What Spring Arbor Township does

Spring Arbor Township is a Michigan local-government entity serving approximately 8,200 residents across 36 square miles in Jackson County, with a history dating to 1833. It delivers core municipal services including police protection (6 sworn officers plus a chief and admin assistant), fire and emergency response (30 paid-on-call firefighters plus one shared full-time firefighter, handling 700-750 calls per year across Station 15), wastewater collection and treatment (gravity and pressurized mains, grinder pump systems, settling lagoons, with treatment contracted to the City of Jackson), property assessment across 3,671 parcels (outsourced to Sunrise Assessing Services), building and zoning administration, elections (6,000+ voters across 3 precincts), parks and recreation (Gallagher, Harmony, Falling Waters, and King Road parks), and cemetery services.

The township's revenue model is funded through three primary recurring streams: property taxes (distributed across Western, Concord, and Hanover-Horton school districts plus other authorities), quarterly residential sewer fees of $130, and non-residential sewer charges based on residential equivalent units. Transaction-based revenue includes building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permit fees plus a $2.45 convenience fee on credit/debit card payments through the BSAOnline portal. Distribution occurs through in-person service at the 107 E. Main St. office, the BSAOnline self-serve payment portal, mail-in and drop-box options, and 24/7 emergency hotlines for water (517-788-4119) and sewer (517-780-4671).

Strategically, the township is pursuing regional service consolidation. Effective January 1, 2025, Spring Arbor and Summit Township merged their water systems into a unified utility, achieving approximately 45% rate decreases for residents. The Fire Chief is shared 50/50 with Summit Township, and automatic mutual aid agreements exist with Hanover, Liberty, and Pulaski Townships plus Jackson County. The governing board consists of an elected Supervisor (Dave Herlein, since 2012), Clerk (Patricia Bush, since April 2023), Treasurer (Katie Trachsel, CPA, since 2023), and four trustees. The township has 11-50 employees when combining elected officials, administrative staff, public safety, and contracted services.

Name

Spring Arbor Township

Legal name

Spring Arbor Township

Website

https://springarbor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1833

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spring Arbor Township is a Michigan local government serving approximately 8,200 residents across 36 square miles in Jackson County. It provides police, fire, wastewater utilities, assessing, building/zoning, elections, parks, and cemetery services funded by property taxes, quarterly sewer fees, and permit fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Spring Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Property taxes collected from residential and commercial property owners within the township, distributed to Western Schools, Hanover Horton Schools, Concord Schools, and other taxing authorities.
2. Wastewater/Sewer Utility Fees: Residential sewer service billed quarterly at $130 per quarter. Non-residential structures (duplexes, commercial) billed based on residential equivalent units. Revenue supports maintenance and improvements to aging sewer infrastructure.
3. Building Permit and Inspection Fees: Fees collected for building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits for residential and commercial construction and renovation projects.
4. Online Payment Convenience Fees: Credit/debit card convenience fee of $2.45 for utility bills up to $100; no fees for checking/savings account payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Spring Arbor Township is a Michigan-chartered unit of local government that delivers constituent-oriented municipal services including police protection, paid-on-call fire response (700–750 calls/year), wastewater collection and treatment, building and zoning enforcement, property tax assessment (3,671 parcels), elections administration across three precincts, parks and recreation, and cemetery services. Residents and property owners access services in person, by mail, or through an online payment portal (BSAOnline) that processes utilities and taxes. Quarterly residential sewer billing runs at $130 per quarter, and a consolidated water utility with Summit Township went live January 1, 2025, reducing rates approximately 45%.

Product overview

Spring Arbor Township is a local government entity that provides public services to its residents, including police and fire protection, utilities (wastewater), building and zoning administration, parks and recreation, elections, treasury, assessing, and cemetery services. The township operates an online service center allowing residents to pay utilities and property taxes through third-party payment processors. These are government administrative services, not commercial technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Police Protection Services Law enforcement and response services for township residents and property owners across 36 square miles and approximately 8,200 residents, delivered via the 6-officer department led by Police Chief Dan Deering.
• Fire and Rescue Services Paid-on-call fire department responding to 700–750 calls per year across 36 square miles, supported by 30 firefighters plus one full-time firefighter shared with Summit Township, under Fire Chief Tim McEldowney.
• Residential Sewer Service Quarterly residential sewer collection and treatment service billed at $130 per quarter, supported by gravity and pressurized mains plus grinder pump systems, with treatment handled via settling lagoons and the City of Jackson.
• Water Service Water service provided through the consolidated water utility with Summit Township (effective January 1, 2025), resulting in an approximate 45% first-year rate decrease and billing now handled by Summit Township (517-788-4113).
• Building and Zoning Permits and Inspections Permit administration and code enforcement services for residential and commercial building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical projects, administered by Building & Zoning Administrator Jan Gardner and township inspectors.
• Property Assessment Services Property assessment administration covering 3,671 parcels (3,468 real property, 198 personal property, 132 exempt as of December 31, 2020), delivered through contracted partner Sunrise Assessing Services.
• Elections Administration Election administration services for over 6,000 registered voters across three voting precincts (Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church Family Center and Spring Arbor Church of the Nazarene), overseen by the elected Clerk.
• Property Tax Collection Property tax billing and collection from residential and commercial property owners within the township, with proceeds distributed to Western Schools, Hanover Horton Schools, Concord Schools, and other taxing authorities; payable online via BSAOnline.
• Online Utility and Tax Payment Services Self-serve online payment portal for utility bills and property taxes with credit/debit card convenience fee of $2.45 (utility bills up to $100) or free bank account payments.
• Parks and Recreation Services Maintenance and operation of four-plus township parks including Gallagher Park, Harmony Park, Falling Waters Park, and King Road Park; community events such as Pancake Day, Clean Up Day, and Memorial Day parade.
• Cemetery Services Operations and maintenance of township cemetery facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fire Department responds to 700-750 calls for service annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Summit TownshipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Water system consolidation into a single unified water utility effective January 1, 2025. The consolidation aims to provide residents more reliable water service, ensure long-term sustainability, and lower operating costs. Water rates decreased approximately 45% the first year. Summit Township now handles water billing and can be reached at 517-788-4113. Additionally, Summit Township contracts with Spring Arbor for shared Fire Chief Tim McEldowney services (50/50 arrangement).
• City of JacksoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpring Arbor Township contracts with the City of Jackson for wastewater treatment. Wastewater collected in the township is pumped to settling lagoons (for aeration and pre-treatment) before being pumped to the City's disposal plant. Spring Arbor also has agreements with Summit and Blackman Townships for use of their facilities as a means of transporting wastewater to the City for treatment.
• Hanover, Liberty, Pulaski TownshipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomatic mutual aid fire agreement where departments are dispatched simultaneously for confirmed structure fires in any of the four townships. This automatic dispatch structure ensures rapid response to fire emergencies across the participating townships.
• Jackson CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty-wide mutual aid agreement obligating Spring Arbor to respond to emergencies anywhere within the County. The Falling Waters Trail has been dedicated as a Jackson County Park. Spring Arbor Fire Department has provided aid to departments in Hillsdale and Calhoun counties during significant emergencies.
• Sunrise Assessing ServicescoreOthersContracted assessing firm providing assessment administration services for Spring Arbor Township. Contact: 517-750-2800 x231 or [email protected]. Manages the establishment of accurate, consistent and uniform property assessments for all 3,671 parcels.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spring-arbor-township

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spring Arbor Township