NILES CHARTER TOWNSHIP — Vehicle safety measures were the premise of two major talking points at the Niles Charter Township Board of Trustees meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at the Niles Charter Township building on Bell Road.

Lt. Ryan Sullivan of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department spoke about a series of car break-ins that have been occurring in the county since early summer.

All but one of the break-ins in Niles Charter Township, he said, occurred with vehicles that were left unlocked. Some also had keys in the ignition.

Other vehicle-related incidents in the township involved people stealing headlight assembly, a door and a hood off of cars at auto businesses. Someone also allegedly hotwired a vehicle at one business.

“That’s been our last month or so around here,” Sullivan said.

The update came after Sullivan announced 54 of the 183 arrests made by the sheriff’s department were in Niles Township.

The other vehicle-related issue arose around the potential repaving of Adams Road.

Dennis Fields said he gathered other Adams Road residents’ concerns to present to the board. He said they feared they would have to pay for part of the road’s fix due to a potential $16,000 payment increase the township faces.

Residents, he said, wanted their road fixed so potholes would not cause damage but were willing to wait if it meant not paying for the fix out of pocket.

Clerk Terry Eull reassured Fields that no resident would pay for the increased costs.

The township is considering an agreement with the Berrien County Road Department that would split the cost of the road project 50-50 between the two entities.

The trustees are slated to vote on the agreement at their next meeting on Sept. 3.