May ballot to include levy for Poland Twp. residents
Staff Report
POLAND — Township residents will be asked in May to approve a replacement levy for general operating expenses.
The 2-mill levy originally passed in 1978. It generates about $200,000 annually. If approved as a replacement, it would generate about $450,000 annually for five years, said James Scharville, township administrator.
He said that the money is to be used for infrastructure and capital improvements.
“This is just to keep things up to current levels,” Scharville said.
Like other communities, the township has taken a financial hit with reductions in local government funding and inheritance taxes because of changes in state law, the administrator said.
Additionally, Poland has seen a roughly $610,000 decrease during the last three years in tipping fees generated through the Republic Services landfill.
The landfill, located in the township, charges fees on waste that it takes in and gives a portion to the township. But as the company has seen some of its contracts go to other facilities, the amount it takes in has decreased and so has the amount of money received by the township, Scharville said.
The amount of taxes received by the township through voter- approved millage is low compared to surrounding communities, he said.
When the levy passed in 1978, the township maintained about 28 miles of roads. Today, that number has increased to about 60 miles of roads, Scharville said.