The Brady Township Board approved salary ranges for the supervisor, clerk, and treasurer. The vote, taken at the February 4 meeting, established the supervisor’s salary range from $38,000 to $70,000; the clerk’s from $34,000 to $64,000; and the treasurer’s from $30,000 to $60,000.
Since these are elected officials, the salary determination would take place every four years. If an inexperienced person is elected to a position, that person should not be compensated at the same rate as the person who has done the job for many years.
If an incumbent is re-elected, that person’s salary would remain the same. If a new person is elected, the person’s salary would start at the base level.
According to the document presented at the board meeting, if the salary is reset to the base, the money saved would be applied to training for the new official.
However, if the newly elected official has skills and experience related to the job, the board “may wish to set the starting salary at a level higher than the base entry level salary,” according to the document.
In other business, the board approved a credit card policy.
“We got a credit card so we needed a policy,” said Supervisor Randy Smith. “It’s pretty straightforward stuff.”
The policy states that the clerk is responsible for overseeing compliance with the policy which designates who can use the card and the documentation needed for purchases. No more than $1,000 can be charged to the card by an authorized individual unless approved by the supervisor, clerk, or treasurer. Also, the card can only be used for township business. The credit limit on the card is $5,000.
The board also approved an ordinance repeals two ordinances relating to the establishment of massage businesses in the township.
“They were established in 1992 when there were certain fears about massage parlors,” said Smith. “They wanted to make it difficult for them to do business in the township.”
A legitimate massage therapist was planning to open a massage therapy office in February, he said. The shop will be located on Sprinkle Road north of V Avenue in an existing commercial building.
A contract with PLM Lake and Land Management was approved for herbicide treatments at Indian Lake from 2026 to 2028.
In the board’s workshop session prior to the regular meeting, Smith updated the board on progress toward building the township’s new fire station.
He is in the process of getting quotes for the building and may soon have four quotes. He said his instruction to potential contractors has been “What’s it going to take to do this right?”
Smith has submitted applications to the county Road Commission for the site’s driveway.
Also, he recently found out from, Township Attorney Craig Rolfe that the township need a site plan review and building plan review for the fire station. Even with that, Smith hopes “to get things rolling” by May.
Building the fire station is necessary because the township is leaving the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority as of April 1 and is contracting with Pavilion Township for fire and emergency services.
The fire station is expected to cost $770,000 but the township has $600,000 in savings to help pay for the building. Savings of $400,000 resulted from COVID funds being used as required for regular expenses, allowing the township to put regular income into savings. Another $50,000 is from interest on that money. Also, the township had already saved $150,000, creating the total of $600,000.
In July 2025, the township increased the fire assessment from $100 to $150 yearly to pay for emergency services. As reported at an earlier meeting, that more than covers the expenses so the extra can go toward the fire station.
“We have multiple systems to make up the difference,” Smith said. The township is also applying for a grant to help with the $170,000 shortfall.
During citizens’ time, Dave Pawloski, chairman of the Board of County Road Commissioners, reported on road projects planned in the township which include a culvert replacement and chip seal treatments.
Kalamazoo County Commissioner John Gisler, present at the meeting, praised Pawloski for the road commission’s robust website. He cited specifically an interview segment featuring snow-plow drivers, describing it as “fantastic.”
In his report to the Board, Gisler also noted that United Airlines is coming back to the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.
“It is a big deal to get a major airline to come back to town after they have left,” he said.
