SPRING LAKE, Mich. — A decade-long collaboration between Spring Lake Township and Village has transformed local government operations while delivering significant cost savings to residents.
For almost 150 years, Spring Lake Township and the Village operated separately with two offices, two public works departments and two different sets of equipment. Township Supervisor Jerry Rabideau said the dual operations were becoming increasingly costly.
LEADERS EXPLAIN: How Spring Lake's unique partnership is saving residents money
"There was transitioning going on with some facilities within the village and the township. We had a fire station at the end of the line, with that transition, and the idea just kind of just stemmed from conversation of how can we start sharing space," Rabideau said.
In 2015, the township and village decided to join forces, consolidating into one office, one public works department and one set of equipment.
Township Manager Gordon Gallagher said the partnership has resulted in hundreds of thousands in savings.
"So that was an $80,000 to $100,000 a year position, and we used that savings to be able to hire two labor positions," Gallagher explained.
Since the merger, officials estimate they've freed up $500,000 every year through staff and space sharing.
Spring Lake Department of Public Works Director Kyle Botbyl said the consolidation has made operations more efficient while allowing them to hire additional personnel.
"We don't need two backhoes, we don't need two front-end loaders, we don't need two vac trucks. So, we've been able to consolidate equipment and work more efficiently. And when we need personnel, we have them," Botbyl said.
Leadership from both the township and village say combining services has been a huge success, saving residents money and making operations more efficient. They expect that success to continue for another decade and beyond.
"Our community is growing, it's growing quickly. The village is getting stronger by the day, the township is getting stronger, and we work closely together," Gallagher said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
