Board changes March start time, adds meeting

Public hearings for the budget, grant application remain at 6 p.m. March 11.

The Laketown Township Board of Trustees will meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, 2026, with public hearings on a grant proposal for beach stairs and the budget at 6 p.m., and will have a special meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road.

The Laketown Township Board of Trustees changed the start time for its regular March 11, 2026, meeting, and added a special meeting on Thursday, March 12.

The Wednesday, March 11 meeting will start at 4 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. The posted public hearings on the 2026-2027 Budget and the application for a state Passport Grant remain at 6 p.m., the board decided at its workshop meeting on March 4.

The changes were needed to maintain a quorum, which is the minimum number of board members necessary to hold a meeting. For the Laketown Township Board of Trustees, that is three board members.

Regular meeting

The 4 p.m. March 11 meeting will address multiple topics including new cemetery regulations, pay for board officers for non-statutory meetings, payment for other boards and commissions, and the 2024-2025 budget amendments.

The agenda for the meeting is not yet complete, but it will be available before the meeting here.

Public hearings

At 6 p.m. March 11, the board will hold two public hearings. Residents are encouraged to speak at the hearings:

Passport grant: Laketown Township is applying for a $150,000 Michigan Department of Natural Resources Passport Grant. The deadline is April 1. Award notification is in December. The grant to build new stairs from the top of the dune, through “the bowl” to the beach requires at least 25 percent of the cost of the project to be matched by the applicant. The township has set aside $50,000 for the match.

Budget: The board has been working on the proposed budget with Manager Stephanie Fox for several months. The public hearing is a chance for residents to comment. A copy of the budget is available here.

The board asks residents to come to the podium, state their name and address, though that is not required, and limit their comments to about 3 minutes. The comments are recorded in the minutes.

The board plans to vote on the Passport grant and budget at the special meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road.