Sumpter Township extends fire chief’s contract, with raise

Sumpter Township Fire Chief Joseph Januszyk now has his contract extended to March 29, 2020. And, he will get the $5,000 raise he was promised.
At its regular meeting of Sept. 25 the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to extend his contract and increase his pay.
In July, Treasurer Peggy Morgan had asked the board why Chief Januszyk did not get the contract extension other employees received. She made a motion to extend Chief Januszyk’s contract until November 2020, when this board’s term will be up. Trustee Sheena Barnes seconded the motion, but attorney Young said he needed time to look at the contract. Treasurer Morgan backed off and Attorney Young said he would bring the contract to the next meeting, but it took eight weeks.
Young said the chief’s job description is changed. The board suddenly promoted the police chief to public safety director in a previously undiscussed move in March, putting Police Chief Eric Luke in charge of the fire department as well as the police department. Luke was given a $12,000 raise, making his base pay $99,500 plus more than $46,000 in benefits, five weeks of paid vacation, and a car to use.
Januszyk was required to complete staff and command school and for that he was to get a $5,000 increase in pay. He completed that requirement early in the year, but the actual increase did not come until Treasurer Morgan pushed the board to do what it had promised. He has been chief since March 2013 and has had one raise of $1,000 since then. He has been on the fire department for 41 years, since he was 18.
Chief Januszyk’s pay went from $26,000 to $31,000.
Young also presented the new Command Officers Association of Michigan (COAM) contract for police commanders, which he said raises their pay in line with other unions and will be in effect through Sept. 30, 2022. He gave no other details.
Finance Director Scott Holtz said neither the fire chief’s raise nor the COAM contract increases were budgeted in the 2019 budget and so budget amendments will be needed.
Young also announced, without details, that Police Officer Jerry Cox, Jr., who had been with the department for 23 years, had tendered his resignation. Officer Cox was one of the officers honored by the police chief for his work on the Nelson Po case.
In other business at the Sept. 25 meeting, the board:
• Accepted the retirement of Mary Ann Watson from the fire department effective Sept. 26. Watson is head of the Senior Center and said she had too much to do;
• Accepted the resignation, with regrets, of Elizabeth Blackburn from the fire department effective Sept. 19. She is going to school and her time is limited;
• Heard Clerk Esther Hurst report Sumpter volunteers delivered more than 600 meals to the homebound in August and more than 450 ate on site. She said 171 passengers used the senior center’s transportation service in August. She said 85 clients participated in the Arthritis Foundation exercise class in August and 24 clients participated in cardio drumming. The upholstery class has started on Wednesdays. The senior’s annual craft show is set for Nov. 3 with proceeds to help the seniors’ Christmas party;
• Heard Trustee Don Swinson report that the Turkey Shoots will be at noon every Sunday in October at the gun range on Willow Road to earn money for events put on by the Parks and Recreation Commission;
• Heard Treasurer Morgan explain that her previous deputy, Timolin Polzin, did not refuse a background check even though Supervisor John Morgan said she did. “I was literally run over by a bus by three people on this board … and then run over again,” Treasurer Morgan said of the last meeting when her competence as treasurer was assailed. She said Lianne Clair posted a statement on Facebook that caused anxiety and residents were afraid. She said the township got 59 phone calls the next day and the tax payments for all those people were already posted. “All this was very political and ignorant,” Treasurer Morgan said. “All these political games going on here caused upset to the residents. I run my office like John Morgan and Alan Bates” ran the treasurer’s office. She said people can still pay their taxes at the township until March 1 and then there’s a penalty. “I apologize on behalf of my office,” Treasurer Morgan said;
• Heard Trustee Matt Oddy say the finance director brought the problem to the board and, “We looked into it. … We brought in the auditor to do the finance director’s work, so the finance director could do the treasurer’s job.” He estimated the auditor’s time at $160 an hour times 20 hours at a cost of $4,000 to $5,000 to the township. Later in the meeting, as the arguing continued, Trustee Oddy said, “How did we throw you under the bus? It cost the residents five grand. You threw the residents under the bus”;
• Heard Clerk Hurst announce the absentee ballots were to be mailed out on Sept. 26. She said workers were still needed to run the upcoming election;
• Heard Mary Sherwood thank everyone for their kindnesses following the recent death of her son David. She said he had been sick for five years, but it was still very difficult for her when he passed;
• Heard Treasurer Morgan announce that the township’s cable channel won’t be back up for at least another week or so. She said the cable installer said he has to wait for Deputy Supervisor Karen Armatis to say when training will be. Treasurer Morgan said she wanted to be trained, but the cable man said Karen said no. Armatis was not at that night’s meeting; and
• Heard Adrian Slaughter say she submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the township and although she paid $13.42, she did not get what she asked for. She said her feelings kept her from coming to the last meeting because she did not want to come to a meeting angry. “I don’t want to be angry, but when you play with my money, I get angry. When people ask for something, give it to them,” she said. “Too much politics going on here.”