Sumpter OKs moving solar farms from AG District to Heavy Industrial

The Sumpter Township Board of Trustees approved the planning commission’s recommendation to approve a solar farm ordinance amendment at its regular Nov. 28 meeting.
The amendment moves solar farms from Section 4.6.2 Special Land Uses in Agricultural District to I-2 Heavy Industrial District, Permitted Land Uses, Section 4.16.1(g).
In other business at the 54-minute workshop/regular meeting, the board:
• Approved the 2024 dates for township workshops and regular meetings;
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointment of Kathie Steigerwald to the Zoning Board of Appeals with a term to expire Dec. 17, 2026;
• Approved the proposal from Burnham & Flower for the 2024 medical, vision, and dental employee benefits totaling $51,703 monthly, a 7.4% increase;
• Approved the new township employment application for immediate use;
• Approved closing township hall for the employee holiday luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 13;
• Approved the updated contract for Cari Ford accounting services;
• Approved the proposed Quarter 2 budget amendments;
• Removed from the agenda a proposal to approve the updated cemetery ordinance. It is expected to be on the Dec. 12 agenda for consideration (but was not on that agenda);
• Approved with regrets the resignation of fire fighter Eric Powell as of Nov. 21;
• Approved, with regrets, the employment separation of Michael Petrowski of the DPW with the total benefits bank payout of $5,196.66. Burdick praised the work of Petrowski, but said he has been struggling with an illness for the last six months and has used up all his benefits as of the end of November. He is looking into COBRA benefits, Burdick said, adding, Petrowski is still not diagnosed, but his doctor will not allow him to come back to work;
• Approved the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) obligations’ requirement for City, Village, Township Revenue Sharing (CVTRS) compliance for reporting on Dec. 7. The amount was amended to $294,000, up from the original $250,000;
• Approved the TNT Tree Service proposal for $12,450, for total tree and stump removal in Martinsville Cemetery on a 5-1 vote with Supervisor Tim Bowman voting no and Trustee Peggy Morgan absent and excused from the meeting. Supervisor Bowman did not explain his vote;
• Heard Mary Ban ask, under public comment, if Sumpter Township exists because residents have no day-to-day news about what is happening. She said the township’s announced newspaper of record, The Eagle, available only on line, doesn’t help because a lot of residents don’t do on-line. She said elections are coming up next year and people will remember the poor communications it got from this board. Ban also said she would be going to the grand opening of the Belleville Area Museum on Dec. 1 and she will ask them if they have preserved Sumpter’s artifacts, since it has been closed for almost four years; and
• Heard Trustee Matthew Oddy suggest the township send congratulations to the Belleville High School football team that came in runner up to the state title. “Those young men did a great job out on the field,” Oddy said, noting they came up a few points short at the end.