5-22-19 (Budget)

The Davison Township Board Budget Workshop, held on May 22, 2019, focused on reviewing various departmental budgets and addressing pension fund liabilities. During the meeting, the Board approved the 2019-2020 budgets for both the Library and the Senior Citizens Authority, noting that the Library budget decreased due to a lack of major repairs and the Senior Citizens budget included increased township/city contributions to compensate for decreasing county millage.

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing MERS Division 1 contributions. The Board moved to allocate $500,000 from the assigned fund balance to MERS, a move intended to reduce employee contribution rates from approximately 24% to 17%. Additionally, the Board reviewed the proposed 2019-2020 general budget, but identified several errors and omissions, leading to the scheduling of a follow-up workshop.

• Fireworks Permit: The Board approved a fireworks permit application for the Festival of Flags.
• Senior Citizens Authority: The budget was approved with increased township and city contributions to address declining county millage revenue.
• Library Budget: The 2019-2020 budget was approved; the decrease from the previous year was attributed to the absence of carpeting or large-scale repairs.
• Pension Fund (MERS): The Board approved a $500,000 allocation to MERS Division 1 to lower employee contribution percentages.
• Vehicle Replacement: A proposal to replace the Supervisor's vehicle was discussed but not finalized.
• Budget Corrections: The 2019-2020 general budget was found to contain errors and requires revision.

• Tim Elkins: Supervisor
• Cindy Shields: Clerk
• Pat Miller: Treasurer
• Matthew Karr: Trustee
• Travis Howell: Trustee
• Rick Freeman: Chief of Police
• Matt Place: Building Official
• Casey Reed: Parks & Rec. Director
• Gerald Harris: Deputy Chief

• Fireworks Permit: Approval of the SOM Application for Fireworks Permit for the Festival of Flags.
• Pension Allocation: Approval of a $500,000 allocation from the assigned fund balance to MERS Division 1.
• Budget Amendment: Approval of a budget amendment for the $500,000 MERS contribution.
• Vehicle Replacement: A proposal to replace a 2012 Ford Escape with a new vehicle (subject to further discussion).

• Meeting Date: May 22, 2019
• Next Budget Workshop: May 29, 2019, at 7:00 p.m.

• $500,000: Amount allocated from the assigned fund balance to MERS Division 1.
• 24% to 17%: The reduction in employee MERS contribution rate resulting from the $500,000 allocation.
• 14.5%: The proposed new employer portion of the MERS contribution.
• $32,000: The proposed budget amendment amount for the replacement of the Supervisor's vehicle.

• Adopt the Agenda (with Budget Amendment): MOTION BY SHIELDS, SECOND BY HOWELL. Carried unanimously.
• Approve Fireworks Permit: MOTION BY MILLER, SECOND BY HOWELL. Carried unanimously.
• Approve 2019-2020 Senior Citizens Authority Budget: MOTION BY SHIELDS, SECOND BY KARR. Carried. Roll call: Yes – Miller, Shields, Elkins, Karr, Howell.
• Approve 2019-2020 Library Budget: MOTION BY SHIELDS, SECOND BY MILLER. Carried. Roll call: Yes – Shields, Elkins, Karr, Howell, Miller.
• Allocate $500,000 to MERS Division 1: MOTION BY SHIELDS, SECOND BY KARR. Carried. Roll call: Yes – Elkins, Karr, Howell, Miller, Shields.
• Approve Budget Amendment ($500,000 to MERS): MOTION BY SHIELDS, SECOND BY KARR. Carried. Roll call: Yes – Karr, Howell, Miller, Shields, Elkins.

• Budget Correction: Supervisor Elkins must address errors and omissions in the 2019-2020 budget document.
• Document Distribution: Supervisor Elkins to email the corrected budget to Board members prior to the next workshop.
• Follow-up Discussion: The topic of the Supervisor's vehicle replacement will be broached at the next Budget Hearing.