The Fruitland Township board unanimously approved the 2025-26 budget, totaling $1,468,313, at its Monday, March 17 regular meeting.
Before the vote, supervisor Jeff Marcinkowski reviewed the budget and discussed some of the “big ticket” items so that the board and the small audience - in person and on Zoom - understood the inclusion and necessity of these expenses and the board could ask questions if needed.While the budget will not change, the total revenue of the township may increase barring any future sale of property on Whitehall Road and the earnings of tree harvesting following storm damage last June. The budget, and the itemization of expenses, can be seen on the township website.
There were several open positions on two committees that were open for residents to fill - the White Lake Fire Authority and Planning Commission. After hearing presentations from interested applicants at both last week’s work session and Monday’s meeting, the board approved new committee members from a provided short list. The board appointed Lori Lundell and Nelson Huldin to the planning commission and Jeff Goss to the White Lake Fire Authority; the latter replaced Melissa Beegle, who retired.
The board also discussed the previous Tuesday’s town hall meeting. The board again expressed satisfaction with the turnout and was interested to hear what residents were most concerned about. Because of the high turnout, the board is excited to continue with the planned series of town hall discussion meetings, and are going ahead with the plan to host them quarterly - though dates are yet to be determined.
During public comment, Brian Mulnix discussed his view on the importance of preserving road ends for public access, especially on White Lake. This topic was brought up earlier during the budget breakdown, as public land could be sold to private property owners and used as possible sources of revenue. Mulnix posited that boaters, fishermen, and others who may not have easy access to the water utilize the road ends frequently, and suggested the community may even benefit to see the township build up those sections of infrastructure.
A calendar is available at fruitlandmi.gov, detailing upcoming events and meetings.
