Village agrees to pay township for fire protection

A fire protection fee issue that has been smoldering for years has been put to rest by Spring Lake Village Council. A 1976 agreement requires that the village pay Spring Lake Township $12,000 a year for fire protection. Village Council on Monday voted to pay the second half of this year's payment, after holding back payment during discussions with township officials over the last several months. "We're going to have to continue paying this every year,' Councilman Marv VandenBosch said. "There's no way out of it.'

Marie Havenga

Spring Lake

May 17, 2011

The $12,000 fee is billed in two installments, according to Village Manager Ryan Cotton. The village paid $6,000 to the township in June 2010. The second installment was billed this past January, but the village wanted to explore the history of the agreement to determine if payment was necessary.

To read more of this story, see today’s print edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.