Banks Township Board Meeting

Monday July 19, 2010

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, and Trustee Mark DeKorne. Also present Fire Chief Mark Groenink and Jon Kelly. Dean Willson arrived @ 7:45 PM and John Hastings arrived @ 7:55 PM.

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

3. The minutes of the June Regular Board meeting were presented. MOTION Mann, Rubingh, CARRIED to approve the minutes as presented.

4. The treasurer’s written report of incomes and balances was given. General Fund Balance: $354,557.32 with $40,000 due from the Fire Fund; Fire Fund Balance: $78,188.73; Roads Fund Balance: $57,313.34; Liquor Fund Balance: $1170.01; Grand Total: $491,229.40. She reported that the tax bills were lower this summer due to the school debt for busses being paid off.

5. Public Comment: None.

6. Fire Dept: The Fire Board met this evening and the following recommendations for equipment were made: a) Rescue Dept needs new pulse oximeter to replace one lost in November. Cost of $525. MOTION Heeres, Rubingh, CARRIED to approve up to $200 for a new unit as less costly units are available. b) Need 10 rolls of 1.5” fire hose @ cost of $74 each plus S&H. MOTION Mann, Heeres, CARRIED to approve this purchase. c) Lighting at Ellsworth Fire Hall also in need of updating. Chief asks that it also be considered when replacements are made @ the township hall. d) Work Comp claim for a fireman who was taken to the emergency room after fighting a fire and suffered heat exhaustion. Insurance company has been notified and paper work is being completed. e) Overspray paint on 2 fire trucks and 8 personal vehicles occurred when the equipment on top of the Ellsworth Farmers Exchange was painted with epoxy white paint. The painter’s insurance company is processing these claims. f) Filling of a swimming pool was requested over the weekend. The Chief reported that the department provides this service infrequently for a donation but that the owner had it filled by the time he was able to call her back on Saturday.

7. Energy Optimization Grants: Supervisor reported that grants from Consumers Energy have closed. Others are available through NWMCOG.

8. Bids for Township Hall ductwork: Two bids received from D&M Service and JTE Plumbing & Heating. Both Dean & Jon were present and explained their proposals. Supervisor Mann appointed Mark DeKorne, Marv Rubingh and Mark Groenink to a committee to review the heating & cooling proposals (township hall & BTHS building) that were presented and make recommendation to the Board at the August meeting. Bids for sealing of all air infiltrates, shoring up of upstairs ceiling rafters as needed and attic insulation will be requested for the August meeting. Clerk agreed to obtain proposal for a new ladder for the attic.

9. Bids for Banks Township Historical Society Building: Three bids were received from D&M Service, JTE and Drenth Plumbing & Heating. The Township Board advised the bidders that plans for grant applications to assist with costs of these improvements.

10. Township Hall Lighting Retrofits: Two bids were received from Atlas Electric and 3 J Electric. Grant applications will be filed to assist with the costs of these needed improvements.

11. Road Naming: Antrim County Equalization Dept has contacted us to designate a name for a private road within the Iron Horse Subdivision. The short road has three lots. The developer thought it had already been named but no record of such naming exists. MOTION was made by Rubingh, supported by DeKorne to name the road Postmus Lane which means “little bird lane” in Dutch. YEAS: 4; NAYS; None. Abstain: Postmus.

12. Election Inspectors: Election Commission presented list of inspectors for the August 3 Primary Election. MOTION Mann, DeKorne, CARRIED to approve the election inspectors as presented.

13. Zoning Ordinance Amendment: Number 1 of 2010 was approved in June but not yet published. It is necessary to re-approve and publish within 15 days. MOTION Rubingh, DeKorne to adopt Ordinance Number 1 of 2010 to amend section 6.06.2 of the Zoning Ordinance: Postmus: Yes, Rubingh: Yes, Mann: Yes, DeKorne: Yes, Heeres: Yes. AMENDMENT declared adopted. It will be published in the Antrim Review and will be effective 8 days after publication.

14. Audit: A letter from the Michigan Dept of Treasury was received requesting clarification of 3 items on the auditing procedures report. Clerk & Supervisor will draft a response letter after consulting with the auditor. The auditor will be requested to attend our meeting in August or September to give report on the audit.

15. Cemeteries: DeKorne reported that Antrim City Cemetery has two large trees that need to be removed. A beech tree and a maple tree are rotting from the inside out and have many branches falling. Also, there are 20 trees with limbs that have broken off and are caught up in the trees. Judy VanderArk has obtained a quotation from a local tree service for this work. The Board wished to get at least one more bid and have the current bidder include grinding of the stumps with his proposal. Logs usable as firewood will be offered to the Good Samaritan for use by needy families. Firewood must be removed from the cemetery within a time limit and no wood chips can be left behind.

16. Park: Beach sand is needed due to wind and springs carrying it away. Clerk will contact Antrim Conservation District to learn of the necessary process for replenishing the sand on the beach.

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

18. Planning Commission: Rubingh reported that the proposal to amend the zoning ordinance combining Ag and C/R districts into Farm Forest has ended. The ordinance will remain unchanged. The parcel division requirements were seen as the obstacle to combining the districts. The PC is contacting Rep. Elsenheimer for legislation to change the building codes to allow dwellings without electricity and plumbing provided adequate sanitation facilities are present. There will be no PC meeting in August.

19. Gas & Oil Leases on Township Properties: Rubingh reported that leases are no longer being offered in the area.

20. Timberlane Terrace: Rubingh reported that mediation is progressing on the private beach issue.

21. Information Items: The refrigerator at the Township Hall failed and needed to be replaced. Clerk & Treasurer researched and after consulting rest of Board via email, a new commercial unit was put in service on July 16. Clerk reported on the CRE statewide conference she attended with Jan Kellogg and Mary Faculak. This is the Breezeway grant that we received. Nine grant recipients met and reported on progress of their individual projects. Governor Granholm was also in attendance and asked many questions of the recipients. The MTA website now requires use of a user name & password. The Sheriff’s report of incidents was reviewed. The Par Plan News was distributed. The Lake Michigan Summit will take place August 9 from 9 to noon @ the Charlevoix Library.

22. Good Samaritan: Request for local governing body resolution for charitable gaming licenses was presented. MOTION Heeres, Mann to approve the resolution and recognize the Good Samaritan as a nonprofit organization operating in the community for the purpose of obtaining charitable gaming licenses be considered for approval. Discussion was held. Request to table the issue was made by DeKorne. Heeres withdrew the motion.

23. Roads: Contract for gravel placement on Doctor Road and Skinner Road to Skeel Road was received. MOTION Heeres, DeKorne, CARRIED to authorize the supervisor to sign the contract.

24. Tax Tribunal: Letters regarding the cases brought by Falk & Beatty were read. Supervisor will contact the township assessor for clarification on these cases.

25. Board of Review meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 20 @ 4:30 PM.

26. The next meeting will be Monday, August 16 @ 7:30 PM.

27. The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Donna L. Heeres

Banks Township Clerk