Civic Desk
Numbers-first and procedural. Leads with the vote count and the dollar figure. Always includes the roll call. Signature move: 'what this costs an average household.'
The Civic Desk covers this beat for The Shiawassee Current. Every story carries the desk's byline rather than an individual's, is written from the public record, and links the documents it is based on. Our standards policy explains how stories are produced and reviewed.
Beats: Owosso city council · Corunna, Durand, Perry, Laingsburg councils · county board of commissioners · township boards · millages and budgets
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Chesaning sets Oct. 20 hearing to abandon part of Railroad Street
The village council also cleared $157,901.69 in bills, refunded $933.13 to a West Broad Street property owner and approved wood duck sculptures downtown for a Friends of the Shiawassee fundraiser.
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Vernon calls special meeting Thursday on Maple St. crossing grant
The village council's only item at 6 p.m. Sept. 24 at Village Hall is whether to file an application for a Grade Crossing Improvement Project at the Maple Street railroad tracks.
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Corunna held fire assessment hearing, weighed police F-150 Monday
The council's Sept. 21 agenda put a Public Act 33 fire special assessment district, a budget amendment, a Historical Commission loan and two equipment buys in front of members at the Community Center; the city has not yet published the outcomes.
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Owosso adds $12,473 patrol car camera swap to Monday agenda
A late addition to the Sept. 21 consent agenda would waive competitive bidding and hire a Holt company to pull the old Axon cameras out of all ten Owosso Public Safety patrol cars and install the new ones.
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Durand votes on Vinewood pump bill; Sept. 3 discharge unexplained
The council meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday to pay Kerr Pump for an emergency repair at the Vinewood Lift Station that has already been done — with no cost, no cause and no stated link to the raw sewage discharge the city reported to the state on Sept. 3.
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Durand council takes up Amtrak lease, Vinewood lift station repair
Monday's 6:30 p.m. agenda lists an Amtrak lease extension, an emergency pump invoice for the Vinewood Lift Station, a new police incident-reporting system and 218 bills — with no dollar figures attached to any of it.
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Sciota Township cuts deputy clerk's $500 election pay on 4-1 vote
The Aug. 10 minutes, approved Sept. 14, also record a third reported interference with the township's election-box camera and residents' objections to a gravel pit water withdrawal permit.
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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.
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Vernon Township levies fire millage hike, sets $200 land-split fee
The township board's Aug. 10 synopsis shows it voted to levy the fire operating increase voters approved, renew the fire equipment millage, and charge $200 plus $50 per split to divide a parcel.
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Owosso bills $116,107 for three demolitions; 4-2 vote on Exchange St.
Council confirmed the assessments Sept. 8 after the owner of the collapsed West Exchange Street building said the roughly $5,400 annual payment could push him to walk away; a towing ordinance hearing and two first readings come Monday.
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New Haven Township pays $108,295 to Road Commission; residents press on roads
Newly posted minutes from the township board's Aug. 10 meeting show three Shiawassee County Road Commission invoices approved 5-0, and three residents speaking about road conditions.
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Bennington Township moves $4,000 from parks to keep SATA buses running
The township board's Sept. 8 meeting also set a 2026 tax levy of 0.8728 mills for operating and 1.25 mills for fire, and approved $1,300 in brine for newly graveled roads on a 4-1 vote.
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County board in Corunna refills 2 road deputies, 2 prosecutors
Draft minutes of the Sept. 16 Shiawassee County board meeting also record $247,712 in court grant money, a jail phone contract renewal and the end of the county's PayIt agreement.
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Woodhull Township's Rolling Hills rezoning tabled to October
Shiawassee County commissioners voted 5-0 Wednesday to hold the Rolling Hills zoning change for another month, rezoned a Bennington Township parcel and approved $11,825,043.09 in bills and payroll.
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Owosso council takes up camping ban on city property Monday
A first reading Monday would bar overnight camping on city-owned land, and the same agenda carries a public hearing on towing cars with unpaid parking tickets plus $92,581 in repairs at Curwood Castle.
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Owosso declines Current records request on reported sewage discharge
Owosso Public Safety returned the request Sept. 16 without records, citing a missing mailing address and contact information under Michigan's FOIA; the reported 110,000-gallon partially treated wastewater discharge remains unconfirmed.
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VA garage in Corunna awaits city approval, county board told
Final minutes of the Shiawassee County board's Aug. 12 meeting, posted this month, say the veterans garage project needs a sign-off from the City of Corunna before a groundbreaking is scheduled — and that September's closed session was described as a workers' compensation matter.
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Woodhull Township's Rolling Hills rezoning goes to county vote tonight
The Shiawassee County board's 5 p.m. agenda also carries a closed session on the Henderson v. Shiawassee County lawsuit, $64,115 in new boilers and a three-year audit contract.
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Vernon votes Sept. 16 on mixed-use, mobile repair shop zoning rules
Three ordinances get public hearings at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Village Hall, and the council is also set to approve minutes from the Aug. 26 special meeting on the DPW superintendent's raise and a three-year audit deal.
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Chesaning gets clean audit; 709 W. Broad tenant still unnamed
Auditors from AHP told the village council on Aug. 18 that Chesaning's 2026 books came back clean, but the minutes leave the village's other open questions — including what business is going into 709 W. Broad St. — unanswered.
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Chesaning to refund $933 site-plan fee for 709 W. Broad St.
The village council's Sept. 15 agenda shows a site plan review at 709 W. Broad has finished — but nothing in the packet says what is going into the building.
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Chesaning water rate study underway; school-route work set for 2027
Full minutes from the Aug. 4 village council meeting show OHM is working on a water master plan and rate study, with Safe Routes to School construction slated to start in June 2027.
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Morrice OKs $8,500 gas line to park building, sets Oct. 31 Halloween
The village council voted 5-0 on Aug. 25 to have Consumers run gas to the park building in October, part of a roughly $20,000 heating and cooling job, and approved an $835 library window.
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Chesaning to set hearing on abandoning part of Railroad Street
The village council's Sept. 15 agenda also carries a $933.13 site plan fee refund for 709 W. Broad St. and $157,901.69 in bills.
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Hazelton, Middlebury road millages land on Nov. 3 county ballot
The county clerk's official proposal language sets a 1.5-mill road renewal in Hazelton Township and a 2-mill road levy in Middlebury Township that would raise an estimated $124,282 in its first year.
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Owosso wrote off $15,000 in parking tickets; towing hearing Sept. 21
Council members took a first reading Tuesday on an ordinance letting the city tow repeat offenders, approved three nuisance assessments and heard trash haulers and residents object to a single-hauler system.
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Perry blocks data center approvals for 180 days
The city council voted Aug. 20 to freeze every permit, rezoning and water or sewer hookup a data center would need while it rewrites its rules — and filled its vacant council and planning commission seats the same night.
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Owosso finance director Brad Barrett leaving, city manager says
Minutes of the Aug. 17 council meeting, approved Sept. 8, also record a 7-0 vote to clean up 1405 W. Main St. at an estimated $5,000 and bill the owner.
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Chesaning amends Sept. 1 minutes, sets next meeting for Sept. 15
An amended synopsis of the Chesaning Village Council's Sept. 1 meeting fixes the next-meeting date and leaves the $5,600 Rootnote invoice unexplained.
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Woodhull Township mails ambulance assessment notices; hearings Oct. 7
Sept. 2 proposed minutes show postcards going out this week, two hearings set for 6 and 6:15 p.m. Oct. 7, and the Rolling Hills project now in front of the county board of commissioners.
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Chesaning sets trick-or-treat hours at 5:30 to 8 p.m.
The village council's Sept. 1 synopsis minutes show the Halloween hours set and $292,171.69 in bills cleared in a 30-minute meeting.
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Owosso to bill three properties $116,107 for city cleanups Sept. 8
Hearings Tuesday cover unpaid nuisance work at 117 W. Exchange St., 321 E. Williams St. and 326 S. Dewey St.; the same agenda names Detroit Salt Company as the vendor behind the city's $142,766 salt order.
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Owosso weighs towing cars over unpaid parking tickets
A first reading Tuesday would add a section to the city code letting Owosso tow repeat offenders, with a public hearing set for Sept. 21; the same agenda carries $142,766 in road salt.
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Laingsburg tables LSW budget until board hands over documents
Minutes from the Aug. 11 City Council meeting show a unanimous vote to hold off on the 2027-28 LSW budget, $4,914.34 approved for SATA transit and a new $50 minimum for DPW emergency call-outs.
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12 file for 4 Owosso council seats; 10 county offices drew nobody
The Shiawassee County clerk's unofficial candidate list for the Nov. 3 ballot shows a crowded Owosso council race, empty lines for the Laingsburg mayor and three village presidents, and Judge Matthew J. Stewart running unopposed.
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Durand schools seek $30.29M bond in 15 Shiawassee ballot proposals
The county clerk's unofficial list for Nov. 3 includes a Durand Area Schools building bond, three Corunna charter changes, two SATA transit levies and a mandatory recycling fee in Hazelton Township.
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Chesaning council asked to OK $292,171.69 in bills, no itemization
The Sept. 1 consent agenda carries the village's largest payables total since at least mid-June, and the packet does not say what any of it buys.
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Laingsburg's marijuana renewal fee sits blank in Tuesday's packet
The City Council votes Sept. 1 on a fee whose dollar amount is a blank line in Resolution No. 2616, and on a request for proposals that could replace the city attorney.
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Chesaning council to set Halloween trick-or-treat hours Tuesday
The only action item on the Sept. 1 village council agenda is Halloween hours; the consent agenda carries $292,171.69 in bills.
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Laingsburg sets marijuana fee vote, e-bike rules for Sept. 1
The City Council agenda for Tuesday lists final adoption of the marijuana permit renewal fee ordinance, a first reading of new e-bike and scooter rules, and a request for bids on the city's legal work.
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Caledonia Township seeks $1.5M federal grant for 17 new homes
The board also accepted an $87,600 Brick Plant Causeway grant, awarded a $19,550 siding bid and split a departed building official's remaining salary between two staff, all on 7-0 roll calls Aug. 17.
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Morrice president Todd Scott off Nov. ballot, will run as write-in
The village council also approved $20,000 to chip seal Britton Road and reviewed roughly $109,000 in large projects still to be paid this budget year.
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Woodhull Township park board weighs raising $10 ballfield rental fee
June 9 minutes from the park and recreation commission, posted this month, show a three-member quorum approved the budget 3-0, delayed the recreation plan hearing to late July and discussed charging more to rent the ballfields near Perry.
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Woodhull park board still waiting on ROWE rec plan, plans ballfield spraying
July 20 minutes from the park and recreation commission near Perry show three of five members met, approved the budget 3-0 pending a $1,620 question and moved to spray the baseball fields for about $200 to $250.
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Chesaning village council OKs $204,403.59 in bills, hears clean audit
Six of seven council members were present Aug. 18 for a 30-minute meeting that took no action items beyond the consent agenda.
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Perry council OKs $63,210 in DPW work, accepts two resignations
At its Aug. 6 regular meeting, the Perry City Council approved four unanimous spending items, accepted resignations from council member Larry Lambert and planning commissioner Gerrad Leitelt, and pushed water and sewer rate decisions to Sept. 3.
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Durand council agenda set park plan vote, closed session on Union Station suit
The Aug. 17 agenda listed one item of business — a resolution adopting the city's five-year parks and recreation plan — followed by a closed session on litigation strategy in Durand Union Station Inc. v. City of Durand.
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Bancroft council OKs up to $7,000 Beach Street drain repair
The village council also approved up to $3,500 for road gravel and sand and heard an audit finding tied to the purchase of the new municipal complex, according to the Aug. 12 minutes.
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Vernon council sets Aug. 26 special meeting on DPW raise, audit deal
The posted agenda for the 6 p.m. session at Village Hall lists an employee raise for DPW Superintendent Trevor Graves, a March 31 audit review and a three-year audit proposal from Berthiaume & Company.
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Bancroft council adopts Ordinance 316-26 to sell 108 Warren St.
Six council members voted yes at a 10-minute special meeting on Aug. 18; three were absent and the minutes list no sale price.
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Corunna council cancels Sept. 8 meeting for Labor Day weekend
A notice posted by the Corunna City Council says its 7 p.m. Sept. 8 meeting at the Community Center will not be held.
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Owosso council awards $984,420 public safety building bid, orders single-hauler trash draft
All seven council members were present Aug. 17 as Owosso approved the Public Safety Building Improvements contract and directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance authorizing one trash hauler citywide.
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Owosso council accepts $1M USDA grant, OKs $239,160 WWTP change order
Minutes of the Aug. 3 regular meeting, approved Aug. 17, record unanimous 6-0 votes on a public safety building grant, a wastewater plant change order and three nuisance-cost assessment rolls.
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Vernon village council to take up DPW raise, 3-year audit proposal Aug. 19
The agenda for the Vernon Village Council's Aug. 19 regular meeting lists a raise for DPW Superintendent Trevor Graves, a review of the March 31, 2026 audit and a multi-year audit proposal from Berthiaume & Company.
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New Haven Township board OKs second brine application on 46.12 miles of gravel road
The five-member board voted unanimously at a June 18 special meeting that lasted eight minutes, according to the clerk's minutes.
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Bennington Township board OKs vet clinic rezoning, $3,612 SATA deal
The Aug. 3 meeting also approved $147,004.33 in bills and raised the mileage reimbursement rate to 76 cents per mile, according to the minutes.
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Bennington Township sends 0.3333-mill SATA levy to Nov. 3 ballot
The township board voted unanimously July 6 to put a two-year transit funding proposal before voters and approved $80,608.77 in bills.
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Perry Township board OKs $30,450 Beard Road crack sealing bid
Trustees also approved about $12,075 for Britton Road, adopted amended Roselawn Cemetery rules and heard the Community District Library's annual report at the Aug. 5 meeting.
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Perry Township board OKs $3,556 SEDP pledge, names Nick Miller to planning panel
Three of five board members were present July 1 as the Perry Township Board approved an economic development pledge, a $700 electrical repair and two Planning Commission changes, according to the meeting minutes.
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New Haven Township board OKs $4,500 cemetery tree removal, $13,241.76 in bills
The five-member board approved both items on unanimous roll call votes at its July 13 regular meeting, and reported $1,188,281.58 across all township funds.
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Woodhull Township board raises custodian pay, buys $655 assessor sketching license
July 1 minutes show the five-member board approved $42,486.73 in bills, set custodian pay at $755 a month and sent a district library agreement to the township attorney, each on 5-0 votes.
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Woodhull Township board backs Rolling Hills PUD, $172,186.96 in bills
Proposed minutes from the Aug. 12 meeting near Perry show 5-0 votes on the planned unit development, the monthly bills and the LSW fire and ambulance budget, plus October public hearings on the ambulance assessment.
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Woodhull Township planning commission took up Mackenzie rezoning Aug. 11
A special meeting agenda shows the commission scheduled conditional rezoning request CPREZ26-001 from E.T. Mackenzie Company under both old and new business.
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Woodhull Township board agenda listed Rolling Hills PUD, ambulance assessment hearings
The Aug. 12 agenda for the Woodhull Township Board included a planned unit development application, snowplow contract bids and the scheduling of ambulance assessment public hearings.
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Corunna council to weigh fire assessment district, budget amendment Aug. 17
The Corunna City Council's regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Community Center includes a fire special assessment district resolution, a 2025-2026 budget amendment and a pension division merger.
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Morrice council accepts J. Howard resignation, OKs transfer station coupon
The village council voted 5-0 on July 28 to put a $1-off transfer station coupon in its next mailer and accepted a resignation from the board, according to minutes approved Aug. 11.
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Chesaning village council to take up $204,403.59 in bills, 2026 audit Aug. 18
The agenda posted by the Village of Chesaning lists a consent-agenda payables total and an audit report presented for discussion only, with no action items scheduled.
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Caledonia Township board approves $243,244.70 in bills, Martin Road culvert
The Caledonia Charter Township Board of Trustees voted 7-0 on June 15 to pay May payroll and June invoices, including a $173,110 ambulance check, and to buy a new culvert for the Martin Road dead end.
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Caledonia Township board awards $20,000 roofing bid, approves $290,917.63 in bills
The Shiawassee County township's board voted 6-0 on July 20 to hire Cleveland Contracting for the roof and to pay code enforcement officer Jim Delaney $3,300, according to the draft meeting synopsis.
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Chesaning village council approves $207,962.86 in bills at nine-minute meeting
The July 21 meeting ran from 7:30 p.m. to 7:39 p.m. with no action items, and the police chief reported a 63% clearance rate.
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Chesaning council approves Candle Walk M-57 closures, $135,493.98 in bills
The village council met Aug. 4 with all seven members present, cleared accounts payable and approved a two-night state highway closure for the Candle Walk in November.
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Owosso council to weigh $984,420 public safety building bid Aug. 17
The Aug. 17 agenda also includes software renewals totaling about $70,000, a nuisance abatement on West Main Street and direction on a single-hauler trash ordinance.
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Shiawassee County board approves $6.7M in bills, adds vital records clerk
Commissioners voted 6-0 on every roll call at the Aug. 12 meeting in Corunna, clearing a $113,600 records system, a $54,040 LACASA contract and an $8,607.25 animal shelter resurfacing bid.
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Shiawassee County board sends senior services millage renewal to Nov. 3 ballot
Commissioners voted 6-0 on July 15 in Corunna to put a 0.4942-mill, five-year renewal before voters, and approved $7.16 million in bills and a $122,055 technology contract.
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Owosso council sends 0.5-mill parks renewal to Nov. 3 ballot
Council members voted 7-0 on July 20 to place a two-year parks millage renewal estimated to raise $170,000 a year before voters, and approved a consent agenda carrying more than $120,000 in water, sewer and legal contracts.
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Shiawassee County board takes up $113,600 records system at Aug. 12 meeting
The county commissioners' agenda for the 5 p.m. meeting lists three spending items, a new Vital Records Clerk position and a $54,040 LACASA contract.
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Laingsburg council adopts master plan, sets Summerfest street closures
Minutes from the July 7 meeting show unanimous votes on Resolution 2613, a district library agreement and up to $2,500 for trees at the kayak launch.
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Corunna council agenda set data center ordinance first reading July 20
The July 20 Corunna City Council agenda listed first readings for a data center ordinance and an RM zoning amendment, plus an MDOT construction amendment for Parmenter Road.
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Corunna council agenda set data center ordinance hearing for Aug. 3
The Aug. 3 agenda listed public hearings on a proposed data center ordinance and an RM zoning amendment, plus a backhoe quote and an MDOT agreement.
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Laingsburg council agenda sets marijuana fee change, blues fest closure Aug. 11
The Tuesday agenda lists a first reading of a marijuana permit renewal fee amendment, a $4,914.34 transit funding request and a wastewater budget vote.
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Perry council approves $60,395 in HVAC replacements, $42,160 lift station fix
The July 2 meeting also produced a new mower purchase, an engineer-of-record deal with OHM and a rewritten pay formula for the city's zoning administrator.
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Bancroft council releases draft master plan, adopts hunting and weeds ordinances
The village council also approved $612 for three years of website malware protection and heard a pitch for a 1.5-mill fire millage that would raise $163,966 in its first year.
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Bancroft council cuts Community Hall asking price to $110,000
At a special meeting, village council members voted unanimously to lower the listing price by $10,000 and to open an auto parts account in Corunna after Vernon Hardware closed.
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Byron council minutes: June 8 record posted with no business detailed
The village posted a PDF for its June 8 meeting, but the extracted text contains no motions, votes or dollar figures to report.
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Chesaning council OKs police union MOU; pension funding hits 78%
Minutes from the July 7 Chesaning Village Council meeting show a memorandum of understanding with the police union approved after a nine-minute closed session, and an administrator report that village pensions are now 78% funded.
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Chesaning council agenda listed $135,494 in bills, M-57 closure ask
The village council's Aug. 4 agenda placed $135,493.98 in accounts payable on the consent agenda and set a Candle Walk street closure request for action.
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Chesaning village council OKs $148,323 in bills, three park and street use requests
The July 7 synopsis minutes show the council also appointed Brandon Thompson to the Zoning Board of Appeals and set a $100 fee for a bounce house event at Showboat Park.
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Chesaning council vacates Lockwood Street strip, OKs $206,501 in bills
The village council's June 16 meeting lasted 11 minutes and cleared a street vacation that the synopsis minutes say may have been left undone earlier because of a clerical error.
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Chesaning council approves $207,962.86 in bills in nine-minute meeting
All seven village council members were present July 21 as the board cleared its consent agenda, including accounts payable and the July 7 minutes, with no other business.
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Elsie council accepts $268,543 in state grants, sets 10.7-mill levy
The June 9 minutes show unanimous roll-call votes on two fire-hydrant and equipment grants, the village operating millage and $35,088.95 in bills, while Elsie remains under a state deficit elimination plan.
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Elsie village council approves $57,191 in bills, holds off on fire authority deal
The July 14 minutes show the council paid its monthly bills, delayed action on a proposed Fire Board agreement on the village attorney's advice, and set an Ordinance Committee meeting for Aug. 6.
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Morrice council raises transfer station prices, fills council posts after resignation
At its June 9 meeting, the village council approved higher dump fees effective July 12, accepted a trustee's resignation and signed off on $4,921 in salter installation costs.
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Morrice council awards South Street sidewalk bid, appoints new trustee
The village council picked SA Smith Paving of Owosso at $23,885 for the South Street sidewalk, seated Jacob Saint Amour on a vacant council seat and shelved the transfer station expansion until 2027 bidding.
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Durand council to meet Aug. 3, with closed session on Union Station lawsuit
The agenda lists four business items and a closed session to discuss trial and settlement strategy in Durand Union Station Inc. v. City of Durand.
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Laingsburg council to weigh master plan, library budget on July 7
The agenda for the Laingsburg City Council's July 7 meeting lists a master plan resolution, a district library agreement, Summerfest street closures and a decision on Treat Street right of way.
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Perry council approves two ordinance changes and $15,281 workers' comp renewal
The June 18 meeting also brought word that the city is exploring placing a water tower on Perry school grounds.
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Durand council calls special meeting on Reed Road bids, fire line
A June 8 special meeting agenda lists two consultant bid awards for the MSHDA Reed Road project, plus a Webcor fire service line and a JB Communications proposal.
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Durand council sets special meeting on OPRA district, union deals, budget
A June 30 special meeting agenda lists two public hearings on an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act district and six approval items, including DPW union negotiations and year-end budget amendments.
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Durand council puts parks millage, charter change on Nov. 3 ballot
All seven council members were present July 20 as the council approved a charter amendment raising the city manager's spending limit to $5,000, a parks and recreation millage proposal and a $10,400 paving contract.
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Shiawassee County board to weigh $122,055 SRESD tech deal July 15
The county board's July 15 agenda also includes the 2025 audit, a housing rehab contract, court staffing replacements and a zoning appeals appointment.
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Owosso council backs $7.16M in water main bids, takes up $12M bond
A five-member council approved the July 6 consent agenda 5-0, tentatively awarding two water main contracts to Glaeser-Dawes, and moved to adopt an ordinance authorizing up to $12 million in drinking water revenue bonds.
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Owosso council accepts USDA grant for public safety building, adds $239K to wastewater project
Monday's meeting moved money on three fronts — a federal grant agreement for the public safety building renovation, a third change order on the wastewater plant, and a $160,000 annual legal services authorization.
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Owosso puts parks and recreation millage on the November ballot
The July 20 meeting also brought a Redevelopment Ready certification from the state, new spending on two water projects, and a long council debate about burnouts at the organic cruise.
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County board sends senior services millage renewal to November ballot
The 0.4942-mill renewal would raise an estimated $1.37 million in its first year. Commissioners also adopted the 2025 audit and approved $7.16 million in bills at their July meeting in Corunna.