The Lowell Township Board met for more than an hour on Monday night for their regular December meeting. The agenda included a number of appointments, approval of new water and sewer rates and a first look at the 2025-26 budget. All board members were present for the meeting.
Public Comment – Wedding Venue on Ag Land
One resident spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting. Kent Riddle asked if the township would consider allowing properties in the Ag-2 district to be used as wedding venues. Riddle and his wife have been residents of the community for 35 years and live on property with that zoning.
Trustee Carlton Blough noted another resident had expressed an interest in establishing a bed and breakfast on agricultural land and thought it might be good to consider both requests at the same time. Blough added that “ag entertainment” and “ag tourism” might also be addressed in the Michigan Right to Farm Act, which can supersede some local regulations.
Supervisor Jerry Hale confirmed there was consensus by board members to have the Lowell Township Planning Commission consider the matter. There was, and Planning Commission Chair Dave Simmonds – who was in the audience – said he would be happy to put it on the commission’s agenda.
New Water and Sewer Rates
While there was a public hearing held on new water and sewer rates, no comments were received. Afterward, the board voted unanimously to approve the new rate structure. The new structure is intended “to distribute the cost of operating the system in an equitable manner,” according to a summary document created by the township.
Under the new sewer rate system, the bimonthly ready-to-serve fee for those with a 3/4 inch water meter – apparently used by many residents – will drop from $44.10 to $29.22. Those with larger meters will see their ready-to-serve fee increase. The township is also instituting a usage fee of $2.71 per 1,000 gallons. Previously, there was no usage fee for sewer services.
For water service, the bimonthly ready-to-serve fee is dropping from $42.00 to $38.07 for residential and commercial customers who have a 3/4 inch meter and use fewer than 10,000 gallons. The usage fee of $4.60 per 1,000 gallons remains the same. Rates are higher for those with larger meters or who use more than 10,000 gallons.
Budget Review
Under new business, the township board got its first look at the proposed 2025-26 budget. The budget includes $1.05 million in revenues and appropriations and maintains a $1.65 million fund balance.
“We’re pretty conservative on some of our numbers,” said Clerk Monica Burtt.
Major spending categories include the following:
- Road maintenance: $250,000
- Township parks: $250,000
- General administration: $212,600
However, the biggest expense for the township isn’t found in its general budget. Instead, it is fire services which are funded out of a dedicated millage.
For 2025-26, that millage is expected to bring in $316,000. However, the township expects to pay $300,800 to the Lowell Fire Department and $59,000 to the Bowne Fire Department for contracted services. That leaves a $43,800 shortfall for the year, but there is a $52,273 fund balance in the fire fund to cover it.
Blough is the township’s representative on the Lowell Area Fire and Emergency Services Authority, which oversees the Lowell Area Fire Department. Burtt asked Blough how the department’s budget was doing this year. Last year, the department needed to ask municipalities to make an additional payment midway through the year to cover expenses, but Blough thought this year’s budget was in good shape.
“The new budget (for 2025-26) is going to increase quite a lot,” he added. Blough noted that paid, on-call firefighters would be getting a $1 per hour raise after the new year, and the department was looking at staffing levels. “It’s on the borderline of burning out people because they are getting too many calls,” according to Blough.
Spraying for Spongy Moth Infestation
The results of a study of spongy moth infestations in the township were discussed during Monday’s meeting. Nearly 2,500 acres of land need to be sprayed to eradicate the insects, formerly known as gypsy moths. The cost for the spraying is estimated at $200,000.
“Now, that’s something that we don’t have,” Hale said.
Trustee William Thompson thought maybe a millage could be passed to cover the expense. Some board members didn’t think one would pass, but Blough said residents had supported a similar millage in the past.
“It passed last time, and it wasn’t even close,” according to Blough. He noted that the millage was for three years, and the township had said it would cover the upfront cost of spraying for the first year. If the millage didn’t pass, then it wouldn’t spray again. However, the ballot proposal was approved and Blough thought the township reimbursed itself from the millage for the first year.
“My thought is that we need to do the spraying even if we have to take it out of the fund balance,” Thompson said.
Other board members agreed, noting that this wasn’t the type of work an individual homeowner could do themselves. There was some discussion about looking for grants, but in the meantime, it was voted unanimously that Hale would get a bid on the work. The supervisor noted that only a few companies do this type of work, and they would want to time it so the spraying didn’t occur when bees were out.
Many Appointments Made
The Lowell Township Board voted unanimously to approve the following appointments:
- Mary Jo Bieri, Greg Forde and William Thompson to three-year terms on the Zoning Board of Appeals
- Nancie Mathews, Sandra Graham and Jennette Stevenson for two-year terms on the Board of Review
- Ronda Benedict as the board representative to the Planning Commission through December 2027
- Melissa Bailey to a three-year term on the Lowell Cable TV Advisory Board
- Jennette Stevenson for a term on the LARA Board
Other Meeting Items
The Lowell Board also unanimously approved a 3.1% cost-of-living adjustment for staff and officer compensation. They voted unanimously to approve payment of $17,465 for the annual premium on a property and liability insurance policy.
The meeting adjourned at 8:13pm. The next meeting of the Lowell Township Board of Trustees will be a special meeting on Dec. 23. The only agenda item for that meeting is a closed session “to consider material exempt from disclosure by law.”
The next regular meeting for the board will take place on Monday, Jan. 20, at 7pm in the Lowell Township Hall.
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