Lansing Township property owners can weigh in on two special assessments at public hearings Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The Board of Trustees meets at 6 p.m. at Township Hall, 3209 W. Michigan Ave., according to the meeting agenda. Two hearings are scheduled: one on the 2026 street light special assessment roll and one on the 2026 police and fire protection special assessment. Both are annual requirements.
The agenda lists Resolution 26-19 to confirm the street light assessment and Resolution 26-20 to confirm the police and fire assessment for consideration after the respective hearings.
Police and fire services account for roughly 88% of the township’s operating budget, Supervisor Maggie Sanders told residents at the October 2025 hearing on the same assessment. The five-year assessment, established in November 2024, authorized about $9.19 million across two districts through 2028.
Those funds are legally restricted to police and fire services and cannot be mixed with the general fund, according to the 2025 meeting minutes.
Earlier board minutes show that board members asked that the public notice for the police and fire assessment be rewritten in simpler language. They requested prominent wording stating "This is not an increase" at the top of the notice.
The street light assessment dates to a 2002 special assessment district. The 2025 resolution allows annual cost adjustments without changing district boundaries. In November 2025, the board adopted a 2026 streetlight budget listing a 0.5-mill levy for the Lansing Township district, $178.68 per lot for Ravenswood and $152,216 in total assessment revenue from the Lake Lansing Road/Wood Street district, according to meeting minutes. These are previously adopted budget figures, not confirmed amounts for the rolls being considered Oct. 20.
Treasurer Charlotte Robinson reported at the board’s Sept. 22 meeting that the budget committee had completed the final budget for presentation to the board and that the process was ahead of schedule.
Before the action items, the agenda schedules swearing-in ceremonies for Deputy Supervisor Beth Nelson and Trustee Sheila Moore. The Sept. 22 draft minutes show the board was working to fill a vacant seat and that Clerk Cortney Lightheart and Supervisor Sanders planned to prepare a vacancy posting.
The board will also consider 2026 special funds budget amendments. Public comments are limited to three minutes per speaker, unless the supervisor approves additional time in advance for good cause. Residents who need auxiliary aids or services should contact the township clerk at 517-485-4063 with at least 48 hours' notice.
