The Lincoln Township Board of Trustees has held its first meeting with a new government in place.
Following the November elections and some changes made this year to the management structure of the township, Tuesday’s meeting featured new faces and new roles.
New Township Manager Ralph Bansen has been on board for a couple of months, but he reported to trustees on what he’s been doing in that time. He told us it’s been a lot of meetings with community leaders. The priority now is to get a budget in place while settling in with staff.
“The biggest thing is we want to keep doing what we’re doing,” Bansen said. “Fortunately, I got to inherit a very well-run township to begin with. So my goal is just to keep it running smooth and efficiently as I can, be financially prudent, and just take care of the business and the residents that we have in our township.”
Bansen says he’s also seeking to help Surf Net with a broadband project on the east side of the township, just outside of the Stevensville village limits.
“I don’t know when their start date will be. We thought it was going to be here in the next couple weeks, but I think they’re still trying to work out their permits.”
Bansen told trustees Surf Net is looking for a place to store equipment while construction is ongoing. He’s thinking of letting them rent township property, perhaps at a park. Also, he said with former Clerk Stacy Loar-Porter now having left, he’s delegating tasks previously handled by her to other staff members.
New Township Supervisor Glen Youngstedt also went over some of his priorities for the coming year. They include promoting the township text notification system, starting a newsletter, drafting a welcome letter for new residents and businesses, and painting all 1,400 fire hydrants in the township. Volunteers will be sought next year.
Also on board for their first meeting as elected officials Tuesday were Clerk Michael Brown and Trustee Amy Pheifer.
