Sumpter decides to sells its properties through Moving the Mitten

The Sumpter Township Board of Trustees voted 6-1 to sell eight properties it owns through Moving the Mitten real estate firm in Belleville. Trustee Peggy Morgan voted no.
At its regular meeting June 14, the unfinished business item on the agenda to sell the properties through Braun & Helmer Auction Service was removed by a unanimous vote.
Supervisor Tim Bowman made the motion to go with Moving the Mitten who he said of the three realtors he contacted did the most background work. All three agreed to 5% commission and the commission will be paid by the buyer.
Trustee Matt Oddy suggested a $3,000 escrow paid with each offer. He also suggested Supervisor Bowman publicly give the listing prices for the properties, which he did:
• Sumpter Rd., 9.32 acres, in commercial district, $75,000, parcel ID 81-016-99-0014-715;
• Wear Rd., 9.75 acres, $100,000, parcel ID 81-080-99-0016-000;
• Martinsville Rd., 68.38 acres, $275,000; parcel ID 81-102-99-0006-000;
• Willow Rd., 3.56 acres, $60,000, parcel ID 81-114-99-0014-010;
• Willow Rd., 3.54 acres, $30,000, parcel ID 81-114-99-0014-011;
• Willow Rd., 1.52 acres, $125,000, parcel ID 81-114-99-0014-712;
• Rawsonville Rd., 67.95 acres, $500,000, parcel ID 81-122-99-0007-701;
• Martinsville Rd., 14.62 acres, $100,000, parcel ID 81-136-99-0012-000.
In other business at the June 14 meeting, the board:
• Held a moment of silence in memory of Mary Sherwood, who was a member of the planning commission, and faithfully attended board meetings for many years;
• Approved hiring Allison Reed as a paid-on-call fire fighter, contingent on her passing a physical and drug test;
• Approved moving the starting pay for the statutory employee positions of deputy treasurer and deputy clerk, which is currently $25 per hour, to be $3 per hour above the 90-day union office clerk pay rate, which is currently $23.41 and adjust the hourly pay of the current deputy treasurer to $26.41 effective June 15. The motion carried 4-3, with nay votes from Trustees Don LaPorte and Peggy Morgan and Treasurer Vincent Warren, who thought the deputy clerk and deputy treasurer should be paid the same. During pandemic, the deputy clerk was given a raise to $27 an hour by board action and Clerk Esther Hurst said she didn’t think he should get a cut in pay;
• Approved an updated investment policy;
• Tabled the recommendation of Finance Director Scott Holtz to use the maturing certificate of deposit at the Public Service Credit Union totaling $227,097.94 for the township’s unfunded pension liability. Some board members wanted to wait for the most recent actuarial report to see where Sumpter stands on the liabilities. The state wants at least 80% and most recently Sumpter was 79%;
• Approved on a 6-1 vote, with Trustee Morgan voting no, a motion to finalize specifications, solicit, publish, and accept sealed bids for the replacement of the fairgrounds fencing and gates. Bids will be opened at 3 p.m., July 8. Trustee Morgan said a very upset Mrs. Hoffman called her to say the township had torn down her fence when it tore down the fairgrounds fencing. It’s been five weeks and she wants her fencing fixed now. Bowman said he didn’t know that wasn’t the township fence and when the contractor asked him he said to tear it down. Finance Director Holtz said because of the cost it needs to go out for bids. Bowman said it was a part of the fencing bids the township is seeking;
• Heard Bowman talk about how the township should buy the 35 acres adjoining the fairgrounds and the half acre owned by former Sumpter Police Chief Brown adjoining the property, as well. He said the township will need to build a new township hall in the future;
• Heard Trustee Morgan say only six or seven people are on the Parks and Recreation Commission and there used to be 15-20 members when they did the festival plus lots of volunteers. She wondered if there would be more festivals. Bowman said he would like to get rid of Parks and Recreation and hire a recreation director and an event coordinator. He said there will be more festivals. Sharon Pokerwinski said there are 12 members — seven alternates and six permanent — and they are still doing a good job. She said they not only had a problem with COVID, but the with the illnesses of some members, including her and her husband. She said Bowman wants to do away with the commission and that’s not going to happen. Bowman said he could do that and she replied that if he does, he won’t be reelected;
• Heard Pokerwinski also say a person came up to speak at the last board meeting two weeks earlier and a board member tore him apart. She said a resident should be allowed to speak to the board without being harassed and have a meeting scheduled with him, not just being called out of order;
• Heard resident Corey Blue discuss how the commercial property for sale on Sumpter Road near his home was appraised with comparisons to three residential properties. He also addressed possible conflicts of interest in the upcoming property sales;
• Heard resident Mary Ban say she was sorry to hear about the death of Mary Sherwood who was a wonderful friend with a brilliant mind and a great supporter of the township. “I will miss her vitality,” Ban said. She also said the meeting at the library to get information on the museum was a trick played on the public because of the format of the “meeting.” She said it was “an unfortunate dirty trick” played by Van Buren Township. She said one of the questions was to say if you approved of the museum having a “party structure to it” in the old fire hall, now attached to the museum. She said a lot of people were disappointed in the session which was not a meeting;
• Learned Wayne County had hired a contractor to cut Sumpter Township ditches for three years and they are doing a good job, starting on the main roads;
• Heard DPW Director John Danci report that his department has been licensed by the state to spray around the fire hydrants to keep vegetation from hiding the hydrants. Anyone interested in getting the specific paperwork can contact him, he said; and
• Heard Dale Biniecki of Monroe, a Republican candidate in the August primary for a 31st District House seat, introduce himself and promise to stay after the meeting to talk to voters.