By Lisa Carolin
It was a busy Monday night for the Lima Township Board of Trustees on March 13. The board approved the township’s 2017-18 operating budget, which is a balanced budget that totals $576,371.
The board also approved a 2-percent wage increase for all elected officials. That includes raises for the supervisor, clerk and treasurer to $29,385 per year and $3,377 for trustees.
A proposed operating millage of .8020 mils for 2017 was also approved.
Many residents attended the 7 p.m. meeting, mostly to talk about their concerns regarding a proposed non-motorized path. David Hardcastle, a Lima Township resident, whose father Jeff Hardcastle is the Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative chair, will be putting on a presentation about the path at a special meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at Lima Township Hall.
“The board felt with the number of residents we have in opposition to this that we want to show immediate support of them, which we did with a Proclamation of Support,” said Lima Township Supervisor Craig Maier. “It is not in direct opposition to the bike path but in full support of the residents and their wishes. There are an enormous amount of traffic and safety issues, and it takes too much freedom away from property owners.”
That proclamation will be posted on the township’s website https://www.twp-lima.org/township.
The board approved temporary road closures during the annual Heart and Sole Race on May 20, as well as approving a township resolution for a poverty exemption, which they do annually to offer guidelines.
Prior to all that, the board had its annual meeting with the Washtenaw County Road Commission at 5 p.m. As far as county funded road projects go, Maier said, “It looks like the township will be seeing a nice share of work this season including the section of South Fletcher where the S curve is by Stivers will be redone, and Dancer Road will receive 6 inches of limestone compacted in place from I-94 to Dexter-Chelsea Road. From Fletcher Road to Old US-12 will have existing asphalt removed and be repaved, there will be safety signage work on Scio Church Road, and there will also be repairs on North Fletcher near Seitz Drive,” Maier said.
Maier said the township plans to spend $210,000 out of its budget on completing Jerusalem Road from Freer to the Sylvan Township line, adding 6 inches of limestone to North Lima Center Road from the end of Seitz to Trinkle, and doing the same on South Lima Center Road at least to the halfway point.
“What we have left, we will continue to distribute down the rest of Lima Center Road and complete the project next year,” said Maier.
