The Watson Township Board Thursday evening adopted a balanced budget for fiscal year 2018-19 and Treasurer Sue Jones called attention to a problem a lot of other municipalities would like to have.
Jones told board colleagues the township now is sitting on a fund balance, or rainy day fund, of $309,778.46 and it is blessed with an Oppenheimer Fund that contains about $102,000. The problem, she said is that the state doesn’t look kindly on local government hoarding money.
So, Jones said, the best remedy is to find the best way to spend the excess money on behalf of the public.
“There is a lot of taxpayers’ money just sitting there, more than $400,000,” the treasurer said. “We ought to find something to do with it.”
While noting that giving back the money to all taxpayers in the township wouldn’t amount to very much individually, she launched a discussion about perhaps spending the money on roads, a new fire truck, developing a small park, fixing the aging carpet inside the township hall and a host of other possibilities.
The Township Board’s 2018-19 budget, which takes in April 1 of this year to March 31, 2019, projects revenue and expenditures at $232,050. The tax levy is set at 0.7673 mill, rolled back from the original one mill figure because of provisions of the Headlee Amendment.
Board members said they may have a public hearing soon on how to spend the funds.
Watson also has a road fund of $147,850 based on a voted 1.9828 mills.
The Township Board in a special meeting March 26 voted to spend $51,600 for three dust control applications by Michigan Chloride Services. Also approved last month was spending about $12,000 on five miles of graveling projects this year through the Allegan County Road Commission on 14th Street, 123rd Avenue and 117th Avenue.
In other business at Thursday’s meeting, the board:
• Approved a two-year contract with Assessor Kevin Koucher for $40,666.50.
• Adopted a resolution to ask the Road Commission to provide cost estimates for installing guard rails on 16th Street between 118th and 120th Avenues because when the road gets cold and wet it is hazardous to motorists.
• Was urged by County Commissioner Gale Dugan to call the Road Commission whenever a hazardous roadside condition involving culverts is identified in the interests of public safety.
