(Editor’s Note: The following article is comprised of two recent Big Lake Twp. meetings). 

Annual Meeting

Big Lake Township held their annual meeting on Tuesday, March 11. Corby Guthrie was voted to serve as the meeting moderator. 

Township Treasurer Ken Warneke proposed a levy of $2,673,000 for 2026, which would be a decrease of 0.52% from the levy approved last year. For the first time in many years, Big Lake Township did not grow in their net tax capacity. This means that there were not enough new homes in the area to help spread out the amount of the levy that every household has to pay. Still, with the levy being down 0.52%, residents should see a very small decrease in their township portion of their taxes in 2026 according to the proposed levy. 

As is the standard operation of the township, the residents assembled to vote chose to recess their meeting until September 10 at 6 p.m. This will give the treasurer more time to work on the levy before it is adopted by the township. Residents will be able to vote to approve the levy (or not) at that time. 

2024 Report

The estimated population of the township in 2024 was 8,557. There were 15 single residential home permits issued within the township. 

The levy set in 2024 was $2,687,000, which was a significant decrease from the year before. 

Several notable township events happened at the Township / Lions Park, including the annual dog vaccination clinic and water testing, and the park food distributions through the Big Lake Food Shelf. Several Eagle scouts completed their projects at the park, making it a better place for park patrons and the wildlife in the area. 

The township held three elections last year and boasted a 90% voter turnout in November. 

March Meeting

At their previous regular meeting in February, the board discussed pay rates for board members and staff. At the first March meeting, Town Clerk Brenda Kimberly-Maas recommended also increasing the pay rate for her Deputy Clerk, Debbie Workman. Unlike other staff members who are appointed directly by the board, the deputy clerk is selected by the clerk, and it is on the clerk to recommend her pay rate to the board for approval.

Workman started in her role three years ago at $25 per hour. Since that time, Kimberly-Maas explained, cost of living has increased as has Workman’s ability within her role, and Kimberly-Maas felt she should be compensated accordingly. She also compared the rate to that of other deputy clerks in the county and felt that an increase of $3.50 per hour (for a total of $28.50) would be appropriate, and also recommended that the pay increase be made retroactive to the first of the year.

Supervisor Mak Hedstrom reminded the board that total compensation included other benefits including the stipend approved at the last meeting, and Kimberly-Maas informed the council that she did take that detail into consideration. 

After some discussion, the board approved her request. 

Public Hearing

A couple on 217th Ave. recently combined two neighboring five-acre lots they owned to create a 10-acre lot for their home. They asked the township to vacate the right of way that ran between the two lots to make sure they didn’t have any issues building on the new larger lot. The township was required to hold a public hearing, during which no residents voiced any objections, and the township vacated the right of way.

Sheriff’s Report

The sheriff’s department received several calls regarding vehicle tampering. They responded to one call where a man spotted a suspicious figure snooping around his car. Officers at the scene were able to track the suspect back to his home, where the suspect then confessed to theft from several vehicles. 

A theft of jewelry from a Big Lake Township residence is under investigation.