Year end budget review
Sylvania Township recently closed its books on the 2022 budget year. Fiscal Officer Dave Simko provided an overview of the financials during the Jan. 17 regular meeting.
At the end of December, the General Fund showed expenses of $1,899,338 or 89.2 percent of the annual budget. The Road Ramp Bridge Fund had expenses of $1,947,650 or 86.1 percent of the annual budget.
The Police Fund showed expenses of $6,913,398 or 90.5 percent of its budget and the Fire Fund had expenses of $11,302,632 or 93.8 percent of its budget.
Simko added that revenue for the year for each fund was at or above what had been budgeted. The Township publishes and presents monthly fiscal reports for review by the public, which are accessible at sylvaniatownship.com.
Smoke alarm info available
The Sylvania Township Fire/EMS Department has made available additional resources and flyers about the need to replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
According to this information, each smoke alarm has a date of manufacture and can be used to determine if the smoke alarm is due for replacement. The information notes that every bedroom must have a working smoke alarm and that interconnected alarm systems are the most effective. Also, smoke alarm batteries should be checked regularly.
Another safety note is a friendly reminder that snow and ice should be kept at least five feet away from fire hydrants to ensure ready access by first responders during an emergency.
Zoning permits
The Sylvania Township Zoning Department recently reported that it issued 512 zoning permits in 2022.
A total of 72 such permits were issued for new single-family dwellings with an average estimated value of $419,616. This is the highest average estimated value for any year on record and represents over an increase of approximately $100,000 over the 2021 average estimated value.
According to Planning & Zoning Manager Daryl Graus, “The Township has been averaging 100 single-family permits issued per year for the past 10 years. While the 72 single-family dwelling permits issued in 2022 is the lowest number issued since 2012 (50), coupled with the unusually high number of house permits issued in 2021 (129), the average for the last two years still tops the 100 threshold.”
Approximately 57 percent of the new homes in the Township were constructed in three subdivisions: Quarry Ridge (17), Waterside Sylvania (14), and Village at Twelve Lakes (10).
In closing out the 2022 calendar year, it was also noted that the Zoning Department investigated about 215 zoning complaints.