Here's a portable copy of the Live Timeline  

2/25/2020 Northfield Township BoT Town Hall

 

Below is the stuck-to-this-webpage version.  These are notes, names, quotations, descriptions or snark conveying the meaning of what someone said. There are also a few timestamps to give you an idea of what point in the meeting you're looking at.  These timestamps are in the form [xxmyys] i.e., xx minutes yy seconds from the start of the stream recording. 

Clicking the first link, 'Audience and Boardmembers milling around, talking,' takes you to when the stream recording starts.  The milling around lasts about four and a half minutes. Trustees take their seats. The Town Hall begins in earnest. 

Audience and Boardmembers milling around, talking

Faith Wheeler:

• Faith Wheeler: asks about the lines that are at capacity already
• Chockley: [admits that those upgrades are coming soon, the subject of a study already in progress, for which the board is in too much of a hurry to wait so that the total debt load on sewer customers can be planned for]

Udo Huff: Why are we paying for this development when it is for the development of the North Park, correct?

• Chockley: No
• Udo Huff: It is in general maybe six thousand dollars.
• Udo Huff: but the sewer fee or let me say, the connection fee and everything for the sewer is dependent on the size of the property
• Udo Huff: And it can be very, very expensive
• Udo Huff: Very expensive
• Chockley: the connection fee is $6,250 right now
• Resident: per tap
• Udo Huff: That's not correct. That's the tap, but the entire fee for this is by the size of the property
• [14m26s]
• Chockley: That's already been assessed, yes
• Chockley: the lines have already gone down Whitmore Lake road, which is why you're getting stuck
• Chockley: with a bill every year I believe for a significant amount of money
• Chockley: for that particular line that went through.
• [14m45s]

Manley: Why didn't, after you decided on housing

Faith Wheeler:

• Faith Wheeler: We had a Master Plan
• Manley: My first reply on that
• Manley: And we're still in negotiation for it
• Faith Wheeler: But that is completely different
• Manley: Again, it's not approved
• Faith Wheeler: The other night, if it had been ready, and Mr. Fink had said, yeah, everything looks great
• Chockley: [drags out synthesis poster boards as if they represent or support the immensely differing Developers' plans]
• Faith Wheeler: You would have signed that night
• Manley: not necessarily
• Faith Wheeler: You could have. That's what I said. And we would have been stuck with it without any approval
• [17m47s]

Zelenock: So if I can add a comment

• Zelenock: It is incorporated. It's called the North Village Plan...
• Zelenock: which was approved and was in the Master Plan and I think it's very key
• Zelenock: The Board on a 5:2 decision said to continue to negotiate with the developer on the 90 houses
• Zelenock: I was one of the persons who said no because at a minimum I think we should let you know
• Zelenock: We need mixed use. We need to have a gathering. We need to have a vibrant downtown.

Resident: Does anybody know the story behind that, of what they were hoping would happen with the property?

• [19m25s]
• Chockley: that was zoned for a planned shopping center
• Otto pounces. No, that's not right. [Chockley is just making shit up. Unreal.]
• Otto: The property was up for sale, probably for twenty years, for four million dollars
• Otto: So when Mr. Van Curler passed away, his wife approached the Township
• Otto: And asked the Township if they would be willing to buy it
• [20m19s]
• Chockley: For three million dollars if anyone wants to buy it
• Dockett: That's one person't opinion
• Dockett: As far as I know he wanted the Township to have that property.
• Dockett: That was his wish.
• Dockett: That's why the price was $330,000.00
• Dockett: And as far as I know, when we were doing the
• Dockett: It was bought as just a park
• Dockett: that was all it was gonna be as far as I can remember
• Dockett: And I was on the Board
• [21m47s]

Manley: We have multiple questions on the park

• Tim Saville: That's no longer a park; that's a boulevard.
• Tim Saville: You are not gonna want your kids playing in the center of two roads that are going back and forth
• Tim Saville: And when I was on the Downtown Planning Group that got disbanded
• Tim Saville: There was eight to ten acres that was supposed to be set aside for the Park,
• Tim Saville: of continuous acres, not counting what's on the west side of the road that's along the lake
• Tim Saville: So why don't you stop the developers fromw wasting their money
• Tim Saville: and say, Listen, give us the Park; give us our eight to ten acres
• Tim Saville: Let us do what we want and then give them the balance, say, here - you get to develop this
• Tim Saville: Stop wasting developers' money. They come up with all these plans
• Tim Saville: And then later on you say, oh by the way we need eight to ten acres for a Park
• Tim Saville: Because by the time you get done putting in a dog park in thereand a children's playground into the Park,
• Tim Saville: There's gonna be no room with five acres for anything else
• Tim Saville: That doesn't come anywhere near what this Township had originally talked about doing with that Park
• Tim Saville: And now you keep giving these developers more and more property
• Tim Saville: And now at this point with the 90 homes, we're only getting five acres for the Park
• Tim Saville: And that's nowhere near enough

[23m08s]

Chockley: That's still under negotiation

• Chockley: The houses may not materialize
• Chockley: It may end up looking more similar to this [points at synthesis plan]
• Chockley: We've got another developer who...
• Chockley: This isn't written in stone but this was the plan that got put into the Master Plan
• Chockley: and it was adopted, so we'll see what we can do that approaches this
• [23m41s]
• Chockley: So we'll see [the language of almost unimaginable passivity]

Dockett: As far as I know the five acre park, the ingress and egress, there's three of them, is coming out of that

• Dockett: five acres.
• [23m55s]
• Dockett: That's all to get two hundred cars, or four, two cars per unit, to get them in and out every day
• Dockett: A lot of that property is gonna be taken up with driveways
• Dockett: with the road, that's going across the Park
• [24m14s]

Sue Shink: Hi, I'm Sue Shink. I'm your Washtenaw County Commissioner. I'm also a Northfield Township resident.

• Sue Shink: And a former Trustee, but from 2004-2008
• [24m27s]
• Otto:

Otto: [a weird moment of embracing the synthesis plan while having utterly trashed it with her acquiescence to the whims of Livonia Builders]

• [30m41s]
• Otto: so there is time that people had to provide input
• [30m52s]
• ? We're talking about Today
• Otto what I'm saying is the Synthesis plan started three years ago
• Otto:
• [31m22s]

Dignan's voice. I've got a quick question

Resident: Real quick - Maybe it's time to have another public input, actually focus on this

• [31m41s]

Dignan: First I'd like to thank County Commissioner Shink

Chockley: When they came to us...

• Chockley: I think we can do better if we are patient

OK, um...

[36m15s]

Mary Devlin:

• [37m59s]
• Mary Devlin:When Howard Fink was the Township Manager
• Mary Devlin:And he negotiated to get that sale done for that property
• Mary Devlin:There was a bench out in front of the property on Main Street that said Northfield Community
• Mary Devlin:And it was originally supposed to be Northfield Community Park
• Mary Devlin:That's my thought . Thank you.

[38m53s]

Faith Wheeler:

Resident: mic turned off: Resident: I've lived here since 1983

• Resident:
• Resident:
• Resident: I'm sorry; I apologize, so
• Resident: So, as one of the people who doesn't live in the town
• Resident: There's sort of a separation I perceive between the people who don't live in the town
• Resident: and the people who do live in the town, which I think's unfortunate
• Resident: but I think it's partly because there's no public space in the town

Manley: Nothing is concrete on this plan

Manley: Boardmembers, do you wanna continue this or do you wanna move on?

• Zelenock: I think, I didn't catch your name; we need to reengage the community
• Zelenock - Chockley photos

James Dumore: Hi; My name is James Dumore and I'm sorry to report I'm one of those trolls who live a township or so away

Marissa Prizgint: [43m21s]

Zelenock: Someone mentioned an RFP

• Zelenock: We sent out a Request for Proposal for this. That's not what we got back.
• Otto: One thing I do want to add
• [45m31s]
• Otto: This lot has sat ...
• Otto: How are we gonna pay for the amenities and how are we gonna pay for the maintenance?

Resident:

Otto: [offers 30 acres of swamp again]

• Otto: I know it's swamp
• Otto: but it's land we're preserving

Dockett: I'd like to tell you

• Dockett: As far as I'm concerned, we should keep all the Park. We shouldn't be in bed with any developer.
• Dockett: We're not developers. We're making a big mistake any time we get involved.
• Dockett: They're looking to get the property for nothing
• Manley: OK

Chuck Steuer:

• Chuck Steuer: I have a quick point [about reluctance of MDOT, WCRC, Drains Commission, MDEQ/EGLE...
• [47m35s]

Resident: I'm all for engagement, but more than once it's been mentioned that

• Resident: We need to have multiple ways of getting in touch with people
• Manley: We do have a Township newsletter; we do have a facebook page

Resident: One of the points

• Resident: We're better off throwing the brakes on it than just filling it up with houses and not getting what we really wanted in the first place
• Resident: People are responding to the plans they see and the plans did not include a ton of houses and a tiny park
• Resident: It was quite the opposite

Manley: Next question. Can the Township provide an update on the marijuana application review process?

• [52m58s]
• Faith Wheeler
• Manley: All the questions were on either park issues or wastewater
• Resident: Task Force
• Resident: I think Town Hall Meetings are great
• Manley: I totally agree

Manley: The question was, has the board looked into any preparedness issues...

• Otto:
• Chief Wagner: on coronavirus type preparedness

Otto: on Broadband Task Force

Here's a portable copy of the Live Timeline 

2/25/2020  Northfield Township BoT full meeting LiveTimeline

 

And here's the stuck-on-this-webpage version:

 

Audience milling around Informal Call to Order

Formal Call to Order

Invocation and Pledge

Roll Call

Call to the Public

• Mike Cicchella
• Jessica Mizner
• Anne Hunter
• Ken Dignan
• Sue Shink
• Margaret Riddell
• Lee Cole, 9062 Pine Cove Drive
• Jim Nelson
• Udo Huff
• Brian Trim
• Craig Warburton

Board Member Comments

• Dockett:
• Zelenock:

Zelenock: Motion to have a Town Hall Meeting on April 7th at 7:00 PM in particular to discuss the North Village

• Otto: support
• Chick: reiterates the already massively reiterated
• Zelenock: addressing Chick's obliviousness - My concern is, it doesn't look anything like the North Village Plan
• [45m33s]
• Zelenock: suggests publicizing the Town Hall with Lawn signs, a banner across the street downtown
• [46m21s]

Chockley: Calls the vote. Motion to have a Town Hall passes 6:0

• Otto: update re Feb 20 Green Oak Township public hearing on the storage tank
• Chick:

Chockley: Motion to accept the consent Agenda

• Dockett: Query re Manager's Report, bullet point re Township Building Department billing, visit to Green Oak Twp bldg department
• [51m46s]
• Aynes:
• Chick: Miss Zelenock and Miss Beliger and I are on...
• Chockley: Motion to ...
• Motion passes 6:0
• Chockley: I'd like to make a motion to add a purchase offer for 75 Barker for consideration from ??? after item 5
• Chockley: Do I have a second for that? Nobody wants to add an agenda item tonight?

Chockley: All right; I will make a motion to have a special meeting

• Chockley: on March 3rd, then
• Chockley: Support by Zelenock
• Otto: the one question would be, will there be an appraisal of the building itself by March 3rd?
• Chockley: We have the restricted appraisal. Is that no good enough?
• Otto: The restrictive appraisal, the one that is as is, with the land
• Otto: So this board has to determine if that is market value if you just sell the building
• Otto: I know if we're gonna do it by the parking lot as an easement
• [56m53s]
• Chockley: I don't know if we can get a full blown appraisal in a week
• Chockley: but the restricted appraisal is I would think pretty darned good
• Chockley: I've read through it. I dunno.
• Aynes: I had contacted the appraiser...
• [57m37s]
• Aynes: the only thing you're looking at as far as I know that's different is
• Aynes: You had it evaluated based on if the building was torn down what the vacant land would be
• Aynes: if the building was fixed up to code what it would be valued at
• Aynes: and the third one was as-is
• Aynes: so when the board approved putting it out for sale
• [58m23s]
• [58m32s]
• [58m49s]
• both those appraisals are about a year and a half old too
• November of 2018
• Chockley: I can't imagine they're a whole lot different
• Chockley: Except now we have marijuana businesses
• Chockley: that are pumping up prices
• Chockley: but that's a decision by this board, whether they would want to sell to a company that's gonna put a marijuana retail establishment in there
• [59m36s]
• Dockett: first of all i think that we have a bid for $275,000
• Dockett: from somebody that wasn't going to put marijauna in there. Is that correct?
• Dockett: this is the crazaiest idea I've ever heard.
• Dockett: you wanna have a meeting to sell this to this guy for a hundred thousand
• Dockett: we're gonna have to pay, out of the hundred thousand,
• [60m03s]
• Dockett: How can you be so silly?
• Dockett: We put it back out with the realtor to get as much money as possible for the people.
• Dockett: We don't sell it to somebody who wants it for $100,000.
• Dockett: How can you have a meeting? You said you want to talk about selling it...
• Dockett: Do you think it's fair.. to sell this... this guy wants us to write a contract
• Dockett: He's telling us what he's gonna give us. We're not telling him what we want for it
• Dockett: and we're gonna sell it for $100,000 and we're gonna pick up, it says in the packet
• Dockett: that we have to pay the realtor and I don't have any idea how much that is
• Dockett: and when it was $285,000 it was like thirty grand ($30,000) that we're gonna have to pay
• Chockley: That's six percent
• Dockett: I for one board member; we should put it out back for sale
• Dockett: and advertise it and sell it to the highest bidder
• Dockett: not give it to somebody because they want it
• Chockley: we can talk about our options at the next meeting provided we can have a meeting
• Zelenock: As mr dockett has indicated we did have an offer for $275,000
• Zelenock: and I think that they indicated in their offer that they would let us use or Ease it
• Zelenock: And so I'd like to contact them to see as well
• Zelenock: If they're still interested and what their plans were as well and have that available
• Chockley: I did talk to the realtor today and one of them is still interested
• Chockley: and the other two were only interested if they could have a marijuana establishment there
• [62m07s]
• Zelenock: so if you could bring back that information for this meeting I think that would be pertinent
• Dockett: Does the rest of this board think we should...
• Dockett: Does the rest of this Board think that we should sell this building? without getting anyone interested in giving us bids? without advertising it?
• [62m26s]
• Zelenock: I'm clear at this point; that's why we're gonna have the meeting
• Zelenock: I have a request for Mr. Fink
• Zelenock: So it's been brought up that we are obligated to sell it at fair market value?
• Zelenock: You don't have to give us an answer now but it
• Twp Atty Fink: First, I won't be here. I'll be in Mexico with Mrs. Fink.
• [63m03s]
• [63m12s]
• Twp Atty Fink: get some value for it. things that you receive are not necessarily of greater financial value but are to the benefit of the Township.
• Twp Atty Fink: But the value you receive should be reasonably related to the value of the property and the benefit of the Township
• [63m45s]

Motion to hold a special meeting on march 3rd to discuss offers for 75 Barker. Passes 5:1

• Dockett: I don't believe we should sell any Township property

Chockley: motion to adopt the balance of the Agenda

• Motion passes 6:0

Agenda Item 1

• Chockley: Ok the next item on the Agenda is the Public Hearing to consider the removal of Sam Iaquinto
• Chockley: from the Northfield Township Planning Commission due to alleged malfeasance
• Chockley: and we have an opportunity for anyone who would like to speak at this time but I would like to
• Chockley: but I would like to, since I don't know if all of you are familiar with, uh
• Chockley: with the actual notice of charges, I'd like to read that
• Chockley: Pursuant to ....
• Chockley: Specifically it is alleged [the passive voice of faked distancing]
• Chockley: So, um, I asked him if he would consider resigning and he refused to resign, so I did notice
• Chockley: This is the next step
• Chockley: I have someone who would like to speak
• Ken Dignan:
• Twp Atty Fink: Madame Chair I think it would be appropriate, since you've opened a public hearing, to have members of the public speak, and you could address it when and if the Board deliberates
• Chockley to Dignan: All right. Go ahead.
• Mary Devlin:
• Chockley: oh yeah, we have to vote to open a public hearing
• Dignan, waving his arms...
• Dignan grabs a mic off the nearby Board desk, Madame Supervisor; you did not open a public hearing. you did not have a vote to open a public hearing!
• Chockley: Thank you. Sit down.
• Dignan: Excuse me! Step back, Lady!
• Dignan: You know you're outta control!
• Chockley: I'd like to make a motion to open the public hearing.
• Chockley: Do I have a second?
• Manley: I'll support
• Mary Devlin is still attempting to speak at the public microphone
• Chockley: Motion by Chockley, support by Manley
• Chockley: to open a public hearing. all in favor say aye
• Chockley, entirely alone: Aye
• Chockley: Anyone opposed
• Chockley: I did say all in favor say Aye
• Mary Devlin: Should I go sit down and come back again?
• Chockley: Hang on Miss Devlin
• Manley: So, Yes or No?"
• Chick: I would like to hear Mr. Iaquinto validate that what he wants to say
• Chick: I was originally going to ask that the motion for a public hearing be removed as an agenda item
• Chick: but I think it's important that mr Iaquinto speak, so
• Chick: I will say no.
• Otto: have his day in court, here.
• Otto: Okay; I too feel that Sam needs to have his day in Court
• Zelenock: No
• Otto: Because that's basically what this is
• Otto: But I am not gonna support the public hearing
• Otto: The answer is no.
• Manley: Ok; I'm voting yes, because I'm assuming the only way we can hear people speak is if we hold a public hearing.
• Chockley: I'm going to vote yes for the same reason.
• Zelenock: No; I'm voting no.
• Zelenock: just because as Mr. Warburtin, I might have your name
• Zelenock: I think as a Board we should have been told about this as opposed to just getting it notified
• Zelenock: Because I think that's important. [applause]
• Dockett: No.
• Chockley: Ok
• Chockley: So no public hearing. i guess we can move on.
• Iaquinto's attorney Kelly: Madame Supervisor, We've requested an opportunity to address the Board. I'm not here as a member of the public.
• Iaquinto Attorney: I'm here as an attorney for the person who's accused of committing a conflict of interest.
• Iaquinto Attorney: which you have characterized as misconduct in office.
• Iaquinto Attorney: I do believe he's got a right to present his case and answer those charges
• Iaquinto Attorney: I'm here to do that. I'm here to do that pursuant to written notice to you.
• Iaquinto Attorney: My client has a significant interest in clearing his name from charges that basically amount to a Felony in this state.
• Iaquinto Attorney: So he will be heard tonight.
• Iaquinto Attorney: We're not here as a member of the public

Chick: I'd like to make a motion to allow Mr. Iaquinto and his attorney to speak to the public

• Chick: to the charges
• Chockley: I'll second that
• Manley: Will members of the public speak too?
• Chockley: well no, I guess we're going to do this part first
• Chockley: but the public is here for the public hearing, so...
• Chockley: They will have an opportunity at the end, apparently
• Chockley: I would like to get a comment from our Attorney at this time
• Dockett - Wait a minute
• Otto: To be honest we can't get comments
• Iaquinto rises and walks to the microphone
• Iaquinto begins stating his case here at [76m31s]
• Iaquinto Attorney Jim Kelly begins stating his case at [85m19s]
• Iaquinto Attorney Jim Kelly finishes. Audience Applause erupts at [98m11s]
• Otto: I would like to make a motion
• Otto: Since we're on number one
• Otto: not to remove Sam Iaquinto from the Northfield Township Planning Commission
• Otto: due to alleged malfeasance
• Chockley: I don't think we've heard everything that needs to be heard about this
• Chockley: The allegations turned back this way I don't believe are true
• Township Attorney Fink:
• Chockley: Can we vote to keep him without having a public hearing?
• Chockley: with some reasonable, I mean, the"
• Chockley: Can I ask Mr. Iaquinto some pointed questions?
• Township Attorney Fink: You have a motion on the floor.
• Township Attorney Fink: The Board can have a discussion. If it's part of your usual process to involve members of the community, then yes
• Chockley: I think it's important to our vote
• Chockley: to actually know from Mr. Iaquinto what happened
• Chick: Is this a Trial?
• Otto - Yeah, I do have some comments
• Otto: OK. There's a couple of things that a supervisor can and cannot do
• Otto: It solely stayed with the Township Board. It never went back to the Planning Commission.
• Chockley: Mr. Iaquinto I have some questions
• Chockley: Mr Iaquinto. I have some questions. Could you please come up to the podium?
• Chockley: Mr. Iaquinto...
• Iaquinto Attorney Jim Kelly: If you don't have enough information to remove Mr. Iaquinto, your vote should be no.
• Iaquinto Attorney Jim Kelly: You should have conducted an investigation
• Chockley: I have some questions for Mr. Iaquinto
• Iaquinto Attorney Jim Kelly: He declines to answer
• Chockley: That's unfortunate
• Chockley: Ok then I will have to state what I know, then
• Chockley begins "stating" her case, here at [104m35s]
• [112m04s]
• Otto: The Board has not made that decision
• Chockley: We can vote on if there was a potential conflict of interest, but it doesn't matter at this point
• Otto: No, no, that's not, the motion that's
• Otto: The motion that's on the table is not to remove Sam Iaquinto from the Township Planning Commission due to malfeasance
• Otto: That's the motion I call to order right now
• Chockley: Ok, that's the
• Otto: If there's no other discussion
• Chockley: I'm not finished
• Dockett: She's calling the question
• Chick: Call the question
• Chockley: I'm not done
• Chockley: You interrupted me. Ok
• Dockett: Ok, I'm gonna ask
• Chockley: What I have to say...
• Dockett: for a bathroom break
• Chockley: Five minute break
• Chockley: [Meeting called back to order]
• Chockley: [Sort of]
• Chockley: All right, everyone, let's get back to business here
• Otto: We need to make a comment
• Chockley: I'd like to call this meeting back to order
• Chockley: There are consequences to decisions
• Chockley: And Mr Iaquinto made the decision to hide the fact that he had a purchase agreement on his Marina
• Chockley: with a marijuana establishment until the last possible moment
• Chockley: And that's uh, that's too bad
• Chockley: But there's also even no expression of remorse
• Chockley: There's just nothing.
• Chockley: This Board doesn't seem to care
• Chockley: doesn't seem to want to take a stand on what seems to be honesty and integrity
• Chockley: So, what about transparency? This Board talks about it a lot.
• Chick:
• Chockley: And I'm not seeing it.
• Chockley: So, we can move on
• Otto: Madame Chair
• Otto: I don't think you want to open that Pandora's Box about transparency here
• [The audience erupts in Applause]
• Chockley: I have made every attempt to put the information in for this Board so this Board can make decisions
• Chockley: I didn't go around behind the scenes and try to make this secret
• Dockett: let us make our decisions . let's call the question
• Chockley: So now we have. Now we have a public hearing
• Dockett: Call the question
• Chockley: so we will call the question
• Chockley: yeah, what is the motion
• Otto The motion was made to not remove Sam Iaquinto from the Northfield Township Planning Commission due to alleged malfeasance
• Township Attorney Fink: [addresses the issue of proper parliamentary procedure]
• Fink: The motion has been made, Mr Dockett, and seconded, so you have a motion before you
• Fink: and I think the question's been called so I think you should vote on the motion
• Zelenock:
• Zelenock: My question for you, Mr Fink, is do you have any concerns with the language of the motion?
• Fink: I think the motion clearly expresses the intent of Trustee Otto and the board
• Fink: And if the Board adopts it it clearly expresses the intent of the Board
• Zelenock: Thank you
• Zelenock: I guess we can have a roll call vote then
• Zelenock: What was the motion again
• Otto: Yes
• Dockett: Yes
• Chockley: No
• Chick: Yes
• Manley: No... Yes
• ?: Was that a Yes?
• Zelenock: So Yes, I want to vote to not remove him
• Zelenock: Yes
• Manley: I'll save my questions to the end
• Chockley: that passed Five to One
• [Applause]

Agenda Item 2

• Chockley: I would like to make a motion to approve the January 11th, 2020 Board of Trustees meeting minutes
• Vote on the motion to approve minutes
• Chockley: Motion passes 6:0

Agenda Item 3

• Chockley: Approve the payment of the open bills with the expected check run date of 2/26/2020
• Chockley: for a total of One hundred twenty-eight thousand, eight hundred fifty-one dollars and 39 cents, from all funds in the municipal investment funds account.
• Chockley: Do I have a second?
• Otto: I'll support.
• Chockley: Motion by Chockley, support by Otto
• Chockley: Any discussion
• Dockett: on TetraTech $71, 848. bill
• Dockett: No Bid contracts, companies we've used for 75 years
• Roll Call Vote on the motion to pay the open bills

Agenda Item 4: Consider Resolution 20-620, Authorization to Publish Notice of intent...

• Bond Counsel and underwriter arrive at Podium
• Steven Hadock, Bendzinski & Company, Municipal Finance Advisors
• Miller Canfield attorney:
• Miller Canfield attorney: Once you issue a bond, you're not going to want to be in a position to default
• Miller Canfield attorney: We've had many clients who have issued revenue bonds who've gotten in trouble
• Miller Canfield attorney: and who have had to, you know, boost up the revenues with general fund transfers and whatnot in the interim, so
• Dockett: again on the prices of services paid for sole source contracts
• Dockett: on sole source, no bid contracts
• Chockley: I can't imagine this Township defaulting
• Chick: I can't even imagine we default. We've been paying on a bond for twenty years and never missed a payment.
• [141m54s]
• Chockley: with the untreated wastewater coming out under the doors in the west? wtf? heavy rains we've had: I hate to see that happening again.
• [142m28s]
• Dockett: Everybody else had the same problem we did. It was the worst rain in sixty-five years;.
• Dockett: First time it ever happened in sixty-five years that we've run the plant, so
• Dockett:
• Dockett: asks where the cost breakdown on 25% contingency fee is. Apparently the breakdown was never delivered. Zelenock concurs.
• Zelenock: I agree.
• Dockett: We have nothing
• Zelenock: We don't get what we ask.
• Zelenock: And you guys are ready to vote on it
• Aynes: wakes up
• Aynes: Captain Obvious: With respect to the 25%, What they're trying to do is make sure there's so much room there
• Miller Canfield atty: explains that the extended capture of reserves is unique to special assessment districts
• [146m11s]
• Haydoc, the Bendzinski atty:
• Aynes: At what point in time is there a committment to pay your firms?
• [147m24s]
• Miller Canfield atty: fixed fee, paid at closing
• [147m42s]
• Chockley: Is everyone ready to vote at this point?
• Roll call vote
• Chockley: That passes 4:2
• Otto: I do want to remind the Board that since we did make this motion that we do have an ordinance that says we do have to send out a post card
• [148m14s]
• [148m17s]
• [148m25s]
• Miller Canfield Atty: That is a separate process - explains steps, bidding, pricing, before adopting a resolution authorizing the bonds
• Miller Canfield Atty: That's when your public indebtedness notice goes out. We'll assist you with that. We did that with the last bond issue.
• [148m55s]

Agenda Item 5: Resolution 20-619

• [156m11s]
• Dockett: I have four questions
• Motion passes 6:0

Agenda item 6

• Motion passes 6:0

Agenda Item 7

• item removed by Chockley
• That passes, though I don't know what

Agenda Item 8: Goals and Priorities

Announcements

2nd call to the Public

• Bob Van Vemelen 2775 East North Territorial Road
• Faith Wheeler
• Craig Warburton
• Udo Huff
• Adam Olney
• Marissa Prizgint

Boardmember Response

• Dockett
• [190m44s]
• Chick
• Otto
• Manley
• Zelenock
• Chockley
• Dockett interjects

Motion to Adjourn

The Meeting's over

 

2-25-2020 Northfield Township Board Town Hall Agenda

 

This meeting was well covered by MLive Reporter McKenna Ross, MLive Photographer Jenna Kieser, and WHMI Reporter Mike Kruzman.

What I contribute is this:  You can watch the one hour of Iaquinto's "Trial" with our LiveTimeline.   

Trial is in quotes because the Public Hearing was never convened.  So it wasn't a hearing. It was a feces-flingoff staged by an earnest somnambulist who couldn't count to four.

 

MLive: In tense meeting, township board votes against removing official over conflict of interest in marijuana decisions, by McKenna Ross, 2/26/2020

MLive: 32 photographs by Jenna Kieser, 2/26/2020, Gallery in the Ross report.

WHMI: Effort Fails To Oust Northfield Planning Commissioner, by Mike Kruzman, 2/26/2020

MLive: Northfield Twp. to consider removing official for alleged conflict of interest, McKenna Ross, 2/25/2020

 

Meeting Docs: 

2/25/2020  700pm Northfield Township Board of Trustees meeting Agenda

2/25/2020  700pm Northfield Township Board of Trustees meeting packet