Sumpter Township Board holds special meeting wearing masks

Five members of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees, wearing face masks, met in a special, 32-minute meeting May 5 to take care of business and cancel the rest of the regular meetings in May to comply with the governor’s Stay Home order.
The meetings canceled had been set for May 12 and May 26.
Absent from the May 5 meeting were Trustee Don LaPorte, who was called out “excused” by Clerk Esther Hurst, and Treasurer Ken Bednark, who was not called out “excused.”
The board unanimously approved the fire renewal language to be placed on the Aug. 4 primary ballot and a resolution to support that ballot proposal, which will be for one mill for four years.
A resolution presented to pay essential workers duty pay of $5 an hour was amended by Deputy Supervisor Karen Armatis who said it should have said the extra pay was for union employees only. Armatis was also wearing a mask.
The masked township attorney Rob Young said the section that says salaried workers would be paid this duty pay was to be eliminated.
Trustee Matthew Oddy said he supported paying $5 more per hour as duty pay for police and fire employees, but for those working inside the office (with the doors locked), he supported $2 per hour duty pay.
Trustee Oddy said police and fire employees interact with the residents at a higher rate.
Young said the new wording eliminated non-union employees and reduced those receiving the extra pay to AFSCME workers.
“We’ll make changes to the resolution,” Young said, implying after the board approves new wording, he will change it to make it comply with their wishes.
“We’re not changing the terms of the contract,” Young said.
Public Safety Director/Police Chief Eric Luke, also wearing a mask, requested Fire Chief Joe Januszyk also receive this duty pay because he goes out on the runs. He is not a union employee.
Oddy stated the resolution says “all department employees” in the police and fire departments and that would cover both Chief Januszyk and Chief Luke.
Oddy said the resolution says the pay would be from April 6 to May 3, but the governor has extended the Stay at Home order until May 15, and so they extended the pay until May 15. [Two days later the governor extended the Stay Home order to May 28.] According to the resolution, the township board could extend the duty pay.
In other business at the May 5 meeting, the board:
• Approved posting signage that, when facilities are reopened to the public, upon entering the township hall and senior center a mask or face covering is required;
• Approved purchasing a UniMac commercial turnout gear washer for the fire department from Universal Laundry Machinery at a cost of $7,596. Public Safety Director Luke said this washer has been considered for a year and it is to make sure after the turnout gear is covered with toxins producted by a fire it will be clean when it is put back on. He said it will take three to four weeks to get the washer;
• Approved giving a $5,200 raise to Finance Director Michelle Cole, who was hired last August for a four-day work week at an annual salary of $60,000. Trustee Oddy said this was to compensate her for extra duties: taking over water department payments and supervising Roxanne Bardell;
• Approved advertising for a building department clerk due to the resignation of Brad Wheelock;
• Approved giving Supervisor John Morgan authority to call back furloughed workers;
• Approved payments through March 31, 2020, totaling $90,014.23;
• Approved check run of April 15, 2020, totaling $90,362.78;
• Approved check run of April 29, 2020 totaling $153,570.03; and
• Extended authorization approved at the March 24, 2020 regular board meeting for payment of essential bills and warrants with finance director review and approval (as directed by post audit policy) through May 29, 2020.
(On Monday, the township finally put the video of the April 2 special meeting on You Tube so it can be viewed by the public, along with the May 5 special meeting.)