The Spring Lake Township Board of Trustees met on Monday,December 8, for our regular monthly board meeting.  

If you weren’t able to tune in to the meeting, you can watch it on our YouTube page. 

Here are a few of the items the Board discussed or acted on during the meeting. 

Corridor Improvement Authority Façade Grant

The board approved the creation of a façade grant program to encourage businesses and property owners to improve and maintain building façades along M-104. The grant program will be sponsored by the Township and the Corridor Improvement Authority, with funding provided from tax increment financing revenue. The program will offer up to two grants per year, each of up to $10,000 per grant, with a one-to-one match requirement, and will launch next year.

Fire Department Pickup Truck

The board approved a request from the Fire Department to purchase a new 2026 Chevrolet Silverado utility pickup, replacing the department’s 2011 vehicle. The Fire Department obtained a Michigan MiDeal bid, which aligns with purchasing guidelines and ensures competitive pricing. Including outfitting, the cost will be $93,508 and was included in the 2025-26 budget.

Communication Improvements

The board approved the purchase of three communication products from CivicPlus: the design and implementation of a new website, a mass notification tool and a reporting tool called SeeClickFix311. This decision is part of the board’s ongoing efforts to improve communication with residents. The Township will collaborate with Spring Lake Village on this project to improve service delivery and save money.

The new website will improve user experience, particularly on mobile devices, and the mass notification tool will enable the Township to easily send mass notifications via email, text and phone call. Residents who sign up to receive notifications can select how they wish to receive messages from these options. A key feature is the ability to notify residents within a geographic boundary, which will be useful to notify residents about public hearings, construction updates, water main breaks, and other matters. SeeClickFix311 allows residents to report issues ranging from infrastructure problems to zoning complaints to the Township.

Fire Station #2 Floor Drainage Project

The board approved a request by the Fire Department to fix a drainage issue in Fire Station #2 in the north half of the equipment bay. The project will be funded by delaying the station’s parking lot resurfacing to a future year.

Digital Message Sign Policy

The board approved a policy providing details for the use of the electronic message sign at the Community Center, 15549 Cleveland. The policy will outline the sign's purpose, use regulations, hierarchy of messaging and who is responsible for policy compliance.

2025/26 Budget Amendments

The board approved budget amendments for the current budget year as prepared by Finance Director Amy Bessinger. Township revenue and expenditures are expected to increase, and many of these expenditures have already been approved by the Township.

UPCOMING DATES

• Connect with Township Supervisor Jerry Rabideau over coffee at Spring Lake Community Center, 15549 Cleveland:
• 4 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18: With Township Public Works Director Kyle Botbyl. Bring your questions about the Public Works Department.
• 4 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 8
•  6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan 14: Join us at Barber School, 102 West Exchange Street, to learn about how wetland mitigation banks work in Michigan. The Township Community Ambassadors will host Michael Pennington from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). This will be the Community Ambassadors’ first educational event.
• Tuesday, Feb. 17: Winter property taxes are due. Your tax information can be found on Spring Lake’s municipal portal.

Please reach out if you have any questions. Thank you and have a great day! 

Sincerely,

Jerry Rabideau

Supervisor, Spring Lake Township