Burning of leaves is an issue every autumn, said Independence Township Supervisor Pat Kittle.
“Be respectful of your neighbors and remember you must have a burn permit,” Kittle said.
Open burning of yard waste, tree trimmings, paper, or scrap wood is allowed by permit only, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. through Nov. 30; 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Dec. 1 thru March 31.
Parcels of less than three acres must follow the burn date calendar on the permit. Parcels larger than three acres can burn any day. Rules include no burning within 50 feet of any structure, no burning along roadways, and no burn piles larger than six-foot diameter. Violation is a civil infraction.
Check www.indetwp.com/departments/fire for details.
Another issue is slow restoration of power outages.
“Yes, it is inconvenient residents may be without power due to thunderstorms or, shortly here, snowstorms. However, the way the power outages get taken care of is in the hands of DTE,” said Brian Oppmann, township planning and zoning manager. “DTE’s policies is, high density is done first when it comes to restoring power.”
“Sometimes crews are unable to get to certain areas due to downed trees,” Kittle added.
Have a back up plan if you lose power such as having a generator, having canned goods and non perishable foods, have bottled water on hand, etc., he said.
– Kirsten Isbell