Banks Township Board Meeting

Monday December 19, 2011

1. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 P.M. by Supervisor Thomas Mann. Present were Supervisor Mann, Clerk Donna Heeres, Treasurer Katy Postmus, Trustee Marvin Rubingh, Trustee Mark DeKorne. Also present: Mark Groenink, Jerry Rasmussen, Chris Weston and Jan Shaffer.

2. Supervisor Mann led the Pledge of Allegiance and Trustee Rubingh opened the meeting with prayer.

3. The minutes of the November Regular Meeting were presented. MOTION Rubingh, DeKorne, CARRIED to approve the minutes as presented. The minutes of the December Special Meeting were presented. MOTION Rubingh, DeKorne, CARRIED to approve the minutes as presented.

4. The treasurer’s report of incomes and balances was given. General Fund Balance: $80,138.97 with $300,000 due from the Fire Fund; Fire Fund Balance: $23,844.43; Roads Fund Balance: $47,482.95; Liquor Fund Balance: $1604.52; Grand Total: $153,070.87. Treasurer Postmus reported that the forecast of fund balances for December 1 was low. The General Fund Balance is $10,000 more than expected and the Fire Fund Balance is $9,000 more than expected. Revised year end estimates are $164,000 in the General Fund and $37,000 in the Fire Fund.

5. Public Comment: Chris Weston and Jan Shaffer of the Korthase Flynn Agency addressed the Board with information about the municipal insurance package they are offering. They outlined the enhancements that have been made to the policy recently and asked permission to meet with the Clerk to review the Township’s files and present a proposal for our review.

6. Insurance Coverage: MOTION Heeres, Mann, CARRIED to obtain a proposal from Korthase Flynn Agency and the Par Plan for Insurance coverage for the Township for March 1, 2012 through February 28, 2013.

7. Fire Department: Chief Mark Groenink reported that the Fire Board met tonight and approved the purchase for 1 pair of boots @ $330; 9 pair of gloves @ $67.95 each ($611.55 total); 2-4 sets of turnout gear @ $1764.04 each as the budget will allow. MOTION Heeres, Mann, CARRIED to approve the purchases as above and include 4 sets of turnout gear. Ellsworth Fire Hall Roof repairs are nearly complete. Chief Groenink will notify the Treasurer when the work is completed to his satisfaction so the final payment can be made. Lore Road Property was inspected by the Fire Chief and deemed to be accessible by any vehicle. It has an approximately 1100 ft driveway that is too rough and curvy for good access and had a tree that had fallen into it. He reported the home appears abandoned as evidenced by a Census of 2010 form that was found on the door. Supervisor will draft a letter to the neighbor who complained about the structure and explain the township’s position on this situation. Officer appointments: Supervisor Mann appointed Mark Groenink as Fire Chief, Tom VanStedum as assistant chief, Brian VanderArk and Jim Veenstra as Captains, John Hastings as Secretary/Treasurer and Don Frosty as EMS coordinator. MOTION Heeres, Rubingh, CARRIED to approve the appointments. On behalf of the entire Township, the Board extends its sincere gratitude to the neighboring Fire Departments who battled the fire at the Ellsworth Auto Repair and saved our township hall. In addition to our dedicated firemen from Banks Township, our thanks are extended to Central Lake Fire Department, Charlevoix City Fire Department, Charlevoix Township Fire Department, East Jordan Fire Department and Torch Lake Fire Department. Our historical township hall is an icon for the community and its loss would have been felt forever. Thanks to all who worked diligently to save it! Special recognition is also given to our former custodian John Hastings and new custodian Jerry Rasmussen and his wife Jan for their work to prevent water & smoke damage by their prompt actions. Thank you!

8. Zoning Administrator Report: Verbal report was presented by Clerk in absence of the Zoning Administrator. There was one permit issued in the past month. Total of 22 so far in 2011 compared with 18 total in 2010.

9. Planning Commission: Trustee Rubingh reported on the recent Planning Commission activities. Drafts of the proposed Medical Marihuana ordinance and RV Ordinance amendment were distributed. The Planning Commission has scheduled public hearings on these proposals for February 13, 2012. They are continuing to review the master plan existing land use map. The January meeting has been cancelled.

10. Planning Workshop: Discussion was held on topics for discussion. Clerk will contact Heidi Shaffer of the Antrim Conservation District and ask her to present on storm water issues. The Board will ask a representative of the Watershed Council to meet with the Township Board to address the results of the Gaps Analysis Report.

11. Cemeteries & Parks: Trustee DeKorne reported they are closed for the season.

12. Township Hall: Jerry Rasmussen asked for guidance on the rental rates for the building i.e. who pays and who doesn’t. Also, he would like a receipt book. Copies of the rate schedule and rental agreement form previously developed will be found and Jerry will work with Postmus and Heeres to develop a fee schedule to present to the Board at the next meeting. Jerry also asked the township to consider a service to deliver toilet paper, paper towels, etc. They would provide new dispensers as well. He also will investigate the cost of replacement stall dividers for both bathrooms as the existing ones are rusty. Additional equipment such as a shop vac would be helpful. He will present a list next month for approval.

13. Township Hall Repairs: Clerk reported that the dry out of the building after the fire/water/smoke damage that occurred on December 9, 2011, was completed today. The dehumidifiers and fans had been present for 5 full days. Baseboards were removed and holes drilled in the drywall to allow the drywall to be dried. There were floor tiles that came lose and will need to be replaced. Carpet in the office/conference room will need cleaning to remove the water stains and soot. General cleaning of the entire building & contents will take place and will include the furnace that serves the downstairs as it was running during the fire. The exterior of the building will require cleaning with extensive cleaning on the west side and painting of the wood/concrete surfaces that are soot stained. At least three bays of windows upstairs on the west side will need to be replaced and the remainder will need replacement of aluminum and painting. Clerk is working on a daily basis with the adjustor, the dry-out company, two cleaning companies and several contractors to obtain bids for the necessary work. Discussion on a 5 year plan for improvements to the Township Hall will be put on hold for now!

14. Board of Review Training: Scheduled for February 24 in Gaylord, and February 23 in St Ignace. BOR members will be sent the information and will be asked to make their own registrations with reimbursement for costs.

15. Info Items: Letter from Rocky Top owners in response to letter from the Board was shared. Letter from Conservation District regarding proposed fee schedule was shared and comments will be returned to the ACS. Sheriff’s report of activities in Banks Township during November was shared. Redistricting for elections will be completed by January 5, 2012. Meeting with the ACRC is scheduled for January 4 @ 9 AM in Mancelona. Trustee Rubingh will attend.

16. Clean Up Day is scheduled for May 12. We will advertise the hours as 8 AM to 11 AM and require participants to bring their postcard with them for identification. This change of hours and ID requirements will be included on the postcard and in the newsletter that will be available online and in locations throughout the township.

17. Next regular meeting will be held Monday, January 16 @ 7:30 PM.

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

19. The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Donna L. Heeres

Banks Township Clerk