beyond the mandated functions, michigan townships are authorized to provide a wide variety of services that are generally expected from general purpose governmental entities. virtually all townships provide fire protection and many also offer law enforcement as well. parks and recreation programs, public water and sewer services, trash collection and recycling programs, sidewalks and trails, and cemeteries are other common township functions. townships, as well as other local governments, can provide these services by themselves, or jointly with another entity, and townships can buy from and sell to other governments any function it can produce by itself. in some but not all cases, townships can also contract with private entities to provide programs and services.