Coldwater Township approves .8M budget, including a township hall expansion

Coldwater Township approves $1.8M budget, including a township hall expansion

COLDWATER TWP. — The township board adopted a new 2025-26 budget of $1.8 million Monday night, leaving them with $2.3 million in the bank at the end of the fiscal year, even after spending up to $850,000 on an addition to the township hall with furnishings.

Coldwater Township will build a 1,400 square foot $780,000 addition to the township hall at 319 Sprague St. this year. The old entrance will be removed and building extended to the township sign to increase office space in the 1974 hall.

Coldwater Township will build a 1,400 square foot $780,000 addition to the township hall at 319 Sprague St. this year. The old entrance will be removed and building extended to the township sign to increase office space in the 1974 hall.

Grants helping boost revenue

One-time grants from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy are designed to offset the local costs of hosting solar and battery plants.

  • Jupiter Energy battery storage, $500,000

  • Apex Solar farm, $281,250

  • DTE solar farm in planning, $210,000

Total: $991,250

Advertisement

Advertisement

There are also voluntary community benefit grants from developers.

  • Apex Solar, $180,000

  • Jupiter Energy, $60,000

Total: $240,000

Additional revenues include reimbursement of $65,000 in legal fees from solar projects.

Other sources of revenue

The township rolled back property tax millage from 0.9221 mills to 0.9194 mills due to the Headlee Amendment after adjusting for inflation and the addition of new construction.

Supervisor Don Rogers explained the Headlee Amendment means, “You can’t generate more (ad valorem property taxes) taxes than currently collected.”

Property taxes bring in $421,000.

State Revenue Sharing, based on population, will bring in $244,500, even though Rogers said an undercount of the 2020 census cheated the township.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Rogers said, “The Census reported that we lost over 44% of our population, which put us down to 3,200 from 6,105.” The township registered over 3,000 voters in 2024. There was no appeal possible.

Related story Township a big loser if it can’t challenge census

According to Rogers, part of the population loss comes from 1,452 Lakeland corrections prisoners who went back into the Coldwater city population, for which the city reimburses the township about $10,000 a month.

Under Public Act 425 agreements to bring land into the city, Coldwater pays the township 25% of the taxes, which will be $68,500 in 2025-26.

Advertisement

Advertisement

More in U.S.

The township invests its excess fund balance and produces $100,000 interest annually.

Supervisor Don Rogers

Supervisor Don Rogers

Township hall expansion

The 24-by-58-foot expansion to the hall on the west side will add about 1,400 square feet to the crowded office section of the 1974 hall.

Rogers said the only conference area is the kitchen.

Rogers said the goal is to make the building more user-friendly. “We’ll be able to do a lot more for people coming in, for the public, and make it more comfortable. We can actually take people into our offices.”

Bids will go out next month, with construction starting in the spring.

Plans would move the assessor and the zoning administrator to a separate office on the east side with a service window by the front door.

Advertisement

Advertisement

On the west side there will be separate offices for the treasurer, clerk, and supervisor, with a large service window.

Subscribe Follow this story. Subscribe to the Daily Reporter

An expanded entrance and handicapped ramp will allow voters to enter the front door and exit the large meeting hall during elections without going through office spaces.

New furnaces/AC will replace current units., one of which is original to the building.

Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com 

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater Township hall expansion 2025-26 $1.8 million budget

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel210520-twitter-verified-cs-70cdee.jpg (1500×750)

Support Independent Journalism with a donation (Paypal, BTC, USDT, ETH)
WhatsApp channel DJ Kamal Mustafa