By: Dean Vaglia | C&G Newspapers | Published March 6, 2026
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Trustees and residents got their first chance to comment on the coming year’s budget at the March 2 Clinton Township Board of Trustees meeting.
The requested fiscal year 2026-27 budget expects to see Clinton Township end the year with $21.8 million in its general fund balance after $24.8 million in revenues and $28 million in expenditures. The expected general fund balance is a $3.3 million decrease from the FY 2025-26 budget’s estimated general balance of $25.1 million, which was already down from the FY 2024-25 budget’s general fund balance of $26.8 million.
Decreases in fund balances from the prior fiscal year can be seen in the police fund, capital improvement revolving fund and sanitation fund, with each case being due to expenditures being greater than incomes.
Township Supervisor Paul Gieleghem began the discussion on the budget by explaining the reasons behind the increased expenditures.
“The gist of this is that we’re talking about $140 million total of all funds,” Gieleghem said. “In the instances of individual funds where the expenses exceed the revenue, it is primarily for two things. One: saving to meet our unfunded commitment that we’ve made to our employees in the form of pension and health care costs, as well as some capital outlay projects that have been postponed but, in a sense, have to be done. If we don’t do them now, we wind up paying more later. So, I think what this presents is a healthy budget.”
Another point Gieleghem brought up was the amount of debt on the township’s books. The township incurred debt through Macomb County’s sewer line repair projects and to help pay down the 41B District Court’s bond principal debt, both of which are being shared among other municipalities. The budget also pays the debt on the bond to create the Department of Public Works building.
The budget will be voted on for final approval at the next meeting on Monday, March 16.
Refuse rate increase
Trustees also approved increases to the refuse rate made in accordance with cost increases to the township due to its contract with Priority Waste.
Starting April 1, the rate for homes, townhouses and detached condos goes up by $3.50 to be $20 per month while apartments and attached condos go up by $2.90 to respectively be $16.40 and $16.70 per month. Commercial services go up by $4 to $22 per month.
New ordinance first readings
Two ordinances had their first readings at the March 2 meeting.
The first, Ordinance No. 504, amends chapter 1062.19 in the township code to regulate the use of all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and other unlicensed vehicles such as electronic bikes and scooters. Vehicles of the latter type are the core focus of this ordinance, which limits their usage to paved trails and sidewalks owned by the township. Other regulations for electronic personal transports include a 10-mph speed limit and required helmets for riders under 18. The ordinance also makes the operator liable for any property damages caused while using the electronic transports. Mobility devices for people with disabilities are not affected by this ordinance.
The first violation of the ordinance is met with a $100 fine, followed by a $200 fine for the second violation and $500 for all subsequent violations.
“I really want to take a moment to say thank you to the residents and students who (have) taken a part to be a part of this,” Trustee Shannon King said, referring to the committee that helped draft the ordinance. “I think it’s great to be able to have our residents have a voice, particularly our younger ones being able to weigh in … We need to get this in the books quickly so we can try to act before the weather breaks and gets nice, and we can act to make sure we’re doing what we can to keep our residents safe at our township properties.”
The sentiment of getting the ordinance on the books to have some kind of regulation of the bikes was shared among trustees, though the perception about how the final regulations would look was varied among them. Trustee Bruce Wade began by declaring a vote against, preferring a general ban on the use of e-bikes on township property. Trustees Julie Matuzak and Dan Kress shared sentiments but saw the ordinance as a start rather than the end of regulating these vehicles. Treasurer Mike Aiello wanted the ordinance to require flags and lights on the bikes to make them more visible. He also wanted the bikes confiscated after a third violation.
Ordinance 504’s first reading received approval 4-3 with Aiello, Wade and Township Clerk Kim Meltzer voting against.
Another ordinance’s first reading, Ordinance No. 505, received approval.
It is a minor update to the ordinance governing massage businesses in the township, adding email as one of the means of communication about operation licenses.