About Us
The Helena Township Advocacy Group (HTAG) is a grass roots group of Helena Township residents focused on working together with our Planning Commission and Board to increase transparency and awareness about important topics impacting our community.
HTAG’s focus is to simply gather and disseminate information to help increase awareness and encourage involvement while remaining neutral on all topics.
Our Mission
Our motivation is to work collaboratively with the Township Planning Commission and Board to promote transparency, encourage public participation and raise awareness about the key issues shaping our community.
Our Township’s Master Plan is a document which must be used “to carefully plan and direct future growth in a thoughtful and orderly manner while:
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retaining rural character,
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water quality,
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dark night skies,
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beautiful open space,
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small-scale village quaintness
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and open roads.”
The 2024 Master Plan outlines the manner-in-which policies and ordinances must be developed, updated, or implemented to ensure they align with its purpose.
Master Plan
The following is language from the Master Plan and the focus of HTAG:
“Slowly at first and then rapidly in the 20th Century, Helena Township became a vacation-oriented area with increasing numbers of tourists. Today, the trend continues with the addition of more and more retirees and year-round homeowners. A small number of commercial establishments and the absence of heavy industry also define the character of Helena Township… Therefore, growth in Helena Township must be as thoughtfully managed as possible in order to protect that very special residential and scenic character of the township and the quality of life associated with that character. To that end, zoning regulations should be developed that seek broad public input on development issues through public hearings before the planning commission, but reserves to the township board, the final decision-making authority on proposed developments, consistent with state law.”
HTAG's Objectives
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Encourage residents to be more engaged and involved with decisions and actions being taken by our officials and directly impacting our community.
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Share information with the public to increase awareness about important issues being considered and the actions being taken by our Planning Commission and Board affecting our surrounding communities.
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Collaborate with public officials to adhere to the Master Plan.
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Build relationships with neighboring townships and their residents – share ideas, offer support and work together to help resolve issues affecting all of us.
Call to Action
Well-facilitated community engagement is necessary for the effective planning and problem solving of any proposal or project. Often times, a Planning Commission meeting or public hearing is much too late in the process to learn about the issues or contribute input and ideas.
To effectively address our community’s planning and developmental issues, public awareness and involvement is imperative. It is especially important for the public to know its voice is being heard!
Please take our quick 3-question survey to share with us what is important to YOU!
If you would like to know more about issues affecting our community, review our Meeting Recaps or Contact Us with your questions, concerns or to share your ideas. We welcome and encourage all input even if you DO NOT RESIDE in Helena Township.
We look forward to meeting you, addressing any questions you may have and exploring how you may want to get involved!