SAND LAKE, Mich. — To be or not to be a village.
On Tuesday, neighbors in the Village of Sand Lake and Nelson Township will vote on whether the village shall be disincorporated.
WATCH: What will happen if voters decide to disincorporate the Village of Sand Lake?
A two-thirds majority is required to pass the proposal, which would dissolve the village's government and return its land to the township.
"We don't need this extra spending with this extra government," said Marty Helton, a Sand Lake neighbor who is in favor of disincorporation. "If it stays a village, we're going to be struggling."
"This village has been building a foundation of caring," said Cherrie Camilleri, a neighbor who is against disincorporation. "Voting no is voting for your park, your street being paved, the sidewalk."
A lengthy dispute over the funding for fire services in the area led to a grassroots effort to put the disincorporation question on the ballot, and while Nelson Township has since taken over the Sand Lake Fire Department, the future of other services and taxes are at stake in the election.
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If voters approve of the disincorporation of the Village of Sand Lake, the Kent County Board of Commissioners would then need to pass a resolution to vacate the village.
According Chris Stieg, a trustee for the village who posted about the disincorporation process on his Facebook page, this would likely happen at the board's regular annual meeting in the fall.
A disincorporation committee would also need to be formed, assigned with the responsibility of creating a transition plan for the village.
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If the Village of Sand Lake is disincorporated...
Village Property and Services
Broadly, Nelson Township would "assume responsibility for the property, departments and services provided by the village," according to a release from the township.
A number of administrative positions within the village, if not all of them, would likely be eliminated, and the township would assume full ownership of the village hall.
The services currently provided by the township would continue to be offered to village residents "because village residents are, and will continue to be, township residents," per the release.
Taxes
Nelson Township would assume full responsibility for collecting millages, taxes and fees, and "there would no longer be village-specific taxes," per the release.
According to Stieg, this would likely include property tax.
Water and Sewer
Nelson Township would assume control of the village's water and sewer system, according to the township, including "the right to collect connection and use fees from residents connected to the system."
Bonds
A trio of bonds for the village's roads, its sewer system and a past repair to the roof of its building are currently being paid.
According to Stieg, while the sewer and road bonds are respectively supported by user fees and a millage, the roof bond would "likely need to be paid out of village assets immediately."
Department of Public Works
The Department of Public Works for the Village of Sand Lake provides a number of services to village residents, including road maintenance and snow removal for streets and sidewalks.
If the village is disincorporated, the Kent County Road Commission would assume responsibility for the roads, splitting the cost of maintenance with the township. A special assessment would likely need to be passed in order to maintain sidewalk services, according to Stieg.
Special Assessments
If village residents want to continue paying for services provided by the village, Stieg says special assessments would likely need to be collected by Nelson Township.
"If we kept all the existing services, the special assessments paid would probably not exceed current property taxes," Stieg said in his post. "But the savings might not end up being that much either."
"Ultimately, services have to be funded by those who benefit from them," he said.
A fire millage is also on the Tuesday ballot in Nelson Township.
