VBT Board takes four hours to approve budgets, all on 6-1 votes

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
With a few hours to spare, the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees held public hearings on 18 of its budgets before the end of the year, as required by state law, and then passed them all.
All votes were 6-1, with Trustee Reggie Miller voting no each time.
The budget session started at 4 p.m. on Dec. 30 and ended more than four hours later at 8:06 p.m.
It was the public comment that took most of the time. At one point, during a five-minute break, Supervisor Linda Combs called the police department to send over an officer or two to be on hand to restore order in case speaker John Delaney got farther out of hand. He had been speaking loudly and refused to stop talking.
Police assistance turned out not to be necessary, although several officers were on hand, on and off, for the rest of the meeting.
Delaney was critical of a long line of issues, including the time of the meeting (4 p.m. instead of 7 p.m., when working people in the community could attend), not getting the budget to study before the Dec. 16 meeting (he said, not to worry, he stole one to study), ongoing complaints about past Supervisor Paul White (who wouldn’t put dust prevention on the private road Delaney lives on), expanding the DDA, and many more.
In four separate votes, board members approved:
• A resolution approving the Water and Sewer fee schedule;
• The 2014 amended Water and Sewer Budget and the 2015 proposed Water and Sewer Budget (including the 6% raise in water and sewer rates);
• The 2014 amended General Fund Budget ($13,165,269), the 2015 proposed General Fund Budget ($14,029,375), and the 2015 Salaried Employee Wage Schedule; and
• The 2014 Amended and 2015 Proposed Special Revenue Fund Budgets, which lumped all of the eight funds and their two budgets into one motion.
The Special Revenue Funds are:
1. The federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) as the projects apply to VBT’s fiscal year;
2. Downtown Development Authority (DDA);
3. Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA);
4. Federal Forfeiture Fund;
5. State Forfeiture Fund;
6. E 9-1-1 Service Fund;
7. Landfill Fund; and
8. Belleville Area Museum.
Trustee Miller said her no votes on the Water and Sewer fee schedule and the Water and Sewer budgets were because, although VBT has to cover the raise in price from Detroit, she said she disagrees with the extra tacked on to that amount because, “It’s a hardship on our seniors.”
She said she would vote no on the other budgets because she thought the board needed to look at the strategic plan it worked out last February (in a 7.5-hour session). She said although the board is considering paying down the amount owed on the Visteon bonds, the board needs a budget stabilization plan.
Miller said there needs to be more communication with department heads and the elected officials didn’t need the raises they got in the budget.
“I am voting no because I am facing reality,” Miller said.
Trustee Jeff Jahr said he is facing Miller’s concerns and he commended her for bringing to light the procedural difficulties, “in spite of the late hour.”
He referred to her calling out of the board at its Dec. 16 meeting that said the budget public hearing couldn’t be held that night because it was not posted according to law. That’s why the budget hearing was postponed to Dec. 30 in the middle of the holidays.
Jahr said new positions have been created that are not necessary, but the purchasing of equipment is necessary. He apparently referred to the $100,000 down payment on a new ladder truck.
He said his concerns with parts of the $14 million budget don’t justify a symbolic vote of no.
“We have to adopt this budget,” Jahr said, adding the final document was presented Dec. 16. “If this was November we could all vote symbolically no and go back over it. We have to get the budget approved, so I will vote yes.”
“It’s unfortunate this had to be extended to this late date,” said Trustee Brenda McClanahan. “This is a lot to take in at the last minute … But, it is what it is… We’re doing the best we can… I would have to agree with Trustee Jahr. We need to approve this budget and move on.”
Clerk Leon Wright said board members have agreed to disagree for a common cause.
“We need to work on this throughout the year … but nobody’s perfect,” Wright said. “We have a budget that I think is presentable here.” He said that night’s meeting was one of the best procedures on a budget he’s seen because the board “got comments from everyone.”
After the motion was made to approve the general fund budget, Trustee Phil Hart said, “I don’t think everyone agrees on everything in this budget. We’ll make tough decisions in 2015. But, it’s unconscionable for me to vote no and close down services to the residents.”
Treasurer Sharry Budd also objected to shutting down the township with a no vote. “I will not vote no,” she said.
She also objected to spending more money than is coming into the township, using the landfill funds to make up the difference.
Supervisor Linda Combs said she will set up the calendar for next year’s budget discussions so the board will have plenty of time to go over everything. She said this was her budget and she took full responsibility for the way everything went this year and the lateness of the budget votes.
“We need to look at how we evaluate employees,” Trustee Miller said. “Some got raises some didn’t.”
Trustee Hart agreed, saying they need to focus on performance and need to avoid requests for high-salary increases (possibly referring to the $8,000 raises for the cable director and fire chief).
Earlier in the discussion, Jahr said, “We are not facing the real problem of the township. I share your concern with the salaries. I think they should be uniform.” He referred to Miller’s report that she and Trustee Brenda McClanahan got boosts in their trustee pay to bring them up to the other trustees, where they should have been.
All the elected officials also got 1.5% raises, following what the negotiated AFSCME union contract brought to its members. In fact, all the employees, including salaried personnel (other than those just hired), got the 1.5% raise.
AFSCME
Brenda Kurtz, president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) local, questioned why salaried personnel and elected officials got the raise her union had negotiated. The previous year salaried personnel got the union’s signing bonus, too, although they hadn’t signed any new contracts.
Among other things, she also questioned Clerk Wright’s salary, saying he was taking $5,000 in longevity money he hadn’t earned yet as of Jan. 1.
Wright said the longevity pay was rolled into the salaries and not listed separately on the employee wage schedule for the elected personnel this year.
Kurtz stated the longevity was rolled in and then the 1.5% raise figured to increase that figure. She asked Wright how much his longevity pay was and he said he didn’t know. Then he said it was $250 a year. Times seven years that is $1,750.
The AFSCME contract called for 1.5% raises in 2015 and 2016 and 2.5% raises in 2017 and 2018.
“I negotiated your union contract that is 8% over four years. We’re getting 6%,” Wright said.
“You’re getting 6% in 2015,” Kurtz said, referring to her figures “Can union employees get their 8% in 2015?”
Kurtz said the supervisor told the union they would give 1.5% for salaried employees “and we have an elected official getting more than a 1.5% raise.” She asked how many others were rolling longevity into their pay?
Trustees Hart, Miller, and McClanahan said they do not have longevity pay.
Allen Babosh
Also speaking out at the long meeting was Allen Babosh, who stated the board was following the letter of the law, but not the spirit of the law, in scheduling its budget hearing. He also objected to the raises, not enough money for the police department, more money in the clerk’s office, the overall increase in the general fund budget, and other issues.
Diane Madigan
Diane Madigan said she was told by the clerk he had a letter from the attorney that said he couldn’t give out the budget before it was approved.
“I did not tell you that,” Clerk Wright responded. “I told you I can’t give you a budget for the budget hearing because we haven’t got one.”
“You think I just made it up?” Madigan asked.
“I have to add I also was told by Clerk Wright that the budgets can’t be given out,” said Trustee Miller, adding that she gave her copy of the budget to Madigan to study at a board budget workshop.
“There’s a difference between a budget hearing and public hearing,” Wright said referring to the November workshop session on the budget and the December public hearing.
“It would not be breaking the law if you gave us information,” Madigan said and Clerk Wright said has never held anything back from the public.
Madigan said last year she got the budget from former Deputy Clerk Kathy Cline before the budget workshops.
Madigan focused on the fire department staffing of Station 1, which she said was not always fully staffed by two fire fighters as the people were promised. She said at a fire on Hoeft Road it took 17 minutes to respond because nobody was at Station 1.
Fire Chief Dan Besson explained the Hoeft Road fire happened in 2011-12 and Chief Loyer was on duty then. He said there was a call off on the day shift so only three people were on duty instead of the four.
“I made the decision to move them up to Station 2,” Besson said, adding the Hoeft Road fire was a rekindled fire of a vacant building. He said the fire department had been there four to five hours earlier.
He said it was icy and one of their engines slid into a ditch. He said they have at least one person at the south end, but it’s few and far between that it is only one. He said the Affordable Care Act has set maximum hours they can work and still be part time. He said he tried to anticipate call offs, just in case.
Chief Besson said that’s why he had significant wage increases and the union has proposed a staff position that also was included in the wage numbers.
Supervisor Combs said she doesn’t want shorting on any district.
Chief Besson said a very few times he has had to work the truck himself. He said the supervisor has made it very clear she wants both fire halls staffed 24/7.
After more discussion, Madigan said, “I hope if my house is on fire and my grandma is upstairs, there’s two people on Station 1.”
Senior Director Jordan
Senior Director Lynette Jordan asked if the board members got the email she sent out on Dec. 23. She said she really needs help and asked them for reinstatement of the position of full-time coordinator.
She said the senior membership has increased by at least 50% and she is the only full-time employee. She said the part-time senior specialist was making $8.50 per hour.
Supervisor Combs, who previously served as senior director, said she wrote into the budget two part-time employees at $10 each.
Jordan said her department was the only department in the township with no full-time employees. [The Cable Department has no full-time employees other than the director.] “I need somebody to be there if I’m not there,” Jordan said. “I’ve gone four years and I need help … I realize I’m not public safety … I came in at less than the previous director made in 2009.”
She said she has been told “We don’t give parity,” but the township did several times in the budget.
“I raised the 2015 [membership] fees under the understanding we would get a full-time employee. It’s $20 for residents to have membership… I’m asking you to reevaluate…”
“Was there a promise made?” Trustee McClanahan asked.
“No,” said Supervisor Combs. “I had to compromise. Lynette understands.”
Jordan said the full-time employee was put down to part time when she became director. She said she doesn’t put in a 40 hour week and doesn’t think she ever has. She works many more hours.
“When I see the increases, I keep hearing whose budget it is,” Jordan said, referring to Supervisor Combs’ budget.
At the very end of the meeting Delaney urged the board to shut down the township next December, like the federal government, if the budget isn’t suitable.
“If it takes shutting down this township, so be it,” Delaney said.