An ad-hoc committee of GVMC
has been meeting regularly since late 1995. The original purpose of this
group, known as the City-Township Cooperation Committee, was to examine
ways for cities and townships to cooperate, specifically dealing with
the issues involving annexation. This committee originally comprised four
townships and four cities, but was soon expanded to include seven of each.
The Committee examined a variety
of issues, including current development patterns, water and sewer extensions,
the Metropolitan Development Blueprint and the causes/results of annexation
events. After more than ten months of study and discussion, the Committee
proposed a set of Policy Statements intended to provide an overriding
philosophy regarding the thoughts of the Committee members in relation
to cooperation. This set of statements, a copy of which is attached, is
considered by the Committee to be a "working policy" or "white paper"
and was forwarded to GVMC and the Blueprint Committee to guide future
action of those groups. GVMC formally adopted these principles on December
5, 1996.
It should be noted that the
Committee does not consider this document as a "final product" but views
it more as a point of beginning. Some of the items included need further
definition and it should be obvious that additional details need to be
worked out. The Committee members fully understand that in some cases
this may prove to be a formidable task. The document does, however, provide
a comprehensive list of "Points of Agreement." These represent "those
issues and statements we all agree on," acknowledging the fact that specifics
need to be worked out.
Those persons who have served
on the City Township Committee and have been involved in the discussions
that went into the drafting of these Policy Statements include the following:
Jim Buck (Grandville), Marsha Bouwkamp (Grand Rapids Township), George
Haga (Ada), Jay Cravens (Cascade), Larry Silvernail (Byron), Don Hilton
(Gaines), Don Knottnerus (Walker), Jim Hatch (Walker), Sharon Steffens
(Alpine), Cindy Heinbeck (Alpine), Bev Rekeny (Plainfield), Bob Homan
(Plainfield), John Logie (Grand Rapids), George Heartwell, (Grand Rapids),
Kurt Kimball (Grand Rapids), Bill Hardiman (Kentwood) Jon Aylsworth (Greenville),
Michael Young (Rockford), Don Mason (Wyoming) and Leon Van Harn (Hudsonville).
