WHITEHALL — Due to the absence of Supervisor Jeff Marcinkowski and Trustee Mike Holman, several action items were tabled at Monday's Fruitland Township Board of Trustees meeting, with one delayed item prompting a special meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 23.
The tabled item in question was the approval of the township’s millage rate, which is due to the State of Michigan by the end of September, ahead of the next scheduled regular meeting. Initially, the rate was set for a millage of 0.8467, producing an almost 4.6% increase in county revenue. At the previous work session in which this rate was discussed, Trustee Chris VanOosterhout questioned the increase and, at Monday's meeting, proposed an alternative millage suggestion of 0.8377.
According to VanOosterhout, this alternative will bring down the effective millage rate, while still increasing the township revenue to be consistent with projected inflation for the next fiscal year. The rate of 0.8377 would still come with an increase in revenue of $12,000, which VanOosterhout considered fair, as he felt there was no reason to have the revenue drastically increased without a concrete plan on where to spend those funds. For VanOosterhout, the alternative suggestion came in response to a common concern given by Fruitland Township residents over property taxes, saying, “To me, it's a message that we aren’t just continuing to raise our revenue rates because we can.”
In Marcinkowski’s absence, Clerk Alexa Steffes led the meeting. Steffes' only concern with the alternative rate was her understanding that the state revenue will likely be less than previously budgeted for. However, a rate of 0.8377, to her understanding, would not put the township in dire straits.
Ultimately, the discussion was tabled due to the desire to have Marcinkowski's input before considering an alternative millage rate.
Also tabled was an approval of an ambulance service agreement with Trinity Health EMS. Trinity Health proposed a revised agreement after the township's ballot proposal to rejoin the White Lake Ambulance Authority was voted down in August.
Trinity Health already serves the township, but response times as long as 45 minutes prompted interest in searching for supplemental service providers. The proposed agreement outlines an attempt to establish better parameters and provide consistent reporting on services. Goals laid out by Trinity include an average response time to priority 1 calls of 15 minutes, and no more than 25 minutes.
The proposal was a second draft, with suggested changes provided by township attorneys, including items establishing personnel credentials, response coverage and time standards, and requirements for monthly and annual reporting.
Said Steffes of the agreement, “This [won’t] cost the township any funding. It just sets parameters and expectations for the service that’s required.”
Continued Treasurer Justin Roggero, “Basically, it just puts the ball more in our court, even though we aren’t paying (more) for anything, but it's a standard or an outline of what our expectations are.”
The fact that the agreement will require no additional funding, however, does raise questions for the board as to where the onus lies for Trinity Health to follow through with the promises made in the agreement. Considering this and the interest of hearing Trinity Health's response to the attorneys’ changes, the board tabled the agreement until the next meeting.
As explained by Steffes, there is no reason to quickly move forward with the agreement, as Trinity covers the township regardless. That being said, the board currently finds no issue with the items laid out in the current proposal.
Also tabled was any further decision of a second sign for White River Light Station following price comparisons from Port City Signs between a wooden and aluminum sign. The price of the aluminum sign is estimated at $1,960, significantly cheaper than the quote for wood. However, the board was informed of Marcinkowski's plan to ask the National Park Service if another sign is necessary before making a final decision.
Public comment once again voiced concerns regarding the township’s plans for a sidewalk along Duck Lake Road in order to connect separate non-motorized paths, particularly regarding responsibility for maintenance and snow removal. These concerns were first introduced at the August regular meeting and Steffes looked up Michigan’s policies for sidewalk maintenance since then and found the responsibility is typically that of individual property owners. This is in contrast to the initial assumption of the board, which thought maintenance to be the responsibility of the township.
