How Your Township Government Affects You

Did you know in many parts of Kalamazoo County more than three times as many people vote in state and national elections as do in local elections?  Do local elections deserve as much attention as our national elections?  How much do local township boards influence our lives?

Outside of the four cities of Kalamazoo, Portage, Parchment and Galesburg, Kalamazoo County consists of townships, whose boards have four-year terms.  The Township Board of Trustees appoints and directs the assessor, building inspections, internal audits, zoning board appeals, planning commission.  The Township Board of Trustees decides how money is spent and what areas receive priority for public dollars – your money at work.

The Township Board of Trustees’ responsibilities and authority include:

• Public Safety – police and fire departments, including emergency response.
• Public services – street construction, road maintenance, recycling and leaf pickup.
• Tax proposals for voters’ approval, service fees, allocation of local revenues and state/federal matching funds.
• Parks and Recreation – programs for youth, adults, seniors and the disabled.
• Accounting, Assessing, and Treasurer Departments plus the retirement administration.  Home real estate values come from Assessing.
• The township clerk manages records, and administers local elections and cemeteries. 
• The Building Department issues building permits and performs all inspections dealing with the building code.
• The Board of Trustees approves the annual budget.