Departments
According to Michigan Townships.org a township works this way: “State laws authorize townships to perform a wide variety of functions. Townships are required to perform assessment administration, tax collection and elections administration. Townships may choose to perform numerous governmental functions, including enacting and enforcing ordinances, planning and zoning, fire and police protection, cemeteries, parks and recreation facilities and programs, and many more.”
Learn more about the statutory duties of Township Officials from the www.michigantownships.org ~ Click here.
To get the latest information from each Department please click visit the page for that department by clicking on the Department text links below or the drop down menu tabs under Departments or Boards above.
Supervisor’s Page
The Township Supervisor has several statutory duties – meeting moderator, Chief Assessing Officer, Township’s agent for transacting legal business, and the authority to appoint planning commission and zoning board of appeals members. The Supervisor also has additional duties such as overseeing the Building Department and Zoning Enforcement.
Clerk’s Page
It is the statutory duty of the Clerk to maintain custody of all records, books, and papers of the Township if no other law so provides. The Clerk maintains detailed accounting records. She is responsible for meeting notices, minutes, and ordinance publications. Cemetery records and voter registration records are also her responsibility. One of the most important responsibilities that the Clerk has is administering elections.
Treasurer’s Page
The Treasurer’s statutory duties are to receive and take charge of all funds belonging to the Township or which are required by law to be paid into the Township Treasury, and to pay over and account for the funds according to law or Township Board decision. The Treasurer is the Township’s agent for collecting taxes.
The Treasurer’s Department keeps accounts of the receipts and expenditures of all funds. All funds are deposited into the designated Township depositories and idle funds are invested properly. On the order of the Township Board, the Treasurer must pay out funds. Financial records, accounts, and procedures are audited annually.
Zoning Administrator’s Page
Assessor’s Page
The Boards’ Page
The Township is overseen by the Township Board. The Township Board consists of the Supervisor, Clerk, Treasurer, and four Trustees, each elected for four year terms.
In its legislative capacity, the Township Board adopts appropriate ordinances regulating the public health, safety, and general welfare of persons and property, fire protection, land use under zoning procedures, building codes, and other miscellaneous subjects.
In its administrative capacity, the Township Board adopts a budget following a public hearing and conducts proceedings and hearings on public improvements such as street paving, police protection, fire protection, and other public facilities.
The zoning board of appeals must hear and decide appeals from any other order, requirement, decision or determination made by any administrative official charged with zoning ordinance enforcement.
It may grant variances from the strict letter of the ordinance if practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship would result if conforming to the ordinance provided the spirit of the ordinance is observed, public safety secured and substantial justice done. The hardship should not be self created and some unique circumstances involving the property in question should be evident to support a variance.
The zoning board of appeals decisions are final but may be appealed only to the circuit court on questions of law and fact with 21 days of the decision.
The minimum number of members is five. One member must be a planning commission member, one member may be a township board member with the remaining members appointed by the township board. Terms are for three years.
Trustees
The Trustees serve four-year terms and represent the interests of constituents on various township committees.
