The Sylvan Township Board unanimously approved its FY 2021-2022 operating budget at its Zoom meeting on March 2.
The budget projects about $648,500 in general fund FY revenues and a total of about $998,000 in total revenues and about $808,250 in FY general fund expenditures. It includes a beginning fund balance of about $1.217 million. (The budget without the amendments found below, can be found at the end of this story.)
In addition, the board unanimously adopted the following amendments to the budget, which begins April 1:
- An addition of $7,000 to the general fund for a technology budget to be used for website redevelopment.
- An addition of $10,000 to the general fund buildings and grounds budget for basement door replacement and painting.
- A decrease of $1,000 in the sexton’s salary in the cemetery account
- An increase of $500 in the code enforcement fund
- An increase of $966 in the general fund landfill contract
- An increase of $25,000 in the DPW fund for engineering and professional services.
- An increase of $4,000 stipend in the clerk’s account per election (with the possibility of three elections in 2021)
- An increase of $1,000 to the deputy treasurer’s line item in the treasurer’s account.
One item was not approved — $13,000 for a water fund rate study.
Supervisor David Brooks and Trustee Sandie Schulze voted in favor of this item and Treasurer Rod Branham, Clerk Kathleen Kennedy and Trustee Kurt Koseck voted against it.
The board also unanimously amended the FY2020-2021 budget to increase revenues by $130,000 and increase the expenses by about $154,000. In addition, the elected officials unanimously voted to write off the delinquent trust and agency accounts in the total amount of about $353.
In other business, the board unanimously approved the re-appointment of Dawn Caplis to the township’s Planning Commission for a 4-year term through March 2025 that was due to expire at the end of March.
In other business, the board discussed a proposed water rate proposal for the water system that is owned and operated by the township. The board decided it would rather see a more detailed proposal after DPW Director Bob Scull, representatives from the company and township officials hold a meeting to discuss the proposal. It should be noted that the $13,000 budget request for this rate study was not approved by a majority of the township board earlier in the meeting.
Also discussed was the need for the township to have an engineer familiar with the township’s water and sewer systems on retainer as a consultant for development projects they foresee taking place in the immediate future. Ted Erickson of IMEG was unanimously approved to provide project specific engineering services.
The board briefly discussed a third revised version of the township’s proposed Open Space Preservation Development Option ordinance. The original ordinance was first approved by the Planning Commission and the Board of Trustees in 2003, and needs to be updated to meet the current Michigan statute, which was adopted in 2006.
Several different revisions to this ordinance have gone back and forth between the Planning Commission, the Township Board and the Township Attorney Robert Thall beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2020.
Tuesday night, a third version of this proposed ordinance was submitted as an action item along with an opinion from the township attorney.
The board voted to set a special meeting for March 16 at 7 p.m. to discuss the latest revisions and whether they should go back to the Planning Commission because they represent major changes from what was originally submitted to the board for approval.
During trustee comments at the end of the meeting, Trustee Schulze asked township residents to email her at [email protected] and let her know how you would access the township website. Is it by phone, laptop, computer? And, what you’d like to see on the township’s website. A committee of township residents are working on a redesign of the township’s website: www.sylvan-township.org.
