Holly Township Board Grows to Seven Members

Holly Township Board Grows to Seven Members

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 23, 2024)

Holly, MI – In 2022 voters in Holly township opted to increase the number of trustees from five to seven, and in line with that vote those trustees were elected on Nov. 5.

Trustees Richard Kinnamon, Ryan Matson, Derek Burton, and Mike McCanney were sworn in this week along with Supervisor George Kullis, Treasurer Jennifer Ryan, and Clerk Karin Winchester.

Supervisor Kullis told Oakland County Times that he had first helped circulate petitions to have the increase put on the ballot back in 2012, but the proposal did not pass. He was not yet Supervisor at that time, but had hoped to see more representatives on the board. Townships with populations over 10,000 have the option to increase the number of trustees, and Holly Township has been over the 10,000 resident mark for over 20 years.

“It just makes sense,” Kullis said.

The biggest challenge is in the day to day operations of the township.  “The Open Meetings Act won’t let three of us meet at a time,” he said.  “But a lot of projects require input from the Clerk, Supervisor, and Treasurer.  And we can’t be in the same room talking about them.”

With a seven member board, the majority now becomes four members, so three can work together.  “Now we can function as an administrative team,” Kullis said.

He added that having seven members also means for representation for the public, and that the majority of votes now sits with the part time trustees rather than the full time elected administrators.

“Now we can’t be accused of voting in our own interests, like voting on raises or on pet projects because you’ve got four people who are there to be two extra sets of eyes looking at everything.”

Trustees are paid $3,000 per year for their service, so the move does add some cost to the budget, but Kullis said that voters were able to see the benefits of more representation and a smoother running local government.

Holly Township is currently in a Master Planning process that will set the tone for the next 20 years, looking at topics like development, services, financial priorities, and communications.

They are also in the process of planning to move the Township offices to a new location, while also managing improvements at the Hawley Farmstead.  This township-owned property has a barn that was recently lifted and stabilized, and there is another barn being reconstructed on the property after being bought from Oakland County, disassembled, and transported to the Holly location.

Meetings for the Holly Township Board of Trustees are held in the meeting room located on the second floor of the current Holly Township Offices at 102 Civic Dr, in historic downtown Holly, on the THIRD Wednesday of the month throughout the calendar year.

Learn more about Holly Township at https://hollytownship.org/.

For more Holly area news stories check out the Oakland County Times Holly News Page.