Please remember you must be a registered active member to attend the November 5th meeting. ID’s will be checked. There is still time to become an active member. Applications will be available at the October 21st general meeting. You can also call the hotline to join.
Carp update: Thanks to the Lake Family Member Jeff Jolokai and his team, over 100 carp were removed from Duck Lake. The largest was 30 lbs. Did you know that one 4kg carp can one million eggs? Yes, carp have a history of totally destroying lakes.
Thanks,
Bob
Duck Lake 
October 27, 2015 at 12:02 am
Hi all – there seems to be a lot of confusion around the lake about the difference between your home owners association for your neighborhood (if you have one), the Duck Lake Property Owner’s Association, and the Duck Lake Board.
The state appointed Duck Lake Improvement Board is the group which represents Duck Lake via the county and is the ONLY entity which determines how our taxes are spent. Oakland Country has the ultimate say, but we are represented by a board whose job it is to represent the voice of the residents as well as the county. The Duck Lake Board determines how our taxes will be spent, but restricts spending to only those things which are determined to be necessary for lake water quality and maintenance. You can attend board meetings and voice your opinions related to how your tax dollars are spent. Oakland Country will make decisions about the lake regardless of your participation, but it’s in your best interest to attend board meetings and voice your opinions if you have strong feelings about how your taxes are assessed and spent.
The Duck Lake POA is a voluntary group of residents who are interested in contributing their time and/or money toward the betterment of lake life beyond those things which the county handles via our tax assessments. While Bob sits on the Duck Lake board and also happens to be our POA president, the Duck Lake POA meetings are not the forum in which to raise issues related to how taxes are spent. The Duck Lake POA is an entity which we are not required to have, and without money and volunteers it would not exist. Personally, I do not think that maintenance performed by the county which our taxes pay for is enough and because I want to see this lake and community thrive, I have volunteered both my time and my money to contribute in ways I feel makes life on the lake better.
Finally, your neighborhood homeowner’s association (HOA) is a completely separate entity with its own dues and bylaws. If your HOA has property on the lake, such as a beach or boat launch, some of your dues may go toward maintenance of that area, but that is managed separately and is not used for duck lake parks, beaches and boat launches which are not owned by your HOA.
I know that a lot have changed in the last several years, but for those of you who have been here a long time, it’s important to understand that due to changes in the law and subsequent decisions made by the state and county, the purpose of the POA is not what it was 10 years ago. The power of this entity has been stripped and separated from the Duck Lake Improvement Board, and decisions about our taxes are now made separately. The POA does not control or get to use that money. The POA only has money to spend if residents donate via voluntary dues. You want an extra meeting? Another mailing? A website? Our taxes go toward exactly $0 of this.
I will acknowledge that this has not been made clear, so as voluntary webmaster I hope I can help to bring transparency and clarity so that we can get past this strife and misunderstanding and instead focus on the betterment of life on our beautiful lake.
October 27, 2015 at 11:25 pm
Transparency is the key word in your statement. Where are the bylaws for the POA? Where is the budget for the POA? When are the elections for the POA? After 3 years of living on this lake, I’ve never been approached to “join” this association. This last meeting was my first experience of the POA and I left with more questions than answers.
October 28, 2015 at 1:39 am
The bylaws and budget are now on the website. There are no election results as of now to post.
When you move into your home, either as a lakefront owner, or a backlot owner, you are automatically a member of the association. You would have received a newsletter every spring discussing meeting dates, the hotline number, etc. As of (I believe) 2013, we now have a welcome letter for new residents.
At any time you have any questions, or wish to see any documentation not on the website, please contact the hotline at 248-887-0824. Thanks.
October 28, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Leslie, thank you for your information. Just to clarify – the budget has listed $2,000.00 for 2014 and $ 500.00 for 2015,2016,2017
and 2018 to mailings (Legal Ads and Notices) – you stated “you want a meeting? A mailing? A website? Our taxes go toward exactly $0 of this”- To mail 1150 notices would be $563.50 – Maybe we need to budget enough money to send more than one mailing a year
and to maintain this website – This all falls under PERSERVING our lake. If you don’t ask – the answer is always no.
November 4, 2015 at 6:57 pm
What happened to Leslie’s comment?Ty & Kelly’s responses were to her comment.
November 6, 2015 at 9:53 pm
Ty – Don’t forget the cost of envelopes. Stuffing them. Getting the address labels approx. cost $60. The funds with Oakland County are for only certain items and the mailing CAN NOT use these funds. They can’t be budgeted. The newsletter is only sent out with the weed notice, otherwise it would not be allowed under the funds. Get your facts straight. Also, be very careful about putting things between my door. Especially a fraudulent document. I’m sure someone else gave it to you to put there. Just be very careful that what you think you are distributing is true. The page you passed out was not the truth.
October 25, 2015 at 1:07 am
There was no explanation of the active member issue as soon as some one asked Bob to explain it he shut it down and said he would NOT answer any questions about it
October 23, 2015 at 6:58 pm
Hello David. I was at the meeting and your briefing was correct. Overall Bob covered a lot of topics well but we got stuck on the Active Member explaination as well as the Marine Patrol. It is very concerning for all Duck Lake tax payers that we are not invited to the November 5th meeting unless we are “active, pay $50 or more, members” regarding topics about our lake. This “experiment” goes against the grain of most Duck Lake owners.
October 22, 2015 at 5:34 pm
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the lake associtaion meeting last night due to being out of towm. I have been briefed on what transpired at the meeting and honestly it’s very disturbing. The association is not supposed to be a monarchy nor is it supposed to be a association run by a few. It is an association where all the tax payers around the lake get an equal vote as to what takes place on their lake. Not just those who pay a fee to join an exclusive club. By my understanding this is not at all how the meeting went last night. I as a member of the so called active group would have been appalled if half of what I heard turns out to be true. It may be time for a change.
October 28, 2015 at 3:07 pm
I am fairly new to the Lake, so the meeting on October 21st. Was quite a shock. I was expecting to hear about issues that our citizens and elected board felt were important to our community. Instead we were treated like school children, and told to sit still and listen. We were then told questions would be answered after the agenda was covered. After trying the patience of everyone in the room, listening to ramblings about every trivial issue for 2 hours, several people tried raise questions about, the water level, broken pump, and marine patrol, and “active vs inactive” members. The “audience” became increasingly agitated, over not being allowed to speak. When a few questions did get heard, the answer was-” to call the hotline.” Then the president abruptly adjourned the meeting, leaving the rest of us, staring, with even more questions.
A dialog is all I’m asking for. The board may not have the answers. But please listen to our questions, concerns,and our comments. We have many knowledgeable people on our lake. We all want our community to be safe, welcoming, and friendly. Can we expect a discussion of important topics, at this meeting? We all have a voice. I don’t expect everyone to think the same way I do, but I will listen to what they have to say. And I expect all be allowed to speak.
October 28, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Amen! Couldn’t have said it better.
November 4, 2015 at 2:34 am
Our lake is drying up and Bob Jones spent more time talking about rumors than he did about the pump.
October 22, 2015 at 12:12 pm
Bob. I thought u did an outstanding job conducting the meeting. I appreciate all the enthusiasm & time u donate to keep our lake viable. Plz express my thanks to All the fine people who r donating time to preserving our lake.
Phyllis Fischer