Supervisor, superintendent and mayor provide updates

By Megan Kelley
Editor
mkelley@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — On March 6, residents of Independence Township and the City of the Village of Clarkston were invited to Clarkston High School for the State of the Community address. At the address, guests heard from Independence Township Supervisor Chuck Phyle, City of the Village of Clarkston Mayor Sue Wylie and Clarkston Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Shawn Ryan.
All three local leaders gave updates on their individual areas, highlighting the good while also discussing areas of future concern.
Independence Township
Phyle, a 45-year resident, is just a few months into his first term as supervisor of Independence Township, having been elected in November of last year.
Phyle recalled his decision to run in the spring of last year, sharing that the choice was one made out of his desire to make a difference in the community.
“What I really wanted to do was start envisioning Independence a little bit differently. Not different in the sense that we had to improve and grow – it wasn’t a goal to become a Rochester or Troy or anything like that – it was really kind of getting back to our roots,” Phyle said.
Phyle added that in the last several months as supervisor, he has met with township employees to get an idea of what their visions are for the township, noting that all the employees he spoke with had a similar desire to be more involved and work toward a broader goal as a team to make the community all it can be.
As has been a running theme in Phyle’s short time in office, Phyle discussed the changing of the culture in the township to one that is less divisive and more neighborly; one that is fostered by respect and accountability, Phyle said.
“I started thinking about, what is the number one thing that we need to do? The number one thing I was thinking about is that we need to change the culture,” said Phyle.
In the township, things have been changing. The township itself has less than 500 acres of land open for development and the population is aging.
“We need to start perceiving ourselves differently,” Phyle said.
Phyle also reaffirmed his commitment to open communication both internally and externally and utilizing different avenues for residents to receive information as well as reiterating his open door policy.
“We want to make sure that we’re doing everything properly. We want to make sure that anything we do, you understand exactly how we got to that point. So, when it comes time to make a decision, some of them are going to be hard…at least now, you’ll know the why,” said Phyle.
Phyle highlighted future plans in what he calls Project 28, as 2028 is the end of his term.
Key focus areas Phyle would like to focus on is increasing revenue to keep expenses down. Phyle shared that one way the township could bring extra money in would be for the township’s assessing and building departments to bid on projects in other communities that do not have their own assessing or building departments.
“What I’m looking at doing, at the end of four years, I want 50% of our operating costs to be coming from outside of the township,” Phyle said. “If we can start doing stuff like that, it will be amazing the things we can get done here in the township.”
Another topic that has been discussed across the board in the community was the recent increase in police services from the Oakland County Commissioners. Phyle, as he has stated before, indicated that with the increase, his team has been looking at alternatives that could potentially include moving away from contracting with Oakland County for police services.
Phyle also highlighted a relatively new program within the township which will utilize excess road millage funds by loaning the money out to areas in the township for road improvements and create Special Assessment Districts for the township to collect the money back over time.
Along similar lines, Oakland County is expected to start construction on the intersection on White Lake and Dixie Highway next year.
Additionally, the township has revitalized the Downtown Development Authority for beautification in the south side of the township on Dixie Highway.
“Every single one of you make this place special. We are different. Thankfully, we’re different. It’s something you should all be proud of. It’s that innovation, let’s get it, let’s go, let’s think outside of the box,” Phyle said.
City of the Village of Clarkston
“The City of the Village of Clarkston is a tightly-knit, small community. We have unique historic character, beautiful natural and recreational features, a traditional downtown setting and Clarkston not only offers an excellent quality of life for its residents but also serves as a popular dining and entertainment destination for many visitors,” Mayor Wylie said.
In the city, maintaining the small town integrity with historic character while also maintaining the vitality of the downtown are key.
The city is run by City Manager Jonathan Smith who is also the only full time employee for the city which also has four part time employees.
The small city runs on a budget that reflects the city’s size, one that is small despite also having major expenses that are looming in the background.
Currently, the city’s fund balance in July of 2024 was roughly $270,000 with a projected ending fund balance for June 30, 2025 equating to roughly $150,000.
Wylie highlighted some successes in the city, speaking about the wide array of events held in the downtown as well as the city’s bioswale initiative and a couple infrastructure improvement projects including road and sewer repairs.
Despite the successes, Wylie noted that there are a number of future concerns including upcoming expenses, little room for potential growth and retaining quality staff.
While there is limited room for growth, that doesn’t necessarily mean there is no potential for it, Wylie said, explaining that there are projects currently being discussed for the area.
When it comes to future expenses, Wylie noted that the city currently contracts with the township for police services, so the increase from the Oakland County Commissioners will likely cause the city to also see an increase in cost for services. Additionally, the city’s longtime attorney is set to retire this summer, something Wylie feels will impact their budget by forcing them to pay more for legal services as well. Wylie also added that the company the city contracts with for building services will be increasing their fees.
Retaining staff has also been a topic of conversation at city council meetings with discussions being had on how to keep qualified staff despite the city having a difficult time offering average or above market salaries and benefits.
“As we move forward, we all must ensure that our city continues to be a community we can all be proud of and part of our greater community,” Wylie said.
Clarkston Community Schools
Superintendent of Clarkston Community Schools, Dr. Shawn Ryan began his address by speaking about the community at large and the people who love it enough to give back and show their support in different ways.
“I came to Clarkston to be a part of Clarkston. I didn’t leave because Clarkston adopted me. I think sometimes we forget how special our town is,” Ryan said. “When I think of Clarkston I think of respect, family, pride, excellence, tradition, community.”
Last year’s graduating class saw just under 500 graduates – 268 who went on to attend college, 32 of which are student athletes, 46 students went directly into the workforce, 26 went on to attend trade school and 11 joined the U.S. Armed Forces.
When it comes to student achievement, Clarkston is performing above both the state and county average across the board. Ryan also added that since COVID, student achievement has actually gone up for the district.
“We’ve gone up every single year and we’re actually higher right now in our math and reading than we were before COVID,” Ryan said. “Why? Because we value the right things.”
Ryan attributes the district’s success to a number of things including dedicated staff, whole person focus for student support, safety and security, technology, student opportunities and multi-tiered systems of support.
Specialty programs at Clarkston schools are another key focus with the district offering 19 Advanced Placement classes (double the county average), International Baccalaureate, the CSMTech program, Construction Tech, a partnership with the University of Michigan Flint, the Career Tech program and a number of other programs.
Ryan added that without the partnerships within the community, the school district would not be able to thrive the way it does.
“There are so many different areas that we, as Clarkston Community Schools, are successful because of you,” Ryan said. “Anybody in this world who thinks they do it alone, has another thing coming to them.”
Ryan also briefly discussed the ongoing bond work that was approved by voters in 2022, mentioning the new junior high school as well as improvements that include new roofs and parking lot upgrades.
Looking to the future, Ryan asked that the community not take Clarkston for granted and to appreciate all that it offers, adding that if the community continues to help make student achievement and the welfare of students a priority, so the next generation can carry the torch and keep Clarkston Clarkston.