VBT Board approves 2020 general fund budget on 5-1 vote

The Van Buren Township Board of Trustees approved the 2019 amended general fund budget, the 2020 general fund budget and the 2020 salary wage scale on a 5-1 vote at the Oct. 15 regular meeting of the board of trustees.
Trustee Paul White voted no and Treasurer Sharry Budd was absent.
The board unanimously approved the 2019 amended and 2020 proposed special revenues budgets that include the Downtown Development Authority, Local Development Finance Authority, Federal Forfeiture Fund, State Forfeiture Fund, E-911 Service Fund, Landfill Fund, Belleville Area Museum, Long Term Debt Fund, and Capital Improvement Fund.
The board also approved unanimously the 2019 Amended and 2020 Proposed Water and Sewer budget, noting that water/sewer rates will rise 5% as of Jan. 1, which would amount to about an $8 or $9 quarterly rate increase per average customer.
Trustee White said he voted against the general fund budget because of the inappropriate raises this year, there is too much money in the budget with a possible economic downturn coming in the future, and the Visteon bond debacle.
White said public safety comes first and everything after that is fluff. He said they get a couple million dollars from the landfill each year. And, they are picking and choosing who to give money to.
“I’m not pleased with the budget,” White concluded.
“We heard why he gave the raises,” said Clerk Leon Wright, referring to Supervisor Kevin McNamara’s statement at the work/study session. “I think it’s a good budget.”
Trustee Reggie Miller, who praised Supervisor McNamara and his getting the budget put together and ready for approval way before the Dec. 31 state deadline, prodded White to say what positive things he sees in the budget.
White said the new fire department vehicle equipment is good and the rebuilding of the public safety.
“I’m conservative when it has to do with money,” White continued. “Seniors on the south end are struggling. Some just have social security … We should give them value for their money … not giving out raises willy-nilly to people you like … Last year there was $1 million approved for capital improvement, some necessary, some not.”
Trustee Sherry Frazier said the raises were based on what some employees did.
Miller said she had meant for White to explain what he liked in the process of approving this budget.
Miller then asked Clerk Wright to explain how little taxes the people pay.
Clerk Wright said, “We need to educate the people.” He said there are 7,500 rooftops that pay taxes in the township. Not all the taxes people pay go to VBT, and he listed what goes to the county, WCCC, and the schools. He said the township gets $26 per rooftop, plus the public safety millage.
“We’re not in the business to make money, but to collect taxes and provide services,” he said in response to White’s comments about how business worked at Kroger’s where he had retired.
Supervisor McNamara said $860,000 of the $17 million budget is paid by the residents. Six million dollars of the budget comes to the police.
White suggested residents look at the websites of nearby communities to see how public money is spent there.
“We get a lot of grants, thank goodness,” said Trustee Frazier.
At the beginning of the 2020 budget discussion, Supervisor McNamara read his budget statement. He said it’s a $600,000 reduction in the budget, from $18.3 million last year to $17.6 million.
He said they are completing the rebuilding of the VBT facilities and the fire department will have six full-time fire fighters. There are two Iron Belle Trail projects. One is final construction stages from Edgemont to Riggs Park, with grants from the state plus $100,000 from the township. The second project is the trail at Old Denton Road and Van Buren Park, which has a $500,000 federal grant through the county.
Also, there are grants for French Landing Park and an additional $31,000 is being added to the county budget for this park.
McNamara said there are more than $1 million in grants from the county.
He also said the township has a 20-year lease from Waste Management for the buildings at the golf course. The township is working on a new Master Plan and looking at the possibility of a community center.
He asked for two changes to the proposed budget that evening. One is to move the REAL [Revealing Exceptionally Amazing Leaders] program budget from Human Resources to the Supervisor’s Office. The second change is to add $100,000 to the fire department for wages.
At the work/study session the day before, Miller said the township gets the money for the REAL program from the Wayne Detroit Mental Health Authority.
“I don’t know how it landed on her desk,” she said referring to Human Resources Director Nicole Sumpter.
Frazier agreed that for two to three months Sumpter is tied up with this REAL program to train young people.
Also, during the work/study session, McNamara said he couldn’t believe the township didn’t get a grant it applied for to get funds for new fire fighters. He again said he couldn’t believe they didn’t get the grant and he’d like to give the fire department some help by giving it $100,000 extra in its budget.
At the Oct. 1 board meeting, McNamara assured the public that they had scrutinized the figures and the fire department budget would be “straight-line” without any need for more funds to hire six full-time fire fighters.
When asked if the township can reapply for the grant, he said it was only for new fire fighters and VBT would no longer qualify.
McNamara said the earlier figures didn’t take into account something like the dam breaking or a huge house fire that would need a lot of fire fighters.
Miller said if the fire department doesn’t use the extra money it can go back to the general fund.
In other business at the one-hour-31-minute meeting, the board:
• Approved the supervisor’s appointment of Denise Partridge to fill the balance of her late husband Steve Partridge’s term on the Water and Sewer Commission until June 1, 2021. When Denise Partridge served as a township trustee, 2010-14, she was board liaison to the Water and Sewer Commission and Director Taylor said he was a new director at that time and Trustee Partridge was very professional and knowledgeable. He said he will be glad to have her back;
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointment of Bill Osier to the Construction Code of Appeals Board with a term to expire Feb. 28, 2022;
• Approved revisions to the Local Development Finance Authority bylaws which were approved by the LDFA at its Sept. 10 regular meeting;
• Approved the purchase of five DIRTT Walls from Elevate Interior Construction for the total amount of $47,816 with four to be expensed from Cable Capital Outlay and the Assessing non-tech wall to be paid with Building & Grounds Capital Outlay. The DIRTT (Doing It Right This Time) panels are glass and are flush with the walls, with the TV sets to fit embedded inside being purchased separately. The panels will be installed in the main hallway public notice area, Clerk’s office, newly renovated Parks & Recreation entrance, and at the entrance of the September Days Senior Center. A non-tech DIRTT wall will also be installed in the Assessing office for privacy. Director of Public Services Matt Best said his office will coordinate messages to be sent to the public in these panels;
• Approved paying $168,792.27 to American Interiors to complete the main office furniture renovation including 100 new board room audience chairs, furniture for public safety, and benches for the main hallway. Best said the present board room audience chairs will be stored for use as backups;
• Approved paying Lawrence M. Clarke, Inc., $139,293 with a 10% contingency to be used at the discretion of the Water and Sewer Director to address changes and unforeseen conditions that may arise in the construction of the Belleville Square Water Main Loop Project. Lawrence M. Clarke was the lowest of six bidders. Director Taylor said for whatever reason years ago this water main was not looped and he is concerned this creates a potential risk for continual service delivery to a dialysis clinic located on the premises. Due to the critical nature of these medical services, and the need for an uninterrupted water supply for these services, Taylor recommended the loop. He said there were more than three dozen other dead-end lines in the township;
• Approved the second, final, reading of an ordinance to modify the requirements of the zoning ordinance with regards to required setbacks for non-conforming single-family residential-zoned parcels with lake frontage. McNamara said there were five to six lots involved;
• Heard McNamara’s assistant Dan Selman announce that Pam Fleming of the Goodfellows had asked him to announce that Goodfellows will accept request for help from Nov. 4 through Dec. 6 at the Van Buren Township Police Department. This is only for residents of VBT and the City of Belleville. Sumpter has its own Goodfellows. Fleming said anyone with questions may call (734) 260-4150;
• Learned the Veteran Days Luncheon, sponsored by the Yankee Air Museum and Regency at Canton, will be at noon, Nov. 7, at September Days Senior Center. Make reservations by Nov. 4 by calling (734) 699-8918. Lunch is $3;
• Was advised the annual Candy Loop will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Quirk Park. It will be inside township hall in case of inclement weather. Businesses wishing to participate may call (734) 699-8921;
• Head Clerk Wright announce a school bond is on the Nov. 5 ballot and his office will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, for absentee voters. He said the Nov. 4 work/study and the Nov. 5 regular meetings are cancelled because of the election. Wright said there were 3,345 absentee ballot applications sent out and 892 ballots have been returned. He said there are 21,487 registered voters in VBT and there is no such thing as a small election. He said new state law says you do not need a reason to vote absentee;
• Learned the Belleville Area Museum is having a Halloween Party from 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 31 during downtown trick or treating in the city. McNamara said the museum’s floor was being worked on right now;
• Watched two videos created by Ryan Nichols — one of Coffee with a Cop at McDonald’s and one of the Master Plan meetings; and
• Heard McNamara say that evening’s meeting was being streamed on YouTube for the first time.