Banks Township Board Meeting

Monday November 20, 2006

 

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, and Trustee Mark DeKorne.  Trustee Marvin Rubingh arrived at 7:50 PM.  Also present: Mark Groenink, Alex Busman, and John Hastings.  Peter VanderArk arrived at 8:10 PM. 

 

2.  The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Trustee DeKorne offered prayer.  

 

3. The minutes of the October Special and Regular Board meetings were reviewed.  MOTION Heeres, DeKorne, CARRIED to approve the minutes with a correction in Item #8 of the regular meeting.  The ordinance number should be #2. 

 

4. The treasurer’s report of incomes and balances was given.  General Fund Balance: $197,438.82 with $160,000.00 due from the Fire Fund; Fire Fund: 112,712.64; Liquor Fund: $1,999.18; Road Fund: $25,541.79; Grand Total: $337,692.43.  Summer Tax Collection is 92% collected for total receipts of $687,679.44.  Winter Tax Bills are ready to be mailed.

 

5. Public Comment: Alex Busman addressed the Board and stated that he is present on behalf of a State & Local Government class that he is enrolled in at Spring Arbor College.

 

6.  Announcements: Treasurer Postmus announced that there will be a county wide dog & ferret census in 2007.  All dogs & ferrets must be licensed.  Discounted licenses are available from the township treasurer until February 28, 2007.   Residents and Property Owners are encouraged to contact the treasurer for details.

 

7.  Township Hall:  Proposals for new window blinds for the dining/meeting room were reviewed.  MOTION Mann, Heeres, CARRIED to accept the bid for blinds from Don’s Blinds for $627 for the three sets, installed.  The ladies restroom has been painted and decorated with mirror frame and new “skirt” under the sink.  A trash ring has been ordered to allow the trash can to be hidden behind the skirt.  The painting project is nearly complete with only the stalls needing to be painted.  New entry carpet runner, cigarette receptacles, surge protectors for office computers, coat racks have been ordered.  The tables and chairs have been exchanged by the Firemen.  A thank you and check for $250 has been sent to them.  Smaller tables are needed for the downstairs to match the gray 8 ft tables.  Clerk will order 2 4 ft tables and 2 5 ft tables from Mity Lite.  Joni Wieland has asked that the Tribute to Dan that was presented by Kevin Elsenheimer be displayed at the Township Hall.  The Board decided to have a display case built for that and a picture of Dan.  Also, we will have a display case made for the Veterans memorabilia that matches in style.  Both can be installed in the entry area.

 

8.  Pension Plan: Postmus reported she has researched the plans available through Farm Bureau and found that it is far overpriced from the plans available through Burnham & Flower.  Discussion was held on pros & cons of a pension plan for the officials.  Banks Township is one of 4 within the county that does not have a pension plan for the officials.  Postmus will contact Burnham & Flower rep to obtain more information on the IRA’s available and other options.  Decision was tabled.

 

9.  Internet Connection:  Postmus needs connection for township computer to internet from her home.  She currently has personal computer hooked to high speed at her expense.  She was authorized to contact Coveyou Computers to network the two computers within her home to allow internet access from either.  Supervisor reports COLI is looking to install a tower/antenna to service the Ellsworth area.

 

10.  Planning Commission:  Trustee Rubingh reports the December meeting of the Planning Commission has been cancelled due to lack of agenda.  Workshop has been set for January 9 at 6 PM for the Planning Commission, ZBA, Zoning Administrator, Planning Consultant, Assessor and Township Board.  The PC will hold a meeting following the workshop.

 

11. Roads: Trustee DeKorne reported that he has reviewed the response from the Road Commission manager and is still confused on the formulas.  Supervisor & Trustee DeKorne will try to schedule a meeting with Burt Thompson of the Road Commission to better understand how the estimates are developed.    Clerk reported the bills for Hillman and Sinclair Road paving have been received and both came in slightly lower than the original bids.  Crawford Road bid for paving is $88,835 with $13,339 to be funded by the County and $75,496 to be split by Central Lake and Banks Townships.  Central Lake Township is willing to fund the project upfront with repayment by Banks Township over 2 years.  Letters of support for the project were received from residents Jon Mitchell and Don Koivisto.  Mr. Koivisto requested the pavement continue past his driveway to the intersection with Pleasant Hill Road.  MOTION Mann, Postmus, CARRIED to approve the Crawford Road paving project as outlined by the proposal from Antrim County Road Commission with repayment to Central Lake Township of our portion over a two year period.  Tyrrell Beach Road surveys are out and responses will be tallied prior to our December Board meeting.

 

12.  Road Signs: The Banks Township sign on C-65 north of Bennett Hill Road is located too far to the north.  The property owners have had disagreements over property boundaries related to the placement of this sign.  The Road Commission states that no permit was applied for to install that sign and questioned who installed it.  Clerk will check our records to advise the Road Commission.

 

13.  Fire Department:  The annual Firemen’s Dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5 at 6:30 PM at the Township Hall.  Runs are up 18 over last year.  130 total for the year.  (November 2005-October 2006)  The heater in the Ellsworth Fire Hall is now working ok. 

 

14. Libraries: Supervisor received a letter from Valerie Meyerson of Charlevoix Library to inform us of an increase in the user fee for that library.  The fee will be doubled to $40 per year.  Clerk will ask users who were not satisfied with the service at that library to write their concerns so we may go to the library board with them.

 

15.  Election Results were reviewed.  Oath of Office was administered to Supervisor Mann and Trustee DeKorne by the Clerk.  Thank you note will be sent to Mark McDermott of the Ellsworth Diner for providing some of the meals on Election Day.

 

16.  Public Notices in Newspapers:  The Board decided to use the Antrim Review for all public notices from this day forward.  Notice of this will be placed on our website.

 

17.  Office space:  Discussed concerns regarding lack of office space and privacy for Township and Village officials.  The Board will continue to investigate possible solutions.

 

18.  Cemeteries: Trustee DeKorne reported that the plaque has been installed on the rock at the Atwood Cemetery.  The sod has been removed around the rock and will be ready for planting in the spring.  Special thanks to Phil Edwards for providing the plaque and assisting with the memorial.

 

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

 

20.  The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 18 at 7:30 PM.  The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Donna L. Heeres

Banks Township Clerk