Sumpter Twp. board votes to donate $5,000 to Republic litigation

The Sumpter Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its Sept. 10 regular meeting to contribute $5,000 toward the litigation opposing toxic waste disposal in Van Buren Township, with the donation subject to the review of Sumpter Township attorney Rob Young.
This agenda item was added to the end of the agenda during the meeting.
Supervisor Tim Bowman said he got a phone call from VBT Supervisor Kevin McNamara saying that several communities were donating money to try to stop the radioactive waste from being brought to the landfill on the I-94 North Service Drive.
Supervisor Bowman said McNamara told him each participating community is putting up $5,000 and asked if Sumpter could do the same. He said he is asking the board to consider this, subject to the township attorney’s opinion.
“We’re within a stone’s throw,” said Trustee Peg Morgan, who made the motion to put this on the agenda.
“It’s not going to end at $5,000,” responded attorney Young. “We have to be realistic.” He said it is a complicated case. They are asking for injunctive relief and the lawyers are trying to put a hold on this, but that’s not the end.
He asked if Canton was leading the litigation and Bowman said it was.
“Normally, these things take on a life of their own,” Young said, adding the township could put in the $5,000 initially because time is of the essence and then this would give Young time to look into what they are going to do next.
Bowman said the Canton Township attorney is leading the litigation.
“They have to have some plan,” Young said, adding he would talk to the Canton attorney.
Trustee Tim Rush said what is coming is low-level nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project in New York state. He said the 18 communities in the Council of Western Wayne planned to vote on the issue on Sept. 13.
Trustee Rush said the main problem is that it will take a lot of trucks and it just takes one accident.
A member of the audience said she just purchased a house in Canton, three miles from the landfill and her son has auto immune disease. She is very worried, she said, and she came to the meeting to find out about the landfill. She told of the stories of people who got cancer and they were seven miles from Lewiston, NY where the radioactive waste is coming from to Van Buren. She said she will tour the landfill Sept. 17 with a group of people who are concerned. She said she won’t stop talking about stopping the shipments and the board applauded her comments.
Trustee Rush invited her to attend the CWW meeting later that week in Huron Township where the subject will be discussed.
The township board held a closed-door session on the topic of the Republic Landfill on Sept. 17. The minutes of the Sept. 17 meeting, that was 46 minutes long, say the board voted “to direct the attorney to proceed” with no details.
Another closed-door session to discuss the same topic was scheduled for the end of the Sept. 24 regular meeting.
In other business at the hour-long regular meeting on Sept. 10, the board:
• Heard an audit report by Rana Emmons of Post, Smythe, Lutz, and Ziel. She said the “unmodified results” are the highest result possible and it was a “clean audit.” She said the interest income was way up, to $112,000 in the general fund alone. the township showed a 6.75% increase in property values, and once you take away the 5% inflation, the growth is significantly above other communities. She noted the pension liabilities are 83% funded. She said she missed the past meeting because she didn’t know she was on the agenda;
• Removed Item B from the agenda: approval to establish the new Sumpter Township Recreation Committee with Nicole VanAssche as appointed chairperson, pending background approval. Township manager Burdick said more information is needed;
• Heard Burdick report the community center doors and campus parking lot projects are this month, recycle area is complete, Graham Park playscape is next spring, the police department window and flooring bids will be on the next agenda, and the Graham Park tree bids close Sept. 18. There have been three interviews for DPW Director and a tentative selection. He said it has been learned Spicer Group did the work on the Rawsonville water line;
• Heard attorney Young ask the board to put a new motion on the agenda regarding the location of slaughterhouses. He wants the board to direct the planning commission to hold a public hearing on the issue and to address other ordinances that need updating. The board unanimously passed the new agenda item. Young said, “You can’t outlaw them completely, but you can determine where they go”;
• Heard firefighter Jaimie Goode explain that new program on risk assessment of special needs families, a project he had started before COVID and now is back in play. Dispatch and HVA will have information on family needs as well as the fire department. He also is working on getting smoke detectors for seniors that will be provided by MI Prevention and heart classes for seniors;
• Approved emergency water main repairs at 44750 Willow Rd. and payment to Diversified Excavation of $6,300;
• Approved paying $56,400 to Diversified Excavation for the recycling concrete pad approved on July 9 and paid with federal ARPA funds;
• Approved the agreement for Wayne County WIC for rent in the amount of $21,207 for three years, effective Oct. 1;
• Approved the payout of $3,347.37 to former DPW Director John Danci for the final benefits bank time he earned while working for the township;
• Approved adoption of the township-wide Cash Handling Policy developed by the Investment Committee;
• Approved paying not to exceed $2,100 for the deputy treasurer and the finance director to attend the MGFOA in Frankenmuth, Sept. 29-Oct. 2; and
• Heard a spokesperson for resident Mary Ban, who usually attends the meetings, thank the fire fighters for helping Mary. She also reported Mary is back home.