Banks Township Board Meeting

Monday, October 17, 2016

1. The meeting was called to order at 6 P.M. by Supervisor Thomas Mann. Present were Supervisor Mann, Clerk Donna Heeres, Trustee David Rasmussen and Treasurer Katy Postmus. Absent: Trustee Tom Cooper. Also present: Jerry Rasmussen, and Andy Veenstra. Tina Sundelius arrived at 6:18 PM. Supervisor Mann led the Pledge of Allegiance and gave the Invocation.
2. Public Comment: There was none.
3. Minutes: The minutes of the September 19, 2016, regular Board Meeting were presented. MOTION by Mann, seconded by Rasmussen, to approve the minutes, amending Item #4 for final wording to be “$50-75,000”. MOTION CARRIED.
4. Township Hall: Jerry Rasmussen reported wedding reception was held this past weekend and the hall has been very busy during the weeknights. Had issues with renters using the lift to haul tables and catering supplies upstairs. Need to update the rental agreement to include restrictions for the lift use. Clerk will order signs to post near the lift.
5. Snowmobile Trail Lease Agreement: Jerry explained changes in the trail system plans and asked for a new lease agreement that would cover one year. MOTION Heeres, seconded by Rasmussen, to approve the lease agreement with the Jordan Valley Trails Council. MOTION CARRIED.
6. Township Hall Building Update: Painting of the south end gable and entry was completed by Blue Fin Painting. Work will progress on the north end if weather permits and remainder will be completed in the spring. The painter did get some paint on the shingles and will return to remove that. He was attacked by a swarm of bees and spattered paint during that time. The roof leak was not evident following 2.5 inches of rain this am. Suspect may be when winds are from the west and rain may enter thru the ridge vent. Tuck Points were inspected with Steve Davis of DC Byers Company today. He will provide a proposal for the work to be done in spring of 2017. Light fixture suggestions for the upstairs were shared with the Board with positive feedback. Prices will be obtained by the clerk. Interest in purchase of the siren on the roof was expressed by a citizen. The Board consensus was to keep it for possible future use. Discussion on acoustic panels. Rasmussen & Heeres will step up the search. Insulation bids will be advertised with deadline for receipt of bids to be November 15. Need for driveway repairs will be addressed in the spring. Clerk will ask Village to have the two large holes patched ASAP.
7. The treasurer’s report of incomes and balances was given. General Fund Balance: $162,565.10 with $150,000 due from the Fire Fund; Fire Fund Balance: $107,527.94; Roads Fund Balance: $56,092.73; Vehicle Fund Balance: $90,490.19; Liquor Fund Balance: $2,317.03; Grand Total: $418,992.99. Treasurer reported call to Bill at American Tower to investigate missing August & September payments for Nextel. Will need to supply further documentation.
8. Bills represented by the attached list were presented for approval for payment. MOTION was made by Mann, seconded by Postmus, to void checks #8705 and #8706 and pay the other bills as presented. MOTION CARRIED.
9. Zoning Administrator: Andy Veenstra reported 1 permit was issued in this month. He has investigated the reported structure built on the Lake Michigan beach. Structure was cleared by Antrim Conservation District and he is awaiting DEQ response. Lake Michigan is near its 100-year high water mark.
10. Planning Commission: Medical marijuana, short term rentals and noise ordinance are being discussed. Don Miles has replaced Steve Parafin as chairman of the PC. Supervisor Mann appoints Don Miles to the ZBA to replace Steve Parafin. MOTION Postmus, seconded by Heeres, to approve this appointment. CARRIED. Planning Consultant: Supervisor will meet with PC Chair and consultant to further negotiate contract.
11. Ambulance Authority: Report received from Cody Randall, JVEMSA, with update from the Board. Banks Township Board is very satisfied with the services of the JVEMSA and its staff.
12. Correspondence: Memo from Larry Fox of C2AE with his analysis of LSD condition and needs was reviewed. Letter of notification of plans for DDA for Village of Ellsworth was received. Schedule of New Officials training by MTA was received. Paddle Antrim Mini-Grant Program info was reviewed. Sheriff report of 911 calls for September was reviewed. Antrim Conservation District Annual Meeting notice for November 9 @ 7 PM.
13. County Services contract: Treasurer reports she attended the info meeting in September, there was lots of discussion of the problems encountered. She expects a new contract will be offered soon.
14. Library Contracts: Supervisor has spoken with Linda Adams, director of Charlevoix Library, and began negotiation of a 4-year contract to begin Summer of 2017. He is also in discussion with Library of Michigan on the penal fines distribution.
15. Election Inspectors: Clerk presented the slate of election inspectors for approval. MOTION Mann, seconded by Postmus, to approve the slate of inspectors for the November 8, 2016, General Election. CARRIED.
16. Generator Connections: Proposal for installation of connections for the Antrim County owned generator to the Township Hall was reviewed. Discussion of much higher than anticipated cost was held. Will investigate alternate installation at the School and suitability for ParPlan Grant to place it at a facility rather than the Township Hall.
17. Snow Removal Proposal: Received from Boss Lawn & Landscape for the 2017 winter season. MOTION Mann, seconded by Rasmussen to accept the proposal. MOTION CARRIED.
18. Phragmites: Contract for services with 50/50 cost sharing with CAKE Invasive Species Management was presented. Total cost to the Township is $150. MOTION Heeres, seconded by Mann, CARRIED to approve the contract.
19. Drug Awareness Program: The E+A Committee is sponsoring a program on November 28 at 6 PM at the Township Hall to promote awareness of the drug problem in Antrim County. Lynn Spearing is coordinating.
20. Township Park: Advertisement for bids will be done in the Antrim Review and Charlevoix County News, along with the NW Builders Exchange. Supervisor will contact Mark Groenink to harvest and move 20-30 boulders to the site this fall.
21. DDA for Ellsworth: Discussion was held on plans for the DDA to encompass the entire Village. Treasurer will contact Village President for answers to questions that arose.
22. Firemen: Discussion was held on need to recruit firemen for (particularly) the west side of the Township.
23. Public Comment: There was no further Public Comment.
24. Next meeting November 21 at 6 PM.
25. The meeting was adjourned at 8:37 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,
Donna L. Heeres, Banks Township Clerk