The Dorr Township Board Thursday evening adopted a $1.3 million budget for fiscal year 2020-21 that included using $54,470 from last year’s fund balance.

The township anticipates $1,334,050 in revenue and $1,388.520 in expenditures by March 31, 2021, so the fund balance at that time is pegged at $1,231,835.

There are a few unsettled matters associated with budget adoption. One is the proposed salary increases for the supervisor, clerk and treasurer, from $28,251 annually to $29,690 for each of the three positions.

Supervisor Jeff Miling moved to table the proposed pay increases to the board’s next meeting in April because Trustees Dan Weber and Josh Otto were absent and he wanted the full seven-member board to vote on the issues.

Salaries of the four trustees would remain at $16,000 per year.

Treasurer Jim Martin noted another unsettled matter deals with expected revenue. The township’s largest source, state aid payments, has been estimated at$665,600, but he noted the current economic situation and Coronavirus issues could change that before the fiscal year ends.

The budget includes 0.7362 mill for general operations, an 0.6 mill levy recently approved for the Dorr Township Library, an 0.489 mill levy for fire equipment and 2.9341 mills for roads. The fire and roads millage renewals are likely to be placed on the August primary ballot.

Board members also had to take an agonizing vote on accepting bids for paving roads, which came in higher than what they had hoped for. The bid of Superior Asphalt for $893,155 was about $11,000 more than what was budgeted for from the road millage, plus the Allegan County Road Commission customarily charges about $90,000 for overhead costs.

The board voted to proceed with accepting Superior’s bid, but Road Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Sandel, Martin and Miling plan to do some lobbying with Road Commission officials on lowering the costs for the smaller project.

Martin also noted that by next December of January the township should be able to handle the shortfall.

Scheduled to be paved this year are two miles on 22^nd Street, about a mile on 138^th Avenue, two miles on 24^th Street (to be shared with Salem Township) and about a quarter of a mile Park and Walnut Streets.

In other business at Thursday’s meeting, the Township Board:

• Agreed to close township hall to the public because of the Coronavirus, but permit residents to make arrangements to visit by calling ahead or e-mailing.

Clerk Debbie Sewers said the move is necessary to protect the health and safety of employees, but added, “We will have to figure this out before the May election.”
• Learned from Sewers that she failed to persuade the Hopkins Public Schools to postpone its special election May 5 until the Aug. 4 primary. The vote in Dorr’s Precinct No. 1 will be on a millage renewal for the site sinking fund for capital improvements.

• Was told by Miling that the signing for a loan for the Dorr-Leighton sewer system from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been delayed until April 2 because the interest rate will drop below 2.5 percent as of April 1.
• Approved a request from Chief Gary Fordham to hire two new volunteer firefighters, Terry Hutchison and Jesse Berens.
• Approved Miling’s appointment of Marcia Halloran and Patrick Champion to four-year terms on the Downtown Development Authority.