Page 10 — Thursday, October 7, 2021 — The Hastings Banner
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HOPE TOWNSHIP
BARRY COUNTY, MICHIGANNOTICE OF SPECIAL ASSESSMENT PUBLIC HEARING
ON THE SPECIAL ASSESSMENT ROLL FOR
LONG LAKE AQUATIC PLANT CONTROL
SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICT 2021-TO: THE RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS OF THE TOWNSHIP OF HOPE, BARRY COUNTY,
MICHIGAN AND ANY OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS:PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Township Supervisor and Assessor have prepared and
filed in the office of the Township Clerk for public examination a special assessment roll covering
all properties within Long Lake Aquatic Plant Control Special Assessment District No. 2021-
benefited by the proposed aquatic plant control project. The roll has been prepared for the
purpose of assessing the costs of the project within the aforesaid special assessment district,
which district is more particularly shown on the plans on file with the Township Clerk. The costs
of the project are as shown on the estimate of costs on file with the Township Clerk at the
Township Hall, 5463 S. M-43 Highway, Hastings, Michigan. The project cost is $202,950, including
administrative costs. The assessment roll will be in the amount of $127,840.00, with the
remainder of funds being carried over from the expiring special assessment district. The
assessment amounts assessed against each property in the district will range between $124 per
year for front lot parcels and $44 per year for back lot parcels. The term of the special assessment
will be five years, 2022 through 2026 inclusive.PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Supervisor and Assessor have further reported
to the Township Board that the assessment against each parcel of land within said district is such
relative portion of the whole sum levied against all parcels of land in said district as the benefit
to such parcels bears to the total benefit to all parcels of land in said District.PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Township Board will meet at the Hope
Township Hall, 5463 S. M-43 Highway, Hastings, Michigan on Wednesday, October 20,
2021 at 6:30 p.m. for the purpose of reviewing the special assessment roll, hearing any
objections thereto and confirming the roll as submitted or revised or amended. The roll may be
examined at the office of the Township Clerk during regular business days of regular business
days until the time of the hearing and may further be examined at the hearing. Any person
objecting to the assessment roll shall file his objections thereto in writing with the Township
Clerk before the close of the hearing or within such other time as the Township Board may grant.PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that an owner or party in interest, or his/ her agent,
may appear in person at the hearing to protest the special assessment or may file his/her
appearance and protest by letter before the hearing, and in that event, personal appearance
shall not be required. Any person objecting to the assessment roll shall file his/her objection
thereto in writing with the Township Clerk before the close of the hearing or within such other
time as the Township Board may grant. The owners or any person having an interest in real
property who protests in writing at or before the hearing may file a written appeal of the special
assessment with the State Tax Tribunal within 30 days after confirmation of the special
assessment roll.Hope Township will provide necessary, reasonable auxiliary aids and services such as
signers for the hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed material being considered at the
meeting to individuals with disabilities at the meeting upon seven (7) days’ notice to the Hope
Township Clerk.
HOPE TOWNSHIP
Deborah Jackson, Clerk
5463 S. M-43 Highway
Hastings, MI 49058
(269) 948-What does retirement security mean to you?
October is National Retire-
ment Security Month. But what
does retirement security mean to
you? And how can you work to-
ward achieving it?
Here are some suggestions:- Build your resources.
While you’re working, save in
tax-advantaged accounts such as
your IRA and 401(k) or similar
employer-sponsored retirement
plan. In your 401(k), contribute
at least enough to earn your em-
ployer’s match, if one is offered,
and increase your contributions
whenever your salary goes up.
Remember, especially early in
your career, time is often your
biggest asset. Be sure to save ear-
ly, since the longer you wait, the
more you’ll need to save to help
reach your goals. - Look for ways to boost
retirement income. When tran-
sitioning to retirement, you can
take steps to align your income
with your needs. For example,
consider Social Security. You
can start collecting it as early as
62, but your monthly payments
will be much larger if you can
wait until your “full” retirement
age, typically between 66 and 67.
(Payments will “max out” at age
70.) So, if you have sufficient in-
come from a pension or your
401(k) and other retirement ac-
counts, and you and your spouse
are in good health with a family
history of longevity, you may
consider delaying taking Social
Security. You also might want to
explore other income-producing
vehicles, such as certain annu-
ities that are designed to provide
a lifetime income stream.- Prepare for unexpected
costs. During your retirement,
you can anticipate some costs,
such as housing and transporta-
tion, but other expenses are more
irregular and can’t always be
predicted, such as those connect-
ed with health care. Even with
Medicare, you could easily spend
a few thousand dollars a year on
medical expenses, so you may
want to budget for these costs as
part of your emergency savings,
and possibly purchase supple-
mental insurance. You may also
want to consider the possibility
of needing some type of long-
term care, which is not typically
covered by Medicare and can
be quite expensive. The average
annual cost of a private room
in a nursing home is more than
$100,000, and it’s about $55,
per year for a home health aide,
according to Genworth, an insur-
ance company. To address these
costs, you may want to consider
some form of protection, such as
long-term care insurance or life
insurance with a long-term care
component. - Do your estate planning.
It’s hard to feel totally secure in
retirement if you’re unsure of
what might happen if you have
an unexpected health event, be-
come incapacitated or die earlier
than expected. That’s why you’ll
want to create a comprehensive
estate plan – one that might in-
clude documents such as a dura-
ble power of attorney, a will and
a living trust. A review of your
insurance coverages and ben-
eficiaries can also help protect
your assets and ensure they are
distributed the way you want. In
creating your plan, you will need
to work with your financial advi-
sor and a legal professional, and
possibly your tax advisor as well.
Thinking holistically about
your retirement security and de-
veloping and executing a strategy
aligned with your goals may help
free you to enjoy one of the most
rewarding times of your life.
This article was written by Ed-
ward Jones for use by your local
Edward Jones Financial Advisor.
Edward Jones, Member SIPCEdward Jones is a licensed
insurance producer in all states
and Washington, D.C., through
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.,
and in California, New Mexico
and Massachusetts through Ed-
ward Jones Insurance Agency of
California, L.L.C.; Edward Jones
Insurance Agency of New Mex-
ico, L.L.C.; and Edward Jones
Insurance Agency of Massachu-
setts, L.L.C. California Insurance
License OCJeff Domenico, AAMS®
Financial Advisor
450 Meadow Run Dr. Suite 100
Hastings, MI 49058
(269) 948-Financial FOCUS
Provided by the Barry County
offices of Edward JonesWendi Stratton
Financial Advisor
423 N. Main St.
Nashville, MI
(517)760-Member SIPCKiwanis Club
welcomes new
president, treasurer
The Kiwanis Club of Hastings has announced
that Peggy Hemerling, Hastings Public Library
administrator, is the club’s new president.
Deb Hatfield, of Walker, Fluke and
Sheldon, remains secretary for another year.
A new Kiwanis member, Kayla Nichols, form
Barlow Floral, stepped up to take over the
treasurer duties.One of Peggy Hemerling’s first duties as president of the Kiwanis Club of Hastings was to welcome Kayla Nichols officially as a
member of the club. Nichols immediately stepped up to help in the vacant treasurer’s position. (Photo provided)NCT hike offers suicide
awareness challenge
The Chief Noonday Chapter of the North
Country Scenic Trail will be joining a three-day
Suicide Awareness Hike Challenge Saturday,
Sunday and Monday, Oct. 9, 10 and 11.
Hikers will be walking 120 miles in three
days, according to local organizer Eric
Longman.
Randall Roberts of Oberlin, Ohio, is a
hiker who has accepted the three-day chal-
lenge and said he’ll be pushing his physical
limits by hiking the local portion of the
national trail.
Hiking 40 miles a day is tough enough, but
Roberts said he wants to make a difference by
calling attention to the tragedy the U.S. faces
with suicides, many of whom are young men,
Longman said.
The Chief Noonday Chapter includes
Barry, Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties,
where the 4,600-mile North Country Scenic
Trail passes through.
Chapter members will be supporting this
effort, and they invite the community to join
them.
“We’d love to have people show up in the
morning and hike with him during the day,”
Longman said.
Roberts will collect names of loved ones
who have died by suicide or families who
have felt its impact. Every hour he will do a
live Facebook video telling stories to help
show the importance of prevention strategies,warning signs and more.
He will give statistics and provide support
resources, as well as offer an opportunity for
people to donate to the American Foundation
for Suicide Prevention.
Roberts welcomes anyone to join him for
an hour or two, or who might like to bring
cold drinks.
His friend lost a son to suicide after the sun
suffered chronic back pain and a gambling
addiction. The experience convinced Robertsthat he could make a difference through hik-
ing challenges.
Given the short days in October, Longman
said some of Roberts’ hiking will be at night- something he feels is special as he views
raising awareness of this crisis as “coming
out of the darkness.” Roberts plans to start at
7 a.m. each day and finish around 10 p.m.
More information is available from
Longman via email to [email protected] or
by calling 269-671-5031.
BARRY COUNTY
1st Shift Custodian
Barry County is seeking Resume’s for a first
shift Custodial position.Please send Resume’s to:
Tim Neeb, Supervisor
Barry County Buildings and Grounds
220 W. State Street
Hastings, MI 49058
(269) 945-1293^168847Peggy Hemerling accepts the Kiwanis Club of Hastings gavel from Rich Franklin,
who has served for the past year. Hemerling brings to the position her love for chil-
dren, strong community collaboration and service to others. (Photo provided)