Bath trustees prepare November contingency plans if August millage fails

The Bath Charter Township Board of Trustees on July 20 directed counsel and staff to prepare contingency ballot language for a possible November re-run if a proposed millage fails in the August 4 primary, citing a narrow filing window with the Clinton County Clerk.

Superintendent Karen explained the timeline: results for the Aug. 4 election will be available that evening and the window to file revised ballot language closes Aug. 11. "The turnaround time when speaking with the clerk and treasurer is less than a week," she said, urging the board to be prepared so the township would not have to scramble. Trustees agreed to ask counsel to draft multiple versions (including 0.5, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.4652 mills) so the board could quickly choose an option after the primary.

Board members discussed the budget gap and how different millage levels would affect revenues. Officials used the rule-of-thumb that one mill would generate roughly $600,000 for the township; the board noted the current budget planned to draw about $500,000 from fund balance and that a 0.8 mill would net approximately $480,000'$490,000, which would close the current shortfall without immediate service cuts. "That would close the gap without cuts and without new activity," the chair said.

Trustees also discussed alternative revenue options such as targeted road millages or special assessments and emphasized public outreach before any re-run. The board scheduled a town-hall to explain the proposal to residents and to run scenarios showing the tax impact on individual properties.