Township Board - Regular Meeting

Okay. Well, uh, hold the meeting in order. Pledge of allegiance, please. I pledge algiance to the flag and stand of to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and forever. Amen. Approval of the agenda. Does everyone approve of the agenda? That just you add I do I want to add something but does anyone else have anything? No. If not, I'd like to add uh property purchase under new business after fire district resolution.

So property purchase doesn't have to be close session. Doesn't have to be. Well, I mean discussion I probably use the choice of words. No, you did right. Not no non-cloed session. So, uh, how about the approval of the minutes of the regular board meeting of November 19th? Does anybody have a corrections, additions, changes, motion? I know. Oh, want me to make it? Yeah, go ahead.

So, I do have a correction. Under planning commission and ZBA, the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, not with prejudice. So, that needs to be amended to include Three more letters. Okay, that was it for Mue2. I think so. I'll move approval of the regular township board meetings of November, 2025 as amended. Second. Second. Second. Okay. All in favor say I. I. Opposed? Yes. Carried.

Public comment in the audience. Sam wanted to see that there's snacks again. Okay, go ahead. Let's go online. Anybody online would like to We've got cake bites and food. Dave, who was that second on the minutes? I thought so. Okay. If anybody online would like to comment, please unmute yourself. Going once, going twice. Jeff, you're up.

All right. Well, thank you for that. Um at our meeting yesterday uh we uh have to update our BSA. We're going to the cloud. Lot of a lot of the local units all use BSA, but we're getting pushed into the cloud. That will not happen till 2027, but the price tag is 176K. That's not in addition. That's just the price tag for that specific. But we already have dollars we spend for BSA offices. Um,

we are going to be tightening up security for the county admin office like you have in the what we'll refer to as the east wing actually throughout all the rest of it. So you're going to be able going in when you go into the county admin office. There's going to be a little door and a little glass area just trying to shore it up to basically after the metal detectors like Yes. Yes. So, you're going to still go through the metal detector. You're going through the metal detector and then when you head Well, no different if you go to the other ones. If you go to the treasur's office or you know, you just don't have full access. Yeah.

You got to have to glass. Uh we have uh MMRMA our our uh insurer. We have a 4.6 increase. So the cost on that total cost of the insurance for the county is 260,000. We were asked to chip into a lawsuit called Pong verse Isabella County. That's gone all the way up to the state supremes. Not the state supremes, the federal supremes. And it's a tax uh lawsuit from people. What basically there the the gist of it is is when tax foreclosed property everything goes after the tax bill's been satisfied the admin costs come out. Anything additional and it's supposed to be market rate anything additional would go back to the previous landowner. It's lost all the way but it keeps getting appealed and right now it's in front of the the feds. you talking about in the rears or stuff that's happened in the last couple years or

Well, I'll tell you what. Regardless of whatever you think about the concept of it, uh if that was to go in the rears and to go in the rears for any length of time, you would bankrupt companies. You already know how I feel. So, I I don't They shouldn't have kept the money. I don't dis I don't disagree with that. They stole the money. I don't care how you look at it to fix that. You own a you you had a place worth $2 million. You had 20,000 in taxes. You didn't know a dime. They foreclosed on and they kept the property. How is that right?

I You're not going to get I'm just saying. So, uh made several appointments yesterday. Uh Mitch De remains on the land bank on the rec commission. Wayne Belindy and Bob Schuli all got reappointed. Uh George Becker was the city's recommendation for the airport authority and he is back in that position as well. Pam Evans re-uped for the library. We signed a a new contract extension with Bark for the services of Carlos Smith Casten. Bland Bank gave us their annual report. A couple highlights out of that started in 2018 obviously and $3 million from the state has came into the county from that and that's by far the most of anybody knuckles north. really good. Um,

how would that happen, Jeff? Did that because they asked for it? I mean, there was good

Well, I don't know. All I know is I can tell you they love Rachel and Rachel is the chair of State Land Bank right now. I don't know how long she'll be chair. I don't know if it's a one-year hitch or what, but she's got a great rapport with those people. Networking obviously is important. Uh, we did adopt the county ordinance. It will not go in place until it is uh put in a paper. It's got to it's got to go through that process before it can actually be done. But it's it doesn't really usurp anything. But what it does do is it has a uniform code. So if the sheriff wants to do something, he doesn't have to look at 13 folders with each having their own specialized individual RV ordinance. This way you've got blanket authority across all jurisdictions. uh because we had we're not having the uh organizational meeting till the 25th or I should say till the 5th of January. Uh we are going to we we authorize the financial institutions which what we do for the treasurers where there's some question whether or not we need to do that annually or not to be continued but we did adopt it and did that on her on Rachel's behalf. Lisa's evaluation. Sigeller, county administrator controller. Uh, on a scale of 0 to five, she came in at a 4.54. I will tell you, I'm an advocate for trying to get her salary uh more in line with her comparables for likes counties because she I would tell you in that position, she is underpaid. That won't happen until budget time, which will be June, July. Budget will start October 1. Um had a little update from Andrew Stafford, our county economic development coordinator, and he says we've had 88 new jobs in the county from the activities gone through the economic

development process and with 10 new businesses and the wage increase for the last year countywide has been 9%. The other thing that's going to happen this week, Ed probably knows more about it, but uh we have an MI site location, 40 acres for the city in the industrial park, if you will, out on M55 that has been authorized and okay, it's going to be put into the MI site. So, that was a a lot of effort by the chamber and a few others to get that one done. So, that's

I'm going to play. Yeah. What is MI? It's MI site is basically I'm going to oversimplify it like I always do, but it's it's a program that says, okay, if they're trying to land somebody in the state, you have a portfolio. We made the portfolio and it says you got XYZ. Really, it's nothing more complicated than that. Then you can move in and get out of Well, it it it says you've got all these things lined up. It gives you quicker access. You know, it's there. is available. You've already proven yourself you can make you can deliver to this scale. Okay. Um

that wasn't done with anyone in mind in particular was just done for future development done just it's kind of like the M22 byway. You get extra advertising out there opposed to just having it sitting there and in small real estate portfolio just expanded it. I see the hired. Okay. Chiefs are here today. Advocate for that. I can tell you Majesty Township voted in favor of it on Friday last week. Thank um I think that's about all I've got for right now. Any questions? Yes. What's up with the road commission manager?

I have not talked to a road commissioner as of yet after Wednesday. Uh that stuff happens in closed sessions. They're not going to be able to tell me what went down anyways. But uh I did see an advertisement for a new one. No comment. That's what I got. Inquiring minds want to know. Oh, there's no Yeah. Anything else? She was at the meeting. Had no idea. Left and because they went to close session. She left. I told her the next day, "Did you hear?" She said, "What?" Cuz he was there when she left. And then well, not only was he there, he was talking about things he was going to be bringing to the board in January. Yeah. I had a meeting on Thursday morning.

Well, I heard that's how I found out. So, currently we don't have a road. We do. Brad is active. The other Brad. Okay. There's two Brads. Okay. So, Brad's still there. One of them. So, what? OG Brad. OG Brad. Yes. Yeah. Jeff Lawrence said to me, I'm not saying it's accurate. He said Brad Jeff Sang Jeff Lawrence and No, Jeff. Jessica. Yeah, four of them are going to which I don't know how you do that, but okay. Team

effort, I guess. Anything else? Snow's still getting plowed good. So, well, they'll do a fine everything arguing against that, but No, you're done. You can go early. All right, I'm gonna go get Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. We'll look for our gift cards later. In our stockings. Yes. Hung with care. Okay. I'm sorry. Financial reports, balance sheet. Who's going to start?

Um, though I made a few comments on the treasures report. I didn't cover it when we get down to that, but they were in the packet for you. Okay. anything? No. No. Okay, we'll go to treasures report then.

All right. So, uh, go down to it here. So, just a couple of things. Um, and I think we've got this on the agenda for later for the budget amendment for the firetruck. But, um, you know, as we discussed during the budget, there there wasn't enough funds from the millage dollars to pay for the firetruck. So, we had to transfer that 250 from the general fund. And I just want to make sure we get a budget amendment on the books for that to make the auditors happy. Um whether or not in future budgets we budget that to be paid back from the mill to the general fund. We'll have to do that as cash allows. Um but it just needed to be on there. So that's one of the big differences on the balance sheet. Um we're interest rates are continuing to go down slowly as the Fed reserve cuts rates. Um but we still earned $4,600 last month and the rate was about 4.11. That was before the the latest rate cut.

Um summer property tax collections are about 97 and a half% in which is pretty typical for this time of year. Um and then winter taxes were mailed at the end of November and once again a lot of people still haven't received them. The post office is

it's challenging. I'll just leave it at that. So we've been getting lots and lots of calls about uh hey I didn't get my tax bill or I got six of my eight tax bills or whatever. And I I can't explain it but to say, you know, you need to talk to the postmaster. But I just want to remind everybody if you go to the website, you can go online for free, log in and get all of your tax bill information online if you really want to get it. Um it's fast, it's convenient, you don't have to talk to anybody. Just log in and get it. That the reason it's there is to save you time and to save our staff time. We're happy to send them out to you or email them or whatever, but you can also do self-s serve and there's no cost on that. So, um, just wanted to point that out, um, as well. But that's all I have.

So, on the mail thing, I got my first one in two days. The next one came three days later, and then the other ones didn't come for a week. Yeah. Well, it works. It's It's the goofiest thing. Yeah. I don't understand it.

Like, we have the same mail lady. I got I got all mine the same day, too. So, you know, and I guess one other thing I'll just say as an aside, we we we are constantly having issues with return tax bills because people don't update their addresses. And so, Jennifer and Molly and Sharon at the assessor's office do their level best to try to track those people down. I mean, they really bird dog that, but they're not some of them, they just can't find them. So, you know, again, it makes everybody's life easier. If you if you have a change of address, just send it in and we'll get it processed. Sometimes, you know, it takes a cycle to get through, but but we just need to make sure that they're doing that. That's all I've got. Right. Thank you, Jan.

All right. So, the clerk is pleased to announce that we've received another notice that um likely mid 2026, the post office is posting rates in order to provide better services to its customers. Yeah. Additionally, um, how much do you know? Uh, another couple of cents. How much is the first class postage? Seven. I don't even know what a stamp is now. I don't either. I bought It's up. I think it's going to go up to 79 is what I recall. They weren't committing to that number,

but that will help help with services. And then um Deputy Clerk Mandy Esmarzik and I attended um a half half day seminar put on by a municipal law firm down in Lancing covering a variety of subjects. Everything from um master special assessment districts to fire departments to uh you'd like to do everything for everybody but you can't kind of topics. We both found it very informative. Um, part of the reason for going down was to sort of feel this law firm out and kind of see what we think of it. They do an awful lot with property um, issues uh, and zoning and so um, in the event we would like to hire additional legal counsel. That's it.

Okay. Questions? Anybody? What was the law firm? FaZy. Yes, they should something Brett and Bersik. Yeah, they're big. Very nice law. Nice law firm. Nice presentation. One of the things I noticed immediately out of the gate was the a number of younger associates, let's put it that way, associates in there. I'm going to guess their 30s to 40s as opposed to all members that are in their 60s and 70s. So, sure they have nice billing rates, too. Potentially $80 an hour, I heard. I think they're I think they're pretty reasonable. They're very

Well, the young people are working for the old guys have to show up to the meeting. It's nice. It's like multi-level marketing. Yeah. Okay. Thank you very much, Jim. Um, last week there was a virtual meeting, sort of a teopot meeting, I guess you'd call it, for the paving of the DNR site. They had good discussion and ended up with quite a few questions, but I would assume that we'll have another meeting in January. Hasn't been said, but

do we know how far the water is like down as a as a level? I know it's froze now. It's hard to tell, but probably 12 in at least. Okay. We'll still have enough for dredge. would happen though for next year. Correct. The channel. Yeah. Okay. Dean say another challenge again. Might be challenged again. Okay. Right. Okay. Anything else that's out? No. Good. Thank you. Recycling. Yeah. Nothing. They were starting to work on that site and then winter came and now that I I guess I'll go talk to Brad tomorrow. OG Brad.

OG Brad. OG original gangster Brad. Oh. Oh jeez, Brad. Okay. I didn't know what that meant. I'm sorry. That's all I got. I haven't I've been over there. The site's been clean. Really? Over here. I think now that the trailer's gone like that eliminated 99% of our problem. All the summer people in the Yeah. Well, that helped. I think they're down to picking it up a couple times a week. Yeah. But Dan, the last couple the month last month when that there was hardly anything on the ground. when I I was just I understand we got an invoice. We have an invoice. Ask if you would like to bring that up under the recycling portion of

So we have been given an invoice from P Page Ker Ker for 30 for $300 a month for 12 months for cleaning the site up. I forwarded it to the clerk. Um, we never hired her, but that you want That's what the That's what it said. No, I just I we're certainly not going to pay it. I just thought it was interesting. You got nothing. I cleaned the setup several times. I didn't I got made my If I know you can do that, I've been hauling stuff to the farm dumpster for 30 years.

Yeah. If I could build 200 a month would be great. right after we sell that pong v that pong case. So yeah, you'll be here retroactive right after we sell that. Just as an aside, that has a really decent chance of prevailing. Oh yeah. Yeah. Well, it'll totally upend the property tax system in Michigan and many other states. If it does, we argued about it for years and it wasn't right, but that just that's a law. There was a law. So yeah, but then the legislature came back and like created all these hoops people had to go through and Now the now the parent I mean they're all at the Supreme Court now. They they all want interest and

but it's it goes beyond that because what the state did is they said you can get the you can apply to receive the pros between what it's sold for in auction and what the fees are. This is saying well what it sold for at auction isn't the fair market value. The fair market value is we're going to go guess what you have an assessed value which is half of the true cash value. You're taxing me at that. We're going to go by that and that is million hundreds of millions of dollars. How in the rears would they go? Like well this has been going on for I mean they have to rule on it, right? It has they have to rule they haven't ruled on but it's a pretty if you read some of the commentary on it. It's scary.

And I wasn't and I wasn't there was a place in on Crystal Lake that the father and mother gave it to their son probably worth this was five six years ago probably worth a million back then. He was a whatever, you know, got a tax bill and just he he didn't pay the taxes. So after three years, they they sold it. It was a million- dollar property. He owed like $40,000 in taxes. It was clear and they kept the balance because that was what the law was. That's what I've been arguing for years. Not argue with Jeff, but that that's just not right. I mean, if you if if your car got repoed and they sold and you and you only owed a hundred bucks on it was worth 40,000, they don't keep all the money. You get the balance after fees and all that. They can't,

you know, it's one of the few things in the world. But if it goes more than the foreclosure sale price, I mean, that's just true cash. Well, well, yeah. Well, one of the arguments That's right. Well, well, this what if we're assessing you for 2 million and we sell it for a million, you're going to be mad. Would you say you kind of you know Dave one of the arguments is and there's there's an example sell the place myself to pay the tax but the the pl the place gets foreclosed on right and and it sells for it sold for a lot less than what the assessment well the guy that bought it turned around and flipped it for about what the assessed value is. Oh sure

and those are the example I mean I I if I'm a county I think every local unit of government needs to watch this very carefully it's it's got the That's the literal definition of a distressed sale. It is. It's not a It's not a fair market. Fair market sale. Um I would like to point out to the members before we leave our topic of recycling. Oh yeah. Go ahead. The invoice that Paige submitted to you is addressed to the county. Attention Jeff Goss. Right. So and Jeff to me. Well, it's not our bill. Clearly not our bill. Yeah. You want to remail that to send that to uh the county clerk?

Use the same envelope for the tax. Sure, be happy to do that. Use the same envelope as the tax that don't show up. They may not show up. Okay. Thank you. Bringing that point in question with the recent news of um the road commission manager. Does that put in anything related to us with recycling? Oh, no. Oh, and that site. No, because he had actually asked the board. It was a board decision. He brought that to the Yeah. And they said, "Oh, sounds like a good idea meeting, I guess." Okay.

Okay. And also, what did she tell me? Jess called me yesterday something about the money we paid. We paid a downstroke for seal coat of like 70. Okay. Yeah, I think right in somewhere in there. But yeah. Okay. So, she wanted to know if it was all right to transfer. She going to transfer that to pay for the our the asphalt because we didn't pay for that yet. They're going to apply that on the bill for paving of the roads out there. I just need to see it.

Yeah. They're going to send So, what she's going to do is credit us that money instead of calling it a deposit. She's going to credit the deposit towards the final payment for the ashvaulting that was done this fall and not charge us a deposit for the seal coat that they're going to do next year and just bill us for the seal coat all next year. I said I don't care. Whatever they can sort it once they send it to us. Yeah. Okay. But that's still scheduled for the first. That's what she said. There's four. Yes. Okay. Many township us. We're doing some in Bear Lake. He must have talked about the meeting, didn't he? Filer. Filer. I want to say Pho was the other.

Okay. Okay. Parks and Wreck. Vic, you're up. Vic, you out there? Not probably fell asleep.

Yeah. No, the the No, the moment I got uh you called me in, my son called me. Um, just to keep it simple, I'm driving, you know, we're working on the five-year plan. I think you all saw that we've got uh, as of maybe three or four days ago, whenever I sent that note out, we had over 280 responses. I suspect we're well over 300. And, um, with another outbound mailing, you know, I'm shooting for 500. Um, there was some other things discussed. Um, but I I think I'll just defer on that. We're meeting on January 7th uh for a five-year plan meeting. And during that discussion as a group, we'll come up with a recommendation on uh what to bring to the board. But we'll also keep you updated on the survey results as they come in, you know, from a periodic basis. But um other than that, nothing unless you have questions for me.

He's in Kansas. You're still in Kansas. I am still in Kansas and it's still 61 degrees. Yeah, that is literally the shortest parks and wreck report. Merry Christmas. Okay, guys. Thanks, Mr. Johnson.

Um, got the report submitted. Uh just brief on a couple things. 22 calls for the November about average of last November for some reason through the call. Um put us at 227. We've already at 14 or 15 for this month. So um so um kind of busy all of a sudden. Um we did uh five lift assist in a month from November too, which is way up. We normally only do one or two, but um that's been up. Um had three two structure fires um along with a garbage truck fire um November. The structure fires were um autoated into Man Township and one mutual aid into Arcadia. Then the garbage truck fire was our own. So, and a couple runs into Brown Township, which is pretty average. Um, then Assistant Chief Kisky and myself went down to Alexis to pick up the new fire truck. Um, that was a educational trip. Got to see how they build the fire trucks and some of the things and so it was pretty pretty cool. if there's any questions on that stuff.

Has everyone seen in the new truck, by the way? It's in the building. No. Okay. Oh, the paper ever come and take pictures? No. Page. Okay. When? This past week. I missed that. Tuesday, maybe. Okay. Maybe. Cool. Um, so yeah, if anybody wants to go through a truck after the meeting and I'm still here, um, be more than happy to walk you through it. Otherwise, if you want to set up or anybody uh set up a date to meet, I'll go through it. It's not in service yet. We're not running it. We've got some uh track pack parts that are coming in so we can hang tools where they they debate

design, right? So, truck was kind of a design build. So, um waiting on some some more track they call it. Um so, but that won't once that gets here that won't take what? couple days. So, and then we do have to do some drying, right? Um progress finishes. Well, because of your steering, it's it's a different thing to drive. Yeah. You don't want to crack that thing up. It'll turn way sharper than you realize. So, um Right. It'll turn way sharper than you. We can we can turn we can spin that truck right around on 8 mile 31 in that intersection right there. Sarah, huh?

Yeah. So, also means don't turn too fast. So, you'll hit this thing right here that you didn't plan on hitting. Yeah. Matter of fact, there was a a fire department around the area. I won't name, but their uh their chief actually went to pull out of their barn, done it a hund times, and that time he just turned too sharp and he drugged a post right down the side of the fire truck. Oh. So, um yeah, it's something. No, I know it wasn't you. He wouldn't have said if it was you. Yeah, I would have been going. I don't know who it was. I won't I won't say, but I got a kick in my neck.

Anyways, uh fire department would like to thank the the the community and taxpayers of WCKMA and the contribution that we receive from Brown Township that allows us to do stuff like this. So, and we we all understand very seriously that if it wasn't for the taxpayers and what they do for us that we would be non we would be non-existent. So, um thank you to them for their continued support. Um we did swap over to track so we're good to go on side by side um we lost all the snow. Uh and then the last part of that uh the to clarify because I was getting a lot of I won't say push back but feedback um that on the uh large fire that we had here in the village a couple weeks ago that um we called the Frankfurt Fire Department down to help fight that fire. Um not that we would never not call them if we need them, but they were not there. We did not they were not. Why did somebody think that?

Arcadia has dual members, Arcadia and Frankfurt. They had their Frankfurt scoot on. Frankfurt gear on. There was a couple pictures in the paper I think that showed the Frankfurt. Okay. Back. And so people started wondering why we were asking Frankfurt to come in to do that. And u and again, not that I have nothing against Frankfurt. They're good solid fire. We didn't do that. But we we did not um we did not ask them to come to this one. Okay. So, just wanted to clarify that that some heartburn for some people or not, but um I didn't hear anything actually on that. Did you

That was a unique fire in its own way. Um so, learned a few things that day. I think Chief Hernand was that was first hut fire. So, um interesting stuff was going on in that fires and it did it was all internal fight the whole time. So, we had have a lot of internal internal firefighters. So, but um anyway, we got to wait work our way through that one. Uh so, yeah. So, I guess the big news is the truck. Um any questions? Do my best to answer it.

No, you want to speak? You know, we can move this. We don't have to wait till I can move the new the resolution if you want to address that now and then you don't have to stay here till the end of the meeting. Yeah. So you guys got to do what you got to do or you want us to talk first or go ahead. You can Manasty Township board approved the resolution. Correct. So uh last week Manasty Township voted 4 to1 to approve joining the uh fire district authority um by a 4 to1 vote. Uh so which is um can I stop it for a minute? Yeah. It's not to join the fire district. It's to help

right to to right resolution to pursue contribute some money to pursue pursue it. Yeah, that sounds better. So people don't think Yeah, that that makes more sense. Put some money into further, right? So we can start exploring see if it Yeah. See if it'll work.

We'll have a a little bit of cost tag on. So anyway, so they're the first ones. Um Filer is is pretty much on board from what they're saying. They just kind of been waiting to see what goes on. They meet in January. Uh so they'll vote that end in January and then uh the city and then obviously us tonight. Hopefully we'll have a favorable vote on that. But um so it's just for us to pursue it further, dig into it deeper, create some things. Um and and the city manager and the reason for the 5,000 was just because I think right now the city's been putting the bill for attorneys questions.

Yeah. This just gets the potential participants in the district some skin in the game and lets us do the the stuff that we need to do to get public presentations and due diligence and resolutions and what all that stuff whatever it might be. So it's show a level of commitment. Well, you got to pursue and after watching so I we had a meeting what was it la last Wednesday, Tuesday? Two weeks ago weeks. Two weeks already. Anyways, okay. I was a little bit late to the meeting because of board review. There was a video for the fire that they had in Manaste Township down past uh Veterans Drive,

Veterans Drive, past Burger King. Burger King. So it's right in that area, you know, pretty close to Well, that's within two miles corner there, isn't it? Within two miles of Massie Townships Hall. No, not even two miles. Oh, probably a mile. Mile. First one on the scene was a police officer from the city. Sorry. And had his body cam on the whole time. Okay. A city of Manasty fire truck showed up at three and a half minute, four minute mark. House is on fire. There's a guy on the roof that they got down just before you guys I think got there. Yep.

500 gallons of water though in their truck. Never got another truck and that was from Massie Township a tankered until 17 minutes in. They pumped all their water out, knocked the fire down pretty good and then out of water and then nobody shows up for 17 minutes. And finally someone from Massie Township, a younger gentleman who you said did a great It looks like he did a good J did a good job because he was on the camera doing all this stuff. But that was the response time. They were there and then was it until after that and then another truck came but but it was at the 20 minute mark by then. Yeah. That's kind of like too late.

Well, that just brought out that's the that's the issue here is time. You can't show up 17 minutes late and and hope for any kind of a guy on the roof. Well, what if it been a rescue and and they and they weren't there? You can't that can't happen. No, that's why I think we we have to pursue this. We we don't have enough. We're losing help and I think everyone's in that same boat now that we've I look at this stuff. So that's the reason I think we should explore that and go forward. But so we need approval of resolution number 25- 018.

Yeah. Unless you have more questions to ask these guys, but I think after these meetings we've had I don't see what else you can do. It doesn't we can't sustain what we're doing. Well, I think the last meeting, you know, really provided a lot of information and this I mean basically this is for providing people to sit at the table on steering committee and to commit to $5,000. So, I would move to support resolution number 25-018. Okay. Is there a second? I would second that. Okay. Any other discussion? None. All in favor say I. I oppose. None. That's carried. Thank you. Okay. Now, we'll go forward and

Yep. So, here I do have a question. So, we we talked about this, but I don't know what happens with our fire district because we cover part of Bear Lake, right? But they will not we have to have a millillage, which is looking to me like that's going to happen. Would that group of people be in that millillage area? They they would have to be asked. You would have to ask them, I would imagine, if they want to be part of that. I mean, we've covered that area for years. I mean, it's not 8 miles. I think the fire, again, it might rip ruffles some feathers. That's what the steering committee's for, but I think the fire district could contract to provide services there, but I think you'd have to do it at a higher rate than what we're currently charging them potentially. We're not charging them. Bear Lake.

Oh, Bear Lake, excuse me. I thought you meant No, we cover part of Bear Lake. So, yeah. Well, Brown's the same issue, though. honest the little bit of difference is that we've been covering Bear Lakes people because it was you know agreed upon. It wasn't it's not we're doing it because they can't. It was agreed upon that we would cover them but they've never they've never paid for our services. They've always paid bare lake taxes from that covered. So that's why I'm saying if this does go through there'll be there would have to be some discussion. Well, there's going to have to be a change. You can't subsidize that. You know, I would assume there's going to be a change.

I said if you said if there's a change going forward, you're going to have to re revisit all that. Yeah. There's a way to figure it out. I don't mean that. I mean just that discussion is going to have to pursue almost like a you have to pick from a menu of what you want. Well, it's no different to the school district. It goes over there, too. So you have Yeah, it's okay. Anything else, guys? Yeah. Yeah. No, we do have a funding formula that we could play with these other areas with SED population call volume and see how that all plays out too. That would because I don't even know the first time.

I don't know what our coverage area is in Bear Lake Township. You do, I'm sure. Right. How far out we go? Yeah. All the way out by Cheap Lake. Okay. That's all Bear Lake out there. So, and maybe you do it by SCV. I mean, they're they're part of the if they're in, you know what I mean? Yeah, we have we'll figure that out. I mean, that's what committees will be. I just a question just kind of general this budget. Okay. I'm in favor definitely looking this way, but I didn't understand if it's a proposed budget. That's not a budget. That's just an it's just an example of what the funding formula might look like just to give people

potentially for like this would be an annual budget kind of No, I wish it was one of them. So part of the part of this the steering committee's work and the money is going to be to put together comprehensive revenue and expense budgets and and capital expenditures and all that sort of stuff so that people can see that. So that's just the first blush at a funding formula that you know is based on establishment. Well, I didn't know I mean the military I might have this completely wrong but I think our military fire department as it is about one right says two

and there's just other things in this uh this public act that's in here. I mean it's not clear I guess that has to be decided who's going to raise the mill township. be in this this authority the authority that's that's what we're going to look at go up the 20 mill yeah but this is going to be a district and it's not going to be its own separate entity that has its own taxing powers so that's it's all sort of well the public act says it could it could that's the key that's the kind of things I think people in the public yeah and that's what this whole that's what this initiative gonna get controls

yeah and when they presented everything to us one meeting I mean I think all of us had different and varying questions about it, but that was kind of like the first and that's what we need go forward. Yeah. But the the mill part the city's going to fund it internally. We're not going to pass the millage and I think filer good because the people in the nick of the township would get outvoted by the people in the city of man state in terms of like who's really going to control it,

right? If if you do it that if you did it the other way. Well, and the nice thing is when they you guys explain to us, we're not reinventing the wheel here. There's a lot of different areas that are doing it very successfully and we are going to use some of their hard work and leg work that they had in the past and apply it to us and hopefully it's kind of seamless. Are there other uh groups of townships that have done this in the area and so we can many benchmark and dey what they learn how to do their work? Well, as an example, Dad, how many guys we have in the department now? That 10 or 12? 10. 10. We used to have 24 25, right? Okay. Average age now is Well,

we're probably one of the younger departments. So, our our average age is probably 40. Yeah, probably less than that. But some of the other ones, it's probably uh 74. that's getting old. So when we have these meetings, everyone will be well informed. You need to attend because we need support. So for one thing, you need someone to come and listen and say, okay, why are we doing this? Well, here's why. Our response time will be instant as opposed to I'm being your house 15 minutes later, you know. Well, and then the other thing that was very interesting to me is your call volume was like 80 some percent is for the ambulance rescue.

Rescue. Yeah. And and this is like you say an aging community with a lot of retirees, older people. And so that is the lion share of the response is that if you can have somebody that's trained to run an ambulance that can respond and they're already here, that two minutes or three minutes means a lot. And that would be we've talked about there would be an ambulance here. Yeah. So I would think hopefully. Okay. Anything else guys? What before we move on? wants a comment before anybody else leaves. There are cake bites over there if you want any and you what they are. There's a note.

But the other thing, so we just passed a resolution that said that um we're going to contribute five and we're going to deal with the appointment of two members to serve on the steering committee. So, do we have to do that at this meeting? I I think we should. Yeah. No, that's fine. I I would move we appoint uh township supervisor Dave Meister and Fire Chief Rob Johnson to the steering committee. Okay. Is there a second? I would second that. Second. Any discussion? None. All in favor say I. I. I. Opposed. Non carried. Thanks.

Say it with more. Thanks a lot. That was great. Nominated. I will not run. It was the that you brought. No, the meetings are good. We we're to the point we don't waste a lot of time and we don't talk about stuff that No, to me it's they're good meetings and it's very informative. Like I said, everyone should watch that that whole tape. Somebody should that should be out for the public. That's going to be part of the dog and pony show. I would think when you're doing, you know, stuff like that. I mean, because it's it just so happened to happen. And it's like, how could that be? The idea is to create a website, you know, where people can go to and and just get a whole bunch of information like other fire departments have the examples and of of that of who's done it in the past that we can just really educate people.

Okay. So, thank you too. You're welcome. Thank you. Merry Christmas. And if you need to stand in your busy text Yeah. I the meetings normally are pretty 10 in the morning. Still administrator, do we have a report? Just the reports that you receive. Better take a cake. Just the reports that you just That's it. Okay. Yeah. So I could say we have a uh well the house sold on road with that kid built without a permit. Um so let me Are you jumping to new business now or we back to the regular?

This is just zoning administrator part of her report because it's probably not in there. And Mr. Hanford. So the place on Erdman Road just north of the property that the township owns sold. We couldn't figure out how because there's a house on there and it's been red tagged. So you that probably shouldn't have gone through closing really because it had the house is the illegal. Was that the one that was currently on the township property too? He he was driving across township property and then he blocked the road through our property with some trees. Was that young kid? He was in here. He didn't do it. He bought it. No. No. The young kid I thought it had sold with the understanding of that that they knew that the buyers knew the house had to be calmed down

and it's not supposed to be occupied. Is it occupied? Well, there's a furnace fire going and cars there and then again. So, I called I called the building and now we have a new building inspector too by the way. That's Yes. So,

talked to him, brought him on speed. He called me this morning as he was driving to Florida. So, and made sure that he got back to me and said he's going to send a basically he's going to go out there when he gets back and and tell him to cease and desist with some kind of a official thing from the state of Michigan. I said, "That's fine." He said, "Don't they know it's supposed to be torn down?" I said, "Well, yeah, they told me that. They knew it when they bought it, so I don't know what they're doing." It's Anyways, Mr. Hanford is working with him to get his permitt. He sees no problem with that. He said that's all proceeding that he's not working on anymore till he gets his permit done. So that's to rip out the footings or

apparently not because you can see all the footings and dig down and whatever. Oh, he said that's looks like that's okay. In the meantime between Steve and him, they're still coordinating back and forth until he gets a full handle on it. But nice enough guy to that might make What's the new building inspector's name? Yeah. My phone or you can set up. I'll do it later. Yeah, I'll do it. Okay. So, that's all I got for that planning commission. Okay. Where else?

Well, most of the news of the meeting you already heard after the meeting. I know that. there was going to be um an asset management plan for their fleet presented in January. I don't know what's going to happen to that now. Um but you know Brad talked to the board about you know presenting that because of the fact that they have not had any kind of plan in their budget then. Um is that for the fleet replacement or for the road network?

No fleet. this is fleet right because he was saying okay now we've got the asset management for the railroads we need to do that for our fleet also

um again something the city kind of did a long time ago but so kind of been doing that um and then a lot of the discussion was about the budget because there is going to be a significant budget shortfall with the road commission due to all the issues with taxes through the state and then the marijuana tax lawsuit delaying funds. So, the comment made was that the road commission will still be able to do all the work next year that it has committed to, but they will not be able to take on any new projects in 2026. and then perhaps everything will get sorted out and then in 2026 they would be able to then start planning work for 2027 because Brad's comment was that um the earliest any money would hit the budget from the state would be the final quarter of 2026. So they're going to catch up on all the work from 25 to 26 and then Yeah, that's what he told me. And no and probably not much.

That's a little confusing to me, but I budget only because unless they were budgeting on a windfall that because the the the controversy is the additional funding, not the baseline funding, right? Yeah. Something happened, but I don't I don't know if you have a defined answers to what happened. I don't know if there is till you go there and I don't It's fine. I'm just telling you what was said at

Apparently all I can see is after going to Travis today, they're not fixing my damn roads around there. Somebody's not from the state level. They're I don't know where all the money's gone. Don't get it. I know road repair is way more than it was. So maybe they just the cost has exceeded what revenue is there. I don't know. Could be. Right. Could be. Well, anyways. Okay. So I think Brad OG I think is someone him and Jess I think are going to come to the meeting in February. Okay. So that might help clear some I think they'll know. Yeah.

And they might know more by then too. Sure. It's a pretty new development. Okay. Assessor. Uh, I think all properties pretty much have been visited for new construction. Working on splits this week and land values and sales are still crazy. Uh, Holman's house sold out on Bay View or so when it was like under the one when they got tear down 680. six lady.

They're going to have to tear it down and red. Well, no. I heard they're going to redo it the way it is. And I went, "Okay, is anyone not familiar that there was water in that whole basement?" Two years for more than two years. I bet there's three cycles of that. Huh. Ancient power wash will do wonders. Dave. Oh, yeah. I don't Anyway, that's what I heard. They're going to they're going and we still have the issue about the road end. I I believe right what needs to happen is there needs to be a letter drafted from the attorney just putting that property owner on notice that yes it's privately owned however there's a public access right across this and um whatever that needs to look like I think that needs to happen soon you want to do that with town I will okay because you the wording because I agree because otherwise

yeah it's going to get lost in the shuffle again and there's a couple other pieces that have sold for big money well the houses it doesn't matter It hasn't stopped. I would think at some point that something would happen. There was a 40 that just sold for that had a small pole barn on it for 9,000 an acre. Did that stuff sell next to my old farm? It did? Yes. You did not know you're in the French River era of uh 9,000 an acre. Madison County. It's an old It was a It was a clearcut. No, no, not this is all wooden. It's where that little red barn is on Powder Road. Oh, I know. Yeah, that was a clear cut 15 years ago. They clear didn't look clear cut. But anyway,

that's it's so thick in there. I don't know. It sold for what? Like 350. Well, leaving California, they think that's what suck cost. Well, no, it's cheaper. Still cheaper here, but I know it's I didn't realize it's sold. Okay. Yeah. Uh evasive species. So, invasive species, we had um a meeting Monday. Great report. I mean, oh, her report. Thought you were there for part of it. Yeah. And that wasn't even the full report, but

So, the one thing I was going to mention is our lake manager will have um the lake management report completed in time for our January meeting. the committee wants to review it, make sure that they're providing all the information that we feel is important to be provided and then um invasive species would like to have the lake manager come to the board meeting in February, which I think I wrote you an email about um and make the presentation so that the board hears it and the community can also hear it. But I mean it's we are very very very pleased. would be new lake manager and what they bring to the table. Um, you may remember that last year we separated the lake management services from the applicator services and because of how long the process took us to hire the lake manager, we were kind of under the gun for permitting. And so we came to the board or I came to the board and said, you know, we really just want to hire PLM again for one year. you know, we're not going to go out for an RFP because we just don't have time

for application. Yeah. For application. So, just letting you all know that we're going to begin writing an RFP, getting everything going through the same process we did for the lake manager just for applicators. And they may get it. They may get and you know that was the one thing Kaiser and Associates is very pleased with PLM. The committee invasive species is very pleased with PLM. now that there's been the separation of services. Um, but we just felt that in the best interest of the taxpayers, we should probably go through the process. Yeah.

Just to make sure that everybody's pencils are sharpened and we're being treated the way we should be treated and all that. Not making any accusations. I mean, we're just thinking that's the appropriate thing to do at this point. And then we would just have um the applicator be for two years to match up with the two years remaining on the manager's contract report was very interesting that one hot spot that wasn't there. I won't they can talk but it was like weird. How did that just all of a sudden show up out of nowhere months later? They don't totally know.

Yeah. But but the one thing that's great again is that they do their surveys they are like doing like live data feed and everything. So I mean you saw the map I mean it's it's amazing how much work they have done and how much information they have provided us that we have never had before. What were the odds on that? One showed up like in the on where it says Portage Lake where the pee is come down a half inch on that map and then over a little bit there. It just showed up in the middle. Yeah.

That is that by where the green buoy was or the shallow because there's that big a big shallow chunk that comes out there or maybe I can't remember. It had the depth there and I don't remember on the I don't think Well, said I don't think so. I think she would have made a comment about maybe I'll maybe and it was so weird cuz it was nothing there and then all of a sudden it's like boom. It was like what happened there? It was just anomaly. Speaking of the green buoy jump, it's missing. Do you know if the Coast Guard takes that out in the winter? Okay. Yeah. Okay. He'll do that. Okay. Throws up like a morale mushroom, right? Anything else?

That's it. Thank you very much. Oh, I see what you said when you said great report. You mean I was cutting you off and your report was done. Is that what you thought I meant at the beginning? Our convers when you said great report. I was like yeah like I said three words I said yeah great report even like at the meeting and then I'm like oh that's right there for part of it.

Anyways thank you. Oh budget amendment for the fire truck. So, the budget anticipated that there wasn't going to be enough money in the fire funds um potentially. I did not show that I don't think as a transfer from the general fund to the fire fund in the adopted budget. So, we need to do a budget amendment to reflect 250,000. We can't book it as a due to due from inner fund payable and it needs to be a transfer and then if we want to transfer those funds back at some point in the future that'll be part of the but was the thought process if I'm not mistaken was we sell the other truck that'll help pay that back

and pay it back and then Okay. So, but this is the correct way you need to Yeah. So, we need a budget amendment to approve a $250,000 transfer from the general fund to the fire fund for purposes of helping to purchase the fire truck. Okay. Say that one more time slowly. We need a Are you making I'll make I'll make a motion to approve a budget amendment in the general fund of $250,000 as a transfer to the fire fund or helping to purchase the new fire pumper. I'll second that.

Okay. So, discussion. Do we have to advance the credit cards here just to get the cash money to put them out? Okay. I didn't think so. Discussion by anybody. That have to be a roll call vote. It can be a motion. It's a budget. I'm going to make it a motion. Okay. All those in favor say I. I. I. Oppose. That's passed. What's the used word? Is it is there Well, we thought it would be worth Well, we don't know. Well, I I'm not comfortable necessarily with the process that Rob's proposing to sell it. I mean, we need to talk through that auction off. I almost think we need to get it to auction it and have a reserve price rather than try to go through Allied because they're making money, too.

Well, I just think it might some of those statewide auction houses, we've had really good luck with using those for our surplus equipment at They bring decent money. They do. I again, maybe that's not the best way to do this. I don't know. Well, they get a cut, but you if you if you have a you know, if you know you don't want to sell it for less than X, you can put a full reserve, right? I just I want to make sure everybody's comfortable with that process. Um, okay. Or maybe there's another fire. Well, here here's another scenario. So, if in fact the district goes through and that comes to fruition, whatever, that truck could be sold to that the entity itself or one of the other departments that don't have a truck as good as that. Right. That's a possibility.

So, we've talked about, you know, that that needs, you know what I mean? Yeah. I mean, we would get credit for it, right? But it would go to somebody like let's say either I don't pick one. Yeah. I don't think there's any rush is my point. It's not depreciating. Those things are it's already bottomed out. Yeah. Well, I don't know if it can bottom out, but you know, there people like the used equipment if it's in good shape. So, especially it is. And we It's one of the few four-wheel drive trucks. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. Nobody has four-wheel drive. We're one of the few departments that spent the money to We kind of need Well, the new one doesn't, but the new one gets around and weighs. Okay, laser fish.

Okay, so um our document imaging software is due for an upgrade which is included in our maintenance package. Um it is currently running on a virtual server on our main server. Um actually, let me back that up. It's running on a virtual machine on our main server and that virtual machine is Windows 10. the new version of laser piece they don't recommend running that on Windows 10 in that environment. So we have basically two options. One is we may be able to just um reinstall and port over the data to the main server itself. So it's all running on one server or we instead of having a virtual server that's Windows 10, we have a virtual server that is a Microsoft server and then put the move the latest feature over to that. I haven't yet gotten the price from MCCI which is the company that supports laser fish and VC3 which would have to be involved but um we we probably do need to move ahead with that. I would like I can this can wait um potentially I'll have a number from the guy hopefully relatively soon but it might be good to just approve it with a not to exceed amount and then if it's over then I can come back. I don't think it's going to be. I personally think it can run on the server as is um because we don't use that server for it's not running anything else really except just supporting the network functions. So that's that's what that is about.

What do you want to do? Wait till next month. Um I mean we can't. It works just fine the way it is. If you want to wait for a number, I'm happy to do that and hope I can get in by then. I think rather wait. Okay, we can do that. That'll do that next month. So, how much did Jeff say the countyy's paying for their up their PSNA upgrade one's 75? Well, okay. And it was like 30 for us, correct? Last year,

27 something. 40. Yeah, it's it was the the cost of doing it was about the same as it was when we went to it the first time, but the annual fees are about two and a half times as much as they were. But it's a way better product than what they had before. I think I hate it. But anyways, the assessors don't like it. That's what I've heard from everybody. But for it's like I think it's better. I'll show you one day.

Okay. Thank you. Uh resolution for poverty guidelines. Resolution number is 25-017. It just establishes kind of the process what we can and cannot you know would deviate from this and and they have to produce documentation right if they're asking for one and correct I mean that has to yeah how many poverty exemptions do we have in account four or five I think trying to think not very many a very small handful four or five. We have more veteran well about even amount of veterans

probably have more than poverty maybe more than poverty I think veterans but not not a bunch so I would move approving resolution number 25-017 a resolution establishing the 2026 property guidelines for exemption from property tax contributions okay thank you is there a second by Cindy discussion None being heard. All in favor? Roll call vote, please. Roll call for resolution. I am sorry. Cindy, yes. Matt, yes. Ed, yes. Jennifer, yes. David, yes. Declare that path. Thank you. So, I have a question.

Go ahead. Um, do you have to have a roll call vote for all resolutions or that one? Because we did not do that for the fire resolution. I'm totally confused as to what requires a roll call and what doesn't. I would love it if Mr. could help I don't have a for sure definition. However, the template that was suggested to me indicates that upon a record roll call vote, the motion passed unanimously. I I think I think that there's there's very few things that actually require a roll call vote. I'm just asking because we over certain do it for the fire truck. Well, so we need to do it for fire truck. I don't

Yeah, the fire I don't think we do put fire. Okay, so my so my property. So here's which everyone's probably heard. So there's two lots for sale in Fairport on Lake Michigan. Came up for sale what last week? I know that's when the email showed up. I think they've been up for same

two weeks. Maybe it's only been listed. No, she was waiting for a letter from because I had to get a letter from Mr. Greer because back years ago with Hank Brown, this goes back 20 years. There was a road that went north and south right through the middle of those properties to the north. In lie of vacating that, the road commission went to court. We were in court with that. They vacated that road in lie of that Hank Brown or the estate or whoever gave them 20ome feet or 30 some feet of the parking lot that's there. Now when they did that in this court order they made the lot 96 feet wide and our ordinance at the time said 100 ft. You have to have 100 foot of road frontage. So technically we violated our own or you know I don't know how you did that in court because it was a judge side the order anyways that a lot

no I'm trying to Is it right adjacent to the Perport Beach or Yes. It's between the Perport Beach parking lot and the house anyways to the north. Correct. To the north. There's two lots. I think it's 14 to 15. They accepted an offer on 15 yesterday. That's the lot closest to the north, not the one next to the public access part of it, which would make sense to me. That would be the one that would sell. So, they were asking 650 for that. And I'm sure it's sold for over listing price. I would furthest north lot. Yeah.

I'm just having a hard time driving today. Sorry. There. Where you at? Trying to get to where I need to go. Much better with the mouse. See, the lines are wrong. But see, it's got part of the part, but it's those right here. Yes. The lines are way off on Oh, yeah. But that's the piece. The one to the north is already they already accepted the offer yesterday. How many feet? I'm just curious. 96. That one has 96. It has 96 feet on the road, Dan. And it has, for whatever reason, how the line is crooked. I don't know if that's accurate or not, but it has more on the waterfront. Yeah, this is just a representation that

just represent I'm going by it's 96 ft. So, uh, they want 500,000 for it. And the email came in and said the board should the board look I'm sure everyone got that right that that we should we look at buying that for parkland. So that's why I'm bringing it up. We need some wealthy benefactor who wants to make a nice donation.

What? What? No, honestly, I I mean, you you want me to talk? I mean, I I don't think as a taxpayer in the township, I wouldn't pay 500,000. I wouldn't want to have my tax dollars go $500,000 for that. I don't see what the benefit of it is. So, as my as my pitch for a wealthy benefactor, you're probably that that would be a no. You know, as wealthy benefactor, you're talking about now as taxpayer, you wouldn't like to see your funds spent for that. Okay. Well, I mean, there is an issue there. I mean, I like that beach. It's it's a political walk along there. And I I guess people can only use it's not a road. There's so people can

Wait, wait a minute. What's not a road in that parking lot? It is a road. Okay. Well, in any case, it's not our road. People Okay, there you go. People use it as a as a beach. It's it's it's nice. I guess I guess there's been issues there with, you know, people spreading out in front of other Absolutely. Sure. Uh ways down to the south, but there we have a letter stating that. Okay. We have a taxpayer who that's where the wild west who asserts that. However, photographic uh evidence does not necessarily uphold the breadth of his plane. I remember you said you took a a stroll to do some multiple strolls

weekly. Yeah. And spoke to multiple residents, but but that's been resolved kind of because he the last time that happened it was whatever he called the police and the police came out and told the people they had to leave. So, but that's that's irregardless. What I'm bringing up is does anybody have the appetite to me pursue that at all or that's why I'm bringing it up if you if not I'm going to try to buy it tomorrow after I talk you guys out of buying it.

So, my comment Dave would be um I talked to Bick to get some idea of the preliminary survey results. I think we have 300 in. um increasing public access to water I think was number highest priority on the on the parks and recck survey. It was

um with that said if if the township wanted to pursue this obviously it would have to be you know a significant portion grant and or donation funded. There's ways to do that. I think this makes a really good either Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant application, you know, perhaps a land and water conservation fund, perhaps a community foundation. There's different ways to do that. Um, and I think you could raise some private dollars as well. Um, the land conservancy, Grand Drivers Land Conservancy does what's called community assists all the time where they partner with the community to to do a grant application and it they have a lot of expertise with that. Um, I think this would score fairly high on a on a trust fund grant application. Problem is you have to control the property before it's sold or have a a conservation buyer or beneficial buyer buy it or get an option or something so that it doesn't like disappear because the trust fund grant cycle is six months out, you know, to

they would have to give us an option of so many months or whatever, right? So, I mean, I I think it would be worth personally pursuing either a conservation buyer or an option and partnering with GTRLC to write some grants to see if that could be acquired only because we know that that beach is used a lot. We know that it's becoming it has become more popular over year over the years.

And this would help to mitigate some of those conflicts that have been happening down there because it's more space. Um, so I think it's it's worthy to pursue. Obviously, we can't afford $500,000. Um, I don't think in my opinion. Um, and depending on what the township contribution would be, you know, you could even finance part of that and there's more different ways to do that, but if you get enough grant, you wouldn't have to. So, that's my thoughts on it, but I don't know what the rest of the board feels. It's a once in a lifetime. That property is not going to come back up for sale, have a house on it if it, you know, if it's of interest.

Well, here's what's interesting. So, before it sold and the realtor called me, I had four calls from people about what they could do there and I refer him to Jody for you know build and it wasn't even that it was to do a V was nothing to do with you know building a house itself but they want to do a vacation rental which I thought was you know for as much as that is that you'd have to get a lot of money for that I think we'll get a lot of money for that yeah so

well I'm on the parks and rec committee and I know you know we're looking through our fiveyear plan and all the survey information and you're dead on right. The number one thing that shows up is access to water and beaches and improving what we have and doing what we can to to ensure more or continued use of the public being able to access the water. So, I I don't know how far pipe dream it is, but if there's somebody that's willing to, you know, I'd be willing to help out on it or whatever. there's grant money available to the Michigan, you know, DNR or the But that's six months, isn't it?

Yeah. So, this is this I got a note back from our contact at the land conservancy. But basically, she says, um, you know, we would, it's a called a community assist. The land conservancy does these all the time. Um, you'd have to figure out, you know, they would probably pay about 75% if you got the grant. Rest would need to come from local match via bargain sale, private fundraising, or township funds. Since the grant cycle wouldn't be available until spring of 26, the properties are listed for sale. Now, they would need to be pre-acquired and held. GTRLC could help facilitate this. I don't know what that means, but Okay.

Couple things I need from you before proceeding. get consensus as soon as possible that the township is willing to apply for a trust fund grant to purchase these parcels for a public park. We will need to have an official board resolution for the application, but for now just a thumbs up or down would suffice. We are interested to find out how the neighbors would feel about a public park in this spot. Any you can dig up would be appreciated. This is not a dealbreaker to this information to see if there will be public push back. Well, actually, I don't have any negative comments from Well, in the long run, it might alleviate some of the concern because the pro the the problem is is more people want to go to the beach and it's a skinnier beach and if Yeah. And if we own the property,

we can actually we can appropriately sign it with educational and we can also have an ordinance. We can now, right? So, maybe it'll be on part of it, but if you put signs up, people are just going to think it applies to the whole thing, right? And you're more than doubling the the access. So you'd have ability to have 50 people down there without crowding and stuff. Well, how about a consensus if they just looking for a consensus of yes or no? So let's do a consensus. Jennifer, pursue it. No. No. I would with a caveat. I mean, if we can get the grants, if we're not putting up all of the match money.

No, I I maybe I should rephrase it. A consensus about how about going forward to see if we can accomplish this with Have a problem with that. Does that make sense? Because I don't No, I'm not committing to anything. I'm just saying, do we want to pursue it and see if we can make it happen? I am. Yes. Yes. Yes. And I would go Okay. Well, why don't you call them back and just or text them back and say yes. So, what's the next step? And I'll talk to the realer tomorrow just to find out what because she was waiting to hear from me before she did anything about talking to anybody. But I know they want rid of it. I mean, so what they're saying, I mean, who owns that is Paul? Mr. So,

but if somebody what they're asking basically if someone buys it as a placekeeper with the intent of a lot of times the way these get done you have a conservation buyer straw but they not a straw buyer but they buy it to hold it because they know that these things take time. The township can't buy and hold us. But that's Yeah. Right. Right. You just need to find Well, like I said, if I found some gentleman that own property here around the lake that put the money up to hold it. Yes. That would be excellent. I'm sorry. I'm just picking. Okay, we're moving on. Uh, we'll do that. Unfinished business. Do we have any?

Hey, Dave, can I ask a question? Oh, a bit. Go ahead. I'm sorry. So, uh, you were cutting in and out. Um, is there anyone going to talk to the land owner just to find out whether or not they have any interest in having a beach on that property or, you know, they have if they have no interest at all and would rather sell it for um, however much they can get for it, shouldn't we know that? Thank however much they can get for it right now is half a million. But they already approached you though, right? No. Oh, okay.

I think if I think if the land conservancy gets involved that that's that's the point where we'll find out, you know, if there's any appetite for any kind of a bargain sale. Okay. So, you think it would be the land conservancy that would actually make contact with the owner? We'd have to sort that and see. I just think this is getting the getting the ball rolling and where it rolls and ends up, we don't know yet. Okay. So, they may not be willing to hold it for all I know. They might not. But that's where that's where you have somebody step in. Yeah. Anything else, Beck?

No. Other than No, other than who has lead on uh that who's contacting the uh the funding agencies? Yeah, I'll take lead on and coordinate with parks, but All right. Thank you. Okay. Thanks. I'm sorry. We had no unfinished business. Do I Jen? No. Okay. That I'm aware of. Bills to be paid. Someone want to make a motion. Uh I move we pay the bills. I'll second the motion that would be available. Thank you. They're ordinary with the exception of one. Well, that wasn't our bill. Okay. You're excluding that one, correct? Yes.

Okay. Thank you. Uh discussion. None. All in favor say I. I I oppose. That's carried. Correspondence. There was a couple things that came in from Eagle. What were the other ones, John? Something for a Well, that was not Eagle. That was No. So, I regularly receive notices from my envirro envirro portal for various things such as somebody's applied for a discharge permit, somebody's put in for a well, somebody's put in for a driveway. I don't consider them correspondence, typical correspondence to the board. It's more of a courtesy notice, I think.

So, we talked about it and I said we should bring this up because we've never brought them up in a meeting. They used to be put in a box out front. They were being put on the website for a while and we get those notices just as a list. Do we want to do that? Well, I I don't want to discuss that right now. I think it's one of those things when we get the new website, we need to figure out what's going on, what's not. Okay, that's fine. It was more of just a public service to the but that's why they sent him to the township I think is they're they're hoping that somehow they get like if somebody applies for a permit for a well well like a big discharge well yeah oh like it's over 80 whatever and it's over a culvert everything eagle permits you know if it's in

if it's in wetlands and if it's even in just nothing we got was was Mr. Hanford's permit in there. Well, we already got it. Violations, etc. are up on because those are violations. These are not just annual permit. Does he even have a He got his permit for the up the building one though. The one that we have to have the stuff before you put this up in the ground. One of our hands state's all involved in that. Turn it over to the Sorry. Okay. Public comment. Is anyone left on public comment who would like to say something on the online?

I think the new beach will be great. I just don't want to pay for it. Unable Dan, anybody Anybody online like to make a comment? If so, please unmute yourself. Doesn't look like we have any takers. Anybody online like to donate money towards purchasing property for please get a hold of me or Ed? Okay, there's got a match there for five seconds, but you got to withdraw that public comment. You have anything to add now? No. David, what's all the surveying for lately? Oh, u you didn't have to wait till now. I could ask that. I'm assuming that's for

the wetlands. Is that what you're talking about? down Portage Point. That's the non trail along the road there. Serious surveying been going on for quite a while. That's part of the bike trail and and part of the surveying us. I'm sorry. And we also did survey the township property and the wetlands there. We had that all surveyed. So there some of those markers are ours too. So Okay. Thank you. Thank you. That's it. That was pretty easy. Okay. That's it. Anybody else? I'm going to adjourn. I'm adjourning.