November 9th, 2023 Board Meeting

 AccessVision: https://www.accessvision.tv/telvue/836015

Agenda: https://emmett.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=210

Blog: https://battlefleek.blogspot.com/2023/11/november-9th-2023-board-meeting.html

Clerk Myers isn't here today, so the board is taking turns reading her statements and Supervisor Belles is taking on her duties.

 Public Comments: 

[01:40] Jim Harris - Again commenting about the hiring/firing of public servants and how it should be the entire board's decision.He goes on to discuss the segment in the Supervisors summary about the charges he has incurred upon the township via his constant FOIA requests, which have cost the township $1,397.50 while he has only had to pay $114.52 of his own money.

[04:53] Jim Juhnke directly responds to Jim, stating: "FOIAs in this township are paid for by this township. NOT the taxpayers, this township... another thing, you haven't done your education or your searching well enough. There was, in fact, an employment meeting brought before the board when the individual was hired."

[05:20] Heather Rocho - Praising the memorandum which she states educated some other township residents who previously weren't aware of what was going on in the township before seeing it.

[07:20]  Comments about police officers frightening people walking around in uniform with their gun?

 

[10:30] Trustee Mead Votes no on monthly check register

[12:00] Supervisor Verbal Report:

[15:05] Clerk Verbal report:

[20:20] Treasurer Report:

[21:25] Trustee Brown has a question regarding public safety, do they have a program for distributing alarms throughout the community? At no cost? Officer responds that they don't have enough personal or funds to do something like that. 

Planning and zoning: 

[23:55] Public Safety report - working on handling all the OT, all the equipment has been ordered and should be ready by next month.

 

[26:40] action items "housekeeping month":

10.1 Public hearing streetlights

[27:55] Heather Rocho - "part of the maintenance falls on us" has to call Consumers if the bulbs burn out, encourages others to call and complain to get things fixed. 

[33:10] 10.2 all vote yes

10.3 beadle lake weeds

Somebody is commenting, asking about who pays for this? It's just the residents who live around the lake, not township taxpayers.  

[38:50] 10.4 all vote yes.

[44:00]10. 5 public act exemption option, all vote yes.

10.6 recognizing drive sober campaign

[45:40]10.7 assessment of district 2, all yes

[47:00] New Business: 

11.1 - Hire Code compliance officer Samantha Ashworth - Trustee Brown is the only no vote

11.2 - Hire Staff accountant Glenn Augustine - Trustee Brown is the only no vote

[49:00] approve road work agreement - This will approve the next round of chip seal for roads that need work done, they'll be starting w the Fruin and Shadowood subdivisions. All vote yes

[52 :40]11.4 - Praise from Chris Dopps in email addressing the current board and supervisor Belles for taking initiative and keeping road maintenance in check.Motion made to keep Chris on board as a contracted worker not to exceed 25k/yr from the township

[57:15] 11.5 Approval for wastewater eval, "this is all the prework before he can actually design the sewers."

[1:05:00] Closing Public Comments: 

Ryan Leonard - comments regarding the sewer projects, "I've a couple buildings listed on Michigan Ave and not having the ability to connect to the sewer is directly affecting my ability to sell those buildings and the value of the buildings when they do sell...they don't sell, get dilapidated and it makes the area look ugly..." Also remarks about the casino, "part of the reasno the line is at capacity is bc the casino is hooked to it..." wants them to contribute some money towards raising the capacity of the line.

[1:07:00] Kathy Jarr - "my concern is the overtime for the officers... how do we get another officer or two hired? ...I'd be willing to pay a bit more in taxes for that." Raising concern about the amount of people speeding down the residential roads here, wants more officers out monitoring and handing out tickets.

[1:09:30] John Harris -"I loved when they put the chip seal down, everybody slowed down... I was a scout master in this community for over 50 years, there's scout troops in Battle Creek... these kids are looking for Eagle projects." Suggesting that the cub scouts help out w monitoring traffic or finding ways to slow cars down.

[1:11:05] Joe Harris - Says that as a cub scout he got the speed limit on the road lowered to 40mph, says that speed carts don't work. "Has anyone thought about putting in some speed bumps occasionally? Some portable speed bumps on the roads in high speed areas..."

[1:12:20] Supervisor Belles responds saying that while she was on the road committee they discussed those as well, but the county said no, they don't do speed bumps anymore. They claim it tears the roads up,

[1:13:20] Lonnie Root - "talking about that sewer just about enflames me..."says the casino was already using twice as much as they had been alotted "then they put up another hotel after that, God how much are they using now? We've been paying through the nose." Wants somebody to take a look at the numbers and see how much of the townships infrastructure is being held hostage by the casino.

Also remarks that he'd rather just have two more police officers than deal w speed bumps.

[1:14:40] Theresa Myers - Said they'd do chip seal and fogging on her road, but the fogging was never done? "The black stuff is coming off"

[1:15:40] Heather Rocho - thanks to everybody who is here tonight, "I'm concerned about... the estate sale that is happening in this room." There is a lot of clutter over against the wall where there normally is free space.

[1:17:10] Austin Suedemyer, Phil Suedemyer's son. Just saying thank you for all of the kind words he's received about his dad.

[1:17:50] Board Comments:

Trustee Brown claims he will vote no on all new hires until he can sit on a board and be part of the interview process for new hires. Says he doesn't have anything personally against the attorney, but "we are spending an awful lot of money on our attorney"

[1:19:45]Supervisor Belles welcomes the new employees, addresses the storage situation (there are a lot of miscellaneous items in the board room today) and attributes it to a bit of expanding/moving files around, needed to use the office supply room but is in the process of expanding and getting some shelves. Suggests Trustee Brown look at costs of attorneys in past years, as the one this year has been far cheaper from attorneys in the past. Jim Junhke remarks that "you can't run a public business without the law."

[1:22:00] Trustee Titus Thanks everybody for coming to the meeting, wanted to thank the board because "it was nice to come to a nice meeting"

Mead - nice turnout, explains to new people that he always votes no the check register bc of technicalities, "I don't want to go to jail for somebody's misrepresentation on the check register."

[1:25:20] Kathy Jarr comments again "this is in regards to what you said, Jim. It was under the prior board members that we used to have. It was voted that they could spend up to a certain amount without board approval. You can't expect chief to come and ask every time he needs to buy a new tires... 'cause he has the money to do that and shouldn't have to ask... So that has been covered in the past, so you don't have little piddly things to deal with."