By Bruce Rolfe
After receiving input from village residents about a service charge the Village of Climax includes on all water bills quarterly, Village Council President Bill Lewis offered a presentation on what the service charge is for and how it is used to benefit the village water system at the January 20 regular Village Council meeting.
Lewis said the service charge, also known as a ready to serve charge or readiness to serve charge, is a fixed quarterly fee in the village’s water invoice that helps cover the water system’s fixed operational cost regardless of the amount of water consumed.
He adds the fixed service charge is used for upgrades and infrastructure to enable a new type of service, cover increased costs and routine maintenance costs to operate the entire water system.
Lewis explained fixed costs associated with a water system represent about 60 percent of the total operating cost of the water system.
“What does this mean to the citizens? This charge is to make sure that the village has the means to provide for you, 24/7 service,” explained Lewis, who said village residents are fortunate to have a DPW staff with knowledge and training to keep the village water safe and flowing.
“It (quarterly service charge) is there to pay for our infrastructure and to help the system to be able to cover the costs,” adds the Village Council president.
The Village of Climax ready to serve charge is $25 per quarter which is well below many surrounding municipalities.
When looking at surrounding municipalities and what their service charges are, Lewis said the Village of Schoolcraft charges $62.77 per quarter. The Village of Augusta is $32.77 per quarter.
The Village of Vicksburg service charge is $86.27. The City of Portage is $39.33, and the City of Galesburg is $59.87 quarterly. Monthly charges in the City of Kalamazoo is $25.45 which equates to $76.35 a quarter.
Lewis said the rate information he used in the presentation came from the municipality’s website or from direct contact he made with a municipality.
The Village Council president also pointed out the Village’s per 1000 gallon rate of $3.80 is also well below many surrounding municipalities.
He said the Village of Schoolcraft rate is $6.22 per 1000 gallons. The Village of Augusta is $.0511 per cubic foot. Lewis said a cubic foot equals 7.48052 gallons, meaning 1000 gallons equals 133.68 cubic feet or when converted, $6.81 per 1000 gallons of water used. The Village of Vicksburg is $3.79 per 1000 gallons. The City of Portage is $3.82 per 1000 gallons of water. The City of Portage also serves some residents in Pavilion Township. Lewis said that rate is $4.30 per 1000 gallons of water. He adds Schoolcraft Township charges $4.43 per 1000 gallons and discovered the City of Galesburg’s new per 1000 gallon water rate is $5.66.
The monthly charge for the City of Kalamazoo is .981 per cubic meter. He said a cubic meter equals 264.72 gallons or $3.64 per 1000 gallons.
Climax Township Fire Department Report
Climax Township Assistant Fire Chief Sean Perrin told the council and audience the local fire department ended the 2025 calendar year with 277 runs, which is an all-time high.
Perrin said the department anticipates 80-100 more calls in the next fiscal year when the local fire department begins serving as first responders in Wakeshma Township through an agreement that begins April 1.
DPW Manager Provides Update on Costs for Water Emergency Break
Department of Public Works Manager T.J. Gibson said he has received all invoices for damage to repair an emergency break that occurred from a power outage December 10 in the water system.
Gibson said a power line under the railroad tracks that goes into a pump house was damaged with three breaks. The power line was temporarily fixed, giving the village power at well house number 2.
He said costs to temporarily fix the electrical break over four days was approximately $20,000.
Gibson said he submitted the $20,000 cost for the temporary fix to the village’s insurance carrier.
The DPW manager adds he received a cost from Motorshop for a long term repair where the breaks occurred. He said to replace the line with 1600 feet of new wire would be $68,000. He adds if aluminum is used the price would drop $10,000 to approximately $58,000.
Gibson adds there still is an unknown of what type of conduit is under the railroad tracks where the breaks occurred. He said the village will have to pull a permit from Canadian National before any type of digging or boring under the tracks can take place.
He said once a permit is approved, the estimated boring and digging charge is $13,000-$26,000 to determine what is under the tracks.
Gibson adds hopefully the company that will perform the digging service under the railroad tracks will discover existing conduit is in place and can be reused. If there is no conduit, directional boring will be needed and the village will then be tied to railroad requirements for distance and depth of the boring, which are unknown.
DPW Manager Feels Equipment Upgrades Should Be Considered for 2026-2027 DPW Budget
Department of Public Works Manager T.J. Gibson said he has been working on the 2026-2027 DPW budget and asked the Council to consider some equipment upgrades for the upcoming new budget and future fiscal year budgets.
He said the entire DPW fleet is getting old.
He said the 1988 back hoe is old, noting the council recently spent $3,500 for repairs.
He said the 1999 and 2003 plow trucks are getting old as well.
He determined the 2003 truck the DPW staff use daily is in the worst shape. He requested the council consider including the purchase for a new truck in the 2026-2027 budget.
Gibson said the truck has a dump box and is used in the winter for snow plowing and dropping salt with a salt box in the back.
He said to build a new truck with a dump box, plow and salt box similar to the current truck, would take 20-30 weeks. The estimated cost is $100,000-$110,000.
Gibson also said the 2025 Water Quality Report has been submitted to EGLE to review. Once the report is finalized he will have the report printed. The report will then be published in the newspaper and sent to village residents.
The DPW manager reminds village residents no parking on the village streets in the early morning hours during the snow plowing season would be appreciated.
Gibson recommended the council consider a maintenance warranty contract in the amount of $2000 over five years ($456 a year) for the new standby generator the council recently purchased for approximately $50,000 at pump house number one. There is a warranty on the generator but there is no warranty to cover labor and parts for repairs.
The company will perform oil changes and all recommended maintenance on the standby generator. The maintenance warranty contract would also give the village a discount on any parts covered under the maintenance contract that fail.
Lien Update
Village President Bill Lewis said he was hoping to have the village attorney at the January 20 meeting to give an update on the lien the village has at 110 South Main Street, however the Village attorney and attorney representing the owner at 110 South Main Street are still exchanging information.
The lien at 110 South Main Street is for what was stated at a previous council meeting is a $25 per day fine for permit non-compliance through a court order that totals $10,675. It has been noted the council has also absorbed approximately $2,000 in attorney fees during the process at the location.
Lewis said the case was closed out by Safebuilt (the ordinance and permit company hired by the Village Council) in late May or early June, 2025.
The Village Council president adds the majority of the more then $10,000 in fines was a result of the $25 per day fine for permit non-compliance through the court order. He adds some of the fine has been paid.
In other items covered at the January 20 meeting:
• The council unanimously rejected an offer by a property owner at 130 North Lovell Street, an opportunity for the Village to purchase a small piece of property near the residence. The pie-shaped property is on the west side at the end of North Lovell Street near the railroad tracks.
• Ordinance/Zoning/Planning and Development Chairperson Carolyn Kelly said her committee sent six letters out for ordinance violations, with most dealing with blight and nuisance issues.
After receiving input from village residents about a service charge the Village of Climax includes on all water bills quarterly, Village Council President Bill Lewis offered a presentation on what the service charge is for and how it is used to benefit the village water system at the January 20 regular Village Council meeting.
Lewis said the service charge, also known as a ready to serve charge or readiness to serve charge, is a fixed quarterly fee in the village’s water invoice that helps cover the water system’s fixed operational cost regardless of the amount of water consumed.
He adds the fixed service charge is used for upgrades and infrastructure to enable a new type of service, cover increased costs and routine maintenance costs to operate the entire water system.
Lewis explained fixed costs associated with a water system represent about 60 percent of the total operating cost of the water system.
“What does this mean to the citizens? This charge is to make sure that the village has the means to provide for you, 24/7 service,” explained Lewis, who said village residents are fortunate to have a DPW staff with knowledge and training to keep the village water safe and flowing.
“It (quarterly service charge) is there to pay for our infrastructure and to help the system to be able to cover the costs,” adds the Village Council president.
The Village of Climax ready to serve charge is $25 per quarter which is well below many surrounding municipalities.
When looking at surrounding municipalities and what their service charges are, Lewis said the Village of Schoolcraft charges $62.77 per quarter. The Village of Augusta is $32.77 per quarter.
The Village of Vicksburg service charge is $86.27. The City of Portage is $39.33, and the City of Galesburg is $59.87 quarterly. Monthly charges in the City of Kalamazoo is $25.45 which equates to $76.35 a quarter.
Lewis said the rate information he used in the presentation came from the municipality’s website or from direct contact he made with a municipality.
The Village Council president also pointed out the Village’s per 1000 gallon rate of $3.80 is also well below many surrounding municipalities.
He said the Village of Schoolcraft rate is $6.22 per 1000 gallons. The Village of Augusta is $.0511 per cubic foot. Lewis said a cubic foot equals 7.48052 gallons, meaning 1000 gallons equals 133.68 cubic feet or when converted, $6.81 per 1000 gallons of water used. The Village of Vicksburg is $3.79 per 1000 gallons. The City of Portage is $3.82 per 1000 gallons of water. The City of Portage also serves some residents in Pavilion Township. Lewis said that rate is $4.30 per 1000 gallons of water. He adds Schoolcraft Township charges $4.43 per 1000 gallons and discovered the City of Galesburg’s new per 1000 gallon water rate is $5.66.
The monthly charge for the City of Kalamazoo is .981 per cubic meter. He said a cubic meter equals 264.72 gallons or $3.64 per 1000 gallons.
Climax Township Fire Department Report
Climax Township Assistant Fire Chief Sean Perrin told the council and audience the local fire department ended the 2025 calendar year with 277 runs, which is an all-time high.
Perrin said the department anticipates 80-100 more calls in the next fiscal year when the local fire department begins serving as first responders in Wakeshma Township through an agreement that begins April 1.
DPW Manager Provides Update on Costs for Water Emergency Break
Department of Public Works Manager T.J. Gibson said he has received all invoices for damage to repair an emergency break that occurred from a power outage December 10 in the water system.
Gibson said a power line under the railroad tracks that goes into a pump house was damaged with three breaks. The power line was temporarily fixed, giving the village power at well house number 2.
He said costs to temporarily fix the electrical break over four days was approximately $20,000.
Gibson said he submitted the $20,000 cost for the temporary fix to the village’s insurance carrier.
The DPW manager adds he received a cost from Motorshop for a long term repair where the breaks occurred. He said to replace the line with 1600 feet of new wire would be $68,000. He adds if aluminum is used the price would drop $10,000 to approximately $58,000.
Gibson adds there still is an unknown of what type of conduit is under the railroad tracks where the breaks occurred. He said the village will have to pull a permit from Canadian National before any type of digging or boring under the tracks can take place.
He said once a permit is approved, the estimated boring and digging charge is $13,000-$26,000 to determine what is under the tracks.
Gibson adds hopefully the company that will perform the digging service under the railroad tracks will discover existing conduit is in place and can be reused. If there is no conduit, directional boring will be needed and the village will then be tied to railroad requirements for distance and depth of the boring, which are unknown.
DPW Manager Feels Equipment Upgrades Should Be Considered for 2026-2027 DPW Budget
Department of Public Works Manager T.J. Gibson said he has been working on the 2026-2027 DPW budget and asked the Council to consider some equipment upgrades for the upcoming new budget and future fiscal year budgets.
He said the entire DPW fleet is getting old.
He said the 1988 back hoe is old, noting the council recently spent $3,500 for repairs.
He said the 1999 and 2003 plow trucks are getting old as well.
He determined the 2003 truck the DPW staff use daily is in the worst shape. He requested the council consider including the purchase for a new truck in the 2026-2027 budget.
Gibson said the truck has a dump box and is used in the winter for snow plowing and dropping salt with a salt box in the back.
He said to build a new truck with a dump box, plow and salt box similar to the current truck, would take 20-30 weeks. The estimated cost is $100,000-$110,000.
Gibson also said the 2025 Water Quality Report has been submitted to EGLE to review. Once the report is finalized he will have the report printed. The report will then be published in the newspaper and sent to village residents.
The DPW manager reminds village residents no parking on the village streets in the early morning hours during the snow plowing season would be appreciated.
Gibson recommended the council consider a maintenance warranty contract in the amount of $2000 over five years ($456 a year) for the new standby generator the council recently purchased for approximately $50,000 at pump house number one. There is a warranty on the generator but there is no warranty to cover labor and parts for repairs.
The company will perform oil changes and all recommended maintenance on the standby generator. The maintenance warranty contract would also give the village a discount on any parts covered under the maintenance contract that fail.
Lien Update
Village President Bill Lewis said he was hoping to have the village attorney at the January 20 meeting to give an update on the lien the village has at 110 South Main Street, however the Village attorney and attorney representing the owner at 110 South Main Street are still exchanging information.
The lien at 110 South Main Street is for what was stated at a previous council meeting is a $25 per day fine for permit non-compliance through a court order that totals $10,675. It has been noted the council has also absorbed approximately $2,000 in attorney fees during the process at the location.
Lewis said the case was closed out by Safebuilt (the ordinance and permit company hired by the Village Council) in late May or early June, 2025.
The Village Council president adds the majority of the more then $10,000 in fines was a result of the $25 per day fine for permit non-compliance through the court order. He adds some of the fine has been paid.
In other items covered at the January 20 meeting:
• The council unanimously rejected an offer by a property owner at 130 North Lovell Street, an opportunity for the Village to purchase a small piece of property near the residence. The pie-shaped property is on the west side at the end of North Lovell Street near the railroad tracks.
• Ordinance/Zoning/Planning and Development Chairperson Carolyn Kelly said her committee sent six letters out for ordinance violations, with most dealing with blight and nuisance issues.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
