Sumpter closes township after COVID in treasurer’s office

During a 36-minute special zoom meeting at noon on Friday, the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to close township hall and to reopen on Monday, May 10. Although it was not announced at the meeting, informed sources said the closure was necessary due to COVID in the treasurer’s office.
Trustee Don LaPorte was unable to attend the noon meeting because of work requirements. Clerk Esther Hurst signed in to her zoom attendance from Burlington, N.C. and Trustee Matthew Oddy signed in from his job in Detroit. Supervisor Tim Bowman zoomed in from his truck at a Sumpter work site.
Attorney Rob Young said “the story broke” Thursday morning, April 29, about 8:30 or 9 a.m. Then, Public Safety Director Eric Luke, Finance Director/Deputy Supervisor Michelle Cole and Young got together and made the decision that was necessary.
“They acted the way they should,” Young said. “Had to do what we had to do.”
On Thursday morning a sign was posted on the township hall door that said the building was closed “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
“The township board has the beginning and end say in this,” Young said, noting that is why the meeting was called to officially close township hall.
At the beginning of the zoom meeting, Treasurer Jim Clark announced he just got up from an hour-long nap and board members told him sleep was a good way to heal. At the end of the meeting, board members gave good wishes to Treasurer Clark and Deputy Treasurer Toni Clark to get well soon.
Deputy Supervisor Cole said she had done research that shows the incubation period is seven to ten days and ten days would end up as May 7 for the building to be closed, with the reopening on May 10.
She said they would allow the May 4 Monroe Intermediate School District election to take place, but would limit access to township hall. Payroll could continue. Cole said she has tested negative.
She said Deputy Clerk Anthony Burdick has scheduled the office to be sprayed at 1 p.m. that day (Friday).
Clerk Hurst said the clerk’s office has to be available to receive and give out ballots on Sunday, May 2, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Deputy Clerk Burdick said they will do as they have done before: Meet people at the front door and conduct the business there. He said he has to be there and there is no way to avoid it.
“I have to be here Sunday,” Burdick said. “I test negative.” He said he has to be at the township hall Monday and for the Tuesday election. He said he will keep election personnel in the gym across the street from township hall and he will do a lot of running back and forth across Sumpter Road for the election.
Cole said she called the bank and the township can proceed with payroll as it does normally and Treasurer Clark or Deputy Treasurer Clark can transfer funds for the payroll with telephone approval.
“Who will check on who’s positive and negative?” asked Trustee Peggy Morgan of the testing.
Cole said they are not allowed to announce the results, but she and Burdick will keep track.
“We have a COVID emergency plan we have to follow or we could amend,” Young said. “MIOSHA could come in and check. We need to adhere to that. If it needs changes, we change it.”
Trustee Tim Rush suggested they remind everyone via email, “If you feel under the weather in any way, please don’t come to work.”
Young said they could do that, but it’s in the plan. Not suggested, but mandated. It’s what the township adopted and is mandated by the state.
He said he knows how frustrated everyone is. He said the pandemic is still impacting and the board needs to stay on point.
“Now that we have an incident, a follow-up review could report how this happened,” said Trustee Matt Oddy. He said it’s an emergency situation now. If the township has to answer to MIOSHA it will have a report.
Cole said she and Burdick are putting a report together.
Trustee Peggy Morgan asked if they could put a plan together so they don’t have to call a special meeting.
Young said if the board wants to assign aspects they could. This could change and have other people affected, he said.
“I see no problem with having the executive board make decision or have a trustee step in if one of the executive board isn’t able,” she said.
Trustee Rush said it is nice to be able to react quickly with an emergency meeting by zoom with a quorum. He said they would have to legislate what can be done.
Morgan said she was thinking of other things to be done and said in the past board members were called one by one to say whether they agreed or disagreed.
“I hope we aren’t taking votes by phone,” Young said. “That doesn’t pass the muster.”
Item two from the emergency agenda was: “Consider approval of interim appointment due to recent events.”
Trustee Oddy asked if they were removing that item.
Young said the purpose of the item is that different departments have to have a plan in place.
“It sounds like the issue we have with payroll is worked out with the bank on the transfer of funds,” Oddy said. “Once the amount is set, the Clarks call and approve it. The things have to stay in the lockbox because we’re closed.”
Hurst said the next agenda would be thin because people won’t be at the township hall while it is closed.
When Morgan made a motion to remove Item B, Young said he hates to upset things, but the township hasn’t addressed if the water department is working. He asked about late penalties and said, “We have to monitor this.”
Cole said the water department is working and all have their vaccines. She said the only person possibly exposed has been vaccinated. She said they are not assessing penalties already because of COVID.
Oddy wanted details about the possible exposure.
Cole said there was six feet of space between the water employee and the infected person. Masks were worn and they were together less than 15 minutes.
Oddy said employees can answer their phones from home from the water department. “They’re being paid,” he said.
Cole said the township has the ability to transfer calls.
Oddy asked if they have put it on cable and the website and Cole said they were waiting for this meeting until the township was officially closed.
Oddy said one employee can work and one doesn’t and both are paid.
“If they can’t come into the office, they are paid anyway,” Cole said. “COVID protocol.”
“I’ve been coming into the building each day, checking messages and forwarding to the correct extensions,” Burdick said, it shows a response to the calls. But the extension are getting filled up.
Cole said she will be working from home and set up all that’s been covered.