Grand Island Township leadership is officially drawing the line in the sand on whether or not the area’s smallest municipality will continue to exist.
At the township’s regular board meeting on September 12, the board decided that they will hold one last special meeting on Monday, September 25 in the hopes of finding a new township clerk and find other people willing to hold office after the November 2024 election.
“We’ve been this way for 50 years and we’ve always found someone,” trustee Barb Stark said. “If we need someone to pull the trigger (about the future of the township), I’ll do it, but we should try to talk with everyone one more time.”
So far the township has already tried speaking one-on-one with the roughly 28 registered voters in the municipality. Three letters have been sent out. Advertisements were made. Social media posts as well. Nothing has sparked enough interest to keep the township operational past the terms of the current board members.
According to Dave Kronk — the township clerk who is set for retirement later this year — the board hopes that getting everyone together to discuss the issue will answer two main questions: can someone take over as township clerk in December and will people remain interested in the township to run in the next election cycle.
Township officials have also explored the option of consolidating with Munising Township, but both township boards consider it to be more an absorption of Grand Island by Munising Township. GI officials believe that the process involved would take at least six months and up to roughly a year.
Even if the township votes to be absorbed by another municipality, there is the risk of not being able to pay their bills. That would include payroll, so finding a clerk is still an immediate concern regardless of long-term solutions.
“The paperwork we received from the (Michigan Township Association) concerns me more than the future of our township,” Grand Island Treasurer Dee Jay Paquette said. “You have 45 days to appoint someone and then if no one is in after that, we can’t do anything.”
If a long-term solution is not available, the township will plan on getting financial statements and information ready to submit to Munising Township to see if they would be interested in taking over the municipality.
“If (Grand Island’s) board agrees to this, then (Munising Township’s board) will take a vote on it,” Kronk said. “But they need to see all of the baggage of absorbing the township first before making a decision.”
The last chance meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Alger Parks and Rec building conference room.
Editor’s Note: This story originally ran as a social media exclusive Wednesday, Sept. 13.
