Village of Ortonville
APPROVED MINUTES
Council Meeting
October 24, 2016 – 7:00 p.m.
Brandon Township Offices
395 Mill Street
President Wills called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, followed by the invocation.
Roll Call:
Trustees present: Baker, Brice, Dylus, Eschmann, McClerren, Skornicka, Wills
Also Present:Interim Village Manager John Lyons, Village Manager David Trent, Village Treasurer Beth Forys, Fire Chief Dave Kwapis, Village Auditor Aaron Stevens, Citizen Reporter Susan Bromley and 3 members of the public.
Approval of Agenda:
Motion by Eschmann seconded by Brice to approve the agenda.
All in favor, the motion carried.
Approval of Council Minutes:
- Minutes of Brandon Township / Village Council Joint Meeting - September 19, 2016
Township Board Members, Fire Chief, and Fire Assistant names were added to the minutes as present at the meeting.
*Motion by Skornicka seconded by Baker to approve as amended.
All in favor, Motioncarried 7/0
- Minutes of Village Council Regular Meeting - September 26, 2016
Several amendments were made by council members.
*Motion by Baker seconded by Eschmann to approve as amended.
All in favor, Motioncarried 7/0
- Minutes of Village Council Special Meeting - October 13, 2016
“Attendees” was changed to “members of the public”.
*Motion by Eschmann seconded by Wills to approve as amended.
All in favor, Motioncarried 7/0
Acceptance Items:
A. Treasurer’s report
B. Brandon Township Parks and Rec Report
Disbursements:
Trustees questioned several purchases and heard and examined subsequent explanations.
*Motion by Skornicka seconded by Baker for the Village to pay its bills in the amount of $43,998.27.
Roll call vote:
Aye: Brice, McClerren, Dylus, Skornicka, Baker, Eschmann, Wills.
Nay: none.
Motioncarried 7/0
Items From Trustees:
TrusteeBrice noted that the Library has invited the Village to take part in their upcoming fundraiser. The Library will have a putt putt golf course in the Library Community Room, and during January, the public can come and pay to play. The Village Council has been invited to sponsor a hole, at no cost aside from materials, and the general consensus was to move forward with sponsoring a hole.
Trustee McClerren reminded the community that the Village Precinct polling location has been moved from Old Town Hall to the Edna Burton Senior Center. She noted the benefits to both the community and election workers and thanked Clerk Allen and the Brandon Township Board for making the change.
Trustee McClerren also reminded the community that the village is collecting candy to be disbursed to local residents who request help for Halloween. The Halloween festivities prove to be a challenge for those residents on the main streets who see hundreds of trick-or-treaters and some residents need help with having enough candy. Trustee McClerren continued by reminding those who need help to sign up at the Village Offices.
President Wills introduced Mr. David Trent, the new Village Manager to the public. He gave a brief background of Mr. Trent, including a family bio, work history, and government experience. Mr. Trent was given time to address the board and shared that his local community had recently received a SAW grant from the DEQ. Mr. Wills continued by explaining that Mr. Trent started last Wednesday and has been working closely with Mr. Lyons.
President Wills also explained that the DDA has recently held several community workshops to explore possible ideas on advancing the downtown district. Mr. Wills noted that the workshops were successful. He continued by welcoming four new businesses to Downtown Ortonville; A Dime in Time, Scruffy to Fluffy, Wills Chiropractic, and Moon Bodyworks.
Public Comments: (on Agenda Items Only)
No Comments
Old Business:
A. DDA Bylaws
President Wills addressed the council and explained the reason for the update to the bylaws. President Wills explained that Mr. Bob Donahue recommended updating the bylaws, which have now been approved by the DDA and the Village Attorney. He continued by briefly noting the changes made to the existing bylaws
*Motion by Eschmann, seconded by Dylus to approve the Village of Ortonville DDA Bylaws and Rules of Procedures dated October 24, 2016 as presented.
All in favor, Motion Carries 7/0
New Business:
A. Fire Station 1 - Emergency Roof Repair
Fire Chief Kwapis addressed the board, explaining the age of the roof, the repairs previously made, and the recommendation that the roof be replaced instead of spending more money on short term repairs. Chief Kwapis also explained that the Fire Authority has made the recommendation and that the Brandon Township Board has already approved the work.
*Motion byBaker seconded by McClerren to approve the roof replacement for station 1 by Energy Shield Inc., for the amount of $19,840.00 from line item 205-265-975.100.
Roll Call Vote:
Aye: McClerren, Dylus, Skornicka, Baker, Eschmann, Brice, Wills
Nay: None
*Motion Carries 7/0
B. Presentation of 2015-2016 Audit
Mr. Aaron M. Stevens from Abraham & Gaffney, P.C. presented the Audit Report to the Village Council and answered questions. Mr. Stevens then reviewed the recommendations from the auditors.
*Motion by Eschmann, seconded by Brice to approve the 2015-2016 audit prepared by Abraham & Gaffney as presented.
All in favor, Motion Carries 7/0
C. Second Reading - Sign Ordinance Changes
Brief discussion took place regarding the sign ordinance changes, including the thought that it was decided to have Mr. Bill Dinnan include verbiage to limit the lumens allowed. Trustee Eschmann asked that the Council table the ordinance until the lumens have been addressed.
*Motion by Eschmann, seconded by Wills to table the second reading of the sign ordinance changes until the next meeting, having the Planning Commission and Mr. Bill Dinnan address the question of allowed lumens.
All in favor, Motion Carries 7/0
D. Allocation of 2016 Cable Franchise Fees
It was explained that the percentage of cable franchise fees that the Village receives is directly related to the number of residents in the village who have cable.
*Motion by Skornicka, seconded by Baker to approve the transfer of $84,219.18 of cable franchise fees from Brandon Township Cable Savings fund 705-748-999-101 to the Charter Township of Brandon’s General Fund 101-000-980-705 in 2017 and to remit $9,712.18 of cable franchise fees from Brandon Township Cable Savings Fund 705-748-999-102 to the Village of Ortonville in 2017.
All in favor, the motion carried.
E. 2017 SMART Municipal Credit (MC) and Community Credit (CC) Contract
It was questioned whether the Brandon Township Parks and Rec program was the only program in the community that could receive the grant money. Trustee McClerren noted that the Senior Center also uses SMART vehicles for transportation. Trustees Brice and Baker asked for it to be looked into if the Senior Center and other community programs are also eligible to receive the money. It was decided to table the allocation of the grant until these questions could be answered.
*Motion by Wills, seconded by Baker to table the allocation of the SMART credit until all possible areas of allocation are determined.
All in favor, the motion carried.
Public comments on non-agenda items:
No Comments
Items from Village Manager:
Halloween Trick or Treating will be Oct.31, 2016 from 6:30 – 7:30 with cider and donuts at the DPW garage. Manager Lyons mentioned that help was needed.
Manager Lyons commented on the Council’s Bylaws and a draft purchasing and contacting policy and procedure, noting that the draft purchasing and contracting policy is almost ready, and that council has received a draft of the proposed rules and procedures. Manager Lyons requested that the council review and submit any questions to the office.
Manager Lyons outlined the letter received by Simen, Figura & Parker PLC dated October 21, 2016 regarding Medical Marijuana Legislation. Council requested that a map detailing possible locations allowable for such businesses be provided before deciding on any further action.
Manager Lyons continued by thanking Beth Forys, Village Treasurer, for her continued support during the Audit and over the past week. He concluded by once again thanking the village for allowing him the opportunity to work in the community and wished the Village and Council luck in the future.
*President Wills adjourned the meeting at 8:40pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Courtney McClerren
Ortonville Village Council Trustee
Acting Secretary
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