FAQs
Cemetery
Yes, lots are available at both city owned cemeteries - Oak Grove and Lakeview.
The cost for each grave is $500.00 for residents (those who reside within the City of Hillsdale) and $750.00 for non residents. Additional Information about fees.
No, this is against cemetery rules due to the problems with roots that hamper grave digging.
Yes, however, there are restrictions as to where and how large an area can be placed in.
City Clerk
The easiest way to find out what ward you live in is to look on your voter ID card.
Forestry
The Department of Public Services will provide curbside residential collection of brush. Please contact their office at 517-437-6490.
No, however, the City Forester will evaluate trees on private property at no cost to the homeowner.
Yes, but only if they participate in the City of Hillsdale's Public Tree Planting Program. Certain criteria must be met. For more info contact the City Forester.
Sometimes, but several factors have to be taken into consideration by the forester. Such as soil condition, location of wires, safety for pedestrians and traffic, etc.
Yes, however, the homeowner must first apply for a Right-Of-Way Permit, and that request be approved by the city.
Request for Proposals - Municipal Trash and Recyclables Collection
Search Tips and Tricks
Yes. The website indexes web pages as well as PDFs, Microsoft Office documents, and text documents.
No. By default, the search results will show matches for any word within the phrase. In this example, you would receive results for all web pages and documents that contained either the word alarm or the word permit or both.
In order to search on an exact phrase, enclose your search phrase in quotations. The search results for "alarm permit" will show matches for that exact phrase.
Yes. You can exclude words by using the minus sign (-). In order to find the results of all pages that have alarm in the result but not permit, you would search for alarm -permit.
Storm Center
When you experience a power outage, report it by calling 1-844-427-8633. View those instructions HERE. Rest assured that our employees will work as quickly as possible to restore your electrical service.
In major outages, we may call for assistance from other neighboring utilities and contract crews. For this reason, you may see vehicles from other companies in your area helping to restore power.
If you have a portable generator, it should not be connected to any of the utility power lines or house wiring, unless it is equipped with a properly installed double-throw switch installed by a licensed electrician. Generators that are not installed properly can feed back in to our lines and may cause serious injury to anyone coming in contact with those wires.
If you plan to use a portable generator, here are some important safety precautions:
- Read all instructions carefully and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- First, never run your generator indoors or in your garage. Generators should only be run in a well-ventilated area. Gasoline-powered generators produce carbon monoxide and the fumes can be deadly if there is not adequate ventilation.
- Second, plug appliances directly into the generator using heavy duty, properly grounded extension cords.
- Make sure that extension cords are not frayed or worn.
- Limit the electrical load placed on the generator to no more than the recommended wattage.
- Do not connect your power generator directly to your home’s main fuse box or circuit panel.
- Use the generator only when necessary.
- Portable generators should not be connected to any of the utility power lines or house wiring unless the service is equipped with a double-throw switch properly installed by a licensed electrician. Generators that are not isolated or installed properly can feed back in to our lines and may cause serious injury to anyone coming in contact with those wires.
- Turn the generator off at night while you sleep and when you are away from home.
If you have any questions about how to properly use a portable electric generator, contact the manufacturer or a licensed electrician for assistance.
If you see a downed power line it is important to stay away from it at all times and contact us immediately at 437-3387. Please do not try to remove anything that might be tangled in power lines.
If you or another family member depends on life support, and the loss of electricity affects these life support systems, you need to have a contingency plan in place.
Caregivers of in-home critical care patients should always have an evacuation plan or a plan for how to handle extended outages in the event of a natural disaster or severe storm.
During an outage we will have crews working on lines in your area. Many of these lines are along main roads and highways. For your safety and the safety of our crews, please drive slowly and be aware of our crew vehicles.
If your power is out you may see a utility vehicle drive by your house without stopping. There are several reasons why this might be the case. The crew may be en route to a location where immediate attention is required. they may need to inspect equipment along your main line before returning to your road, or they may need to return to the warehouse for additional supplies. Crews repair damage to parts of the system that bring power to the greatest number of customers first before handling problems at individual homes. Please know that we are making every effort to restore power to you as quickly as possible.
No. We cannot guarantee uninterrupted electrical service to your home or business. Events outside our control will prevent us from always having power at your location.
While the power is out, no electricity is being consumed, so your meter does not register any consumption for billing.
Streets and Sidewalks
The City plows snow based on a priority level of traffic volume. Because the state trunk lines are most heavily traveled, they are plowed first and most frequently. Accordingly, major streets are plowed second and the local streets third.
The city has two programs that were developed to assist the homeowner to replace sidewalks. The first program is through development of a special assessment district, where the City selects an area or neighborhood to have their sidewalks replaced. Selection priority is based on several factors such as age of sidewalk, severity, pedestrian traffic volume, etc. Another option to be part of the special assessment program is for several neighbors to get together and petition the City for replacement. The City will then consider the request using the same criteria of prioritization.
The second program is elective, where the homeowner and/or a contractor performs replacement of the sidewalk themselves. They first must apply for a R.O.W. permit (no fee for this program) from the Department of Public Services. After the permit has been approved, the City will then schedule the removal process, usually being performed within two weeks. The City will remove and haul away the old sidewalk at no charge to the homeowner. The homeowner is responsible for labor, material and equipment to replace the sidewalk. The new sidewalk must be installed according to permit specs.
The Department of Public Services will provide curbside residential collection from each residence one time during the months of April, May, October & November. The following are requirements for City residents only.
1. Brush must be placed on the terrace by 7:00 a.m. Monday during the scheduled collection week only.
2. The City will collect brush from each residence 1 time only during each month, April through October.
3. Tree limbs must be stacked with the large end nearest the curb. Limbs less than 8 feet in length and 8 inches in diameter only will be collected.
4. No stumps, large trunks, stones or dirt will be collected at the curb.
5. Keep branches and brush piles away from all utility poles, telephone pedestals, water shut-off valves and fire hydrants, etc.
6. Do not place items in the street. This causes additional clean-up problems on street surface and in storm sewers and may obstruct visibility, or cause traffic flow problems.
7. Collection is intended for residential scale only and is not for those clearing vacant or overgrown land.
8. City residents only may haul their brush to the compost site on Waterworks Ave. weekdays between the hours of 7am and 3pm. Proof of residency may be required.
9. Violators subject to prosecution.
No person shall perform or otherwise undertake any excavation, construction, operation or use in, under, over or upon any street without having first obtained a permit therefore from the director of public services.
Applications for permits to perform or otherwise undertake any excavation, construction, operation or use in, under, over or upon any street shall be made to the director of public services not less than 72 hours prior to the planned commencement thereof. Applicant must provide a drawing of the location site. For more information, please see Chapter 30 of the City Ordinances.
Examples of work needing a permit are as follows:
Sidewalk construction or replacement. (exceeding 25 square feet) $50.00
Driveway construction or replacement $50.00
Terrace opening or curb cut $50.00
Street opening $100.00
Storm sewer connection fee $150.00
Application fee (for items other than listed above) $10.00
The permits may be picked up and/or dropped off at the City Clerks office on the first floor of City Hall, 97 N. Broad St., or at the Department of Public Services office at 149 Waterworks Avenue.
Treasurer
Taxable values are assessed based on current value, use and ownership of the property as of "Tax Day", December 31st, and the taxes are billed over the course of the following year. Assessment notices are mailed to every property owner in February with instructions on how to appeal an assessment to either the City Board of Review or (for commercial and industrial property) directly to the Michigan Tax Tribunal. Summer taxes are billed July 1st and due on August 31st. Winter taxes are billed December 1st and due on February 14th of the following year.
Summer taxation provides for the City, Library and County operating mils as well as the State Education Tax. The Hillsdale Community Schools and the Intermediate School District mils are collected half on the Summer bill, half on the Winter bill. The Winter tax bills also include Hillsdale County Ambulance, Medical Care and Senior Center mils.
To search and view your tax information online click here
We accept US post mark for payment at deadline, there is also a lockbox outside of City Hall for payments after hours. Partial payments are accepted. You can avoid the risk of late-payment penalty and interest by paying your tax bill before the due date.
According to State law, the City of Hillsdale has to close the tax books at the end of February and can no longer accept real property taxes. The rolls are turned over to the County to collect any delinquent real property tax. All inquires on taxes after March 1st need to be directed to the Hillsdale County Treasurer's Office. We have no record of what gets paid once the tax roll is turned over to the County.
State of Michigan law and our City Charter dictate the tax schedules as well as the penalty and interest rates. For some citizens, the bills are confusing because they show "fiscal years" of all the taxing units. Taxable values are calculated on "Tax Day", December 31st, and the taxes are billed over the course of the following year. It is also State of Michigan law that requires local governments to close the tax books at the end of February and the tax rolls to be turned over to the County Treasurer.
The tax bills will always be mailed to the property owner for your information. Many mortgage companies communicate with the Treasurer's office and arrange for their own reports of taxes due; however, ultimately the responsibility lies with the property owner to be certain that taxes are paid. If you have a mortgage company that handles your tax payments, please check your escrow account or call the Treasurer's office to be certain that your taxes have been paid.
Questions and requests for address changes, property tax exemptions (including Principal Residence, Disabled Veterans, and Poverty), and assessment review should be directed to the Assessing Department.
No, there are no discounts for early payment but you will avoid the risk of late-payment penalty and interest when you pay your taxes well before the due date. The City cannot accept payments via credit card at this time.
The City collects tax dollars on behalf of the Library, Hillsdale Schools, the Intermediate School District, Hillsdale County and the State of Michigan. Your summer and winter tax bills provide a breakdown on how much of your tax dollars is given to each taxing unit. Interest collected on late payments is also spread to each of the taxing units.
Click here to see a visual representation of where your tax dollars go every year.