Van Buren Township’s new board approves 2017 budget on 4-3 vote

The Van Buren Township Board of Trustees passed the 2017 general fund budget including wage schedules on a 4-3 vote at its regular meeting on Dec. 6.
Voting no were Trustees Reggie Miller, Sherry Frazier, and Paul White. Yes votes came from Trustee Kevin Martin, Treasurer Sharry Budd, Clerk Leon Wright, and Supervisor Kevin McNamara.
After a long discussion on the budget, Trustee Miller said she would be voting no because wages were given unfairly. She said a budget time is not the time to give raises. She said it is not right for employees to be evaluated during the budget process.
Trustee Miller said the wage increases includes over 3% for some employees.
“Some are great employees, but that is not the point,” Miller said. “It’s the way the process was handled.”
Trustee Frazier said she was going to vote no because she agrees with Trustee Miller on the raises. And, she does not agree with the clerk’s salary raise of $3,500 because he wants to have parity with Treasurer Sharry Budd.
“Mrs. Budd worked for the township for 25 years and rolled in her longevity pay,” Trustee Frazier said. “The clerk rolled in his longevity pay. One worked for eight years, one for 25. Everyone got 3%. To give the clerk equal to the treasurer, he’s awarded for something he didn’t work for.”
Clerk Leon Wright contended they were all newly elected officials with no xx. As to his raise in pay, “That’s what I’m proposing.”
“It’s like they can decide whatever pay they want,” Frazier said. She also referred to the supervisor’s pay that went from about $82,000 in 2016 to $86,000.
Trustee Kevin Martin supported Clerk Wright’s proposal, based on the work he does.
“It’s up to the board to decide,” Trustee Miller said. “We asked the board to suggest a salary and he did.”
“I’m not going to sit here and hear my salary ridiculed,” Clerk Wright said. “It’s improper.”
Trustee Paul White, former township supervisor, said of the budget that, “This is one of the most important decisions we make.”
He said the budget is $4.875 million over revenue and includes transfers to balance the budget of $4.257 million from the landfill fund and $617,970 from the fund balance.
“I have an issue that we use every penny of the landfill fund and have to use the fund balance to balance this budget,” Trustee White said.
He said his Social Security increased .03% this year and he got .001 percent interest on his bank savings, but was able to survive.
“There’s $4 million too much in this budget,” White said.
He praise Supervisor McNamara for doing an outstanding job of presenting the budget prepared by the previous board.
“I will be voting no on this,” White said. “Although I promised the supervisor I would vote yes, there are some things I expected to happen that haven’t happened. I support this budget less than 50%, so I must vote no.”
“I respect your no’s,” Supervisor McNamara said to the dissenters. “There’s just a couple thousand dollars between my ideas and your ideas.”
“It’s the process of raises and dollars amounts attached to them,” said Trustee Miller. “This was done wrong…”
Trustee Frazier said she objected to this process of doing this budget.
“It’s $4.8 million over and having to dip into the fund equity,” Frazier said. “In 2008-2012 the whole economy collapsed,” referring to how everyone suffered and didn’t get raises. “… I don’t know how we can dip into fund equity.”
After the board voted 4-3 to pass the budget, Frazier said, “I’m disappointed our fellow board member passed this.”
“No more discussion after the vote,” said Supervisor McNamara. “That when we lick our wounds and go off to our corners.”
In beginning the budget discussion, Supervisor McNamara said budgets are living documents which may require amendment in the future for the good of the community.
He said they foresee a $200,000 drop in revenue next year and providing health care increases costs $270,000.
He said the general fund budget expenditures are $15.5 million and the revenues are $10.6 million, which requires all of the 2017 landfill fund revenue plus some money from the general fund fund balance.
The amended 2016 general fund budget passed on a 5-2 vote, with Trustees Miller and Frazier voting no.
Trustee Miller said she would be voting no because the township is overspending and she’s not happy with the way raises are given out to some and not to others.
Trustee White said the township is dipping into its savings and if they continue they will have none left.
“The residents of VBT would be hard-pressed to meet a budget like this without the landfill,” White said.
White said Supervisor McNamara promised him he would work hard to bring the budget into line and he would like to see a hiring freeze.
“I would like to hear from everyone at the table,” said Trustee Frazier. “Passing a budget like this … with pensions and Visteon … We are in troubled waters. We don’t know what will happen after Jan. 20. I would warn us from moving forward with deficit spending. I can’t understand the salaries. A $3,500 raise in one year … I would like answers… How did they decide on 3% for all the salaried workers when teachers got 1.5% and police got 2.5%. Somebody thought 3% was good. We should have 15% in our fund equity. The landfill could go down tomorrow – a disaster of some kind – and we would have a shortfall in our budget.”
Frazier said she is concerned because they have more going out than coming in.
Supervisor McNamara said they had four mills and made a conscious effort to get more public safety millage. He said they did not want to let it dip for a year until the millage kicked in.
“This is not about public safety,” Frazier replied. “I worked for the public safety millage.”
Frazier said, “People said I haven’t had a raise and three quarters of Americans haven’t had a raise. It’s not the public safety. We are paying people for doing a good job. We should base it on what’s coming in. This is not in the taxpayers best interest. I’d like to hear from Ms. Budd and Mr. Wright… I’d like to know how they came to support this budget.”
“This is only the amended 2016 budget on the table,” Treasurer Budd pointed out, noting the next motion would be on the 2017 budget.
Frazier asked if there was a deficit in the 2016 budget and White said the deficit in 2016 was $3.7 million.
“Since 1975 we’ve had deficit,” Supervisor McNamara said.
“We transferred form the landfill fud mainly to maintain public safety,” Treasurer Budd said. “In 2018 the new public safety millage comes.”
“We always use landfill tipping fees to balance the budget,” Clerk Wright said. “We don’t have revenues to replace it.”
“This has nothing to do with public safety,” Frazier replied. “The landfill money never should have been used to support public safety.”
Frazier said Clerk Wright brought up the question of having the landfill tipping fees in the revenue fund. She said she was told the landfill funds were to be kept separate for special projects.
“I don’t consider balancing the budget as a ‘special project,’” Frazier said. “We should have 15% in fund equity.”
“As Jeff Jahr said, we’ve become addicted to landfill funds,” Supervisor McNamara said, referring to a former board member.
In other business at the Dec. 6 meeting the board unanimously approved approval of the 2016 amended and 2017 proposed Special Revenue Budget for Community Development Block Grants, Downtown Development Authority, LDFA Fund, Landfill Fund, Belleville Area Museum, 911 Service Fund, Federal Forfeiture Fund and State Forfeiture Fund.