The regular Pentwater Village Council meeting on Feb. 9 may have been brief, but it carried forward some important actions. Perhaps the most significant action was the council’s approval of and the signing of an agreement by village and township officials that spelled out the transfer of ownership of the sewer system to the township. This agreement includes the process by which township users could be added to the system and how increased township usage of the wastewater treatment plant would be measured and paid for.
All council members and 10 audience members were in attendance at the meeting. After moving through the opening exercises, President Mary Marshall asked for approval of the consent agenda. Approval was given, but councilor Kathy O’Connor commented on one financial item: the cost of the audit was significantly higher than the previous charges. She reminded council that Rande Listerman, who recently retired as the village clerk/treasurer, had given a heads-up that this would be the case. O’Connor wanted council to know the finance committee was going to address this issue.
The treasurer’s report followed and was approved as presented. Current Clerk/Treasurer Michelle Bieri commented that the deadline for filing late summer tax payments is March 2.
There were two department reports. Chief Laude Hartrum reported that he had been to a hearing at the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police the previous week, where a vote confirmed the accreditation of the Pentwater Police Department. A representative from the Association will be present at the March council meeting to present a plaque to Hartrum, and Marshall assured Hartrum a celebration would accompany the meeting. Hartrum also reported the local department had spent time the past few weeks in regular required training with the county sheriff’s department.
Village Manager Toby Van Ess reported for the DPW department that rebuilding pumps at the four lift platforms in the sewer system was continuing and going well.
Four items were addressed under new business. The first was the Intergovernmental Agreement on the sewer system described in the first paragraph above. The second item was updating the Employee Handbook, which has been directed by Van Ess. The handbook was last revised in 2008 and needed improvement, and discussion followed regarding issues not addressed or not clearly spelled out. O’Connor listed her concern for the process for conflict resolution, the lack of definition for “excessive absence,” the need to describe the workweek options by hours and location, and time off for holidays or sick leave and disability.
Councilor Don Palmer commented that some policies were addressed in places other than the Employee Handbook and that it would be beneficial to Van Ess and everyone else if all employee policies could be incorporated into the handbook and thus easily found. Chief Hartrum interjected that Van Ess was working on a software program that could include all the policies in one place and be available to anyone through a link on the village website. Work on updating the current handbook is taking the first step in that direction.
The third item was a request from the Chamber of Commerce to approve a fireworks display on July 3. If it rains on July 3, rather than rescheduling in July, the fireworks would be incorporated with the August 15 fireworks display during Homecoming. Approval was given. The last item was a budget hearing. O’Connor reported that after the Finance Committee meeting on Feb. 18, the budget would be ready for Council review. Marshall suggested that council hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. on March 2 for a budget overview so that it could be on the March 9 regular meeting for council approval. Residents could attend on March 2 but not make comments or raise questions until the public hearing on March 9. Council thanked both O’Connor and Van Ess for their diligent work on formulating a budget that paid close attention to capital expenditure needs.
Under closing comments Van Ess reported well No. 4 would become the primary well as soon as all tests were completed, and it would have a generator connected to it - an advantage over the other wells. He also mentioned the need for seasonal support. Hartrum already has three or four cadets lined up to support the police department. Van Ess will need three or four summer employees for the marina. Interested persons are encouraged to contact him.
The meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m. The next meeting of the Petnwater Village Council Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m.
