Sumpter Township Board of Trustees raises its own pay

At its regular in-person meeting on July 27 the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees passed four resolutions that resulted in raising its own salaries.
There was no discussion on the action, which was passed unanimously by the board members present. Clerk Esther Hurst and Trustee Don LaPorte were absent and excused and did not vote on the resolutions.
• Supervisor Tim Bowman’s annual salary for his part-time position went from $22,643 to $38,000;
• Clerk Esther Hurst’s annual salary went from $19,019 to $30,000 for her part-time position;
• Treasurer Vincent Warren went from $19,019 to $30,000 for his part-time position; and
• The salaries of Trustee Don LaPorte, Peggy Morgan, Matthew Oddy, and Tim Rush went from $8,405.66 each to $22,000 each for their part-time positions.
[Each Van Buren Township trustee has an annual salary of $17,199 for 2021.] The item was placed on the agenda by Supervisor Bowman and signed off on by Financial Director/Deputy Supervisor Michelle Cole O’Connell. Bowman noted this is the first increase since 2002.
There was one resolution each for supervisor, clerk, and treasurer and one resolution that covered all the trustees.
At the top of each resolution was the statement: “WHEREAS, according to MCL 41.95(3) in a township that does not hold an annual meeting, the salary for Trustees composing the township board shall be determined by the township board…”
Healthcare benefits were on top of the salaries and varied with the individuals.
Also, in the two-hour-and-19-minute combined workshop and regular meeting, the board:
• Approved purchasing 16 portable radios for the police department from Digicom Global at a total cost of $34,436, with the full cost covered by forfeiture funds;
• Pulled from the agenda approval of the resignation of Sean Hudson, effective July 31, since Hudson has agreed to stay on for about six weeks to help the department cope with two officers off on injuries, one of which was on the job. Hudson is moving to Texas, but will stay on the job in Sumpter during the officers’ recoveries;
• Approved hiring Jeffrey James Benedict as a full-time police officer on the condition he passes a physical, drug screening and psychological evaluation. The board also accepted the resignation of police officer Patrick Dervishi as of July 26. Dervishi was approved hired on June 22;
• Approved hiring Bela Maroti and Taylor Smith as paid-on-call fire fighters contingent on them passing physicals and drug tests;
• Approved replacement of a 2008 lawn mower with the exact replica at a cost of $10,493.23, partially included in the budget for $8,500;
• Approved replacement of one of the six DPW trucks for $33,994.52, which was included in this year’s budget;
• Approved the supervisor’s appointment of Daniel Watson as a member of the planning commission;
• Approved going back to having seven members of the planning commission instead of the nine members approved early this year;
• Tabled for 30 days consideration of approval of paying $82,000 to remediate the odor at the sewage pump station at the corner of Sumpter and Willis roads until residents within 300 feet could be notified by mail and the full total cost of the project could be identified. The proposal will also be put on the website for comment. During the work/study session before the regular meeting, Jennifer Wagner gave a 24-minute presentation on what could be done to get rid of the recurring odors at that corner;
• Approved accepting a parcel from the county at a cost of $7,800 providing the person to receive the lot will put that amount on deposit at the township. Township attorney Rob Young said an elderly widow, whose property is landlocked behind this parcel could solve her problem. Young said this is the fourth time they’ve done this to help a resident and he usually is the first one who says this has to go out for bids. He said he believes this is the right thing to do and it is at no expense to the township. This was not on the agenda and Young said he did not have the parcel number. The woman was not named;
• Heard Trustee Peggy Morgan make a motion to add to the agenda a proposal to change the newspaper of record from the Eagle to the Independent because the township is now breaking the law by not having a hard copy of its legal notices. She said the Michigan Township Association said the law specifies legal notices must be published in a newspaper. Attorney Young protested, first saying he needed time to research this and some municipalities interpret the law differently and there has been a state of emergency and laws have been set aside. He said he left the decision up to the clerk and she also considered the Ann Arbor News since they didn’t like the Independent. Trustee Morgan removed her motion to add it to the agenda to give Young time to research it and time to talk to Clerk Esther Hurst about the issue, since she did not attend that evening’s meeting. Morgan said it could be considered at the next meeting in two weeks;
• Approved payment of bills owed by the Parks and Recreation Commission and reduction of active members to seven and a quorum to four so they can meet and make recommendations to the board. Trustee Tim Rush said they would like a chairperson, co-chairperson, secretary / treasurer and board liaison as officers. Young said at one time they had a quorum of 11. Trustee Rush said they have had trouble having a quorum for the last year because of COVID;
• Heard a lengthy presentation by Wayne County Commissioner Al Haidous about what can be done about the weeds that need cutting along the roadways and covering signs at intersections. He said he is going to talk to the county executive about contracting out such work to townships and paying them to do the work the county is supposed to do. He said he proposed that to the county director of public services and the union in the forestry division said it would take jobs away from them. He said that is why he is going to go to the top with the proposal. He said Van Buren and Huron townships like the idea. He also asked Sumpter to give him a wish list of things they would like done with federal infrastructure funds that are coming to the county and will need to be spent or sent back to the federal government;
• Heard Finance Director/Deputy Supervisor Michelle Cole report that the first Forgotten Harvest distribution of free food the day before in Sumpter provided 85 households with food, which covered 245 individuals. She said there were 180 boxes of food and only 90 were given out. She said the next food distribution will be at the community center from 2:30 to 4:30 on Aug. 9 and they need to get the word out;
• Heard financial consultant Cari Ford of Post, Smythe, Lutz & Ziel of Wayne compliment Cole on her work for the township, calling her “very intelligent and very knowledgeable” and “a great township resource.” Ford said costs for her firm’s services have been down $37,000 from last year; and
• Heard Mary Sherwood say she didn’t like where the public comment part of the agenda is now because it is before any action is taken and she would like to comment on the board’s action immediately after their votes instead of two weeks later. She asked them to consider putting it back the way it was so there can be comment at the end.