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Hartland Township reviews FY2026-27 budget as state-shared revenue declines
Summary
Finance Director and Township Manager presented the proposed FY2026-27 budget format and departmental requests, noting declining state-shared revenue and cable franchise fees, a $25,000 Michigan State Police grant for a .gov transition, and placeholder CIP items tied to MDOT timing.
Finance Director Susan Dryden and Township Manager Mike Luce presented the Hartland Township proposed FY2026-27 budget and a new presentation format that mirrors the audit structure, separating General/CIP funds from major and minor funds.
Dryden told the board that state-shared revenue projections are down and cable franchise fees are declining "as more people switch from cable to streaming services," and she outlined reallocations to blunt the Cable Fund shortfall, including moving Microsoft 365 licenses to Data Processing and redistributing NearMap costs across departments. Manager Luce highlighted key revenue drivers including current real property taxes and said professional review fees from developers will be used to offset plan review expenses.
The presentation included a $25,000 grant from the Michigan State Police to support the township's transition to a hartlandtwpmi.gov domain and costs associated with a Windows 365 migration. Dryden said a Spranger Field storage building quote exceeded the estimate and was removed from the CIP; sidewalk expenses remain a placeholder pending SEMCOG grant timing, and the board deferred moving most of the M-59 median funds to FY26-27 because MDOT plans resurfacing work in 2027.
Dryden summarized fund-level projects: the Municipal Street Fund lists Old US-23 (M-59 to Crouse Rd.) and Pleasant Valley Rd. as FY26-27 projects; the Fire Operating Fund assumes a 2.0-mill renewal for capital needs such as a projected Station 62 roof repair; Sewer Operating Fund projections include roughly $5 million in remaining bond principal. The presentation preceded the board's formal budget review and does not represent final adoption.
Next steps: the board will consider the formal FY26-27 budget for approval in upcoming meetings after further review of department requests and revenue assumptions.
