Outgoing Sumpter Twp. board cancels all meetings until 2021

At a special, 36-minute meeting on Nov. 17, the outgoing Sumpter Township Board of Trustees reacted to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Nov. 15 announcement of a three-week pause in activities in the state to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services had shut down a variety of activities, including meetings of more than 10 people.
The township board voted unanimously to cancel all township meetings until after the end of the year. Trustee Don Swinson was absent from his last meeting.
The board also agreed to pay all warrants through Dec. 31.
Also, the board agreed to close the township hall to the public but to have employees remain working inside and meeting with residents by appointment. The board would determine which employees could work from home.
Also, it will ask its IT consultant to set up Zoom meetings to be in compliance with the MDHHS rules.
The board was told the Senior Center is completely closed, but food distribution continues.
A proposal to have employees work 20 hours at the township hall and 20 hours at home for the same pay was questioned by Trustee Don LaPorte.
He said he would like to see the township stay open by appointment.
Trustee Tim Rush agreed. He said if people work four hours and then go home, the phone will be ringing and they will be playing phone tag to get back to the residents and everybody will be frustrated.
He said it shouldn’t be an individual’s decision on who works full time, but a decision by the board.
Treasurer Ken Bednark said he is for keeping the township hall open and operating by appointment or curbside service. He said the winter tax collection will be starting up and the treasurer’s office has to be open before the first of the year.
He pointed out the MDHHS closings are only for a pause, through Dec. 8, and the time until then will go by quickly. The township board’s next meetings were scheduled for Nov. 24 and Dec. 8.
Treasurer Bednark suggested the township have its IT person set up a Zoom procedure, which he said is pretty easy and board members can participate with a phone.
“The last thing we want to do is shut down the township,” Bednark said.
Trustee Matthew Oddy said the new rules are that the township can’t have a meeting unless it’s virtual. He agreed that the township should be kept open for appointments only and that the board should decide who works at home.
Clerk Esther Hurst said it was her understanding that with Zoom the public wouldn’t be able to chime in from the floor with comments.
“It’s not an easy task,” Trustee Oddy said of setting up Zoom and they should ask their IT person about it.
Bednark said he’s on Zoom twice a week with his job at the University of Michigan and he’s been on sessions with 500 to 600 people. He said there are several ways to give comments and it can be done without a problem.
Township attorney Rob Young said this is not descretional and there must be no in-person meetings until Dec. 9 at least and this may be extended. He said beginning Jan. 1 they may be able to get back to in-person meetings.
Bednark said he would like to see Zoom set up for staff and department meetings, as well.
Bednark said he would like to be ready for Zoom by Dec. 8, but Young said if they keep the meeting set for Dec. 8, and it couldn’t be held they would have to get a quorum of board members to meet to cancel the meeting.
Young said the supervisor can call a special board meeting at any time with 18 hours lead.
Trustee Rush said he asked the financial director to mail the warrants as they come up so officials don’t have to go over a month’s worth of warrants all at once in January, as in the past.
Trustee-elect Peggy Morgan asked how they will get the word out about the closing and about special meetings and Oddy said they would post it on the door, put it on their website, and have their paper of record post it online. The township’s newspaper of record is online only.