Sumpter OKs special land use for self-serve car wash on 4-1 vote

Commenting that the he did not think there was enough room for a car wash at the busy Bemis/Sumpter intersection, Sumpter Township Supervisor Tim Bowman cast the only no vote for special land use for the project at the board’s regular meeting on Jan. 23.
Special land use passed 4-1, with Clerk Esther Hurst, Treasurer Bart Patterson, and Trustees Matt Oddy and Tim Rush voting yes. Trustees Peggy Morgan and Donald LaPorte were absent and excused.
Trustee Oddy, board liaison to the planning commission, explained the project that had been sent on the board for special land use approval. He said it still has to get site plan approval and there are several concerns.
He said the site of the former Zino’s Pizza place is .38 acre in size and was deemed large enough for a self-service car wash. He stressed it was not like the car wash across from Meijer that had people working there.
Some of the concerns are the sewer system is a pressurized system and Water and Sewer Director John Danci is concerned about the sediments off the cars and the underground tanks. Oddy said Danci is concerned about the size of the pipes and that the parking lot will have to change in elevation to drain towards Bemis Road. Also, the water will have to be pushed along.
Oddy said there also is discussion about left-turn signs on Bemis for access in or out.
Clerk Hurst asked about the Zino’s building and Oddy said it would be removed.
In other business at the 49-minute workshop and regular meeting combined, the board:
• Approved the draft of a long-term maintenance agreement and the Wayne County required resolution #2024-02 supporting the development of two additional stormwater/retention ponds to be located on Carleton Farms Landfill, contingent upon the attorney’s language in the draft being approved by the attorney, Township Manager Tony Burdick and Hennessey Engineers;
• Approved the supervisor’s appointment of Paul Armstrong to the planning commission with a term to expire Jan. 23, 2027;
• Approved paying $1,300 for Samantha Herman to attend the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerk’s basic class March 17-22;
• Approved entering into the interlocal agreement for the newly created Washtenaw Area Mutual Aid Council;
• Approved Resolution 2024-01 which authorizes use of Automated Clearing House arrangements and electronic funds transfers by Sumpter Township;
• Approved the job descriptions for Director of Public Safety/Police Chief, Township Fire Chief, Finance Director, and Director of Water, Sewer, and Public Works;
• Approved third-quarter budget amendments;
• Heard Manager Burdick say the fire millage needs to be replaced this year for the 2024 tax bill. It will be on the August or November ballot. Clerk Hurst said the fire millage now is 1 mill and the information given to the board said 1.5 mill. Burdick said they are considering whether to have one question of 1.5 mill or the renewal of 1 mill and a new millage of .5 mill;
• Heard Treasurer Bart Patterson remind board members of the cybersecurity person, David Behen of SenCy, who spoke to them last April and how a proposal to hire the firm will be on the next board agenda. Trustee Rush said the township has to have a policy. He said an interruption in township business could cost more than what they are charging, although the figure was not mentioned. “It’s something we have to do to protect the township,” Rush said;
• Heard Burdick say in negotiations with the COAM union a MERS retirement program was set up to help both the employee and the township prepare for retirement. He said there will be one in February and one in March and both parties elected to give 50-month notice on their leaving. He said he will identify them at the next meeting;
• Heard Todd Blackburn of Judd Road complain about condition of the roads. He told of his frustrations of trying to deal with the county with his requests for service for the past two months. He said County Commissioner Al Haidous’ employee Eric even mispronounced his road as “Jood” in taking his messages showing he didn’t know anything about Sumpter. He said he knows government is corrupt and envelopes are passed around. He said he made no aspersions on the Sumpter government, but he needs their help because the roads are impassable;
• Heard Deputy Clerk Karen Armatis report that resident Mary Ban called her to say she couldn’t attend that night’s meeting, but to please complain about the roads on her behalf;
• Heard Finance Director Scott Holtz give a finance report, noting all of their investments are over 5% in interest now and he has moved $18,000 in ARPA funds interest into the capital funds project account. He said his concern is that the township seems to be spending more and more of the royalties and spending what comes in;
• Heard Water & Sewer Director John Danci report that there was a pre-construction meeting on the Rawsonville Road water line and construction should start next week. The work will take from two to two and a half weeks and the road will not be closed but barrels will be put up along the shoulder;
• Heard Danci also explain that the water line that froze at the community center was 30-40 feet to the west of where it broke last year. He said after it got fixed they put up heat tape until it could be permanently addressed. “They’re in an old building and it gets cold,” he said;
• Learned Rachel Scott, who has been a fire fighter for five years, will be used to fill the 90-temporary role at the Water & Sewer Department. Danci said they had only two union workers and him in the department. He said he hopes to get a full-time worker in next year’s budget on March 31; and
• Heard Treasurer Patterson say that receiving credit card payments over the phone was never approved by the board and instituted by one individual. He said this is a security threat since identification cannot be verified. He said it is in the best interest of the township not to take payments by phone. People can pay over the internet, he said.