Sumpter treasurer says hiring procedures not properly followed

At the regular Sumpter Township Board of Trustees meeting on May 14, Sumpter Treasurer Bart Patterson said he didn’t like how the part-time employee was being hired.
He referred to the item on the agenda to hire Gabriella Massel of Monroe for the temporary part-time position at an hourly rate of $23.33, effective May 6 and ending Nov. 15. She is a 2021 Airport High School graduate and was a poll worker for Sumpter Township in 2019.
He said he met “Gabbi” and she’s a nice lady, but he doesn’t like how she was hired.
Clerk Esther Hurst said her previous employee Kristine Stencel was hired and then left her in the lurch because she said she thought it was a permnent position and it then changed to temporary.
At its April 23 meeting, the board voted to hire Stencel for a temporary part-time position at with the $23.33 rate if the union approved and retroactive to her hire-back date. Patterson and Hurst both voted no on that one.
Clerk Hurst said she went through the proper procedure the first time, but didn’t have time to start over because the election season is under way and she needs help now.
Patterson said her first hire interviewed for a part-time position and was hired part time.
Clerk Hurst said she didn’t know it was part time and that’s why she left.
Trustee Matthew Oddy said the board members have to follow township procedures in hiring and that’s why they are correcting their action now. He said that’s also why they said there had to be three bids at the last meeting. He referred to the work in the supervisor’s office.
Patterson voted no on the motion to hire Massel for the part-time position because he objected to the procedure used. Supervisor Tim Bowman also voted no.
The motion passed 5-2.
On a related agenda item to pay any temporary part-time position at a rate of $23.33 per hour effective April 10, as accepted by AFSCME, Patterson questioned the rate.
He said he agreed there needed to be an increase in rate, since it hadn’t been raised in 10 years, but he thinks $23.33 is excessive and it should be more like $19, $20, or $21 an hour. He said they got approval from the union, but he has some hesitation on it. He did then vote for the proposed raise, as did the rest of the board.
In other business at the 33-minute meeting on May 14 the board:
• Approved accepting the 2023-24 Wayne County Millage allocation of $13,517 for improvements to Banotai Park, including a flotation system; full commercial-grade aluminum framing, support system, anchoring, safety rails, and deckway; a concrete shore platform to gain walkway access to the dock system; and winter storage anchoring along the pond shoreline;
• Approved a resolution asking the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to preserve the current mapping of Michigan’s 4th Senate district that keeps Belleville, Sumpter Township, and Van Buren Township together;
• Approve paying an invoice for $1,316 from Bush & Son using ARPA funds for the delivery of limestone at the Willis Ct. cemetery;
• Approved extending the term of the temporary DPW employee Rachel Scott until July 24;
• Approved the committee to interview candidates for the full-time AFSCME Department of Public Works position. Patterson asked if they could have names of the committee members they were approving and Burdick said it would be Trustee Don LaPorte, John Danci, Scott Holtz, and Karen Armatis, and he would need one more. Supervisor Tim Bowman volunteered to serve on the committee:
• Removed from the agenda without comment the 10-page proposal and retainer fee of $2,500 to SSA Architects of Ann Arbor to design the supervisor’s office renovation;
• Heard a presentation by Bill Kenyon of the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team on how to work toward changing the culture of employees to improve customer service at the township. Patterson, finance director Scott Holtz, and township manager Anthony Burdick talked to Kenyon and invited him to the meeting. He said even though the staff is good, there is always room for improvement;
• Heard Public Safety Director/Police Chief Eric Luke announce that the top intersection for accidents is now Rawsonville and Willis, followed closely by Rawsonville and Judd;
• Heard Fire Chief Rick Brown report there were 109 runs in April with 83 of them medical and one a structure fire;
• Heard Trustee Tim Rush remind everyone that the Council of Western Wayne will hold its next meeting at 9:30 a.m. June 14 in the Sumpter Township hall. This is its last meeting before summer break;
• Heard Burdick report they held the first Parks & Recreation Committee meeting in about four months. He also said Supervisor Bowman would lay a wreath at the Veterans Memorial during the Memorial Day ceremony;
• Heard Trustee LaPorte praise Fire Chief Brown and Jamie Goode who successful conducted the switchover to the CLEMIS information system. He said CLEMIS will give the department a better grasp on all their runs; and
• Heard resident Mary Ban, who said she was back after an absence from the meetings with her new knee, car, and walker. She thanked the fire department and EMS for transporting her daughter-in-law to the hospital in an emergency situation the weekend before and announced a spiritual revival at River of Life church over the next weekend.