Having approved three Council goals at their March 2 meeting, the Schoolcraft Village Council discussed those three goals at their April 20 meeting and how to move forward with each of them.
The first goal regarding working with the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority (SKCFA) to establish appropriate funding for the next year was the focus of an hourlong workshop prior to the regular meeting on April 20 and also during the regular meeting.
This discussion was necessitated by the departure of two entities, Brady Township and Wakeshma Township, from the SKCFA, leaving the four remaining entities – Village of Schoolcraft, Schoolcraft Township, Village of Vicksburg, and Prairie Ronde Township – to share the cost of the Authority.
For now, the SKCFA has decided to leave the monetary contributions at the current level to give the entities time to decide how they will fund the Authority going forward.
Discussion at the April meeting centered around information provided in a report developed by Maner Costerisan, a public accounting and consulting firm, headquartered in Grand Rapids. The report, contracted with Maner Costerisan by the SKCFA, covered financial projections and funding strategies. Looking into the future, the report took into account such things as increasing expenses for wages, capital expenditures, operational growth, and infrastructure needs.
According to the report, the projected annual cost to the Village for fire service would be $85,666 which is $17,533.24 more than the current cost of $68,132.76.
Two funding options were proposed: a millage tax and a special assessment. A millage is based on the property tax and requires voter approval. However, a special assessment is a fixed cost per property and is determined by the Council. It does not require a public vote.
During the discussion about the funding options, Trustee Kathy Mastenbrook asked, “If you do a millage and it’s not approved, then what do you do to still have a fire service?”
Mastenbrook also noted that Prairie Ronde Township has had a special assessment for several years.
“That’s what worked best for them,” she said. “We could use their expertise in determining a special assessment.”
Also, complicating the issue is that there isn’t historical data from the four remaining members of the SKCFA, she said.
“These estimates will have to be adjusted over the next three to five years as we gather data,” she said. “We have to find something that can work for five years.”
A lot of grant money is available currently for new fire stations, she said, but it’s not clear if that money will be available in the future.
Trustee Joe Beck suggested the possibility of having a public safety special assessment that would include police as well as fire. The Village does have a police department.
Whatever is decided, the increased costs to the Village for the Fire Authority since the departure of two entities will have to be covered by the general fund, said Mastenbrook.
“We’re not going to have the extra resources the first year,” she said.
With either a millage or special assessment, it will take 15 to 18 months to implement, according to the Maner Costerisan report.
Mastenbrook suggested having a joint meeting with the other three entities in the Fire Authority and sharing the cost of having Maner Costerisan come in and go over the information.
“We want residents to know that we’ve checked all the boxes about what’s best for them,” said Trustee Todd Carlin. “We need someone to give us the information to help us decide.”
The Council agreed that they need more information before proceeding.
The second Council goal discussed was finding a new water well site. Various possibilities were discussed, with Beck suggesting that possibly they need to “look outside the box at any and all possibilities.”
Regarding the third goal of having more community activities throughout the year, the Council lamented the lack of volunteers to make these things happen.
“I can list all the families who used to do the things that nobody wants to step up and do today,” said Council President Mike Rochholz “I wish people had more commitment.”
Rochholz noted that some events are shutting down because they can’t get volunteers.
Suggestions were made to include information on the website or putting something in the newspaper about needing more volunteers.
In other business, Clerk/Treasurer Theresa O’Leary presented an earnings report on the Village’s MiClass account. MiClass (Michigan Cooperative Liquid Assets Securities System) is an investment option for public agencies.
Between April of last year and March, 2026, the Village’s MiClass account has earned $78,831.87 in interest.
President Rochholz read a letter sent to the Council from Ted Lupina who was commenting on the proposed changes to the water ordinance discussed at the April 6 meeting.
Lupina said that residences without water connections should be “grandfathered” in and not be required to hook up to the system until the home or business is sold.
“By law, I don’t think we can do that,” said Rochholz.
Lupina also thought the concern about cross contamination between a well and the Village’s water system was a “straw argument.”
“There is the potential for cross-contamination,” said Rochholz. “The potential is there and we have to protect the water system.”
Lupina was not in attendance at the April 20 meeting.
