City of Grand Rapids - City Home

Spring 2010 Yard Waste Collection

The City of Grand Rapids residential curbside yard waste collection begins on Monday, April 5, 2010. The City's FREE residential drop-off site located at 2001 Butterworth Ave SW also opens on Monday April 5, 2010. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Detailed information and a site map are available at…more>>

2nd Ward City Commission Finalists

A Town Hall Meeting is planned for Monday, March 22, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wealthy Theatre (1130 Wealthy St SE), where the community will be able to meet the final candidates for the Second Ward City Commission seat and participate in a panel discussion facilitated by Steve Faber. …more>>

2010 Census - Residents urged to complete form!

Mayor George Heartwell and members of the community will urge the people of Grand Rapids to complete and mail back the 2010 Census form to increase our city's Census 2000 participation rates. A press conference is scheduled for March 16, 2010, 10:00 a.m. Van Andel Museum Center, 272 Pearl Street, NW, 3rd floor.…more>>

MDOT's Fix on I-196

Preliminary work is already underway on the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) $40 million reconstruction/widening of approximately 1.75 miles of I-196 in Grand Rapids from the Grand River bridge to Fuller Avenue. Starting April 12, 2010 and into August 2010, eastbound and westbound I-196 traffic will have local access to the College Avenue interchange, but no through-traffic beyond College Avenue. During Stage 2 of the project, which extends from August through November 2010, I-196 through-traffic will resume. …more>>

Mayor George Heartwell's Report on Asian Carp

Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell spent Monday through Wednesday in Washington with Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative Executive Director Dave Ullrich meeting with Administrative Officials, Congressional Delegations and federal agency representatives on the subject of Asian Carp. His report can be read in its entirety by clicking 'more' below. Excerpt from the report: "Of one thing I am certain, the present urgency on this issue has been felt in Washington and all hands are on deck to ensure that these invasives stay out of our Great Lakes. However, I am concerned that this urgency has not yet translated into a fully-formed, aggressive plan for doing so."…more>>

Use of Refuse Tags in the City of GR

City residents are strongly encouraged to use City refuse bags or the City refuse carts instead of City refuse tags for the weekly refuse collection. With the downturn in the economy, there has been an increase in reports of stolen refuse tags. A few reminders about using refuse tags: …more>>

Google and the City of Grand Rapids

Google recently announced that it is planning to launch an experiment that they hope will make Internet access better and faster for everyone. They plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial cities across the country. The ultra-high speed broadband networks will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. They will offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.…more>>

You Spoke. We Listened. Budget Gatherings Update.

During the latter part of 2009, the City held nine community budget gatherings designed to engage community members in a conversation about government serving as a service "platform". This concept of collaboration would include residents, businesses, and customers providing additional services they feel are important for quality of life. During small group discussions, participants embraced the opportunity to share over 1,000 suggestions on how to reduce expenses and grow revenues. Staff reviewed each suggestion and identified those that are essentially completed and identified the top suggestions to pursue. Staff also developed a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to address the more common suggestions received at each meeting. …more>>

Transformation of the City Organization

The City has a long road ahead to transform itself to serve better our citizens. We can no longer continue to operate City government as we have in the past. We need to move toward financial sustainability. We need to understand what citizens truly value. We need to secure adequate revenues to stabilize City finances to permit us to transform into a financially sustainable organization. We need time to transform our service offerings, service delivery models, and staffing models. We will become more transparent, engage our citizens, improve our customer service, and seek new partnerships and consolidations. (This is an excerpt of City Manager Greg Sundstrom's presentation to the City Commission on February 9, 2010. Read more here.)…more>>

Everyone Counts in the City of Grand Rapids!

The City of Grand Rapids is committed to ensuring that every resident of Grand Rapids is counted during the 2010 Census. Watch for your 2010 Census Form in the Mail! Why is it important? It is extremely important for all residents to fill out their 2010 Census forms because it brings federal funding back into the community for such things as hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, road construction and repair, police and fire services, public transportation, Community Development Block Grants, and other community services and programs. …more>>

Voting Precincts reduced from 100 to 83

On Tuesday, January 26, 2010, the City Commission approved an ordinance change recommended by the City of Grand Rapids Election Commission that consolidated 34 precincts into 17 precincts. The consolidation subsequently reduced the total number of precincts in the City of Grand Rapids from 100 to 83. This consolidation eliminated six (6) precincts in the First Ward, six (6) precincts in the Second Ward, and five (5) precincts in the Third Ward. As a result, there will be a cost savings through the reduction of staffing, precinct supplies, and other election preparation functions.…more>>

2010 City Commission Retreat Information

The City Commission Retreat was held on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at Western Michigan University in downtown Grand Rapids. Staff and Commissioners discussed different topics related to current and future initiatives to ensure that the City of Grand Rapids continues on the path of becoming financially sustainable. Here are links to the information presented to Commissioners during the retreat. …more>>

Financial Update & Service Delivery Transformation

We are passing through some of the darkest days in our State's and City's history. Our fates are intertwined because City government is a legal entity of State government. Michigan never recovered from the national recession of 2002, and its decline has significantly affected the finances of the City of Grand Rapids. Unfortunately, the State's decline appears to be accelerating. State Sales Tax revenues are down 19%. State Income Tax revenues are down 22%. Michigan Business Tax revenues are down 37%. Our State is in a downward spiral, and our State government has been unable to address this economic meltdown and become a sustainable public service provider.…more>>

2010 Mayor's State of the City Address

Mayor George K. Heartwell annually addresses the citizens of the City of Grand Rapids. He presents his State of the City speech on Saturday, January 30, at DeVos Place, to an audience of citizens and regional leaders. Click here to read his speech, and the links to which he refers. …more>>

Online Property Tax Estimator

Want to estimate what your Real Property Taxes will be when you receive your Notice of Assessment? Or perhaps you are looking to buy a piece of property and want to estimate what your Real Property Taxes will be or your mortgage escrow? Well now you can by using the Treasurer's Office Online Property Tax Estimator. …more>>

Weston Commerce Parking Ramp Opening

The much anticipated opening of the Weston Commerce Parking Ramp is upon us. This joint effort between public and private interests, which resulted in an interior parking structure owned by the city and residential/commercial liner buildings on the street at 38 Commerce Ave SW, has become a model for future collaboration. On Friday evening January 15th this newest City of Grand Rapids Parking Services Department facility will be open for parking. Located at 16 Weston Street SW this 364 space ramp, with 8 additional handicap spaces, is accessed on the south side of Weston just west of Division St. …more>>

Find Us On Flickr!

In our latest social media endeavor, the City of Grand Rapids has created a Flickr Group called the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan. (www.flickr.com/groups/grcity/) Be sure to take a look at the pool of pictures in the group and check out the other groups dedicated to showing off our vibrant city and community life. We encourage you to submit your own photos of the City to the group so we can showcase the explosive talent of our citizens and the beauty of our community. The City of Grand Rapids will select individual pictures to feature on our www.grcity.us home page banner. Be sure to include a caption about the photo with your name. Our home page will rotate the latest pictures in the pool so be sure to check back often. …more>>

Passport Photo Service at the City Clerk's Office

The City Clerk's Office is a certified acceptance agent for passports. Our friendly staff is excited to provide One Stop Shop Services for Passport Applications, Passport Cards, and Passport Photos. The U.S. passport is a valuable document, and members of the Clerk's Office staff are fully trained to process the application in accordance to the U.S. Department of State regulations. Providing the Passport Photo service is a relatively new addition to the list of services available in the Clerk's Office.…more>>

Trouble Paying your Mortgage? Free Help available

Beginning July 5, 2009, Michigan Law requires all lenders to work with you to avoid foreclosure. For more information, click here.…more>>

Pay by Cell Phone in Grand Rapids

Parkmobile North America announced today a revolutionary new service that will allow residents and visitors in Grand Rapids to use their mobile phone to pay for metered parking. "Grand Rapids continues to pursue innovative alternatives that optimize technology to enhance parking options," said Pam Ritsema, Director of Parking for the City of Grand Rapids. "Parkmobile clearly fits that goal with this product. It will make parking at meters even more convenient." With the launch of Parkmobile, residents and visitors in Grand Rapids are now able to start and stop their parking transaction by mobile phone. Go live date is November 2, 2009.…more>>

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