For What It Is Worth

[Mr73Kz59]

My comments are as an outside observer and offered for what it is worth which means you can take it or leave it and my feelings will not be hurt. For 7 years our family and extended family have rented on Beaver Island in the summer. Up until this year I have seen Beaver Island as a piece of paradise with an idyllic life style for vacations and eventually retirement. Sadly this year will be our last summer of coming up. Last summer and fall I made an offer on a house on Donegal Bay and a back up offer on a lot down on Western Beach as a building site. We were crushed that neither were accepted at what I considered to be very reasonable market offers. We now realize this most likely happened for the best based on several things coming to light over the past several months with tax issues and the townships' apparent lack of concern. They say the only two things you can count on in life are death and taxes. As a realtor I know that is not truly accurate. Taxes will always be the unknown but you can bank on them increasing over time. In making my offers, taxes were a large portion of my calculations. As I get closer to retirement and projecting out our cost of living, we were going to be hard pressed making our budget with the current taxes. The "for what it is worth" is that something needs to change dramatically on Beaver Island for you to continue to attract people like us to visit or move there and that might be what everyone wants to have happen. However, we will miss coming in the summer and are only returning one more time because we have already signed a contract with a deposit at the end of last summer.
Being a planner, I have looked at cottages to rent between Ludington and Cross Village. My calculations when I figure the cost of taking the boat with a car and trailer, buy food at the store or restaurants, cost of rental plus miscellaneous items, I can rent at any location between those villages for 1/4th to 1/3rd the cost for a vacation or retirement on Beaver Island which we really love. I would encourage those who make decisions on behalf of the island to be aware of our concerns and I'm sure concerns of others thinking of visiting or moving there. I would hope decision makers will take appropriate steps to change things for everyone's benefit. I first found it humorous that someone would suggest not renewing an operating millage. The more I thought about it, I would vote "NO" to pay additional money to replace money that the townships seem unable to account for or where it went or how it was spent which sounds like what has happened.
As I say, this is for what it is worth in hopes it will make things better for the future. We will forever remember and miss paradise no matter where we end up and want to thank everyone who contributed to giving us fond memories. You have a very unique hidden treasure. A special thanks to Doctor Powers who was there when we needed him. He was special to our whole family along with many, many others and for that we say "Thanks".

[sourdough44]

I live in WI, but own 800 acres in the U.P. of MI. I also have family members who own land, some waterfront in MI. I do understand your frustrations.

The northern 3rd of WI has a large number of vacant property for sale, waterfront and not. Recently a relative in SE MI balked then decided not to buy in the NW lower MI area due in large part to property taxes, waterfront property.

Sadly, you can also expect NO meaningful change. A good number of people only think if you can afford waterfront, you can pay ski high taxes. The overall tax burden keeps shifting up a bit to those that even pay taxes. Just look at the pie graph of who pays what.

What's a person to do? Find what works for you. That may be renting for a few months, realizing taxes have a bearing on rental costs. As mentioned you could base on the mainland.

I see many that become a 'snowbird', just come back for the warmer months. Right now I'm not big on that, especially if one's family, friends, and 'comfort zone' is in the upper Midwest.

I repeat, don't expect property taxes to change in a meaningful way.

[stardust]

One thing you all forget when you cry about tax's and the price of land.

Its an island it's not like they can rezone property clear it and bang more space for homes.

If you think the price's are out of line try buying a home in Hawaii you want to see sticker shock try doing your food shopping in Hawaii it makes the island prices look cheap. there is an extra cost of living on an island you have to take that as cost of living a good life

[carolburton]

I would like to number one say that I am sorry that you have chosen to leave the retirement dream of Beaver Island. No matter why it is a loss to the island when someone does not return or goes elsewhere. Taxes, high prices, and taxpayer accountability aside it is and has been logistically harder to live here mostly because of location. Technology however is bringing us closer and connecting us to other places and so our prices and accountability will have to follow as we live more and more in the technical world and information becomes publicly watched and available. There is no choice but to change these things. We also have a chance to be unique and individual and help change the place that we love one small step at a time. Please keep in mind...though you may have not met us...there are many working together on real solutions, ideas, and changes to move forward even in very small ways. So even if you can't see it and it looks bleak Beaver Island is and will be always changing for the better. I plan to be here for a long time and hope that you and others will not give up.

[JFPowers]

Thanks "Mr73Kz59" , we always try to use our varied skills on the island to help everyone that comes here, visitors, friend and foe alike.... it is the back bone of any small community. I am glad I was able to do my part to help your pet and your family when I could.

I hear also what you are saying and agree with many of your concerns. What needs to change is change. You point out that in light of the recent recession and the ability for people to compare and contrast many locations in a virtual manner, folks today often "do the math" before jumping into things such as real estate investment and Beaver Island needs to understand that 100%. The rest of the world is changing, while little changes here, and as the most recent debacle points out, valuable taxpayer dollars and energy is expended to simply "straighten things out", rather than being used to "move things forward", which is what so many other competing communities seem to have a better grasp of.

Beaver Island often seems to funnel its public resources down the same roads, sometimes to the point of excess in certain areas, while other areas badly in need to build the overall communities strength and appearance, are hardly touched.

Every leader on this island should take a day and drive through 20 nearby Northern Michigan communities to broaden their perspective about how Beaver Island could be improved. Charlevoix now has the planner who turned Boyne City into one of the most beautiful communities in Northern Michigan, while we seem to be muddling through decades of financial confusion.

I hope your words are heeded by those in power here, they are what I have been saying for a long, long time. Thanks again for pointing out that what needs to change is "Positive Change"

[carolburton]

Well put Jeff!