Board members work together to approve budget

The Laketown Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.

“We have a budget. Congratulations,” said Steven Ringelberg, supervisor and interim manager who prepared the document after multiple meetings and input from the board.

A copy of the approved budget is available here.

The budget, which goes into effect on April 1, the start of the township’s fiscal year, projects $1,907,492 in expenditures and $1,928,305 in revenues.

The expected fund balance is $1,434,860. Since the township gets most of its money early in the year through taxes collected in February, the fund balance is needed later in the year to meet financial obligations.

The total expenditures are $101,324 less than the current fiscal year due, in part, to a payout of benefits to the previous manager who retired Jan. 3.

The proposed budget calls for 1 mill for general operating, 0.9683 mill for fire, and 2 mills for fire, roads, bike paths and drains. The total millage is 3.9683.

The largest source of revenue for the township is $651,000 from revenue sharing and communication taxes from the state, and $622,960 from property taxes.

The budget includes a 3 percent pay increase for board and commission members as well as staff.

The proposed budget also includes a new payout of $15,000 for weekend and holiday policing at Laketown Beach by Allegan County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

Under the Parks Commission, the budget includes $12,000 for invasive species treatment, $10,600 for engineering for stair repair and/or replacement at Laketown Beach, $20,000 for possible beach stair repairs and $5,200 for engineering for a walking path at Township Hall Park.

A new category in the budget is the Capital Improvement Fund with $100,000. This money is for work on buildings and equipment.

“We never accrued for depreciation or capital goals before,” said Ringelberg.

Fire department

The proposed budget also includes $993,563 in expenditures for the Graafschap Fire Department. The total revenue is projected to be $1,010,063.

The fire department covers all of Laketown Township and part of Fillmore Township. Funding is split through a formula that includes property values and number of runs. The funding is calculated annually. For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the funding is about 73 percent from Laketown and about 27 percent from Fillmore.

First budget

The 2025-2026 fiscal year budget for the township is the first one prepared by Ringelberg, who took over the position when the board failed to hire a replacement for retired Manager Al Meshkin.

Learning the complex software that tracks everything in the township from revenues and expenses to permits and taxes has been a challenge, he said.

Ringelberg increased the involvement of staff and departments in the budget process.

The board thanked Ringelberg for his work preparing the budget.

“We’re learning,” said Trustee Mike Koeman, one of three people on the board elected in November and serving their first term. “I think we did pretty good on this one.”