Before
the Dorr Township Board adopted the 2016-17 fiscal year budget, it voted down, 5-2, a John Tuinstra proposed amendment to rob Peter to pay Paul.
Tuinstra, who has a habit of offering amendments as a trustee to change actions he doesn’t like, proposed the township’s $48,000 appropriation for the library be reduced by $8,000, which then could be placed into the roads fund.
There is zero money planned for the road fund in 2016-17, but it does have a balance of about $209,000. Township Treasurer Jim Martin said the county’s project to widen and repave 18th Street from 142nd Avenue three miles north to 144th Avenue will just about eat up that money with an estimated township cost of $180,000.
Essentially, the township’s road fund is empty, so Tuinstra proposed to take $8,000 from the Dorr Township Library appropriation to put into roads.
But a special roads committee will ask voters in the August primary election to approve a three-mill levy specifically earmarked for repairing, improving and paving roads within the township. The three mills would generate about $690,000 per year.
Martin said he appreciates Tuinstra’s thoughts about helping the road fund, but added, “It would be a symbolic gesture (moving the $8,000). We need $12 million.”
The treasurer said the $8,000 would fall about $2,000 short of the cost of one dust control application for gravel roads.
Tuinstra was joined, as usual, by fellow Trustee Patty Senneker in approving his proposed amendment. Opposing it were Martin, Supervisor Jeff Miling, Clerk Brian Boot and Trustees Josh Otto and Dan Weber.
Eventually approved was a budget that anticipates $1.085 million revenue and $1.109 in expenditures, thereby reducing the fund balance to just short of $800,000.
The board approved continuation of the current millage rate of 0.7507, which raises about $171,000 per year. Also included is the Dorr Township Library rate of 0.3 mill, which brings in $68,400.
Library Director Natalie Bazan thanked the board for approval of the appropriation, noting it would be used for pay raises for library employees.
“We have all but one on staff who are working at minimum wage,” she said. “Now everyone will be able to get a raise.”
Miling suggested the board look into the possibility of restoring the original millage rate of 1.07, which has been rolled back under the provisions of the Headlee Amendment. If voters approved a Headlee Override request, it could the township could collect more than $200,000 per year in revenue instead of the $171,000.
Tuinstra objected, asserting, “If we want a road millage to pass, we have to show the people that we are being good stewards of the general fund money.”
Martin agreed that a Headlee Override request could hurt chances of passage of the road millage.
Miling agreed only to seek information on the issue and present it to the board next month.
PHOTO: John Tuinstra
Trustee John Tuinstra may be seen as a sage, wise leader if the road millage fails again, and our roads are an even bigger mess than they are now. The good news is that we have a nice library; the bad news is that we cannot get to it as the roads become impassable. Mr. Tuinstra has shown he is looking ahead and evaluating the budget impact on future years, a very wise thing to do. The surplus will be eaten up quickly if the road millage fails, just keeping some roads passable.
School buses, fire trucks and ambulances have a problem now; just wait a year or two without a millage and Mr. Tuinstra will look like the wisest man ever born.