Petition to Oppose House Bills 4526, 4527, and 4528

Writing our township planning chairperson and officials is one of the best ways we can share our position as a community on the proposed special use permit requested by the gravel mining company. Please include both the Township Board and the Planning Commission on any written correspondence.  

Depending on how you submit your letter (by US mail, in person or via email) here are some helpful tips: 

• When submitting via US Mail, request delivery confirmation and keep this information for your records. 
• When submitting in person, print 2 copies.  Upon delivery to the township request the clerk to stamp both copies to show date/time and location. Keep 1 for your records, leave the other with the township. Scan a copy of the one you kept and email it to us at protectirishhills@gmail.com
• When submitting via email, please include our group on CC: protectirishhills@gmail.com

These tips are helpful to form a paper trail in the event it is needed in the future. 

The Cambridge Township Planning Commission has a mission to serve Township citizens with courtesy, integrity, and efficiency, and to provide quality land-use and development evaluations and recommendations designed to maintain and improve the manner in which our citizens live, work, and play.  

The commission consists of nine Township resident members appointed by the Supervisor with Township Board approval.  By State law, one member of the Township Board shall be a Planning Commission member and all members must be qualified Township electors.

The Cambridge Planning Commission has three main functions:

1. To make and adopt a plan for the Township’s land use and development.  The Cambridge Township Master Land Use Plan presents a vision for the Township’s future growth and development and brings together several planning efforts that the Planning Commission has undertaken to guide its future decision making.
2. To review and evaluate site plans of potential development in the township.  After completing its review of a site plan the Planning Commission makes a recommendation to the Township Board for final approval or rejection. 
3. To conduct public hearings and advise the Township Board regarding amendments to the Township Zoning Ordinance.  The ordinance establishes land development regulations, districts, and zones and regulates such elements as land use, building height, lot area, setbacks, parking, signs, and density.  It also establishes permitted activities (land uses) that can be conducted on a property .

As a general law township, Cambridge Township is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of five officers: Supervisor, Treasurer, Clerk, and two Trustees. All positions are elected every four years. The Board of Trustees has several commissions and committees that advise it on a range of issues. Some township boards carry out distinct duties set forth in statute such as the Board of Review and Zoning Board of Appeals.  All meetings are held in public, and all interested residents are welcome to join these meetings and contact their elected officials. 

Legislation newly introduced (House Bills 4526-4528) under the guise of solving aggregate supply chain issues will eliminate all local authority over sand and gravel mines and silence communities and residents over these high-impact operations. Contact your state representative today to oppose this legislative attack and ask them to stand with Michigan communities and oppose House Bills 4526, 4527 and 4528. 

House Bills 4526-4528 put profit over people, ignoring local governments, residents and property owners by:

• Prohibiting municipalities and affected residents or businesses from requesting any permit modifications, silencing the community from issues impacting their daily lives and livelihood
• Permitting EGLE to grant modifications requested by the mine operator only
• Allowing 70-foot-high aggregate stockpiles just 50 feet from property lines—an obvious impact on neighboring property owners.
• Holding neighboring properties hostage for years by allowing mines to bank sites for up to a decade. 
• Artificially limiting required financial assurances at levels that do not provide for proper protections for amounts needed for land reclamation.
• Codifying operation hours for activities such as truck loading, blasting and crushing to begin by at least at 6 a.m. six days per week—and allows for hours beyond that time for state or county contracts.
• Limiting local government and resident input only through public comment periods
• Prescribing noise levels required for worker safety hearing protection only and weighted over eight hours—with no considerations for the impact of noise to nearby homes, businesses, schools and property.
• Vacating previous judicial and administration opinions related to all mining permit applications—including those previously submitted to a local unit of government
• Removing the right of referendum by impacted residents

District 34 - Dale Zorn

Mailing Address:

N-798 House Office Building

P.O. Box 30014

Lansing, MI 48909

Phone: (517) 373-8808

Email: DaleZorn@house.mi.gov

State Senate District: 16

Senator: Joseph Bellino

Mailing Address: 

P.O. Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909-7536 

Office Phone: 517-373-5932

E-mail: senjbellino@senate.michigan.gov

Website:https://www.senatorjosephbellino.com/