SCHOOLCRAFT TOWNSHIP -- Current and future owners of short-term rentals in Schoolcraft Township must now obtain a license for the business under a new ordinance approved by the Township Board.
The ordinance, approved at a July 14 meeting of the Township Boards, requires owners to provide information including the owner's name, contact information, address of the rental property, proof of liability insurance, and a floor plan of the property.
The short-term rental license is valid for three years and may be renewed upon expiration. Owners who violate the rules of the ordinance face fines of $100 to $500 for a first offense and $250 to $1,000 for a subsequent offense.
The township board has yet to set the fees for the license application now that the ordinance has been approved. The ordinance becomes effective 30 days after publication, placing the effective date in mid to late August.
The ordinance will be posted on the Township's website, schoolcraftownshipmi.gov. Residents may also contact the Township office for a copy of the ordinance.
In other business at the meeting, the Board approved the Vicksburg Historical Society's request to conduct tours at the Vicksburg Cemetery on W Avenue on October 3. The 30-45 minute tours will feature gravesites of Civil War era citizens, with volunteers dressed in Civil War-era attire stationed at each gravesite to tell that citizen's story.
"These tours are very well organized," said Trustee Tamra Stafford, who is president of the Vicksburg Historical Society. "This was very popular last year and we anticipate it will be again this year."
Treasurer Teresa Scott raised the issue of archiving township records by having them digitized, noting the township would shred old records after the process but would retain anything considered a public record. The Board approved moving forward with obtaining prices for the digitizing process.
The Board also approved an amended investment policy, adding NCUA (National Credit Union Administration) to the document since credit unions are not covered by the FDIC. A draft audit provided by the Portage accounting firm of Siegfried Crandall showed the Township had a net position of $2,164,835 at the end of the fiscal year in March 2026.
Parks and Recreation Director Justin Ferrell reported that fireworks had been set off in the Township Park in violation of rules requiring a permit. He said the park was littered with cardboard and debris following the Fourth of July. Ferrell also requested approval to purchase a used brush hog from Home Depot for $1,917, which the Board approved after discussing funding.
During public comment, Madison Ring, executive director of the Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center, spoke about the countywide child care millage that went on the August 4 ballot, explaining its three goals: create more child care openings, lower child care costs, and increase wages for child care providers and teachers. Ring said the cost of the millage for the average homeowner would be about $50 a year.
Randy Thompson, a member of the Board of the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County, reported on a compromise reached regarding the removal of trees along county roads. The original plan called for removing 8,000 trees as part of the Safe Streets for All program, a proposal that had drawn significant criticism from residents. The plan has now been scaled back to 4,000 trees.
"It's a good compromise," Thompson said, "but not everybody is happy."
The RCKC has received a $25 million federal grant from the Safe Streets for All program for the project, which is expected to take about four years.