Sumpter Supervisor Morgan says attorney will move to audience

Supervisor John Morgan shot down a motion to move the township attorney immediately from the board table, where he has been sitting for more than 20 years, by saying he recommends moving him after the new board table is complete.
This was at the Feb. 26 work/study session of the township board.
After he saw a proposed motion on the agenda to move the attorney, Supervisor Morgan said he emailed all the board members with his recommendation and got no replies, which he read as no dissent.
He said his recommendation would be that after the new board table is done, they will have tables for the deputy clerk and staff members and at that time he suggested moving the attorney to a table in the audience.
Trustee Matthew Oddy said now any time board members have to address staff members everyone in the audience has to turn around to see them at the back of the room. They should be in the front of the room, Trustee Oddy said.
Trustee Don Laporte said he talked to Public Safety Director/Police Chief Eric Luke and he said Chief Luke said he would like to keep a defensive position.
Supervisor Morgan said, “We can make an exception.”
“I was the one who brought this forward,” said Treasurer Ken Bednark, noting recently the deputy clerk, who takes the minutes, was removed from the board table and put at a table by herself in the area behind the board.
Treasurer Bednark said he has yet to find a municipality that has the attorney sitting up with the elected officials.
He said he has no difficulty waiting for the board table to be done. He said the attorney can come up to the microphone to give his report.
“Elected officials should sit here at the board table and the attorney is not elected,” Bednark said, adding he wanted it voted on as he requested.
At the regular meeting, Bednark made the motion that he had put on the agenda: “Consider immediate and permanent removal of the Sumpter Township attorney from the board table seat between the Treasurer and Trustee and place the attorney in the audience with other township staff during all Sumpter Township regular meetings, special meetings, and workshops.”
There was no second, so the motion died for lack of support.
In other business at the Feb. 26 meeting, the board:
• Approved the first readings of three ordinance amendments, as recommended by the planning commission. The first one is to allow larger accessory structures. The second two are to amend ordinances to define yard waste and to prohibit the placing of yard waste in drains and public and private right of ways. The second readings and approvals of the three ordinance amendments are expected at the next regular meeting;
• Set a public hearing on the proposed 2020 budget for 6 p.m., March 12;
• Approved the recommendation of Hennessey Engineers to accept the low bid of Inland Waters Pollution Control of Detroit in the amount of $140,635 for the Willis Road sewer lining program and $8,890 contingency costs for a total of $149,525 from the 2019-20 budget;
• Approved the third-quarter budget amendments as presented by Financial Director Scott Holtz;
• Approved purchase of a supply trailer for the fire department from D&R Trailer Sales, Inc., for $3,707. This bright-red trailer with the township’s name on it will be used to transport the John Deere Gator donated by the Insurance Company Auto Auction with 60 miles on it. The door had been smashed in, but the fire fighters fixed it for $400. It will be parked inside the fire hall. Chief Luke said they needed a way to get the Gator from point A to point B and they can’t drive it across the township. It will be used out in the woods with a crew to fight fires;
• Heard no motion on agenda item I, a resolution concerning review of the 2019-20 budget, put on the agenda by Treasurer Bednark. The resolution asked for a special public hearing on the budget followed up with a community forum so residents have a chance to ask questions and give input. The budget also will be available for public viewing and distribution a week prior to board adoption. Bednark explained later that he didn’t make the motion on this because, even though he submitted his agenda request before Supervisor Morgan, Morgan’s item was put higher on the agenda and passed before they could get to his item;
• Approved Bednark’s request to hire Erica Campbell to the position of part-time clerk in the treasurer’s office, starting Feb. 28, at $18 per hour;
• Approved Bednark’s request to hire Wendy Snook as interim deputy treasurer at a pay of $25.08 per hour. The resignation of former Deputy Treasurer Vern Morse was accepted;
• Unanimously approved warrants totaling $3,245,502.29, with the exception of item #1902095, which was tabled at the request of Trustee Oddy. This is the $7,500 final payment for Elan audio video which installed the new cable system that had given the township problems;
• Held a long discussion on the problems with retirement accounts for township residents, brought out publicly by former Treasurer Peggy Morgan. Holtz said Nationwide has the money and said its been shipped to MEARS, but MEARS said it doesn’t have the money. Holtz said he looked into the accounts of former Fire Chief Les Powell and Trustee Matthew Oddy, but got no totals. “It’s like you have money, but you don’t,” said former Trustee Sheena Barnes. “Yes,” Holtz replied. “I feel guilty. It will be resolved. I make that promise.” Township attorney Young said he just got the information and he’ll get to the bottom of this. Peggy Morgan asked, “If I drop dead today would my family be able to get my money? No”;
• Heard Chief Luke give a visual presentation on the deteriorating floor drains in Fire Hall 1, which was built in 1998. The floor drains for all four bays had failed concrete, with the metal drain liner separating and rust expanding, pushes everything out of the ground from 3/4″ to 1″ above the floor level making a trip hazard. Southgate Fire Department had a similar situation and Luke went out to look at their drains. It was fixed by GB Concrete. He estimated the cost to fix Sumpter’s fire hall drains to be about $70,000 with a 10% contingency. He said he was all for going out for a second bid and is looking at get it going in late spring; and
• Heard Bednark announce the Treasurer’s office is sponsoring a pet clinic from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, across the street from the township hall. Pets will be able to get licensing and vaccinations.