WHITEHALL — Whitehall Township Supervisor Dennis Kroll pitched to the board at its regular meeting Monday the idea of borrowing $1.2 million from the township's water and sewer funds - $600,000 from each - in order to pay for road improvements that would be done next spring. No vote was taken because Kroll wanted the board to consider the idea before pursuing it.
The board's attempt to get a 1.5-mill roads millage approved was voted down by township voters in the August primary, but the board remains committed to finding solutions to fix some roads in the township, with trustee David Holly saying, "The longer you let the roads go, the more expensive it is to repair them."
Kroll said he plans to submit another millage request to voters next year to pursue road repairs, but in the meantime supports making a move to get some roads fixed as soon as possible. He said the board is permitted to borrow from the water and sewer funds as long as there is a plan in place to pay them back. Both funds, he said, have more than $1 million on hand, and the township's water situation seems secure as it contracts with the City of Whitehall. (Kroll also wants to take that step for sewer service, but it has not happened yet.)
Another idea Kroll said he briefly considered before discarding it was having the board levy a millage itself, which he said after looking things over with the township's attorney Rachael Novak the township could do without voter approval. However, he decided against that due to the current economic climate and not wanting to further stress township residents financially.
"We have streets that need to get done, no question about it...but we're in a tough time right now. I don't think anyone would disagree with that," Kroll said.
The board also discussed a potential fee schedule for use of the township's leaf and brush station, though again no resolution was formally proposed. Kroll said it's been "an ongoing battle" to keep the station running, and would like to institute a fee schedule to help defray costs of keeping it going. One proposal presented involved offering a punch card pass, which would grant 10 visits to drop off leaves and brush, for $25, or a full-season pass for $75 that would allow unlimited visits. Kroll noted that Laketon and Fruitland townships have similar systems in place. Trustee Chuck Schmitigal saw issues to be ironed out, such as the definition of a "season" and whether residents could carry over unused visits on a punch card pass to the following year, but as the idea is a rough draft, it can be refined later.
There was also some brief discussion of the millage request being made by Muskegon County Parks, which is asking for 0.5 mills for the next 10 years, a request that would generate $3.6 million in year one if enacted. The millage would fund the construction of new trails, as well as maintenance and improvements at county parks. Participating municipalities would be able to apply to receive up to 30% of their per-capita share of the millage funds back in order to fund parks-related projects.
Kroll made no secret of his disdain for the proposal, saying, "I think it's a stupid plan. I can't think of a better word to use, even though it's not very professional."
The township's planning commission is set to potentially pass a moratorium on approving or constructing data centers at its next meeting. The board would then be able to vote on enacting it at its November meeting.
