On the Agenda: Township Board's Focus on Sewer Problems to Continue

The Hartland Township Board of Trustees 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday will include a work session to listen to an expert on options to deal with the problems of sewer assessment delinquencies.

The board also is expected to approve publication of the proposed 2011-12 budget on its website. A public hearing and final vote is expected after a March 29 meeting. The budget year begins on April 1.

The $1.7 million general fund budget is expected to have a $600,000 surplus, fueled in part by a bump expected from this year's census.

But officials say they want to have that money available as a potential cushion as the township, like many others, is facing deficits that run into hundreds of thousands of dollars in delinquent sewer assessments annually over the next several years. To offset those costs in the short term, officials might have to increase sewer rates even beyond recent step increases of 4 to 5 percent per quarter that are expected to continue into next year.

Overall, heading into next year, the township has a $1.7 million surplus in its general fund and more than $2 million set aside in its public improvement fund.