By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


An annexation agreement between the Village of Fowlerville and Handy Township could benefit the local school district.

Despite a failed bond proposal in May, Fowlerville Community Schools is still investigating ways to construct a new elementary school for kindergarten through second-grade students. The proposed location is on a 55-acre site that is in Handy Township’s jurisdiction. After several meetings and conversations with the township and the school district, one serious consideration is the annexing of 20 acres on the eastern side of the school property to the Village of Fowlerville.

Village President Carol Hill said there is really no downside to this, and it brings an added benefit that the community should approve of. She said this simply transfers the property and that there are no taxes involved. Hill said that the big thing it does is that it allows for the school to fall under the jurisdiction of the Fowlerville Police Department. She pointed out that if they do it any other way, the school would have to go through the county for police enforcement, and that the local community is not in favor of that idea.

Handy Township has bought into the sewer plant and has several unused REUs that are paid for. If the new school hooks up, they would buy those REUs from the township. Another consideration from the meetings is that if and when the annexed 20 acres is no longer used as a school building, it would be returned to Handy Township.

Members of the Village Council were largely open to these ideas during their meeting, Monday night, and stated that they are looking forward to seeing formal resolutions with the request.