Lake Improvement Boards

Montcalm County currently has 15 lakes with Lake Improvement Boards (LIB) that the Drain Commissioner is statutorily a member of the board. LIB's collect special assessments levied against parcels within the assessment district in order to fund weed control programs on the lake. 

Lake Improvements Boards VS Lake Associations

Lake Improvement Boards

Legal board that can be established through a petition signed by 2/3rds of the abutting property owners for weed control on the specified lake or by action of a legislative body. Most LIB’s have five Board Members made up of 3 property owners, the Board of Commissioner’s Representative and the Drain Commissioner. Public hearings must be held when the LIB wants to make any changes to the scope of the project or assessments. All meetings are subject to OMA and FOIA policies. Special assessments are mandatory for all parcels within the special assessment district with limited exemptions and are included annually on the Winter Tax Roll. Funds collected for Lake Improvement Boards can only be used for lake improvements that are listed within the scope of the project at the public hearing.

Lake Associations

Community focused groups that often run on a voluntary basis and collect funds for annual meetings and community activities. Lake Associations can have resolutions and collect assessments through the townships but are not related to the Drain Commission.