Sumpter board votes 4-2 to spend $140,500 on supervisor’s area

On a 4-2 vote, the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees approved spending $140,500 to remodel the township supervisor’s area at township hall. This vote was at its 48-minute meeting on Feb. 24 before going into closed session.
Voting yes were supervisor Tim Bowman and trustees Tim Rush, James Frazier, and John Honey. Voting no were treasurer Bart Patterson and trustee Matthew Oddy.
Treasurer Patterson said he was shocked at the numbers. He said he had been told in a meeting with trustee Rush that it was expected to be from $50,000 to $55,000 and then in a meeting with supervisor Bowman that it would be $70,000. Now, it’s $140,500.
Bowman said it would be $13,000 just to move the PEG system, which he explained cost $11,182 to move and then the service agreement.
“$140,000 is just kind of crazy,” Patterson continued.
“I disagree,” Bowman responded.
Rush said there is $150,000 for this project in the present budget, but Oddy pointed out the construction won’t take place until next year’s budget.
Oddy said the PEG should be in a centralized mechanical room. He said the township manager is in a shoebox.
Bowman said with his project they will have a meeting room and won’t have to stand around in the clerk’s office to meet. He said the manager will get more room.
Rush said the PEG is already contracted for through a single provider and you can’t go out for bids.
Oddy pointed out the $84,000 in construction costs should be put out for bids, according to township policy.
“We don’t always follow that policy,” Bowman responded.
Bowman complained that he’s been trying to get this done for five years.
The split vote approved the project.
In other business at the Feb. 24 meeting, the board:
• Unanimously passed a declaration of public safety emergency pertaining to the gravel roads. Bowman said his 90-year-old mother was on the floor “bleeding out” as the first responders took one hour and 10 minutes to get to her home on Karr Road because of the bad roads. “If I had a heart attack on Karr Road, I’m dead,” Bowman said. It was noted that channel 4 did a report on the bad roads and got a million hits on the story, but no county trucks came out to work on the roads;
• Set a public hearing for March 10 at 6 p.m. on the proposed 2027 township budget. [In the March 10 meeting it was on the agenda to postpone the public hearing until 6 p.m., March 24.];
• Heard from finance officer J. Campbell that the landfill royalty check from January for $156,859 has finally been received and it is $25,000 less than usual. Oddy said the months of January and February are usually lower because of less landfill use due to the weather and that was especially due with this harsh winter;
• Heard DPW director Ron Tabor remind residents that water shutoffs begin on the 25th of each month for accounts that have past-due balances higher than $200 after penalties have been calculated;
• Approved the report by township manager Ken Marten, noting the cost of paving Judd Road may be 3% higher than the $1.7 million estimate from last July. He reported that after 27 years of accountant contract services with Cari Ford Retirement, she is retiring;
• Approved the first reading of proposed ordinance amendments for a letter of agreement with CWA;
• Approved increasing part-time driver Rodrick Thompson’s hours from less than 20 hours a week to 21-29 hours a week as of April 1;
• Approved leave bank payout to Debbie Nogle totaling $5,137.92, with treasurer Patterson adding “regrets”;
• Approved posting the job of human resources specialist/finance assistant with a salary range of $75,000 to $85,000 a year;
• Approved the fire department rejoining the Western Wayne County Mutual Aid Association with a re-entry fee of $12,634.50 and yearly dues of $6,317.25 starting July 1; and
• Went into closed door session to discuss union negotiations and the township attorney’s opinion letter and then came back into regular session 12-minutes later to instruct the township manager and attorney to proceed as directed in closed session.