Group of Lansing Township residents want to be annexed into the city of Lansing

LANSING TWP. — A group of Lansing Township residents have submitted a letter to the city of Lansing urging officials to approve a ballot question on whether they can become city residents.

About 120 residents in the Groesbeck area of the township have asked that an annexation question be put on the November ballot. Lansing Mayor Andy Schor included draft language for an annexation ballot question in a packet of materials he forwarded to Lansing's City Council.

The residents want to have more security for the future and many are worried about the financial woes of Lansing Township, said John DeMarco, one of the organizers of the letter.

"Where will we be in five years? Ten years? Twenty years?" DeMarco said. "We decided to be a little proactive and see what happens. If the people of Lansing say, 'We don't want your problems,' we'll be no better or worse off."

He estimates about 2,200 people live in the area.

The township is struggling with debt, at least $31 million, or seven times the township's annual budget.

Lansing Township Supervisor Maggie Sanders did not respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum said she is researching the details of what would happen, including which voters would get a say in a potential annexation.

The Groesbeck area is one of five non-contiguous portions of Lansing Township and surrounded by the city of Lansing.

In order for the issue to be on the November ballot, the City Council would have to vote on the proposal and pass the resolution at its Aug. 8 meeting.

"At this time, the only sections of Lansing Township proposed to be annexed are the portions that are fully encircled in the northeast corner of the city," according to a letter Schor sent council members.

Lansing Township Supervisor Maggie Sanders did not respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon. The Groesbeck area is one of five non-contiguous portions of Lansing Township.

Lansing spokesman Scott Bean said the area is surrounded by the city of Lansing and city council members could send the ballot question to Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, to add it to a future ballot for voters.

In a statement, Schor said more than 100 residents signed a letter requesting the vote on annexation.

"I support their right to have a say in their local government," Schor's statement said. "Should they elect to join the city of Lansing, we will certainly welcome them."

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Much of the township's debt stems from The Heights, which was envisioned as an upscale shopping and dining development, but has remained largely empty and unprofitable since the township signed a 99-year lease for the property it sits on 12 years ago.

The township covers less than 5 square miles and is slowly losing population, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau figures that found a 2021 population of 8,087.

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Contact reporter Mike Ellis at 517-267-0415 or mellis@lsj.com Follow him on Twitter @MikeEllis_AIM.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Group of Lansing Twp. residents want to be annexed into Lansing