Now more than ever taxpayers are skeptical of a government’s ability to deliver value and not waste their hard-earned money on projects that don’t benefit the community and its citizens.

Welcome to Northville Township – where growth, historical preservation and beneficial and prudent spending work together for the betterment of the community.

For example, the Northville Township Board of Trustees (BoT) is exploring purchasing a piece of property with the City of Northville to host the Northville Farmers Market and other gatherings. And while that sounds great, the process will determine the final outcome.

Northville Township Supervisor Mark J. Abbo said the deal will undergo a “rigorous round of due diligence” before any decision is made.

This is the same process the BoT has used for more than 20 years and was recently used with the DeHoCo land project, a $2 million purchase that will be sold for at least $16 million through MITC. The money was applied to the retrofit of the present Public Safety Headquarters that once was Township Hall and more recently with the Essential Services Complex, which it is now building.

“We think this process and the success it has achieved makes for good government,” said Northville Township Manager Todd L. Mutchler. “This same type of scrutiny was applied to a proposal to adopt Advance Life Support in the Fire Department in 2009, a service that was successfully implemented and yields out-of-hospital cardiac arrest lifesaving rates about triple the state average.”

The BoT also explored whether to build a skatepark, a cricket pitch and a second water tower.

The BoT also isn’t afraid to say no.

The current BoT had hoped to add a domed sports facility in Northville Township to accommodate year-round travel soccer and baseball teams that host leagues and tournaments in Northville Township.

“The BoT did the homework,” Mutchler said. “They went on tours, talked to other communities who had a dome and analyzed future growth. After crunching the numbers and deciding that the cost/benefit was not there at this time, the BoT said no to that amenity. They are good stewards of taxpayer’s money.”