Hartland in Hindsight #12- Fiscal Responsibility

While State and Federal governments lead the charge on creating and changing laws, the actions of local government often have the most direct impact on residents’ lives. And when local governments manage their money well, the overall quality of life in a community is raised.

In recent years, Hartland Township has enjoyed many community improvements due to its fiscal responsibility. Hartland Township’s annual budget is made up of state-shared revenue, and a percentage of property taxes. All services and operations performed by the township are funded by this money, and the goal for Hartland Township is always the same: provide the best value to our residents with the dollars spent. To achieve this goal on a consistent basis, the budget must be constantly reevaluated and put under rigorous scrutiny. 

Each year, Township Financial Director Susan Dryden-Hogan works with the other township directors to create the budget for individual departments. Directors work to assess the spending of previous years to find ways to best utilize the funds in their department’s budget.

“At Hartland Township, we always strive to budget conservatively,” explains Dryden-Hogan. “Then, once we have our conservative budget set, we under spend. We work together to find ways to cut unnecessary costs - always keeping in mind the value that each expenditure will bring to our citizens and community.”

Hartland Township works on a zero-based budgeting model. If a department does not utilize the money budgeted for a specific expenditure, it does not roll over to that same department the following year. Instead, the surplus money goes back into the General Fund.

Besides providing financial stability and an extra cushion for when there is an economic downturn, the General Fund is also used to fund township improvements such as parks and sidewalks.  A ten-year road millage was passed in 2014, and all recommended road projects were completed by 2017.  These projects benefit the entire community of Hartland. 

In 2017, S&P Global Ratings affirmed its 'AA' stable rating , owing to the township’s maintenance of very strong budgetary controls.  And in 2019, Hartland Township’s strong Aa2 rating from Moody’s enabled it to be proactive in selling its Capital Improvement Refunding Bonds, saving property owners more than $845,000 in interest cost. 

And as the General Fund grows, the Townships works to ensure our community is financially stable for the coming years.

“Under the direction of the Board, the Township continues to seek out the safest investments in the market,” says Township Treasurer Kathie Horning. “We continually look to diversify and analyze rates to achieve the highest yields with safe guidelines.”

With this sound financial footing and a Board committed to the stability and growth of our community, we look forward to the many more opportunities to improve our community as we grow into the future.