Township Boards, Commissions and Committees

Elected officials and appointed commissions and committees, made up of Spring Arbor citizens, constitute the governing bodies of Spring Arbor Township. There are two types of committees/commissions on which citizen representatives may serve. The first type is statutory, required by Michigan law, and the second type is advisory.

TOWNSHIP BOARD
The Township Board, composed of officials and trustees elected every four years, are currently Supervisor Will DeGraaf, Clerk Randi DeVries, Treasurer Gloria Melchiori, and Trustees Marston Fortress, Troy Ganton, Patricia Short and Brent Williams. Meeting in a public, posted meeting the second Monday of each month, the Board is charged with the responsibility of managing the township’s affairs in the best interest of the public. To qualify as a candidate for one of these offices, a person must be a township elector. A township elector is defined as someone who is 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, and has lived at least 30 days in the township for which he or she will serve. To view the minutes from the Township Board, follow this link.

PLANNING COMMISSION
The Planning Commission, a commission required by state statute, meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Township office. More than any other committee or commission, the nine members board determines the land use of Spring Arbor Township. By statute, the Commission "shall make and adopt a basic plan as a guide for the development of the unincorporated portions of the township and shall approve/deny construction, location and character of street, parks, or other public ways, grounds or open space, or public buildings or structures," as cited by Public Act 168 of 1959. In addition, Spring Arbor Township has designated the powers of a zoning board to the Planning Commission, including the recommendations of a zoning plan, districts and zoning ordinances as provided by law. By Township ordinance, the Planning Commission also approves special land uses, planned unit developments and site plans. To view the minutes from the Planning Commission, follow this link.

Applications for Site Plan Review, Rezoning and Conditional Use Permits are available in the Township office during regular working hours.
Appointed for three-year terms, this nine-member board, one of whom is also a member of the Board of Trustees, must, by statute, represent the "major interests as they exist in the Township, such as agriculture, education, commerce, and industry." Based upon these criteria, the supervisor recommends his nominees to the Board of Trustees for approval.

Current members of this commission are Richard Roth, Roy Holton, Carl Jacobson, Earl Poleski, Allan Short, David Evans, John Williams, Ken Melville, and Marston Fortress, a member of the Board of Trustees.

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Michigan law also provides for an appeals board, which can, based upon circumstances and subject to zoning ordinance language, allow for a variance from the ordinance. It may grant variances from the strict letter of the ordinance if practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship would result in conforming with the ordinance, provided the spirit of the ordinance is observed, public safety secured and substantial justice done. The hardship should not be self-created and some unique circumstances involving the property in question should be evident to support the variance. Since Spring Arbor Township has a population of more than 4,000, its Zoning Board of Appeals has five members appointed by the Township Board as required by statute. Serving three-year terms are Beth Kuntzleman, Allan Short, Robert Roedema, David Herlein and William Jaquays. The Zoning Board of Appeals meets each month on the third Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the Township office. Applications for a variance request are available in the Township office during regular working hours. To view the minutes from the Zoning Board of Appeals, follow this link.

BOARD OF REVIEW
The Board of Review's statutory authority also provides an appeals process for the assessment of property. The Board of Review is charged with "examining and reviewing the assessment roll for the current year, as caused to be prepared by the supervisor, add property omitted from the assessment property, hear protests and endorse the completed assessment roll." A member of the Township Board may not serve on this board. Terms of office are two years, "beginning at noon on January 1 of each odd-numbered year" as proclaimed by law. Spring Arbor Township's Board of Review members are Melvin Rice, Gordon Holton and Shane Williams with Supervisor DeGraaf serving as secretary, with no vote. The annual process occurs during the month of March. To make an appointment, a land owner may call the Township office once he or she has received the assessment notice in the mail. All appointments are held at the Township office. Appointments may be made for evening as well as during the day.

APPEALS & REVIEW BOARDS
The Construction Board of Appeals is appointed per Michigan law but the Electrical Board of Appeals, the Mechanical Board of Appeals, the Plumbing Board of Appeals, the Rental Review Board and Sewer Board of Review are all appointed by Township Ordinance. These committees would meet if a hearing were requested by an individual for the purpose of reviewing a complaint or a decision made by a township inspector.
The Construction Board of Appeals is comprised of members Kenneth Moe, Jeff Barton, Troy Ganton, George Scholl and Ron Schaub. The Electrical Board of Appeals is comprised of James Buck, Greg Scholl and Larry VanBlarcum. The Mechanical Board of Appeals and the Plumbing Board of Appeals consists of Robert Shearer, Bobby Barton, Bruce Ulrich, Jack Ripstra and Neil Cornstubble. The Rental Review Board is made up of Greg Scholl, Robert Shearer, Tom Zeller, Robert Boss and Jack Ripstra. The Sewer Board of Review is comprised of Fred Drago, Tom Zeller and Charles Tomasello.

ADVISORY COMMITTEES
A simple motion of the Spring Arbor Township Board establishes advisory committees. In Spring Arbor Township, these committees are formed to assess the needs of the community, research ways to meet those needs and make recommendations to the Township Board. Some are sub-committees comprised of Township Board members and sometimes other citizens; others are committees of citizens appointed by the Township Board and still others are composed of volunteers who formed a committee to address an area of interest.

SEWER AND WATER COMMITTEEE
The Sewer and Water Committee and the Policy & Communications Committees are examples of Board sub-committees. Because the sewer system in Spring Arbor Township is 25 years old and because Spring Arbor Township has 10 different developments currently under construction or anticipated construction, Supervisor DeGraaf requested that a thorough review of the sewer system's condition, its maintenance plan and an assessment of future needs be done. The Board then appointed Brent Williams, Marston Fortress, Will DeGraaf, Stan Lyon and James Buck to conduct this review and report their recommendations to the Board. Formed in 2001, the committee has recommended several changes and improvements to the system and is planning for future developments.

POLICY & COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
The Policy & Communications Committee, comprised of Randi DeVries, Marston Fortress and Patricia Short, has been appointed to review and recommend communication strategies to keep the citizens of Spring Arbor Township informed of growth and the community needs to facilitate that growth. This appointed advisory committee has established a quarterly newsletter, has instituted an annual Christmas decorations' contest, contributed to the development of this web site and will be compiling a manual of all policies adopted by the Township Board.

HISTORICAL COMMITTEE
The Historical Committee, chaired by Beverly Cunningham, meets to discuss ongoing historical projects within the community. Recent projects completed by the committee are the Snyder Schoolhouse Restoration and the Veteran’s Memorial. Other members of the committee are Troy Ganton, Todd Holton, Faith Kline, George Kline, William Masson, Jim Campbell, Wayne Whittaker, Jack Esterline, Daniel Runyon and Todd Zeller.

HISTORICAL FUND COMMITTEE
A new committee in 2003, the Historical Fund Committee chaired by Troy Ganton, will oversee the expenditures and investments of the Historical Fund, and recommend expenditures for future historical projects. Other committee members are Beverly Cunningham and Dennis DaPra.

SARAH’S GARDEN COMMITTEE
One might wonder, what is Sarah’s Garden? This garden was planted and nurtured by Sarah Justice at her home which sat on property east of the Township Hall's lawn, facing Spring Arbor Road. The garden was preserved and cared for by relative and Fritz Gallagher, former supervisor. It has now been relocated south of the Senior Center The seniors help care for the garden, now managed by local master gardener, Walt Schulcz. The committee members, Randi Holthouse, Patricia Short and Troy Ganton, will oversee the care and maintenance of the garden as well as plan for future needs and expenditures.

PARK COMMITTEE
The Park Committee, chaired by Township Clerk Randi Holthouse, is responsible for overseeing the current park facilities and evaluating the need for additional facilities. Currently, the committee is working on the development of a new park within the Township located next to the Senior Center. Other members of the committee are Mark Dowley, Warren Dexter, Gordie Holton, Jack Ripstra, Craig Withrow and Todd Zeller.

SENIOR CENTER ADVISORY BOARD
The Senior Center Advisory Board, chaired by June Dodd, meets on a monthly basis at the Senior Center to discuss the programs and activities at the Senior Center, and to plan for other activities and programs to offer to seniors in the community. Other members of the advisory board are Estella Beardslee, Bill Bippes, Elwin Johnson, Troy Ganton, Carl Jacobson, Charles Kuntzleman, Ned Philpott, Phyllis Allen, Enoch Beeman, Phyllis Miller and George Kline.  Beverly Green is the Senior Center Coordinator.