Township keeps promise of steady millage rate

Laketown Township’s millage rate for 2025 is remaining at 4.0 mills. The board of trustees had the option to collect another almost half mill but unanimously decided not to after voters supported an expanded fire millage in the August election.

The board of trustees on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, set the following rates that will be collected in the winter taxes due in February:

1.000 mill: Operations of the township. The board had the option to collect up to 1.0167 mills but kept it at its current rate.

1.500 mills: Fire, Road, Drains and Bike Paths. This millage was originally 2.0 mills and was last approved by voters in 2024 and expires on Dec. 31, 2025. The board could have approved up to 1.976 mills for the winter levy but reduced the millage to 1.5 mills.

1.500 mills: Fire department. The voters approved this millage in August 2025. It expires on Dec. 31, 2029.

The maximum allowable levy possible was 4.4927 mills.

Voters approved two realigned millage requests in the Aug. 5 election. Before the ballot, 2 mills went to Fire, Roads, Non-Motorized Paths, and Drains and 1 mill for Fire Safety and Emergency Services for a total of 3 mills.

The approval in August reallocated the 3 mills to 1.5 mills for Roads, Non-Motorized Paths and Drains in 2026 and thereafter, and 1.5 mills for Fire Safey and Emergency Services.

In other business, the board:

• Confirmed that the supervisor will remain the board of trustees representative on the Friends of the Felt Estate board of directors that oversees the Felt Mansion and property. Supervisor Steven Ringelberg has been serving on the Felt board as acting township manager, a post he leaves at the end of September. Clerk Jim Delaney will remain on the Felt board as a representative as well.
• Approved the supervisor appointing Lynn Kobes and Dale Burkett to the zoning board of appeals.
• Instructed the supervisor to continue negotiations for cell towers at Farview Park and Sanctuary Woods Park. The towers would help improve cell service in parts of the township.
• Agreed to start each township board meeting with The Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge has not been recited at board meetings since April 10, 2019. Before that, it was standard practice for decades to recite the oath at the start of meetings.