Sumpter Township to sell township-owned properties by auction

After a lengthy discussion at the workshop session of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees on May 10, the board voted in regular session to approve selling township properties by auction, but to go over the list first and have the board approve it before start of the auction process.
Trustee Peggy Morgan cast the only no vote. Treasurer Vincent Warren and Trustee Don LaPorte were absent.
During the workshop session, Trustee Morgan suggested using a real estate agent to sell the properties and said she had talked to Glenn Silvenis of Remax, but Supervisor Tim Bowman was set on using Braun & Helmer Auction Service.
A group of township officials planned to meet at 5:30 p.m. before the May 19 planning commission meeting to make sure the properties were good to go.
The original list of properties given to the board by the supervisor’s office had included the land just south of the township hall and also the adjoining land north of the township hall to be sold. When that was pointed out, everyone agreed those properties adjoining township hall should be retained.
Trustee Matthew Oddy said he asked the supervisor’s assistant Karen Woodington to provide maps of the properties on the list to be sold and some are only 80’ wide and small lots next to each other should be combined first because people can’t build on 80’ lots.
“They can combine them,” Supervisor Bowman said of the property purchasers.
“Some can’t be combined,” Trustee Oddy said, adding that two, too-short lots could be combined and then split in two to sell as buildable lots. He said they should sell in as full compliance with the township ordinance as possible.
Trustee Morgan said Remax said some of the lots are in wetlands and they have to keep that in mind. A purchaser would pay the realtor’s fees, she noted.
“Same with the auctioneer,” Bowman said.
“I think the net would be very close to the same,” Oddy said.
“I’m concerned about having a clear title,” said Clerk Esther Hurst.
Township attorney Rob Young said the land was quick-claimed because of taxes and came from the DNR or county.
“We don’t get into that,” Young said, noting the last two properties the township sold didn’t have that. “We’re not guaranteeing anything. But, if there’s a problem we know of, we have to tell them … What we have is what they get … In the past we tried title work and it wasn’t cost-effective … You certainly don’t want to lose money … It matters not to me if we do auction or real estate …Whichever way you go, would be OK.”
Details were discussed and then it was taken off the table for action at that regular meeting so the list could be scrutinized before auctioning began.
In other business at the May 10 meeting, the board:
• Approved outfitting the new Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicle through Herkimer Radio at a total cost of $9,517.60. Public Safety Director/Police Chief Eric Luke explained that this vehicle was ordered a year ago and just came in. While in the past they have been able to move some of the equipment from the old vehicle to the new one without a problem, now things have changed and sizes are different. He said they have funds from the auctions and forfeitures to cover the cost;
• Heard resident Mary Ban comment on the beautiful blacktop in the Willis/Harris roads.