SN 9-17-2022

Page 10/The Sun and News, Saturday, September 17, 2022

Gaines Township Board to consider increase in public safety levy

James Gemmell

Contributing Writer

The Gaines Township

Board will consider adopt-

ing a 2023 fiscal year bud-

get resolution and an updat-

ed tax roll that would

include an increase in

homeowners’ winter tax

bill.

Township staff is recom-

mending that the annual

township-wide special

assessment for public safe-

ty expenses be increased

from the current 0.6 mills to

0.75 mills. That would help

pay for increased staffing

of the Dutton Fire

Department and some addi-

tional Kent County Sheriff’s

Office services.

The board approved the

15-year assessment in

October 2021 to help

cover the cost of replacing

outdated fire equipment

and to defray the town-

ship’s growing costs for

fire, rescue and police ser-

vices. The township board

can adjust the special

assessment levy each year,

up to a maximum of 1.

mills.

Gaines Charter Township

is Kent County’s fast-

est-growing municipality

and has more calls for fire,

rescue and police service

than any other township in

the county. Dutton and

Cutlerville Fire Chief Ken

Van Hall said last spring

the rapidly escalating num-

ber of calls for firefighting

and rescue services has

made the staffing increase

imperative.

To address the increasing

difficulty in recruiting vol-

unteer on-call firefighters,

the township board

approved in June a request

for the Dutton Fire

Department to add five full-

time firefighters and be

staffed 24 hours a day,

seven days a week, begin-

ning Jan. 1, 2023.

Besides supporting the

additional firefighting staff,

the special assessment

increase would also defray

the cost of additional

Sheriff’s Office patrols in

the township on an as-need-

ed basis, only. There will

be no addition to the regu-

lar road patrol.

The special assessment

levy that took effect this

year has generated about

$600,000, so far, for pub-

lic safety. The average

homeowner pays $67 per

year for the levy, depend-

ing on a property’s taxable

value. The levy will

increase by about $20 for

the next fiscal year, if

approved by the board.

The average taxable value

for a residential property

in the township is

$112,000, according to

township documents.

Township Manager

Jonathan Seyferth said the

proposed hike to 0.

mills would generate

about $822,000 annually

for the township. That is

about 21 percent of the

total revenues going into

the public safety fund.

About 53 percent of the

revenues will come from

a transfer out of the gen-

eral fund. Treasurer

Laurie Lemke said the

increase in the assessment

would take effect with the

winter tax bill that will be

mailed to residents the

first week of December.

Payment will be due by

Feb. 14, 2023.

The township is contrib-

uting about $2.1 million per

year from its general fund

toward public safety ser-

vices. Seyferth said in a

staff memo that $440,

in federal American Rescue

Plan Act (ARPA) dollars

will be used to cover some

of the additional public

safety expenses.

According to the memo,

total revenues for fiscal

year 2023 are projected to

be $3,943,787 and total

expenses $3,923,959.

Heritage Festival set for

Oct. 8 outside Gaines

Township Hall

The 12th annual Heritage

Festival is fast approach-

ing. The popular event typ-

ically takes place the sec-

ond Saturday in October at

the township hall, at 84th

Street and Kalamazoo

Avenue. This year, it will

be on Saturday, Oct. 8,

from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The

Gaines Historical Society

sponsors the entire event.

Its president, Shirley

Bruursema, chairs the festi-

val.

“I’m bringing a person-

al invitation for each and

every one of you to come

to the Heritage Festival.

We’ve got a good pro-

gram put together,”

Bruursema told the town-

ship board and audience

members.

She said there will be all

the traditional displays and

participants, such as arts

and crafts vendors, food

vendors, fire trucks, antique

tractors, a petting zoo, trail-

er rides through the adja-

cent apple orchards and

much more.

“The fire department

will be there and (sell-

ing) hot dogs and chips,”

Bruursema said. “And we

have cider and doughnuts

at the Historical (Society)

booth, and lots of baked

goods. We’re looking

forward to seeing you

there.”

“I’m looking forward to

it, as well,” Township

Supervisor Rob DeWard

said.

Gaines Board passes par-

ticipation agreement in

proposed utility project

The township board

voted 7-0 on a resolution

to help the Kent County

Department of Public

Works move forward with

the preliminary steps

needed to eventually build

a waste-to-energy plant.

The project is still years

away and would involve

multiple municipalities

and utility companies. The

Public Participation

Agreement is similar to a

Memorandum of

Understanding.

The $350 million facility

would anchor a Sustainable

Business Park adjacent to

the South Kent Landfill in

Byron Township and

extending into Allegan

County. Potentially, water

and sewer lines would be

extended from Gaines

Township to accommodate

the project. Kent County

and Dorr Township intend

to apply for project grants,

and Gaines and Byron

townships are agreeing to

be co-applicants for the

grants.

Grant available

to upgrade election

computers

The State of Michigan is

offering an Election

Security Grant to reimburse

townships for the purchase

of computers used for pro-

cessing elections. The grant

funding is through the Help

America Vote Act and will

reimburse townships $1,

per precinct.

Gaines Township has

nine precincts, so $13,

is available to the township.

But it must purchase the

laptop computers before

Sept. 30 and submit the

receipts to the state by Oct.

31.

The township board

voted 7-0 to purchase the

laptops.

Township Clerk Michael

Brew said it is an opportu-

nity to upgrade Gaines’

election computers. They

will be purchased through

Grand Rapids-based Micro

Visions Inc.

“Our current laptops

are getting slow. That’s

the only reason to

upgrade them,” he said,

adding that nothing will

be on the new laptops

until the night before the

election, when the elec-

tronic poll book software

is installed.

“(The state) made the

money available, and the

Michigan Association of

Municipal Clerks went and

got that money and said

they would distribute the

grant money,” he said.

PUBLISHER’S

NOTICE:

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is

subject to the Fair Housing Act and the Michigan

Civil Rights Act which collectively make it ille-

gal to advertise “any preference, limitation or

discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex,

handicap, familial status, national origin, age or

marital status, or an intention, to make any such

preference, limitation or discrimination.” Familial

status includes children under the age of 18 living

with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women

and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept

any advertising for real estate which is in viola-

tion of the law. Our readers are hereby informed

that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are

available on an equal opportunity basis. To report

discrimination call the Fair Housing Center at

616-451-2980. The HUD toll-free telephone num-

ber for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

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THORNAPPLE TOWNSHIP
BOARD
200 E MAIN ST.
MIDDLEVILLE, MI 49333
SYNOPSIS OF MEETING
MINUTES
Monday, September 12, 2022
Meeting called to order at 7:
p.m. Seven members present.

Items approved:

1. Printed Agenda approved
   as amended with item 10(g) La-
   bor Legal Representation added.


2. Consent Agenda approved
   as presented.


3. Approved motion to in-
   crease election worker wages
   from $12/hr. to $18/hr. for the
   election chairs and from $11/hr.
   to $15/hr. for the election inspec-
   tors.


4. Approved motion to replace
   the back door at a cost NTE
   $2,195.00.


5. Approved motion to hold a
   90-day trial of a second staffed
   ambulance 12 hours per day
   as part-time staff is available to
   accommodate second calls and
   transfers.


6. Approved motion to per-
   form immediate repairs NTE
   $35,000.00 on M-51, Bravo-53,
   E-51, E-56, and Tanker 56.


7. Approved motion to pur-
   chase three new fire station
   chairs at a cost NTE $2,416.50.


8. Approved motion to hire six
   part-time and four paid-on-call
   EMS staff members.


9. Approved motion to adopt
   Ordinance 3-2022 - Rezone par-
   cel 08-14-027-002-09 from Ag/
   Res to General Commercial.


10. Approved motion to hire
    Mika Myers utilizing Nikole Can-
    ute for our labor issues.
    Meeting adjourned at 8:
    p.m.

Prepared by
Deputy Clerk Amy Brown.
Approved by
Township Supervisor, Eric Schae-
fer.
Copies of the meeting minutes
are available upon request from
the Township Clerk or by visiting
our website at https://thornap-
ple-twp.org/meeting-minutes/
Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday through Thursday.

These tables show Gaines Township’s projected revenues and expenses for

fiscal year 2023, based on the proposed budget. The township-wide special

assessment, shown here as “SAD Revenue,” would bring in $821,787. (From

gainestownship.org)

The Gaines Township Board met Sept. 12. The fiscal year 2023 budget was one of the topics addressed.

Left to right: trustees Dan Fryling, Bob Terpstra, Kathy Vander Stel; clerk Michael Brew, supervisor Rob

DeWard, treasurer Laurie Lemke, planner Dan Wells, trustee Tim Haagsma, manager Jonathan Seyferth.

(Photo by James Gemmell)