WHITEHALL — An Oct. 22 public hearing is scheduled for the Whitehall city council to consider a property tax abatement for a Hilite International expansion, the council announced at Tuesday’s meeting.
The new addition to the Hilite facility - Acutex, Inc. - will be 30,000 square feet and a $3.25 million investment. The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. as part of the regularly scheduled council meeting.
City manager Scott Huebler announced during the meeting that the city of Whitehall has been approved for a tree planting grant by Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources for $3,000 to $4,000. It is unknown what species of trees will be planted, but Brian Armstrong of the Department of Public Works will be in charge of this.
This was followed up by Tanya Cabala requesting an inventory of trees on public property that were damaged or removed because of the devastating thunderstorm in June. She hopes the city will start looking into replacing and replanting trees in their place. She suggested working with either Weesies Brothers or local students who are looking for volunteer hours for help.
Huebler discussed budget amendments due to public damage from the thunderstorm in June. The city had to move $40,000 from the general fund to local streets because the majority of storm expenses included cleanup on local streets, as well as parks. Huebler said the city had accumulated a total of $575,000 in damages due to the storm. He said although it hurts financially, all funds are secure and will continue to be secure throughout the remaining fiscal year.
The council also approved an increase in rates at White Lake Marina. This is based on state guidelines.
