income,
and with the cost of even used automobiles higher than ever, we need
to protect our older cars as best we can, for as long as we can.
And, like Gregory Newman our city clerk, I too hope we can find a solution.
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