Laketown matches funds from Fillmore for fire dept

The Laketown Township Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, accepted an $80,000 contribution from Fillmore Township for the Graafschap Fire Department, matching part of that contribution to total $160,650.

The money will be used to purchase firefighter turnout gear, boots and protective hoods, a truck topper and extend-o-bed for a current pickup truck. If there are remaining funds, the department had planned on purchasing a thermal imaging camera, ventilation fan and portable ground monitor.

The $80,000 from Fillmore Township comes through the American Rescue Plan Act and must be spent by Dec. 31, 2025. Of that $80,000, Fillmore is making $50,000 a donation to the fire department. The remaining $30,000 will be matched by Laketown using the standard formula for Graafschap Fire Department cost sharing between Laketown and Fillmore townships (based on number of calls to each jurisdiction and taxable property values).

“Thank you, Fillmore Township, for your generous contribution,” said Jim Johnson, Laketown Township treasurer, at the Graafschap Fire Department board meeting on Nov. 13 when the contribution was announced. The fire board approved the donation and recommended Laketown match Fillmore’s contribution.

The fire department, which serves all of Laketown Township and part of Fillmore Township, is funded on a formula basis, with Laketown paying about 72 percent and Fillmore paying about 28 percent.

That remaining $30,000, when matched through the formula, comes to an $80,750 contribution from Laketown.

With the Fillmore $50,000 donation, the $30,000 to be matched by the formula, and the $80,750 match from Laketown, the total is $160,650.

The matching funds will be used to increase the department’s fund balance to help with future large capital purchases.

The Laketown Township board voted 3-1 to accept the Fillmore Township donation and contribute the matching funds of $80,750 from this fiscal year’s budget.

Supervisor Steven Ringelberg voted against the motion, saying the department doesn’t have specific plans to spend the money this fiscal year, and the contribution could wait until next budget year. Laketown’s fiscal year is April through March.

DenBleyker also announced on Dec. 9 that the fire department received a 50/50 matching grant of $4,575, totaling $9,150 with the department’s match. The grant is a State of Michigan Volunteer Fire Capacity Grant through the State Department of Natural Resources for wildland turnout gear, boots, gloves. The grant will also help with the purchase of an engine and trash pump for a brush jeep housed at the department.

The department is also reusing equipment it already owns to outfit a pickup truck saving taxpayers a few thousand dollars. The pickup will be outfitted with an extend-o-bed using the ARPA funds, increasing the truck’s usefulness and access to emergency equipment.