Vernon Township sets $142.47 ambulance assessment, up from $125
The township board approved the per-household charge Sept. 14 after a public hearing in which residents questioned the rates and the wording of the notice, and written protests were entered into the record.
Vernon Township households will be charged $142.47 for ambulance service on the 2026–2027 tax cycle, an increase over the $125 they pay now. The township board approved the assessment at its Sept. 14 regular meeting at 6801 S. Durand Road, according to the meeting synopsis posted by the township.
The new figure is made up of a $140.00 SSESA fee and a $2.47 administrative fee. The synopsis records that the board clarified the charge is not on top of the current $125 fee — it replaces it. The board also voted not to collect a proposed $5.00 pro rata fee, the synopsis says, because there was enough money in the Ambulance Fund. Campgrounds will keep being assessed at half the household rate under the existing SSESA contract.
The vote followed a public hearing. The synopsis says residents asked about ambulance service itself, the assessment rates, how campgrounds are assessed, ballot requirements, and the wording of the public notice. Written protests were submitted and entered into the record. The synopsis does not summarize what the protests said, does not name the residents who spoke, and does not record how each board member voted. Supervisor Bert DeClerg, Clerk Susan Bannister, Treasurer Mary Jane Edwards, Trustee Janet Sprague and Trustee Nathan Charles were all present.
The board also went into closed session to discuss the purchase of real property, then came back out and authorized the township attorney to draft a purchase agreement in consultation with the clerk. The synopsis does not identify the property, the seller or the price. Michigan's Open Meetings Act allows a public body to meet privately when it is considering buying property.
From the fire department: 14 fire runs and 11 EMS runs in August, no burn permits issued because of the burn ban, training completed on new e-tools, and passed inspections for Engine 1, Tanker 2 and Rescue. The department also worked National Night Out, Labor Day activities, the Leisure Lake fireworks and Shiawassee County Fair coverage. The Building Department issued five permits in August for $1,127.00 in fees, and the Sheriff's report listed 184 incidents for the month.
Under old business the board approved an additional $864.00 for gravel on 2.165 miles of road, and approved township, fire, ambulance and general fund disbursements. The synopsis does not list the roads or the disbursement totals.
During public comment, residents raised reconsidering the SATA ballot question and the Greenwood Cemetery restoration project. Transit funding has been moving through other township boards this month: The Current reported that Bennington Township's board on Sept. 8 shifted $4,000 out of its parks line to keep SATA buses running.
What happens next: the $142.47 charge is set for the 2026–2027 tax cycle, so it lands on affected households' tax bills rather than requiring another vote. The township attorney is to draft the property purchase agreement with the clerk; nothing in the synopsis says when it comes back to the board. The board's next regular meeting date is not listed in the synopsis. We have asked what property is being purchased and what the written protests said.
The Morning Current. Free, daily, by 6 AM.
Every council vote, police report, and school decision in Shiawassee County — before your first coffee.