On the Aug. 3 primary ballot, Sumpter Township voters will decide whether to renew a 2-mill tax for police services.
At their April 26 regular meeting, township board members unanimously approved the ballot language.
The previous 2 mills for police protection, including operations and maintenance services for the police department, dwindled due to the Headlee Amendment rollback to 1.78 mills before it expired in December.
The question on the August ballot resets the tax at 2 mills, which is expected to produce $670,000 in the first year the millage is levied.
Sumpter CPA Jim Glahn said the previous tax expired with the December levy and in order for the township to balance its budget and continue to provide police service, the millage will have to be renewed.
The police millage will be levied for six years, 2010 through 2015. The 2 mills will still be subject to the Headlee rollback each year.
A group called KSS – Keeping Sumpter Safe – has organized to support the police millage renewal. Its next meeting is at 5 p.m., May 10, at the Teen Room in the Community Center. The public is invited to attend.
When the 2-mill police millage first went on the ballot in 1998, for 7 years, the income the first year was estimated at $274,637. It was renewed in 2005 for 5 years.
In 1998 voters also renewed a 1-mill tax for 5 years for fire protection, bringing an estimated $136,975 that year. Voters also have renewed the fire millage whenever it came on the ballot.
In other business at its April 27 meeting, the board:
* Was informed by township attorney Rob Young that the arbitrator upheld the township board decision to fire Police Officer Mike Lang and the arbitration process is over. At the end of the meeting, the board went into closed-door session to discuss pending litigation, Lang vs. Sumpter Township, and then came into regular session to direct the attorney to proceed as directed in the closed session;
* Approved hiring Scott Rhodes and Walter Thompson as two new paid-per-call fire fighters;
* Approved having the Sumpter Fire Department join the Monroe County Fire Department Mutual Aid Group;
* Approved having Sumpter join the Michigan Emergency Management Assistance Compact (MEMAC);
* Approved having Great Lakes Fireworks Company put on a fireworks display at Sumpter Fest on May 30, or rain date May 31, at a cost of $5,000;
* Approved going out for sealed bids to sell two water department trucks and a Ford Escort, all township-owned vehicles;
* Approved the bid of Newton’s Landscaping for the senior grass cutting bid to be paid out of federal Community Development Block Grant funds; and
* Heard resident Mary Ban praise the late Leonard Rochon, who served Sumpter Township with 57 years of service to the fire department. Township Supervisor Johnny Vawters responded to one of Ban’s recent questions about cracks on Bemis Road near the recent VBT water line project. Vawters said he and County Commissioner Kevin McNamara drove around and looked at township roads and, “All the roads are cracked.” Vawters said the seams open in the winter and close in the summer and, “This hasn’t closed yet” on Bemis.