The June 2023 meeting of the East Tawas Park Board, scheduled for noon on Thursday, June 8, has been changed.  The meeting will now be held on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at noon in the East Tawas City Hall Council Chambers.

The Tawas Utilities Authority will hold a work session at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 8, 2023 to be held in the Council Chambers of the East Tawas City Hall, 760 Newman Street, East Tawas, Michigan 48730. Phone 989 362-6161.

The purpose of the work session is to discuss the wastewater treatment plant project item list and upcoming bidding process.      

Minutes of meetings of the Tawas Utilities Authority are available for public review at the office of the East Tawas Clerk/Treasurer, 760 Newman Street, East Tawas, Michigan 48730 or on the East Tawas website at www.easttawas.com.

Julie J. Potts
Secretary/Treasurer
Tawas Utilities Authority
jpotts@easttawas.com

PUBLIC NOTICE
CITY OF EAST TAWAS
BUDGET HEARING

The East Tawas City Council will hold a public hearing on the 2023-2024 proposed budget on Monday, June 5, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the East Tawas City Hall, 760 Newman Street, East Tawas, Michigan.  Copies of the proposed budget are available for public review at the Office of the City Clerk, 760 Newman, East Tawas, Michigan.  Phone 989 362-6161.

The property tax millage rate proposed to be levied to support the proposed budget will be a subject of this hearing.

Julie J. Potts
Clerk/Treasurer

NOTICE OF PROJECT PLANNING PUBLIC MEETING

The Tawas Utilities Authority (TUA) will hold a public meeting on the proposed Wastewater System Improvements project for the purpose of receiving comments from interested persons.

The meeting will be held in person at 4:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 27, 2023, in the Council Chambers at East Tawas City Hall, 760 Newman Street, East Tawas, MI  48730

The purpose of the proposed project is to implement wastewater system improvements at the TUA treatment facility, located at 810 W. Franklin Street, East Tawas, MI 48730, to meet present day regulatory standards, to replace aging equipment, and to minimize long term operation costs.  

Project construction will involve the following:

• Addition of Fine Screening Equipment
• Odor Control improvements
• Primary Clarifier Rehabilitation
• Oxidation Ditch Rehabilitation
• Secondary Clarifier Rehabilitation
• RAS and WAS pumping Improvements
• Chlorine System Improvements
• Effluent Metering
• Digester Rehabilitation
• Existing Sludge Storage Tank Mixing
• Electrical Improvements
• SCADA System Upgrade
• Structural, Safety, Other improvements

Impacts of the proposed project include short term construction related impacts and financial impacts to the municipalities wastewater system users.  No significant long term adverse impacts are anticipated to cultural or environmentally sensitive resources.

The estimated cost to users for the proposed project will be approximately $18,950,000 with costs to individual users depending on the level and type of project financing that can be secured by the TUA for the project. The TUA intends to pursue project financing with the goal of minimizing the impact to system users.

Copies of the plan detailing the proposed project are available for inspection at the following location:

• An electronic PDF of the full project plan is available by clicking here.
• An electronic PDF of the amended project plan is available by clicking here.
• An electronic PDF of the updated amended project plan can be reviewed by clicking here.

Written comments received before the meeting record is closed on Thursday, April 27, 2023 will receive responses in the final project plan.  Written comments should be sent to:

Tawas Utility Authority
C/O Julie Potts, Clerk/Treasurer
760 Newman Street
East Tawas, MI  48730
jpotts@easttawas.com

SUMMER HELP- The City of East Tawas is now accepting applications for summer employees for the Department of Public Works. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license.  Applications are available at East Tawas City Hall, 760 Newman Street, East Tawas, Michigan 48730, emailing cityhall@easttawas.com or at www.easttawas.com. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled. The City of East Tawas is an equal opportunity employer and provides a drug free environment.

The East Tawas City Council adopted ordinance No. 359 Short-Term Rentals and Ordinance No. 360 amending the Zoning Ordinance to incorporate short-term rentals into residential districts on December 5, 2022.  The Ordinance goes into effect on December 26, 2022.  Additional documents will be added to the Zoning and Community Development Department tab under government. View the full ordinances below:

Ordinance No. 359- Short-Term Rentals

Ordinance No. 360- Zoning Ordinance Amendments: Short-Term Rentals  

Here is the survey link: https://resourcerecycling.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6AtJRMik6YJIq1w and QR code is below.  Please complete the survey by the due date of November 18.  Thank you for your participation!

City of East Tawas Water and Sewer Rate Adjustments:
Beginning this October, water and sewer bills in the City of East Tawas will include a new line item to accommodate short and long term infrastructure expenses associated with the water and sewer systems. The new line item will be designated the “Infrastructure Improvement Rate” and will be incorporated to fund improvement and replacement costs for the City’s water distribution system, sanitary sewer collection system, the Huron Shores Regional Utility Authority’s water treatment facility, and the Tawas Utility Authority's sanitary sewer treatment facility.

The Infrastructure Rate for a standard ¾” diameter residential water meter will be $4.62 per month for water infrastructure and $21.06 per month for sewer infrastructure. Rates will vary proportionately based on the customer's water meter size.

Each utility bill will continue to include ready to serve and usage charges for both water and sewer services. The ready to serve cost has been adjusted for 2022 to accommodate Michigan Rural Water’s recommendation of equivalency-based rates. The cost for a standard ¾” diameter residential water service will be $9.04 per month for water (a reduction from $12.80) and $16.22 per month for sewer (an increase from $13.53). Ready to serve rates will vary proportionately based on the customer's water meter size. Usage rates, per 100 gallons of water used, will increase to $0.63 for water (an increase from $0.62) and $0.65 for sewer (an increase from $0.62).

Residential sewer customers that do not have a water meter will be charged the base usage rate of 4,600 gallons per month for sewer ($29.90), the sewer ready to serve charge ($16.22), and the new sewer infrastructure rate ($21.06).

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation to help maintain and improve our City’s public water and sewer systems. Information regarding the changes will also be included on the City’s Facebook page and in the fall newsletter. Please contact City Hall with questions.

Public Utilities Comparison 
2022 East Tawas Rates 
Billing Code Breakdown (example bill) 

The Department of Public works will be performing maintenance and removal of trees and shrubs in Greenwood Cemetery. Some of the work will be in close proximity to grave markers. Click here to view the cemetery map highlighted the work areas.   The work is planned to start May 1, 2021, if you should have any questions or concerns, please contact City Hall at 989-362-6161 or by email at cityhall@easttawas.com. 

Thank you!

The City of East Tawas is working together with conservation nonprofit Huron Pines to understand how to keep our local water resources healthy.  We are forming a partnership to learn more about managing our city's stormwater.  With heavy rains and snowmelt, water can pick up pollutants like road salt and dirt and deposit them into our fresh water sources.  We'll look at how and where stormwater and snowmelt enter our rivers, inland lakes and Lake Huron and how we can reduce negative impacts with natural features like forests, wetlands and green space. 

On June 6, 2019 local decision makers and Huron Pines staff like come together to kick things off with a hands-on workshop to build a shared understanding of stormwater efforts in the City of East Tawas and to identify tools and opportunities that can help us build a sustainable plan for healthy water in East Tawas.

The City of East Tawas accepts credit/debit card payments for utility bills, tax bills and miscellaneous items at City Hall, over the phone or online through Graphite Municipalities.  You are able to view your utility bill and tax information through the online services tab on our website, but you will have to use the Graphite Municipalities link to pay your bill online.  Please click here or click on the Graphite Municipalities logo on our main page or on the water/sewer and tax information pages.  You may also call 989-362-6161 during our office hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and our office staff will be glad to take your payment over the phone.  

PLEASE CLICK ON THE GRAPHITE MUNICIPALITIES LOGO UNDER THE QUICK LINKS TO MAKE AN ONLINE PAYMENT.

In an effort to expand broadband services for Northeastern Michigan, Develop Iosco is teaming with Northeast Michigan Council of Governments (NEMCOG) by maintaining critical infrastructure such as high-speed internet access, sewer, water, and transportation that is necessary for all aspects of the traditional economy, as well as the new economy. Check out the links below.

• Technology Action Plan
• Broadband Survey for Iosco County

We are looking for residents who may be interested in serving on one of the City’s boards, commissions or authorities which currently include the following:

A Walk of Honor has been incorporated into the design of the Veterans Recognition Plaza located in the heart of Tawas City at the corner of US-23 and Matthews Street. Brick pavers, donated by the City of East Tawas, are available to recognize a Veteran for a $100 donation. Black Granite Benches are also available to recognize a Veteran for a $2,000 donation. More information and an order blank are available here.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, sex, familial status, sexual orientation, and reprisal. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)