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NILES TOWNSHIP — The township board approved five public special hearings on Tuesday evening. The hearings will take place beginning at 5 p.m., Sept. 21, before the regular meeting begins at 6 p.m.

Through each 10-minute hearing, the public will be able to voice concerns or support with the board members about each of the five millage proposals or renewals set or the November ballot. The announcement will be posted to the Niles Charter Township website.

According to Treasurer Jim Ringler, a township operating millage, a police millage and a street lights district millage will be open for discussion at the hearings. A township fire department millage will also be a part of the hearing. The board is presenting a single millage to take the place of two separate millages for the township’s fire department, while also lowering the mill amount.

The township operating millage is authorized under the township act. It helps ensure the township can continue normal operations, and by law, can be up to one mil, or $1 of every $1,000 of property assessed in the township.

• Niles Charter Township, under the Headlee Rollback, rolled its millage back to .8646, making the amount per $1,000 less than $1.
• Another hearing will be given time for the public to voice concerns or support will be the township fire department millage. In the past, according to Ringler, the township has had a special assessment district with the township’s fire department, splitting the millage into two parts: a fire department operation and maintenance millage of two and a half mills, and a fire capital improvement of three mills. These two avenues of income brought in different amounts for two aspects of the fire department. Moving forward, beginning with the millage set to be approved on the November election ballot, the township intends to combine the millage for a lower mill rate. Instead of splitting up the expenses between two millages, the proposal is to lower the two combined millages, totaling 5.5 mills for the township fire department, to one mill of 4 mills for all operating, maintenance and capital improvement costs.
• The police millages of one mill expired, and is up for renewal in November.
• The last millage up for approval is the street lights district millage.