Thornapple River Special Assessment District (SAD)

 

About the District

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The Thornapple SAD (Special Assessment District) is a designated property tax district between 60th Street and the Cascade Dam. Property owners along that stretch of the Thornapple River pay a special tax to cover the costs of aquatic weed control, silt and sediment management, and any safety improvements deemed necessary. Please note: Thornapple SAD efforts do not address PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances), chemicals which are known to be present in the Thornapple River. For general information on PFAS, vist the Township's PFAS webpage. This page will be updated continuously as documents are made available and/or approved by the Township Board. For questions, please contact Township Manager Jade Smith at jsmith@cascadetwp.com.

 

Background Information

In 2020, the Township received a petition, circulated by members of the Cascade Thornapple River Association (CTRA), to make certain improvements to the Thornapple River, such as: 

• Weed control and removal
• Debris removal
• Safety enhancements
• Silt control and removal

The cost of these improvements was to be equally assessed against all parcels that front the Thornapple River between the dam and 60th Street, including Township-owned property on the river. 

Established pursuant to Public Act 188 of the Public Acts of Michigan of 1954, as amended (the “Act” or “Act 188”), the process of creating the Special Assessment District was completed in fall 2021. Thornapple River SAD homeowners began seeing the SAD on their taxes beginning with the Winter 2021 tax bill.

 

Meet the Committee

The Thornapple River SAD Ad-Hoc Committee advises the Township Board regarding the SAD.
 

Thornapple River SAD Ad-Hoc Committee Members

John Shipley (Township Board Representative)
Jeff Carpenter (Cascade Thornapple River Association Representative)
Thomas Keith
Scott Rissi
Leann Rowland
Chuck Whitley
Michael Wiegand
 
Meeting agendas and minutes can be found here.