Emmett Township Board Meetings

  April 13th, 2023  Agenda: https://emmett.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=202 Recording: https://www.accessvision.tv/telvue/792694 This was a long meeting with kind of a lot going on, lots of people wanting lots of things, it seems. 00:04:30 - public comments:     Bob Wells - concerned about budget cuts     Joe Harris - also concerned about cuts, mad about the township office remodeling. 00:11:30 Mallory Avis gives a presentation about roads, public safety, transit mileage, etc. in her "intent to form a transit authority." Personally I think public transportation is an amazing concept and wish it was implemented everywhere... but it's not buses, just individual vans coming on an on-call basis? It's an interesting presentation but I am not sure there isn't a more cost-effective way to implement something like this. 00:39:00 Raymond road bridge construction is underway, detours in place for maybe the next 3-4 months everg...

 March 9th, 2023 sorry for the tardiness but here is a summary of the March meeting. Not a whole lot going on but some drama involving the police dept. What are your thoughts on us having 5 cops w 24/7 access to take-home vehicles using tax dollars to pay for all repairs, gas, insurance and expenses when the township has been making an earnest effort to reduce spending? Do you think Emmett Township is big enough to warrant that? Agenda - https://emmett.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=206 video - https://www.accessvision.tv/telvue/785016 [00:01:42] public comment Joe Harris regarding cars, response times... wanting to keep 'take home vehicles' for detectives. Not an officer, but works with law enforcement, so he's speaking in support of them. [00:08:30]  Both Jim Mead and Jim Junke vote no on monthly check register [00:08:54] Introducing/welcoming the new treasurer, Tyler Sylveski after conducting several interviews. A very good background, associa...

 Feb 9th, 2023 https://emmett.civicweb.net/document/16543/  https://www.accessvision.tv/telvue/778824   [0:02:50] Public comment - John Harris - consumers power crew messed up the road, when will it get fixed? [0:07:00] Trustee Mead votes no on the check register. In an attempt to educate some of the trustees about how the purchasing policy goes, Supervisor Belle's deputy offers to consult with Trustee Mead one on one. Mead is of the impression that while the check register is for reoccurring purchases, bills and the such, he doesn't agree on using it for anything else? [0:11:45] 47 West Alden was demolished, but there were some who inquired about another location on Bradford St. It was on the to-do list but was removed due to cost and will be revisited perhaps in another year or two. [0:22:00] Supervisor Belles wanted to discuss the pay of John Bartlett, the temporary accountant filling in while the township is without a treasurer. Now he is being paid as a temp treasure...

  Jan 12th, 2023  https://www.accessvision.tv/telvue/773963 https://emmett.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=200    public comments: 00:06:19 Denise Burdock commenting in regards to the recall petition that occurred on the 18th and asking the township to listen to the people of the township. "Please be a township board that we can be proud of." 00:09:15 Jim Mead votes no on check register, "for not following our own policy." Upset about the cost of staples. 0:13:19 Supervisor Belles addresses a concern brought up at the Dec23 board meeting about money being spent on the waterloop 0:17:30 public safety report 0:21:00 consideration for adoption of ordinance for estab. a marijuana business separation distance up for discussion 0:25:00 Tracy describes the work behind the cemetery software that is being updated. 0:27:31 motion to accept treasurer's resignation. Jim Mead moves to "not accept" her resignation. Shows no support. superv...

Hello, my name is Gavin Powell. I've attended every board meeting, w the exception of one or two, for the last two years and writing summaries of each. I post those onto the township facebook page for residents to keep them informed about what's going on at the local level.     I feel I've learned a lot about local govt in doing so and would like to make an attempt to correct some of the injustice I see occurring frequently in Emmett Township. Several instances of breaking workplace confidentiality, sharing private information about employees at a public board meeting.     During a meeting of the Emmett Township board on August 11th, 2022 it was brought to the public's attention that Trustee Jim Mead broke board confidentiality by alerting the contractor ahead of time that his services at Emmett Township would be terminated, potentially putting the staff in harm's way. Greatly overstepping Mr. Mead's authority.     (1:15:00) https://www.acces...

  Dec 8th, 2022 Agenda: https://emmett.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=187  https://www.accessvision.tv/telvue/764748 Pretty short meeting today, (04:00) the office instituted a new Timesheet software in order to "Reduce user error and aide accountability". Supervisor Belles reached out to the City for help regarding a street light assessment, which hasn't been done before in our area. (13:00) We had Boy Scout Troop #344 give a presentation to the board. Charles Rau lead a cleaning expedition at the Veterans gravestones at Ceresco Cemetery. (17:45) Construction on the front door entrance of the township is all complete, so all residents can enter the township building from the original entrance instead of the one on the right side of the building. (21:10) Earlier in November we had reports that a bunch of Karens robbed the local Kohls store, if you've got any info on these hooligans let the township police know. 2 of the 3 criminals have alr...

 Nov 10th, 2022 Hello! For this summary I've attached a link to the accessvision  video of the meeting, and have provided timestamps for some of the events if you care to watch. https://www.accessvision.tv/telvue/757828 Here is the agenda: https://emmett.civicweb.net/document/15678/?printPdf=true 7:35 In the public comments before the meeting we had resident Kristine vouch for the scene magazine township ad, citing that it has made a positive impact and other townships do it too with good results. 10:50 Eve D. made a public comment regarding the Beadle Lake Weed Project, stating that it was really working out and to keep doing what the township is doing. 19:20 - Mark Knotley from Municipal Consulting to give a presentation of his wage study that he has conducted on our township. He spends a lot of time going over the details of said study and his methods of conducting it, but essentially he states that though our Treasurer and Clerk are both below the minimum pay range, bc the...

 October 13th, 2022 Halloween Trick hours have been set for this year, have your buckets of candy ready for grabby hands on Monday, Oct 31st from 5pm to 8pm. Some effort to spend more money from the Parks Millage, which was voted in by taxpayers. It's a 5 year milage, which, if we don't spend some of the money towards our stated goals then we don't get next years stipend, so it's in our best interest to make the most of those funds while we have them. They're putting that money on a recreational plan for parks, which you have to have in place in order to apply for DNR grants which would further benefit our parks. All absentee ballot applications that had been turned in previously were sent out on sept 29th. If you would still like an absentee ballot you can come to teh township office (bring your ID!). The last few meetings a few of the trustees have voiced outrage in regards to a $195 monthly payment for a magazine ad advertising Emmett Township, inciting Superviso...

 September 8th 2022 Another meeting dragged out due to elected members failing to understand the cost of things or how townships operate. We enter the scene with Dick Brown complaining about the cost of construction on the front of the office, the removal of the awnings and how he, or the other trustees, had no say in the voting/approval of the process (as the cost was under $5k, which is the threshold for it being an action item on the monthly agenda). I don't believe Dick has any knowledge or understanding in regards to construction or the pricing thereof, but a lot of these items are simply things that can't or shouldn't wait for a once a month board meeting to be voted on (by individuals with no background knowledge regarding these subjects) before they can start working on them. There was also the complaint regarding the $195/mo ad spending paid for by the supervisor out of her budget, which is being done on a monthly trial basis and will end within the next few months...

  August 11th, 2022 This month's meeting was ushered in again with Jim Mead being the only 'No' vote on the monthly check register. Followed by a proposition to add items to the agenda by Mr. Mead, which was denied as it had previously been ruled that there will no longer be items spontaneously added to board meetings (during the December 2021 board meeting). Anything brought up in this meeting could be discussed in next month's meeting, but if it isn't in the August agenda then it will have to wait. After a heated argument about it, with Jim seeming to have forgotten this previous ruling and taking it as a personal affront, where the township attorney had to step in and correct Jim, he apologized by stating "I take back my comment." Joelle's work overseeing the township's finances is complete, stating that John, the part-time accountant hired by Deb is more than capable of handling the task at hand. Apparently the Treasurer continues to need more ...

             July 14th, 2022 Tonight's board meeting was... pretty bleak, not a whole lot to go over, really.   -Deb represented the township at the opening ceremony today for the Wall of Healing, giving a speech to honor those that have fought for our country during the Vietnam War.   -Jim Mead was absent for this meeting, but Dick Brown took his place by voting no on the check register-- action item. Why? Even he doesn't know. He says he didn't actually take the time to read over any of the paperwork sent to him, so he didn't know anything about what was going on during the meeting. Glad to know that our elected officials aren't taking 15 minutes out of their day to review what it is they're even supposed to be voting on during the board meetings. Dick Brown doesn't have a job, so he's got plenty of time to sit at home and review these documents that Deb makes sure to send w ample time for review. He's j...

June 9th, 2022  Wow, I think this was the shortest meeting I've ever attended. Not a whole lot to go over today. Right from the start there were some individuals who came up for public comment. An older woman asking about weed $ (which was addressed at last month's meeting, but I will post the snippet again).  She also voiced concern over the ease of access when using the township website, and her difficulty in quickly and easily finding information regarding the township meetings... This is something I've had issues with, too, and it makes it very difficult for older, less technologically inclined persons to navigate and find the info they're looking for. Hopefully we can find a solution for this in the future but for right now I think there's not much to be done about it. The weed business across from the casino attended the meeting to inquire about getting a stoplight put up at the area right outside the casino as there have been several accidents th...

May 12th, 2022 It appears we have yet another meeting overshadowed by Jim Mead and his antics and total unwillingness to compromise or work with his board members on anything. Some discussion about the police dept (chief's contract will be expiring) and details regarding the state of the township board, but otherwise this was a relatively short meeting.  Emmett's second annual Community Clean Up Day is on June 11th, from 8:30 to 12:30. You'll need to provide proof of residency on arrival. You can check the township website for a list of acceptable items: Deb felt with the board not being unanimous about the millage that we would look at it next year and work with the staff to get some real numbers. Deb will be asking for a millage to be put on the November ballot that would support the pension fund for the police dept. This is how all other municipalities handle pensions and, if it passes, we may or may not need to ask for an increase on our operational millag...

April 14th 2022 Tonight's meeting was dragged out for an exceptionally long time because some board members can't stop asking questions that were just asked, or about topics that have already been answered. Sharing confidential information about other employees (massive liability?) when you're only in the township one day a month for a few hours, why should a trustees opinion be considered regarding any important matters that happen at the township office if they're not there, themselves? It isn't a trustees job to interfere with the daily operations of the township. They come to a meeting once a month and vote on action items on the agenda, nothing more, and to expect them to have an informed understanding of the business matters at the township office is ridiculous. -People mad over taxes going up, but if you can afford a 200k house I imagine an extra $40 a year (for the 1.5 milage) is pocket change? But with inflation going into overdrive, EVERYTHIN...

March 24th budget meeting 2022  This meeting was a special meeting to OK the budget proposed for the new fiscal year starting April 1st 2022 up to March 20 2023, while reviewing the budget for last year's budget. Not a whole lot to go over, but I think some of these things have been pretty hot button issues so it's worth going over them to let everybody know what's what. One of the first topics was raising the township's operating millage, the current rate which is at 0.8432. Based on this rate, the millage generates an estimated $344,750 for the township. For an Emmett homeowner in an average household (100k valuation) you're paying roughly 56.01 in taxes per year. With costs rising everywhere, and the millage not having been altered since 1973, the township is looking to raise the millage to a flat 1.0000 which would generate an estimated $408,860 for the township, which is an increase of $64,110. For the average home (again at a 100k valuation), thi...

February 10th, 2022 Tonight's board meeting was quite the party! Had a ton of people showing up curious to hear about the newly proposed DDA that Supervisor Deb is looking to get started.   -Purpose of the DDA (Downtown development Authority) is to promote economic development, prevent property values from decreasing. Help with signage, bike paths, improving parks and public lots. Demolishing dilapidated buildings, repurpose failed businesses/salvageable buildings. The supervisor sits on the board along with 8 others who are selected. Residents who own property within the DDA and are interested in being involved with the decisions that are made. They're still in the process of forming the committee so if you're interested please get in touch with Debra Crowe Belles   -Lots of questions regarding taxes, but rest assured nobody's taxes will be raised because of this. Nobody's houses will be bought out from under them, there is zero intent to buy properti...

Jan 13th 2022 This month's board meeting was pretty good, lots of progress made, some highlights: -Transfer from Huntington Bank to SMB? Is almost entirely complete, next month's budget will look a lot cleaner. -City of Battle Creek was retiring some cars, offered them to us for $6.5k apiece (2002 malibu? 58k, 62k miles each?). Our police dept needed some new ones, but the township also needs a new code car so there was some discussion about who would get what, Deb and Stephen both wanted the Township to get one, and the Police dept to get one but everybody else voted for the Police to get both of those cars. - the CPA that was hired to come in and assess the state of our township's finances was blown away by how messy and poorly managed it was, and while she has helped clean things up she expressed concern as to whether they would remain that way, so a proposal to hire a part-time Accountant to help manage the books from here on out. Deb herself stated that town...

December 9th, 2021   Hola! Lots going on tonight at the township board meeting, tons of guest star appearances, pretty tight. -First off there was Chris Dopp, a road consultant who came to give a presentation on road maintenance and suggest ways for the township to stay on top of maintaining Emmett's roads and educating us on how best to do that. -Deb suggested having agendas approved a week/several days before every meeting so there are no last minute additions which give other participants little time to consider what is being proposed and reduces the chaos/drama/length of meetings -Proposal to hire a part-time accountant to help board members with accounting tasks that they're not well-versed in, as the CPA has informed everybody last summer/fall. They would aid in daily accounting tasks and help educate current board members in better practices in regards to fiduciary responsibilities. Rachelle is still struggling with the bank transfer roughly four months afte...

Nov 10th, 2021   Tonight's board meeting was quite brisk, not a whole lot to go over.   -There has been some discussion about changing the speed limits on some roads, but speed limits cannot be changed unless a Speed Study is conducted, and in most cases those generally don't benefit residents of the township a whole lot. Speed bumps are also more harmful to the roads than the benefit they provide. The best course of action would be to contact the police dept. and request them to monitor areas that are having issues w ppl speeding so they can better enforce the laws.   -Battle Creek Public schools millage proposal was passed   -Rachelle is still dealing with the bank transition. Winter Tax bills are also in the works and will be mailed out December 1st. All outstanding delinquent 2020 Real Property tax payments need to be paid to the treasurer, her office can be contacted at 269.781.0807 to inquire about any balance owed.   -Marshall recycling center...

 October 14th 2021   Great meeting tonight, there was a whole lot of discussion and things covered. 1. Sewer Rate Increase -Deb and her deputy have met w several others about this issue, the city of Battle Creek claims they've "never done anything like this before" but is working to refund all excess charges. -several residents attended the meeting to speak out about this specific issue citing concerns about WHY the increase when other townships are paying far less while also having garbage services included in their lower payments. 2. Wage Study -Wage study to assess current salaries compared to other townships of similar sizes/pop., some research had been done and discovered that previous info was wrong, cited wages for certain areas had been terribly skewed (claimed 12k/yr but actually 70k?) -Study including just the township would be 12.5k, but including police dept would be 18k. Vote was held and then 12.5k study was approved by the board. 3. ADP Payroll ...

sept 9th, 2021 Tonight's board meeting was quite the doozy, here is a rough summary of what was discussed that might apply to those interested. -Public comments regarding noise being made by construction on certain roads, as well as Zaharion automotive having an excess of cars on their lot that have just been sitting there? Both issues are being addressed. -Deb proposed a wage study to make sure our public servants are being paid appropriately in the event that some ppl are making more (or less) than their position would reckon. Tracy, Rachelle, Dick Brown and Jim Mead were all against it, citing a misuse of taxpayers dollars, but it doesn't use taxpayer money and instead is money awarded by the state to be used freely. -Sewer rates are going up because the state wants to make greater strides towards being ecofriendly. -This was the final zoom meeting, all meetings from now on will be in person (though there was a suggestion to do them via facebook live?) -Summer ta...

July 8th, 2021 So in this meeting they discussed that July 17th is going to be a "cleanup day" for any residents w garbage and things they'd like to get rid of: https://www.facebook.com/events/214866410501789/?ref=newsfeed -Adjustments to a garage sale ordinance that has been in the works for the last few months due to a multitude of complaints about ppl who leave piles of junk in their yard for months at a time. If you have an issue with it maybe attend the next meeting and voice your opinion instead of whining on facebook. -Weed businesses in the county have hours of operation from 9am - 9pm Sunday thru Thursday, 9am to midnight Friday and Saturday. -Rachelle, the township treasurer, has finally taken the advice of our township supervisor, Deb, and allocated township money into Kellogg Credit Union where it will accrue a greater interest than where it had been previously. -Jim Mead taking the time to give a formal apology for acting like a child? Apologizing...

June 10th, 2021 Not a whole lot to go over, but apparently there will be some higher rates for sewers in the township over the next few years? There was some discussion about adoption of different rates but the settled upon one was a slight hike in prices now with slight increases each year for the next few years. Flag day is Monday, Post is holding some sort of ceremony for it on the corner of... Hmm, I didn't get the street names but I'll edit that in soon. Still a lot of thefts, break ins, etc. Please remember to lock your doors, park in well lit areas if you're parking on the road. Some discussions regarding the Garage Sale ordinance drafted last month. Only eligible days for holding sales will be Thursday thru Sunday... there have been complaints about some people holding month-long garage sales and leaving clutter everywhere... c'mon man, get it together.   https://www.emmett.org/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC=%7BCF3CD763-57C1-4D14-BBB4-9F13C8C69361%7D&DE=%7B4D02...