Banks Township Board Meeting

Monday December 15, 2008

1. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 P.M. by Supervisor Thomas Mann. Present were Supervisor Mann, Clerk Donna Heeres, Trustee Marvin Rubingh and Trustee Mark DeKorne. Absent: Treasurer Katy Postmus.

2. The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Supervisor Mann offered prayer.

3. The minutes of the November Regular Board meeting were reviewed. MOTION Rubingh, DeKorne, CARRIED to approve the minutes as presented.

4. The treasurer’s written report of incomes and balances was reviewed. General Fund Balance: $303,420.24 with $80,000.00 due from the Fire Fund; Fire Fund: $109,247.06 Liquor Fund: $2,097.17; Road Fund: $38,369.11; Grand Total: $453,133.58. Summer Tax Collection is at 91% collected for total receipts of $889,429.90. Winter Tax Collection is at 9% for total receipts of $136,231.83.

5. Public Comment: None.

6. Oaths of Office were administered to all officials.

7. Planning Commission: Trustee Rubingh reported the PC held public hearings on proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance and sent the proposals to the Antrim County Planning Commission for review. The County Planning Commission recommendations are expected for Township Board review at the next meeting. Rubingh reported that the workshop he and two others from Banks Township attended was a good review for him. Our ordinance language is looked upon as model language for other townships.

8. Planning Together Workshop: Supervisor Mann reported that he has contacted Dean Solomon of the Charlevoix MSU Extension office to present at our meeting on Monday, February 9 @ 6 PM. Dean will speak on wind generation and the effects on zoning. We will serve soup and sandwiches prior to the presentation. PC, ZBA, Twp Bd, ZA, Planning Consultant and Assessor will be invited to attend this workshop.

9. Lore Road: Trustee Rubingh met with attorney Peter Wendling on this issue and research continues on the issue. MOTION Mann, DeKorne, CARRIED to authorize the attorney to continue work on this issue.

10. Internet Contract Renewal: Due in January with Cherry Capital Connection. Consensus was to allow the contract to automatically renew and review in summer 2009 regarding the domain name.

11. Township Hall outdoor lights: Clerk Heeres reported the materials were purchased and are in the process of installation. The lights were operational for the tree lighting ceremony & Wooden Shoe Holiday Festival that was held December 11. That event was well attended and enjoyed by all. The Breakfast with Santa on December 13 was also well attended. Both were free events for the community, sponsored by the Village of Ellsworth (December 11) and the Ellsworth Lions & Lioness (December 13). It was recommended by the electrical contractors that the Township Hall electrical system be examined and upgraded. Consensus was to get proposals for the work in the next couple of months.

12. Light Up Atwood: Mark & Cindy Groenink placed lights on one of the spruce trees at the Atwood Fire Hall. The Atwood businesses had a good day on Saturday, December 13 with snow sculpting at Atwood Hardware, sleigh rides at Royal Farms and live nativity at Friskes.

13. Breezeway: Supervisor Mann reported that the grant for the promotion of the Breezeway was approved. Sub-committees have been formed to carry out the conditions of the grant.

14. Clean Up Day: Contact has been made with American Waste. Our Clean Up Day is Saturday, May 9, 2009.

15. Roads: Supervisor Mann reported communication with the Road Commission and plans to submit our road work orders early in 2009. Asphalt costs are expected to be down due to the lower petroleum prices. Additionally, he was informed that Wayne Boss is planning to re-submit his proposal for moving Lakeshore Drive to the Road Commission.

16. Board of Review appointments for 2009: Supervisor Mann appointed Dwain Abramowski, Gary Strange & Nelson Spoelman to the Board of Review for 2 year terms to expire January 1, 2011. He will appoint an alternate member in January. MOTION Heeres, Rubingh, CARRIED to approve the appointments.

17. Fire Dept: Supervisor Mann appointed Mark Groenink as Fire Chief. MOTION Heeres, DeKorne, CARRIED to approve the appointment. Tom Van Stedum, Asst Chief; Brian VanderArk, Ellsworth Captain; Jim Veenstra, Atwood Captain; Don Frosty, EMS coordinator; John Hastings, Secretary/Treasurer.

18. Supervisor Mann extended appreciation to Dave Muha, Dave Rasmussen, Chuck Fox, Magnum Electric and Mark & Cindy Groenink for their contributions to the holiday decorations in Ellsworth and Atwood this year.

19. Zoning Administrator Contract: The Board reviewed the contract and consensus was to allow it to renew as is. The Zoning Administrator had not requested any changes.

20. Assessor: Written reports were reviewed from Amy Jenema regarding wind turbines and Inflation Rate Multiplier Formulas. Also, a new release of the assessing & tax collection software is scheduled for May 2009. Cost will be $4525 after discount of 25% is applied. ($575) The annual service & support cost will be $560 for assessing software and $655 for tax collection software. Information for workstation requirements for the new software was reviewed.

21. Information Items: Sheriff’s report of incidents within the Township was shared. Letter from East Jordan Area Chamber of Commerce was shared.

22. Bills represented by the attached list were presented for approval for payment. MOTION Mann, DeKorne, CARRIED to approve the bills as presented.

23. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 19 at 7:30 PM.

24. The meeting was adjourned at 9:28 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Donna L. Heeres

Banks Township Clerk