KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Kalamazoo Township Board decided to strip its treasurer of every duty it legally could after a third-party report found her inability to do the job put the township's financial integrity at risk.
Friday morning the board convened to read through a report it commissioned on Sherine Miller's job performance. Following a closed-door session, the trustees voted to censure Miller, limit her access to financial systems, and restrict the amount of time she can spend in the office to just a handful of days.
The censure specifically limited Miller to read-only access to the township's financial and accounting reports and moved oversight of finances to Township Superintendent Tracie Moored. The board ordered Miller to not contact any township staff nor destroy any township records. She will be allowed to review reports and bank statements.
The board also removed Miller from all boards and committees.
The township could not go further in its actions because the treasurer is an elected position and state law sets certain requirements for the role, according to Supervisor David Combs.
The report, done by the international law firm Clark Hill, was commissioned by the township board in December following a number of complaints about Miller's actions a treasurer.
She routinely interfered with township staff not under her authority, the report found. Over her nine plus years in office, a number of employees lodged complaints about Miller, saying she took work away from them to do herself, but then later asked for their help to fix problems with her work, the report said.
The Township Board and Supervisor both directed Miller to stop directing staff unilaterally on projects, but she continued to do so, the report found.
At least one former employee told investigators they left the township solely because of the treasurer.
The township's deputy treasurer left in August 2025 and Miller failed to appoint a new person into the role.
Miller conducted her own HR investigations, despite not being the township's Human Resource officer, the report found.
Not only did Miller's interpersonal skills come under scrutiny, but her ability to handled financial records was found to be lacking by the law firm.
The report said Miller "incapable of managing Township assessments and generating property tax bills." She also could not balance bank statements, write treasurer reports, use excel spreadsheets, or complete the tasks her position is required to by law.
A major concern of investigators was how she would handle financing $50 million worth of bonds, which were scheduled to be placed out for bids on January 15, 2026, during the time Miller was under investigation. She told at least one of the township's banks she was being investigated, which investigators feared could lower the township's bond rating, increasing the interest rate it would have to pay on the $50 million it was borrowing.
It could not be determined if Miller revealed the investigation to the bank maliciously or if it was poor judgement, the report said.
READ THE FULL REPORT BELOW
Kalamazoo Twp - Investigation Report - Treasurer SM - REDACTE(285982775.1) (3) by WXMI
Miller also had a history of abysmal record-keeping, with the report highlighting that she shredded several documents when asked to work from home on December 17, 2025. What information those documents contained wasn't known to township administrators.
Superintendent Moored had to step in to ensure the winter tax bills were prepared on time. Moored and several other staff experienced in tax bills rushed to get the documents out in November. Miller admitted late in the process she did not know how to properly calculate tax bills, the report found.
If left to her own devices, Miller would have issued the tax bills based on an outdated database of assessments, which would have resulted in shorting the township nearly $150,000 in property taxes in 2026, the report said.
Investigators tried to interview Miller as part of the report, but she canceled the first date to give her side. At a rescheduled interview, she was accompanied by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to sit in on the conversation, which investigators denied. Miller then walked out without answering any questions, the report claimed.
While the board cannot removed Miller from her post, it can petition Governor Whitmer to take her out of office. The report noted this step has rarely been used and could be impractical.
The Township Board voted to release the report to the public, citing a need to be transparent with its insurance provider and financial institutions that could take part in the new bonds.
Trustees also directed Superintendent Moored to assume most of the Treasurer's duties.
FOX 17 reached out to Miller for a response to the censure by the board and the report. She has not responded to our questions.
