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Like many of our residents, I’m in the midst of decision-making about the proposed consolidation. I reviewed information posted for both pro (Angel) and against position (Kohls). I mocked up my own tax comparison for my property in Peaine and in St James to determine projected changes in amounts I will pay. I compared the budgets of the townships individually and combined and contrasted these with budgets for Melrose Township in Charlevoix which has a small population. In hopes that this might be useful for my neighbors, I am sharing what I’ve learned from this process. My conclusion is that for a consensus of 584 people, it makes sense to have only one township government, recognizing that the visitors and seasonal residents increase populations sizes temporarily, but for a small percentage of the year.

My decision is based on the following analyses:

• Reduce Duplication of Services
  o Becoming one Township saves taxpayer monies in significant ways. It eliminates duplication of expenses that support two townships’ buildings and related services, including (but not limited to) utilities, fax machines, Wi-Fi and telephone.
  o From my review of other townships the current salaries of elected officials seem fair at their current levels, even with a combined township. There would be no reason for significant raises. For a “workload analysis,” I examined salaries for a township that is small, though somewhat larger than our combined township would be. They are in a similar situation with increased population due to seasonal visitors and residents. To judge their (Melrose) workload here are the items the township board is working on according to the [text unclear].

We’ve got quite a lot going in Melrose Township right now. In addition to the General Fund we have 5 Special Revenue Funds (Fire Operating, Fire Sinking, Local Roads, TIFA and a new Ambulance Fund). We also have a DDA fund which is treated as a "Component unit." Basically the same as other funds but we have to maintain asset, debt, and depreciation accounts. Finally, we just started a Sewer Fund in 2016 as an Enterprise Fund (Full accrual bookkeeping with assets, depreciation and debt management). The fund includes amortization schedules for all debt, as well as maps to define our DDA and Ambulance districts (both Emmet County and Boyne City provide ambulance services and each get a share of the millage).

  o Melrose Township In Charlevoix County has a population of 1,311 and a taxable SEV of 149,635,322. Their supervisor is paid $17,400.
  o The population of BOTH St. James and Peaine is 584 with a total taxable SEV of $112,810,454 yet each Supervisor and their assistant is paid more than Melrose.
    (Melrose does have an assistant Supervisor, SEV values from the County of Charlevoix 2017 Equalization Report and Melrose’s proposed 2018 General Fund Budget.)
  o The Melrose budget is $527,280 compared to the proposed “Beaver Island” budget of $565,878 (legal fees are budgeted for $5,500 in Melrose, Peaine budgeted $6,000 and St James $3,600). The Melrose budget includes expenses for funding a boat launch employee, operation of a transfer station, fire department and ambulance. Below is a tabular summary of the data.