The Sumpter Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved construction of a three-part custom table built by Jeffrey Lominac, Sr., and Jeffrey Lominac, Jr., at a cost of $6,500.
At the board’s work/study session on Jan. 8, Deputy Supervisor Karen Armatis said they want to move the board table forward to the first step of the raised platform so there is more room behind the table, so a chair and desk can be set up for commissions with many members and so a wheelchair could fit back there, if needed.
She said the present board table has been in place since the building was built in the 1970s.
She said Lominac did work on the Ave Maria Church, “which is Tom Monaghan’s church.” [She did not explain this comment, but the Monaghan she referred to could have been founder of Domino’s Pizza, former owner of the Detroit Tigers, and conservative Catholic.]
Lominac, Sr., said they would set up shop in a building the township will provide and build the furniture in three sections. He said the polyurethane coating will be very strong when it is applied.
“It will outlast everyone in this room,” Lominac, Sr. said of his furniture.
“While I understand the new table is budgeted, I would like to wait until after the 2019-20 public budget workshops, which I have proposed and discussed with Finance Director [Scott] Holtz,” said Treasurer Ken Bednark. “Instead of piecemeal work on the building, I would like to have an overall look at the whole thing.
“We need to take a more holistic approach to renovating this 1970s building and I propose we develop a Building Capital Improvement Program to implement during the next fiscal year.
“These chairs are about as old as the table,” Bednark said, adding that people need to see where all the dollars are going. He said the board table is not falling down and a capital improvement program would cover more things than this table, maybe some chairs.
“I’m not getting any younger,” complained Lominac, Sr.
Clerk Esther Hurst said the plan was to order the chairs after the board table was complete.
Finance Director Holtz said it was his idea to update the public area first.
Lominac said the board can put the three pieces in storage when they are building their new building and then take it out again to use.
“You’re getting a piece of furniture,” Lominac, Sr. said.
Part-time clerk in Treasurer’s Office
Also on the agenda was a request from Bednark to hire a part-time clerical position to work in the Treasurer’s Office, not to exceed 20 hours per week, no benefits, subject to a background check and not to exceed $18 an hour.
After some squabbling, and Bednark pushing strongly for help for his department, the vote was taken during the regular meeting with no votes against the move, although some board members did not vote at all.
The discussion began with Supervisor John Morgan noting the main source of income for the township is derived from the landfill, and this amount has gone down. Instead of hiring a person just for the treasurer’s office, he said they should get someone who will be able to work in any department and go to the senior citizens when needed.
Director Holtz said they have 1.5 full time equivalent positions that are budgeted for but not allocated. By not paying anyone, they are saving money.
Bednark said the office of the treasurer is the busiest of all the offices in the building because ultimately, when they leave one of the other offices, they come to the treasurer’s office because there is a fee. He has bullet-proof glass on his window.
“Cross training will not work,” Bednark said, adding the key to his staff is to have enough people for busy times.
“Prior to the holiday break, I thanked Supervisor Morgan for the on-boarding assistance his deputy provided and told him that her services would no longer be needed and she can focus on the duties of deputy supervisor.
“Since that time, Deputy [Vern] Morse and I have made great strides, but we are under resourced. Jokingly, I have said the training-wheels are now off and it is time to ride and ride we will.
“I am building the office of the treasurer from the ground up and a part-time clerical person would be a substantial benefit. Finance Director Holtz indicated in his finance report that we can allocate funds without increasing the existing budget. So, I am asking the board to approve this position in accordance with my request,” Bednark concluded.
Trustee Matt Oddy said obviously it’s a win if the township can use the existing budgeted funds. “But, it’s win-win to use staff we already have. I do agree you need additional help… In the past the water clerk was in the office.”
Bednark said just he and his deputy are running the office. He said the clerk directly reported to the water department.
“If you saw my budget, it’s very anemic…” Bednark continued. “We don’t need people who are stressed … I’m not in favor of moving people around … You lose accountability… I need this board to give me the resources I need … Unless I get proper staffing in there, you can expect problems.”
Oddy said they worked hard with the union to make sure employees can cross-train and work in different departments.
“My concern is my department,” Bednark said.
Oddy told Bednark not to interrupt him.
“I want a stand-alone office,” Bednark said. “I will see to it that I have a stand-alone office … We recently hired a new building clerk.” He said he is moving Anna back and needs another part-time employee. “It pays to have reserve capacity. There are ebbs and floes in that office … If you question anything I’m telling you, shadow me for a week and I’ll give you my pay,” Bednark said to the trustees.
Oddy said Anna was under the supervisor and Supervisor Morgan said, “I wouldn’t get in the way.”
“I didn’t know about Anna,” Oddy said.
Bednark said in the past, the treasurer’s office did have three, full-time people there and he saw Deputy Supervisor Armatis more in the treasurer’s office than in the supervisor’s office.
“Then, we had an implosion,” Bednark said. “I’ve been in office one-and-a-half months and I’ve been running it with Vern. I have less people than before.”
“Will this free you up so people can pay taxes on line?” asked Trustee Don LaPorte.
“I’m working on it,” Bednark said.
Trustee LaPorte said they all are here to serve the public.
“I’ll get it done. You watch and see,” Bednark said.
Oddy wanted to change the agenda item wording to indicate the existing funds will be reallocated for the treasurer’s office.
Clerk Hurst pointed out that the allocated funds were for a union employee and this new employee will be cheaper because there are no benefits.
In other business at the Jan. 8 meeting, the board:
• Approved the second reading and adoption of opting out of the permitted use of Commercial Marihuana Facilities in the township to take effect 30 days after publication;
• Approved the annual Wayne County resolutions for annual maintenance permits, pavement restoration, and special events;
• Approved sending Deputy Treasurer Morse to Tax I and Tax II BS&A training in a two-day session in February, at a cost not to exceed $750. The knowledge gained will benefit the office, Bednark said;
• Approved Guardian alarm security updates for the township hall at a cost of $1,500, pending final monitoring agreement review for five years, as requested by Trustee Tim Rush. This was not budgeted. Trustee Rush said the system installed here goes back 12 years. He said the updates would give significant security enhancements to the building;
• Approved a letter of intent to prevent automatic renewal of Guardian Alarm contracts for six facilities, as requested by Trustee Rush. These agreements come up for automatic renewal in the first and second quarters of 2019. “The money we’re paying is way beyond the normal,” said Rush, adding Guardian is a good company;
• Approved hiring Kenneth Wayne Toney as a full-time police officer, contingent upon him successfully passing a physical in addition to psychological and drug testing. Toney, a long-time resident of Sumpter Township is a 26-year veteran of the Van Buren Township Police Department and will retire from there on Jan. 15. Sumpter Public Safety Director/Police Chief Eric Luke said he has known Toney for his whole career. “Kenneth is very well-respected in not only law-enforcement circles, but also the community as a whole, showing himself to be an excellent police officer,” Chief Luke said. “From his interactions with the public, his work ethic, his attitude, his experience, and his overall demeanor, Kenneth will be a great fit for the department and the residents we serve.” Toney replaces Jerry Cox, who resigned in September.
• Heard Trustee Oddy ask about the policy on overdue water bills and Holtz said they could ask Anna to monitor the shutoffs. Oddy suggested asking the head of the water department to come in and explain the policy on shutoffs. Bednark said a lot of people have been coming in to pay and if the balance gets to $400 in arrears, they can’t work with them any more. “We can’t just shut them off,” Bednark said, noting a payment policy can be set up. “I agree we need to bring the Water Department head in here.” Oddy said they should let people know what options they have. “We have to have a standard procedure that applied to everyone,” Oddy said. Trustee LaPorte said maybe they could alert them to programs for the needy;
• Heard Treasurer Bednark thank water department personnel John Krushlin, Randy Lynch, and Mike Petroski, along with Brad Wheelock from the building department, for their assistance earlier that day in moving some very heavy file cabinets to make space for a conference table and clerical area;
• Heard Supervisor Morgan say $367 was raised by women in the office to wear jeans. The money is used to help people in the community;
• Heard loud feedback noises in the sound system during the meeting until Trustee Rush called out: “Karen, tell him to stop working on it until our meeting is over,” which sent Armatis rushing into the main offices. Bednark announced that he has friends who have tweeted him that the live video feed of the board meeting on cable is fine, but the audio is going in and out. Armatis later said that this was the second meeting being cablecast live. She said in the future the public will not only get the cablecast live but recorded cablecasts. She said she is setting up training. Another loud noise reverberated through the board room. The cablecasts of the meetings have been off for a year;
• Heard Mary Ban say there has been a total neglect of the gravel roads by Wayne County. She also referred to an article in the Wall Street Journal that she had given to Armatis for distribution to the board. It was about the dangers of marijuana. She said the governor has assigned the new head of LARA [Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs], Orlene Hawks, whose husband is a lobbyist for cannibis. She asked if this was a conflict of interest, since LARA oversees the new marijuana law. Ban also reported that a year after Van Buren Township made its changes to the 48111 zip code, she still is getting half of her mail in Sumpter delivered with a VBT address;
• Heard Barry Robinson ask Supervisor Morgan if he is accepting the insurance opt-out payment of $1,000 per month along with the salary of $22,000? He received no reply. Robinson said that money could help people in the community, since some live on $500 to $600 a month and can’t eat. To attorney Rob Young [who was pretty silent during the meeting since he was sick with a raspy throat and reportedly on antibiotics] Robinson stated that Young made comments at a recent meeting about who was in Robinson’s car and said that was none of Young’s business, like who is in Young’s house is none of Robinson’s business. [Robinson referred to the time the Independent asked to hitch a ride to court in downtown Detroit and Robinson complied.] “I am an elected precinct delegate,” Robinson said. “And, I will be out there talking to people every day and will not be intimidated by anyone. You need to stop that”; and
• Heard Adrian Slaughter ask about the negotiations with the dump that attorney Young had reported under way for many months. “Today, we’re told by Mr. Holtz the revenue is going down. Where are we with the contract?” Young said the township agreed to a fast-track agreement in 1991 for payment for what is dumped. “Over the last decades disposal amounts have gone up and down. After Soave sold, the disposals went down. After another sale, the payments were up. In the past the amounts have been from $1.2 million to $3.5 million. There are no negotiations on this, except for minor adjustments.” He said what is under negotiation is the collection contract, which is being changed because of the merger of Allied and Republic. He said he has been told the week of Jan. 7 he will have a response to his redlined contract response. LaPorte said some of the elected officials have been asking Young about the progress, as well. Slaughter said she turned on the government access channel earlier that day and there was nothing there. She said they used to at least have a logo in the past. Slaughter said the amount of money spent in November was supposed to put it on the air and it’s January now. She said it was supposed to be on in August. She said there was $30,000 and then another $32,000 allocated for this system, “that somewhere included furniture” and it’s still not up and running properly. “I don’t care who gets angry at me … I have a right to ask any question. If you don’t agree with something, stand up and ask,” she said to members of the community. “For $62,000, I could have had this up and running right now.” The audience applauded.