‘We cannot continue to sustain these services’

SAND LAKE — The Sand Lake Village Council held a special meeting last Thursday, Dec. 4, in an attempt to clarify why they are requesting cost increases to fire contracts with three townships in three counties, but many unknowns remain.

Montcalm County’s Pierson Township, Newaygo County’s Ensley Township and Kent County’s Nelson Township all contract with the Sand Lake Fire Department for fire coverage (Pierson Township contracts with Sand Lake for the southern half of the township and with the Howard City Fire Department for the northern half).

Pierson and Sand Lake officials agreed to a 6% cost increase to the fire contract in June (according to emails between Village President Mollie Doerr and now-retired township supervisor Dan Buyze) and the township’s fire millage went into effect as budgeted (the five-year fire millage was most recently approved by township voters in 2024).

PHOTO GALLERY

However, in early October Doerr emailed new township Supervisor Patrick Maioho a request for a larger cost increase to Pierson (as well as proposed increases for Ensley and Nelson), with part of the reasoning being that the village wants to buy a new fire truck (to be ordered next year and delivered in 2029, currently at an estimated cost of $1.1 million). Pierson Township officials say the increase means anything above the previously agreed-upon 6% would have to come out of the township’s general fund, as the voter-approved fire millage cannot legally go toward capital purchases but only toward operating and maintenance.

Doerr disputed this claim at Thursday’s meeting, saying, “I believe this to be false as other communities use the same language and use it for operations and capital.”

The fire contract between Sand Lake and Pierson doesn’t expire until March 31, 2026. The Pierson Township Board in October voted to only approve the previously-agreed-upon 6% increase with the stipulations of a 30-day termination clause plus a fire board being created within six months so that the townships and village all have an equal say in the matter. Should Sand Lake decline this offer, Maioho would have the option of issuing a 90-day termination letter.

During Thursday’s meeting, the Sand Lake Village Council voted unanimously and without any council discussion to refuse Pierson’s terms.

“We cannot accept that offer that Pierson Township has made,” Doerr told the audience. “So Pierson Township has their response. We cannot operate at those low costs.”

 

‘GOING WELL BEYOND OUR MEANS’

A sizable audience of residents from three counties, including firefighters and township officials, attended Thursday’s town hall, which was held at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Sand Lake.

Doerr began the meeting by reading a prepared statement about the struggles of rural fire departments, saying, “We must approach this with open minds and a collaborative spirit as the safety and well-being of our residents is our top priority.”

Regarding Thursday’s meeting, Doerr said, “I did not receive a response back from Ensley Township and Pierson Township declined coming as their supervisor stated, ‘I am not sure if that structure is appropriate at this time.’” (Officials from Ensley, Nelson and Pierson townships were all present at the meeting, see below, as well as accompanying info box.)

Doerr mentioned a Nov. 21 Daily News article about the fire contracts, alleging, “There was a lot of inaccurate information, nor did the Daily News seek clarification from the village on these key details.”

However, the Daily News did contact Doerr on Nov. 18 to ask whether the Village Council had taken any action on the fire contracts at the prior night’s meeting. Doerr responded that the village would be holding a town hall meeting in early December “inviting all townships to discuss the matter openly,” so the Daily News didn’t ask any more questions as it was implied more information would be shared at that meeting.

Doerr said the reported 24.71% increase to the Pierson Township fire contract was inaccurate; however, the Daily News and Pierson Township officials obtained that number from an email Doerr sent the township in October, which states in part, “To ensure we can continue meeting the needs of both Sand Lake and Pierson Township, we are requesting an increase in the township’s annual contribution toward our service contract of 24.71% starting fiscal year 2026.”

Village Treasurer Tyler Kaiser clarified to the Daily News this week that the 24.71% referred to Pierson’s proposed portion of the overall operating budget for the fire department in 2026 (with Ensley Township’s proposed portion at 33.70%, Nelson Township’s proposed portion at 28.88% and Sand Lake’s proposed portion at 12.70%). Kaiser said these proposed percentages would result in a 27.33% cost increase to Nelson Township (which would pay a total of $81,523 in 2026), a 6.53% increase to Pierson Township ($69,758 in 2026), a 3.40% increase to Ensley Township ($95,123 in 2026) and a decrease of 6.28% to Sand Lake ($25,849 in 2026). This would result in a total of $282,255 for 2026. Additional annual increases are also being proposed by the village for coming years.

Complicating matters is the amount of $10,000, which Pierson Township officials say was a one-time donation in addition to the township’s contract of $55,000, but which Sand Lake officials are including as part of the overall contract for a total of $65,000. This means the 6% increase that Pierson Township approved for next year’s contract would fall short of what Sand Lake is requesting, as the two entities are basing their proposals on different numbers.

Doerr provided the Daily News with a Feb. 13 email from former Pierson Township supervisor Buyze, stating, “For this year we will ‘suck up’ the $10K from GF (general fund). Next year we will include on taxes, we will be fine moving forward other than the millage will run dry before five years. The main takeaway is that we need to ensure our brave men and women have the tools to keep us and them safe. I can say all of us are 100 percent committed to this goal. In my opinion, all of us have dirty hands for lack of oversight that has put us in the situation we are in. Per the below, Pierson has been operating in an unrealistic low-cost umbrella, that I will admit.”

Doerr also took issue with the Daily News quoting Nelson Township Supervisor Robyn Britton at a Pierson Township meeting, where Britton said, “It is a very big request of our three townships and the fact is that we were kind of blindsided by this.”

“This is not accurate as we’ve been having discussions for two years,” Doerr said. “We reached out to the townships in 2023 and have had several meetings. This statement was extremely alarming as it was not true.” (Britton was present at Thursday’s meeting, see accompanying info box for more.)

Doerr provided the Daily News with an email she sent township supervisors in January 2024 requesting a meeting “to discuss the current state of fire safety in our community and the upcoming equipment/costs.”

Doerr said Pierson Township officials failed to attend some meetings where fire and med calls were discussed. She said Supervisor Maioho and Trustee Jason Bergman did attend a recent meeting, where, “It was stated that this was all the village’s fault, poor planning on our part, Pierson has to do what makes sense for them and the $10,000 was a one-time gift and they could partner with Howard City. It was also stated that Pierson will not go above a 6 percent increase and they asked for some financials.

“We cannot continue to sustain these services,” Doerr summarized. “The only reason we have over the last few years is the village’s contributions going well beyond our means.”

 

‘BARE BONES FIRE DEPARTMENT’

Village Treasurer Kaiser presented some financial information on Thursday, saying that over the last decade, the fire department has nearly tripled in cost due to multiple factors, such as equipment costs and vehicle maintenance. He also said firefighters should be earning more.

Kaiser said the village contributed $98,287 toward the fire budget in 2023, $44,904 in 2024 (plus a $40,000 grant that year) and $68,251 this year, while the three townships contributed $175,438 in 2023, $185,664 in 2024 and $191,504 this year (plus a $30,000 CD investment this year).

Kaiser clarified that the village has around $300,000 in fire department capital (a number of $732,000 was previously discussed at a Pierson Township meeting due to confusion about the village’s financials, as various funds are mingled together). Kaiser, who was named village treasurer and financial director in May, acknowledged that mingling village funds isn’t ideal.

“How I would have set it up is more of an enterprise fund,” he said. “In the future, moving forward, that’s how we would organize that fire fund, but this is how it stands as of now.”

The Sand Lake Fire Department is currently comprised of 18 volunteer firefighters (including six officers), with the main fire barn in Sand Lake and a second station in Ensley Township. Kaiser said the village doesn’t have enough money for a new fire truck or a med truck and they need at least $100,000 to sustain the fire department.

“We need significantly more money,” he said. “There’s really nothing we can cut at this point. This is kind of a skeleton crew, bare bones fire department. This is the absolute bare minimum that we need to sustain levels of operations.

“As of today, we did not receive any feedback from Ensley Township, so they are not part of the discussion,” he added. “We also have to assume that Pierson Township is pulling out. Nelson Township did get back to us and discussed a plan.”

Kaiser outlined some possible options for the village. He said the fire department could downsize and just cover the village with fire and med calls, which would cost around $80,000 per year ($65,000 to $70,000 without med services).

He said if Nelson Township partnered with the village, this would cost around $100,000 (around $90,000 without med services).

Kaiser said village officials have also discussed joining the Cedar Springs Fire Department, which would involve liquidating the Sand Lake Fire Department, selling all the equipment and having Cedar Springs handle Sand Lake fire runs. He said Cedar Springs quoted Sand Lake a $39,000 annual cost for this and he thinks the village could generate $300,000 to $400,000 by selling current equipment, which he said could go into a fund that would last the village from 17 to 20 years.

However, it’s unclear whether the village would be allowed to keep all that money if the fire department were liquidated due to the money the three townships have already invested.

 

‘THERE NEEDS TO BE COMMUNICATION’

During public comment, Ensley Township Trustee Tim Newton took issue with Doerr and Kaiser both claiming that Ensley wasn’t participating in the fire discussion.

“You sit up there and give a few inaccuracies, like Ensley Township is not contributing or responding to the fire department,” Newton said. “So my question is this: What township was the one who wanted to get the fire committee going? We were met with great resistance. We’ve asked our individuals, our constituency to prop up a millage which passed to further the fire department, but we’ve been given inference that Ensley Center is not willing to participate in this? That’s pretty upsetting. I’d like to know when we have not participated in almost anything. We have pushed hard in trying to help you explicitly.”

Newton referenced a fire meeting scheduled for November, which not all entities attended, but he noted Ensley Township was there.

“You might want to make sure that what you are saying is 100 percent spot on,” he said. “It has been Ensley’s biggest goal. We are still in it, and we made that perfectly clear that we were in to support this fire department.”

“I think what you’re getting confused is we were supposed to meet as a committee, and you are 100 percent correct in that you were on board for coming,” Doerr told him. “I can’t make people come. We were ready to have a meeting, I mean you can go through the entire email threads, no one responded back to anybody in our office. I didn’t find out until two days ago that you guys were going to be here (Thursday).”

“I was in a surgery,” Newton responded. “I’m thankful that I’m still here, but it took me off my feet for a few weeks, so yes I was slow to respond to that.”

“But I did contact you, Tim,” Doerr said. “I can apologize for the way that you took it, but we did not hear from Ensley at all. There needs to be communication with people in our office or we don’t know what’s going on.”

Jeanne Hamilton of Pierson Township came armed with a stack of her own research into Sand Lake’s financials.

“There didn’t seem to be a lot of communication and transparency,” she said. “So I took it upon myself to try to find out some information.”

Hamilton reported that Sand Lake received a final notice of delinquency for state revenue sharing withholding from the Michigan Department of Treasury on Oct. 21 regarding the village’s failure to submit a deficit-eliminating plan for deficits in the village’s local streets fund and rubbish collection fund.

“That has since been rectified,” Kaiser told her. “There was a discrepancy.”

“It makes me really hesitant to want to give any money, not that it’s not needed, but because I don’t feel guaranteed where it’s actually going,” Hamilton told him.

The village of Sand Lake has received deficit elimination plan/notices of withholding from the state of Michigan in 2018, 2022, 2024 and 2025, had to respond to deficiencies in 2018, 2020 and 2024, had audit deficiencies or findings in 2018, 2022 and 2025 and had delinquent audit notices in 2018 and 2022 (this is all publicly available information for any local government municipality via treas-secure.state.mi.us/documentsearch online).

Also during public comment, Nelson Township Treasurer Katy Austin voiced her appreciation for all the firefighters involved, but she questioned whether the money Nelson has contributed thus far to the Sand Lake Fire Department will be returned to Nelson if the fire department should Sand Lake no longer serve Nelson.

Austin also questioned why village officials aren’t considering using their existing fire truck with 5,000 miles on it instead of feeling forced to purchase a new truck.

“I know that it’s older, but I don’t understand, and I’ve looked everywhere, there’s not a law or a statute that says it has to be replaced,” she said. “If it costs you your entire department, to me it seems like that would be a better plan. I just don’t understand why it has to be done and I would love to understand that. I have asked, but apparently I haven’t asked the right people.”

 

Nelson and Pierson township officials speak up …

 

Officials from Nelson and Pierson townships were present at Thursday’s special Sand Lake Village Council meeting, but most did not speak during public comment. They did share some comments with the Daily News after the meeting.

Nelson Township Supervisor Robyn Britton said Sand Lake’s proposed fire contract cost increase was “significant” for her township. She agreed that the discussion around the fire contracts has been ongoing for two years, but she said the frequently changing information regarding costs has made sustainable planning “impossible.”

“Our current contract amount of $64,023 for 2025 is set to rise to $81,523 in 2026, with subsequent annual increases projected to result in an overall increase approaching 50 percent,” Britton said. “This is particularly concerning given that another contract holder (Pierson Township) reportedly received communication in June 2025 detailing only a 6 percent increase, suggesting that the terms are constantly shifting.

“Regarding funding, our current fire millage of 0.5 mills does not cover existing contracts with Cedar Springs and Sand Lake, requiring us to pay the difference from the general fund,” she said. “Based on the proposed 50 percent increase for the Sand Lake portion alone, we would need to ask our residents for 1.5 mills. This means the annual cost for a home with a $200,000 taxable value would rise from $100 to $300.

“It is not a matter of unwillingness to pay,” Britton emphasized. “Our core concern is the long-term viability of the department. We have observed the village of Sand Lake eliminate essential services and assets, such as the police department and water tower rights, year after year. Given this consistent record of cutting services, we must question whether the fire department will be next. Furthermore, we are not in a position to afford a $1.1 million fire truck within two years’ notice. Since approximately 90 percent of the department’s calls are medical, I have suggested that the department consider cost savings by discontinuing the medical first responder med 3 calls and instead prioritizing the acquisition of a much-needed medical truck.

“I want to be clear that, as the Sand Lake village president stated, every municipality needs to look out for its own best interest,” Britton summarized. “Nelson Township continues to hold open conversations with the village of Sand Lake, Ensley Township, Pierson Township and surrounding municipalities. Our first priority is to the residents of Nelson Township, and I believe that extends to the residents of the village of Sand Lake as well.”

Pierson Township Supervisor Patrick Maioho and Clerk Sara Burkholder were also present at Thursday’s meeting.

“Everyone presents information in a way that supports their position, but there is understandable disappointment in how certain points were framed at the town hall, particularly with key context omitted,” Maioho told the Daily News. “Ensuring reliable fire and emergency services for Pierson Township residents is currently top of mind and a responsibility we take to heart. This issue will continue to be discussed at the next township board meeting as we work toward fiscally responsible, and sustainable solutions.”

 

Upcoming meetings

The Pierson Township Board and the Sand Lake Village Council are each scheduled to meet separately for their regular monthly meetings at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15.

The Ensley Township Board most recently met on Dec. 2 and will next meet at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2026.

The Nelson Township Board most recently met on Tuesday and will next meet at 5 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2026.

For more information about upcoming meetings in any of these four entities, or to review meeting minutes or financials, visit the following websites:

VILLAGE OF SAND LAKE: villageofsandlake.org

PIERSON TOWNSHIP: piersontwp.org

NELSON TOWNSHIP: nelsontownship.org

ENSLEY TOWNSHIP: ensleytownship.org