Township Board Minutes

MINUTES
CASCADE CHARTER TOWNSHIP REGULAR BOARD MEETING
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
7:00 P.M.

Article 1. Supervisor Julien called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Present: Supervisor Julien, Trustee Beahan, Koessel, Currier, Parrish and Clerk Goodyke.
Absent: Treasurer Carpenter
Also Present: Manager Cravens, Deputy Clerk Biegalle and those listed on Supplement #1.

Article 2. Supervisor Julien led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Article 3. The agenda was approved on a motion by Clerk Goodyke and supported by Trustee Beahan. Motion carried unanimously.

Article 4. Approval of Consent Agenda
a. Approval of Township Board Minutes
1. Regular Meeting Minutes of 01/11/06.
b. Receive and File Various Meeting Minutes
1. Kent County Road Commission Meeting Minutes of 12/13/05.
c. Receive and File Communications
1. Letter from Michigan Liquor Control Commission
re: D&W Food Center, 6425 28th St. S.E., Grand Rapids
d. Receive and File Various Reports
1. Building Department Month End Report for December.
The consent agenda was approved on motion by Trustee Koessel and supported by Trustee Parrish. Discussion followed. Motion carried unanimously.

Article 5. Financial Actions
a. Consider Pay Application No. 6 Dan Vos Construction re: Library Enrichment Center Construction.
Motion to approve the Pay Application No. 6 to Dan Vos Construction in the amount of $273,400.09 was made by Clerk Goodyke and supported by Trustee Parrish.
Manager Cravens reviewed the pay application and also stated Butch Visser had also looked at the charges. Supervisor Julien questioned the change orders approved for this pay application. Manager Cravens stated he would check with Butch and get a list of the changes. Motion carried by roll call vote.

Article 6. Public Actions
a. Public Hearing - Sewer Use Ordinance.
Motion by Trustee Beahan and supported by Clerk Goodyke to open the public hearing. Motion carried unanimously.
Supervisor Julien noted there were no members of the public present. Motion by Trustee Beahan and supported by Trustee Parrish to close the public hearing. Motion carried unanimously.

Article 7. Public Comments (None)

Article 8. Unfinished Business (None)

Article 9. New Business
04-2006 Consider a new Cascade Community Foundation Member
Supervisor Julien reviewed the history of the Community
Foundation. Supervisor Julien cited a memo that he had submitted
to the Township Board in December, 2001 regarding the three
directors who would be members of the Cascade community at-
large. Discussion followed.
Motion by Trustee Parrish and supported by Trustee Beahan to
appoint Tammy Kerr to the Cascade Community Foundation to
replace the opening made by Bill Green. Motion carried
unanimously.

05-2006 Consider Adoption of Sewer Use Ordinance
Motion by Trustee Parrish and supported by Trustee Koessel to approve the adoption of the Sewer Use Ordinance. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.

Article 10. Manager's Comments
Township Manager Cravens submitted the following item for Manager Comments:
· Reminder of submitting goals for 2006, and also the Goal Setting meeting on Monday, January 30, 2006 at 5:30 p.m. at Township Hall.
· Chief Sigg and Manager Cravens had met with Lowell Township about the opportunity to help them with fire service.
· Installation of Township emblems on all B&G trucks has been done. Does the Board want the managers' vehicle identified and also the Director of Building Inspections? Discussion followed.
Consensus of the Board was to investigate a "static cling" emblem for the Director of Building Inspections, and to leave the Township Managers vehicle without an emblem.

Article 11. Board Member Comments
Trustee Koessel stated he had "no comments" but had asked if the Board was going to talk about the per diem issue tonight? Manager Cravens stated that it was not on the agenda because he did not know it was asked to be on the agenda. Manager Cravens also stated that Trustee Koessel requested Planning Director Peterson to update the information on the last per diem list that had been submitted to the Board. Manager Cravens stated that he waited for the Boards direction or action as he felt that staff was just to provide information and leave it at that. Trustee Koessel stated that he would like to get the issued resolved. Trustee Koessel also stated that the information provided by the Planning Department looked like the Township Trustee also received payment for attending Planning Commission/Zoning Board. He felt that it was inconsistent that Cascade didn't get paid for the additional meetings. (i.e., Planning Commission/Zoning Board) Trustee Parrish asked for a "point of order" regarding taking up this issue under the Comments section of the Agenda. Trustee Parrish felt it should be an agenda item on the next regular Board Meeting, for the residents that review the agenda "on-line".
Trustee Parrish also felt if we were talking salaries that it should be public.
Supervisor Julien reviewed his thoughts on the issue:
· A budget was set for this year to increase our compensation; to change that budget one month into the fiscal year seems to him is wrong;
· This should be referred to our personnel committee and take it up as a budget amendment;
· This would best be handled for the 2007 budget;
· Rather than increasing our compensation, by this different approach, that we consider going the Gaines and Plainfield Township way, where we get paid per meeting. Based on the sixteen years that I have been on the Board, the Cascade Township Trustee and Supervisors salary is intended to cover all the various meetings that we ask Board Trustees and Supervisor to handle. It's a lump sum salary, and then we don't get into arguments about which is worth more etc.. That is my thought on that and I feel it has been well handled in the past.
· The other end of the spectrum is, if you come to the meeting you get paid, if you don't, you don't get paid. That is very easy to explain to the public.
· Supervisor Julien would like to suggest if we go to that, we could even go to that this year, as long as the aggregate salaries, that the four Trustees and the Supervisor would get, would not add up to more that what we budgeted. Supervisor Julien stated he did not think there was any compelling argument to increase our salaries in the middle of a budget year.
Discussion followed. Supervisor Julien requested the issue of Per Diem pay for Trustees for attendance at Planning Commission and Zoning Board Meetings be put on the next regular meeting agenda.
Trustee Koessel also inquired about researching the Fund Balance with the Building Inspections Department.
Clerk Goodyke mentioned the progress being made at the Library. The Library will be closed starting March 2nd until March 19th.
Trustee Parrish reported she had sat on a panel of the Regional Cooperation of Government and reviewed the topics of discussion.
Supervisor Julien had sent a corrected Proposed Board/Committees list to all Board Members and had not received any responses, was that a presumption that this was satisfactory for everybody. Supervisor Julien asked what the Trustees intention of rotation of board members in 2007.
Manager Cravens wanted to apologize for the misunderstanding regarding Agenda Items. Any one of the Board members can call his office to request an item be put on the Agenda.

Article 12. Adjournment
Motion by Trustee Parrish and supported by Clerk Goodyke to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously.

Meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Denise M. Biegalle
Deputy Clerk

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