NILES CHARTER TOWNSHIP — Niles Charter Township’s board of trustees made its yearly decision to fund some township services at its 6 p.m. Monday meeting at Niles Township Hall, 320 Bell Road.

Millages for fire department operating and maintenance, fire department capital improvement, and general operating and maintenance were all reapproved unanimously.

The general fund millage was approved in 1978, and the fire department millage was approved by voters in 1987.

Millage rates remained the same as last year.

At the time of publishing, the exact amount of funding could not be determined by the board, but treasurer Jim Ringler estimated one mill to equate to about $400,000, as the township had about $400 million in property value. One mill is equivalent to $1 or every $1,000 of taxable income.

The general fund millage was .8646 mills, or about $345,840. The fire operations and maintenance was 2.5 mills, or about $1 million. Fire capital improvement was .35 mills, or about $140,000. About $400,000, or 1 mill, for police services from the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department was approved.

About $33,000 of streetlight funding was also approved.

Supervisor Jim Stover noted that the police millage will eventually need to be increased if adequate services were to be provided. Treasurer Terry Eull said that fire operations and maintenance would have a shortfall of about $100,000 this year and next.

The board decided to approve the funding as they stood and then consider changing them at a later date when specific funding wants and needs were provided by police and fire.