A new grant opportunity, the Michigan Small Business Restart Program, will provide grants to small businesses around the state working to recover from the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 virus. Grant funds can be used as working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses, or other similar expenses. Businesses may apply for grants of up to $20,000.
 
The Michigan Small Business Restart Program application will be live on Wednesday, July 15 at michiganbusiness.org/restart and run through Wednesday, August 5.
 
The funding Ann Arbor SPARK received will be distributed, based on population, amongst businesses in a six-county region. Ninety-five percent of the grant will be distributed to businesses whose applications are approved. Five percent of the funds per the State legislation authorizing the program will be distributed to the six counties to cover administrative cost.
 
The breakdown of funding available to businesses by county is:

• Washtenaw - $2.94 million
• Livingston - $1.51 million
• Jackson - $1.28 million
• Monroe - $1.2 million
• Lenawee - $793,500
• Hillsdale - $369,300
• Administration - $407,250

In total, the six-county region was awarded $8.5 million. Each of the regional partners administering this funding on behalf of the state is retaining a small portion of that total for administration.
 
Ann Arbor SPARK and its partners are determining, based on the state’s direction, the criteria that provides the maximum economic benefit to communities in our region, on the whole. As with funding decisions, criteria will be determined by a review panel representing business, government, nonprofit, and education representatives.
 
As a base, the state requires the following criteria be met:

• Is a business or nonprofit that can demonstrate it is affected by the COVID-19 emergency
• Needs working capital to support eligible expenses
• Demonstrates an income loss as result of the COVID-19 emergency
• Has not received a grant through the Michigan Strategic Fund’s Michigan Small Business Relief Program. Businesses who have received support through other COVID-19 relief programs, including the Michigan Small Business Relief Program loans, are eligible to apply for Restart grants.

Additionally, at least 30 percent of the funds awarded under the program must be provided to women-owned, minority-owned, or veteran-owned eligible businesses.
 
Funding criteria will be announced, along with the review committee, before the July 15 application open date.
 
Since mid-March, Ann Arbor SPARK has provided numerous business resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These and future resources can be found at the Ann Arbor SPARK Business Resource Center.

According to the Michigan Department of Education, nearly 13 percent of Livingston County youths have abused prescription drugs and painkillers in the past 30 days, a rate higher than the national average.  The FDA has recently released a study on the harmful effects of medications that are flushed or dumped into the environment.  The Red Barrel project is designed to combat both these issues by collecting and disposing of unused medications in your bathroom cabinet.

Genoa Township is joining in the fight to save our kids and the environment.  The Big Red Barrel drug take back program will be available at the Township Hall from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m on the following dates:

• Saturday July 25, 2020
• Saturday October 24, 2020

Controlled substances and all other solid dosage medications are accepted with no questions asked.   Please don’t bring your pill containers or other identifying information like labels.  Identification is not required and there is no cost for the disposal.

• Please bring a plastic bag filled with all your outdated and/or unused medication. 
• Liquid medication will be accepted if stuffed into a ziplock bag with enough paper towels to absorb all the liquid.  Please use separate bags for each liquid medication.
• NO inhalers

The Drain Commissioner's office will also be on-site to collect sharps and needles.

• Sharp collection is open to residents. Businesses and medical facilities are not allowed to dispose of sharps at this event.
• Sharps need to be in a heavy plastic container {i.e. Red "Sharp" Box or empty plastic laundry detergent jug sealed with tape

For more information on the Red Barrel project and other dropoff locations, please visit https://livingstoncountycommunityalliance.org/the-big-red-barrel.

A Primary Election narrows the field of candidates moving forward to represent their political party during the general election.

The August Election is an “open primary.” Major party candidates are on one ballot. Voters aren’t required to declare a party, but must confine votes to one party on the ballot’s partisan portion.

“Split” ticket voting happens when you vote for candidates from different political parties.

Voters cannot “split” their ticket in the August Election. Voters must vote one political party on the ballot’s partisan portion. Voters can “split” their ticket in the November General Election.

If a voter “splits” their ticket in the August Election, the partisan portion of their ballot won’t count, but the nonpartisan portion of the ballot, if applicable, will count.

The 2020 Summer tax amounts are available on our website for review and payment.  Summer taxes are due on Monday September 14, 2020.

The 2020 Summer tax bills were mailed to all Genoa Township property owners on Tuesday, June 30th, 2020.

Please contact the Treasurer's Office at (810) 227-5225 if you have any questions or if you do not receive your bill.

New this year: We are excited to announce that Genoa Township will begin accepting ACH payments for property taxes. If you did not receive paperwork with your tax bill you can print the form here or contact the Treasurer’s office.  Please make sure to include your phone # on the form All payments made by ACH will be mailed a paid receipt.

Genoa Township ACH Authorization Form

The 2020 Census Is More Than A Head Count!

• Your response to the census helps shape many different aspects of Livingston County.
• From hospitals, schools, even roads and highways, your response helps shape our future.  Your response is critical!

When & How Can You Respond?

• Respond to the Census online at http://my2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020 to respond by phone.
• It only takes 10 minutes, has only 9 questions and your answers are completely safe
• The Census has been extended past the April 1 deadline, so help out our community and fill yours out today!

The 2020 Census directly impacts how much federal funding the State of Michigan will receive over the next decade. Failure to obtain a complete and accurate census count may lead to Michigan losing millions of dollars in federal funding that supports programs that benefit Livingston County residents.

• Every year, the federal government allocates more than $675 Billion in funding based on census data.
• Every Michigander not counted costs the state approximately $18,250 over 10 years (based on historical U.S. Census undercount).
• Census data is used to plan new homes and businesses and improve neighborhoods.
• Census data is used to determine federal funding for programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children (SNAP/WIC), Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and highway and transportation projects.

For more information, you can visit the Livingston County 2020 census page or the US Government's Census 2020 website.

Applications for our “standing absent voters” have been mailed.  Residents may complete them and return to Township in drop boxes or by mail with one stamp. Ballots will be mailed as soon as they are received around the end of June/beginning of July. That application will cover them for the August and November elections.  

Our Spring Yard Waste Collection program at the Township Hall has been postponed indefinitely. Future dates will be announced as soon as they can be scheduled.

Beginning May 4th, Advanced Disposal is resuming its subscription yard waste service for residents. Pick-up will be on a twice a month basis with a limit of 15 bags per pick-up. Please contact Advanced Disposal at 810-201-5576 now to set up service.

Save the Bees

Township resident Jim DelCamp recently addressed the Genoa Township Board asking the board to develop policies to conserve the natural habitat of bees in the township.  He provided the following information for our residents:  There are 460 wild species of bees in the Michigan and 16,000 species worldwide.  Honey Bees have been declining at a rate of 40% each year according to Michigan State University and the loss will have devastating effects on life in general since bees pollinate our crops and flowers. 

Pesticides are a big problem since they damage bees and harm their ability to forage.  In recent tests 100% of ground-nesting bees were killed as a result of pesticides. Please limit the use of pesticides where bees are present even though they are a nuisance.  Bees help more than they hurt.

Planting wildflowers will support bees. Many wild bees are solitary as well as ground nesting and they need suitable habitat. Leaving small plots of ground in their natural state such as deadwood, brush piles or fungi will help where ground nesting bees can flourish.  Others could use bee hotels to safeguard them during the winter. Bees are important for pollination since 1/3 of all plants and flowers depend on them for life.

A bee feeder, using sugar water with a drop of mycelial extract, will enhance their health and allow them to live longer.  Mycelium has been called natures ‘world wide web’ under our feet.  Of an estimated 10 million multi-cell life forms, half are fungi and they have been evolving to combat viruses.  Bees don’t just pollinate they spread mycelium as they forage. They dig into the soil where mushrooms grow getting mycelium all over their fuzzy bodies and spread it every other place they touch.

Livingston County can become a refuge where bees, mycelium, birds, butterflies, helping all of nature to thrive. So save that natural site, feed those bees, plant wildflowers and minimize your use of pesticides. With proper understanding and education we can improve our health and enhance the ecosystems of this earth.

Polly Skolarus, Clerk
Genoa Charter Township

The Brighton Area Fire Authority has released its 2019 Annual Report.

The BAFD is responsible for responding to emergency incidents here in Genoa Township as well as the City of Brighton and Brighton Township.

The report is attached below.

2019 Brighton Area Fire Authority Report

The Township Budgets for the next fiscal year beginning April 1, 2020 and ending March 31, 2021 are available for review.  If you should have any comment or suggestion with regard to Township revenue or appropriations, please contact the clerk at polly@genoa.org

Genoa Township Proposed Budget

Click here for a list of days the Genoa Charter Township offices will be closed.