Mulliken council approves two new sewer pumps, moves March meeting for budget vote

The Mulliken Village Council approved buying two new sewer pumps after a lengthy discussion about the condition of the village’s lift station and the cost of repairs. Officials said the system is currently running on one pump, with another pump down, and they were concerned that snowmelt could create problems before repairs could be completed.

Council members discussed a repair estimate for the failed pump and compared it with a proposal to replace one or both pumps. The replacement option was described as costing roughly $40,000 including labor for two pumps, with the village keeping the working old pump as a spare. A motion to purchase two new pumps from IAI passed unanimously by voice vote.

The sewer fund was a major part of the financial discussion. The treasurer reported that sewer repairs and maintenance were already well over budget for the current year, with recent costs tied to discharge work, monitoring, valve replacement, jetting a line, lift station sump pump work and sewer grant writing. Officials said next month’s meeting will include budget adjustments to bring the current budget into balance.

Council also reviewed proposed budgets for the next fiscal year, including sewer, general, major and local funds. Sidewalk repairs were discussed, but officials said money is tight and only a limited amount has been included in the proposed budget. Main Street was mentioned as an area with problem sidewalks, but no repair list or project was approved.

The council voted to move its March meeting to March 9, 2026, because one member would be absent on the regular meeting date and officials wanted everyone present for budget talks. The budget is expected to be formally considered at that meeting.

During public comment, a representative for the Hot Rods and Harleys event said the event is planned to return as a one-day event on Aug. 22. The group plans to keep more activity near its own property, use the street for cars and motorcycles, and bring back vendors. The village discussed providing portable toilets again, which officials said was already covered in the budget, and road closure planning will continue.

Council members also discussed the Hoover property, including eviction steps, no-trespassing signs and a demolition estimate. The village attorney has been contacted about eviction paperwork, and officials said someone appears to be staying on the property in a vehicle. The council discussed posting signs identifying the property as village-owned and barring trespassing.

A demolition estimate from Davis Construction was described as very high and not including testing for lead, asbestos or underground tanks. Officials also discussed possible brownfield help, the land bank, and whether any cleanup could be done by volunteers or council members, but legal and liability questions were raised and no cleanup plan was approved.

Recycling service was another major topic. County officials have been working with the village on a possible memorandum of understanding that could allow village recycling material to be hauled to Sunfield. The council heard that county staff planned work days to weigh materials and finalize pricing. Officials said the change could substantially reduce the village’s recycling costs, though some upfront costs such as a scale and bags may be needed.

A county commissioner also briefed the council on early discussions about possible contracted sheriff’s coverage for several nearby townships and villages. No commitment was requested or made. The discussion focused on response times, the limits of current state police coverage and whether added police service would be worth the cost to taxpayers.

Other reports were brief. Maintenance issues had largely been covered earlier in the meeting, officials noted help with snow removal, and ordinance concerns included unregistered vehicles and property issues. The council also approved the January meeting minutes and accepted the treasurer’s report by voice vote.

The next meeting is now scheduled for March 9, 2026, when the council expects to handle budget adjustments and consider the next fiscal year’s budget.

How this report was produced

This article was generated by an automated pipeline, and we think you should know exactly how. First, the audio of the meeting was converted into text by automatic speech recognition — software that infers words from sound, without a human listening along. That machine-made transcript was then read by Willbot, American2Day’s AI reporter, which condensed it into the report above. No human transcribed the meeting, and no human wrote this summary.