Manhattan Township Meeting | June 2025

Article Summary: The Manhattan Township Board unanimously approved separate budgets for the township and the road district for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, appropriating over $3.1 million to fund local government services and infrastructure maintenance. The final road district budget included a $25,000 addition for replacement tax revenue that was not in the initial tentative budget.

Township and Road District Budgets Key Points:

• The board approved a Township Budget & Appropriation Ordinance of $982,040.

• A separate Road District Budget & Appropriation Ordinance was passed for $2,199,301.

• The budgets cover all township and road district operations from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026.

• An adjustment was made to the Road District budget to add a $25,000 line item for replacement tax.

The Manhattan Township Board on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, formally adopted its budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, approving appropriations totaling more than $3.1 million for township and road district operations.

In two separate roll-call votes, the board unanimously passed the required appropriation ordinances that will fund services from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026.

Supervisor Jim Walsh presented the Township Budget & Appropriation Ordinance #140, with a final total of $982,040. According to the meeting minutes, there were no changes made from the tentative budget that had been presented at the previous month’s meeting. The motion to approve the township budget was made by Trustee Bill McGrath and seconded by Trustee Eileen Fitzer.

Highway Commissioner Jim Baltas presented the Road District Budget and & Appropriation Ordinance #140, totaling $2,199,301. This budget included one adjustment from its tentative version: the addition of a $25,000 line item for Replacement Tax revenue, which had been previously omitted. The Road District budget funds all maintenance, repairs, and construction for township roads and bridges. Trustee Paul Woodcock made the motion to approve the road district budget, with Trustee Mark Yunker providing the second.

The annual budget approval is one of the board’s most significant responsibilities, as it sets the legal spending limits for all government functions, from administrative salaries and assessor duties to road salt purchases and major infrastructure projects for the year ahead.