MONTAGUE — The Montague Township board granted approval to the prospect of Fruitland Township's potentially joining the White Lake Ambulance Authority at its Tuesday meeting, a prerequisite for Fruitland's being allowed to put the issue to its voters in August.
All five municipalities currently part of the WLAA, including Montague Township, must approve Fruitland's potential rejoining for the township to be permitted to place a measure on the ballot. The vote passed 4-0, with Township Clerk Drew Roesler abstaining as he is a WLAA employee.
Supervisor Jeff King, who represents the township on the WLAA board, said WLAA leadership is confident the organization would be able to accommodate Fruitland Township, which spans a large area of land and includes the Michigan’s Adventure theme park. WLAA previously voiced doubt that it could include Fruitland, but following ProMed Ambulance Service’s recent restructuring, less stress is placed on WLAA assistance.
As it stands, while the WLAA can expand the jurisdiction to accommodate Fruitland, it is still not able to staff another ambulance, due to nationwide EMT shortages, and would make do with the current roster of employees and vehicles. Because of this, despite their interest, the City of Whitehall is not able to join WLAA’s jurisdiction. Should Fruitland voters turn down a millage proposal in August, Whitehall could potentially be considered to join.
One thing making Fruitland Township's potential WLAA membership attractive to other municipalities is the likely decrease they would see in their own WLAA millage funding. It's estimated that the six municipalities could have rate as low as 1 mill for all six municipalities; current rates are set at 1.75 mills.
King admitted reservations based on the circumstances surrounding Fruitland Township's departure from WLAA 10 years ago, but explained administrative changes from both sides bode well for future cooperation.
“It’s a totally different ballgame (now)," King said. "I’m so proud of (WLAA) now, what we’ve done. And I’m telling you, the passion on the board is palpable. These guys are so community-oriented… We’re doing extremely well.”
The board also approved the brining of two roads, which will be done by the Muskegon County Road Commission. These roads include Harris Road and a 2,000-foot stretch of Oaks Road, at the cost of $398.44 and $344.49 respectively.
Montague Township agreed to contract with the consulting firm Williams & Works to look over and make any necessary additions to the township's currently drafted ordinance regarding construction of data centers. Williams & Works recently wrote a similar ordinance for White River Township. The contract is at an hourly rate of $100, for an estimated 5-6 hours of work.
The board also discussed possible parks and recreation maintenance and improvements, the upcoming retirement of Montague Fire District Authority's chief and assistant chief, and approved using the Senior Fund to purchase an automated external defibrillator for the township hall.
