Here's a portable copy of the Live Timeline
2/11/2020 Northfield Township Board of Trustees meeting LiveTimeline
And here's the stuck-on-this-webpage version:
Meeting Called to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Invocation
First Call to the Public
- Dale Brewer's Presentation to Chief Wagner
- Sam Iaquinto
- Anne Hunter
- Jessica Mizzner
- Mike Cicchella
- Dale Brewer
- Burke O'Berry
- Jack Secrist reads a letter from DDA member Jenni Olney. Secrist concurs
- Marissa Prizgint, 32 Shumm Drive
- Brian Trim, 254 Lakeview
- Scott Chisholm, 8006 Lakeshore
- Faith Wheeler
- Tim Offerly, 8105 Lakeshore Rd
Board Member Response
- Beliger
- Dockett
- Otto
- Manley
- Zelenock
- Chick: on Faith Based Due Diligence
- Chick: waves ignored studies and plans
- Chick: waving master plan
- Chick: waving around fistfuls of ignored plans
- Chockley:
- Zelenock: Taxes due February 14th
Chockley: Motion to adopt the consent agenda
- Dockett: asks for an explanation of an accident, a Garbage Truck that slid into a ditch
- Zelenock: question about a sewer hookup, Aynes, Fink, ?
- Chockley: weighs in with personal legal opinion on statutes of limitations
- Dockett: asks about Cable
- WWTP: Willis on new technologies for wastewater treatment
- Otto:
- 1;05;29;09
- Chockley: dismissive of Zelenock's serious questions. Chockley eyerolling.
- Zelenock: asks question of Lippens
- Lippens: answers Zelenock
Chockley: Motion to approve the payment of open bills
- Dockett: Beliger: object to paying SEMCOG Dues, $1,223
- Dockett: Planning and Zoning last month, $20,000
- Beliger: I move to remove SEMCOG, for a total of $1,223, from the open bills
- Dockett: Support
- Roll call vote
- Motion fails, 5-2
- Dockett: The Tetratech bill was $116,634
- 1;10;46;09
- Roll call vote on open bills
- Motion passes, 5:2
Chockley: Motion to adopt the contract with the People's Express
- Beliger: Discussion
- Chockley: squelches Beliger, Calls the vote
- Motion passes 4:2, Dockett & Beliger Voting No, Zelenock abstaining
Chockley: Motion to purchase one full set of jaws of life
Chockley: Motion to authorize the Townshop Manager to sign a letter of agreement with Fink
- Otto:
- Otto: explains the Peyton Place Polity and Policy, that the Attorney take direction only from the Board as a whole, a notion thoroughly slapped down and picked apart by Fink during the rest of this meeting
- Chockley: offers Fink the Floor
- 1;28;20;23
- Dockett: I don't think she's clear
- Chockley: again asks Fink to respond. Manager jumps in to respond first
- Fink:
- Fink: there is one thing you said that is a little concerning...
- Otto: That's not how out policy is written, though
- Chockley: haven't seen that policy...
- Chick:
- Beliger:
- Dockett: We know there's gonna be abuse
- Chockley: Zelenock - not even a Miss Zelenock this time
- Zelenock: on statutory duties
- Zelenock: I'd like to see that policy
- Zelenock: Mr Fink, Do you still want to be our lawyer?
- Fink: I think we had this conversation
- Fink: The policy you have described is in my opinion unworkable
- Manley:
- Chick: Peak Chick as Chockley begins - Policy, Policy, Who's Got the Policy?
- Otto: Peak Otto
- Otto: You can ask Jennifer for it.
- Motion passes 4-3, Dockett, Otto, and Chick vote No
Chockley: Now we're at the Storage Tank
- Chockley: I would like to make a motion
- Chockley: Motion ... General Obligation Bonds in the amount of $6.24 Million
- Chockley: General Obligation bonds in the amount of Six million, two hundred forty thousand, two hundred twenty-five dollars
- Chockley: I'm choosing general obligation bonds
- Discussion
- Beliger:
- Manager Aynes:
- Zelenock - It would be nice to have a timeline
- Brian Rubel:
- Dockett: The tank started at 2.8 million. Now it's up to 7 million.
- Dockett: on the approximate rate impact is $25 for every REU... per quarter
- 1;56;43;03
- 1;56;49;14
- Dockett: Why are we spending 7 Million dollars to purify more rainwater?
- 1;58;14;07
- Chockley: There's no stormwater going into there . There's rainwater infiltrating the pipe
- Dockett: Well what do you call rainwater?
- Chockley: But we can't fix that. Why can't we fix that? asks Dockett. Chockley - Millions and millions and millions of dollars.
- Dockett: Well it's gonna cost us millions and millions for this tank
- Rubel shucks. Rubel jives.
- Rubel: We've measured flows in the township a number of times
- Dockett: We've never had another engineer look at it in 65 years
- Beliger: I'm very curious about the upfront bond costs
- Otto: Our Bond Attorney should probably answer that
- Aynes: When we were here last spring...
- Chick: [unknowingly confirms that the infiltration story is bullshit. small leaks can not account for millions of gallons of excess flow]
- Chick: reading from report: Many of the system lines were photographed and no major issues were found.
- Chick: reading report: it was deemed that there is no significant benefit to repairing small leaks that have been found
- 2;02;12;00
- Chockley: I guess Mr. Willis was just gonna attach something...
- Willis:
- Dockett: Is this a new house? Willis: Yes Dockett: That's why it was never used.
- Chick: The township is only responsible for their lines
- Chick: where the problems are coming from, inappropriate or illegal sump pump setups
- Willis: on pipe inspections, paying for pipe inspections, repairing pipes
- Chick: average cost of repairing house drains is $150/foot
- Zelenock: I've many questions. So, when you say 25%,
- Zelenock: and you give us legal fees, engineering fees, financial fees, I want the breakdown
- Rubel:
- Zelenock: We have a 25% multiplier to ensure coverage of legal fees, engineering fees, and financial fees
- Zelenock: I would like to know what percentage goes to each of those categories?
- Zelenock: Is it just 25% We have no idea?
- Chockley: How about we break it out for the February 25th meeting, when we're actually going to deal with the resolution.
- Zelenock: but again
- Zelenock: Madame Chair, you had said, why does it take so long to get things done here? We're talking significant money and we don't have detail.
- Zelenock: So I'm not sure why it's here without the detail.
- Aynes: If I could address that...
- Zelenock: So if we go between the revenue bonds vs the general obligation bonds, what's the difference to charge to our customers?
- - crickets -
- Chockley: guesses, tentatively: It would be on the higher end of the $20-$25, (bucks), right?
- Zelenock: Again, I don't like to guess.
- Zelenock: We're talking a lot of money. This is detail that I would request.
- Zelenock: You've given me two options. You say Twenty to Twenty-five dollars, but you don't tell me what it is about
- Zelenock: And I think that's important
- Zelenock: So you're not really giving me two options; you're giving me one option.
- Zelenock: It's general bonds. It's gonna be around twenty-five dollars.
- Zelenock: I'm asking for the consumer. What is going to be?
- Zelenock: What is going to be their sewer rates if we go with the Revenue Bond vs if we go with the General Bond.
- Dockett: It's based on a three year old study
- Chockley: [attempting to bully Zelenock:] Ok, I think it's time to vote on this
- Zelenock: Madame Chair, I have the Floor, and
- Zelenock: until I release the Floor, you can't call the question
- Chockley: You're right
- Zelenock:
- 2;09;45;10
- Zelenock: I would like to let people know I called EGLE today
- Willis: chimes in about the new EGLE - the new name for the old MDEQ
- Zelenock:
- Zelenock: Madame Chair, your motion was to go out and do general bonds, correct?
- Chockley: squeaks out a response
- Zelenock: And my question is how much more?
- Chockley: reads the motion, $6.24M
- Zelenock: So, I will let people know, after talking to EGLE, and hearing the new news,
- Zelenock: I am for doing the basin
- Zelenock: However, I am not for putting the 25% in there
- Chockley: So, would you like to make a list of the things that you would need to know before February 25th?
- Chockley: So that we can get you the answers
- Beliger: How does that return to the people that are paying?
- Aynes: the figure that they're talking about is what goes in the notice of referendum
- Dockett: asks the difference between the people on the sewer being on the hook vs the people in the Township being on the hook if something happens
- 2;18;53;04
- Dockett: I think it's fair that only the people on the sewers be on this and I don't know which bond that is
- Chockley: admits - the Revenue Bond
- Dockett: And that's just the people on the sewer
- Chockley: No I've chosen the General Obligation Bonds
- Dockett: I don't know if we should put everybody in jeopardy on this
- Beliger: They would all have to not pay their bill
- 2;19;33;15
- Chockley: It's a very consistent payment that comes in every quarter
- Chick: splains
- Chockley: Calls the Question
- Chockley: that passes 5:2
- Chick: we've never missed a payment
- Manley: asks Aynes for a copy of the rate study
North Village
- Chockley: I guess...
- Beliger: Do we have a motion to accept? Chockley, suddenly perky again, No we don't. Would you like to make one?
- Beliger: Let's see if I can craft one here [ ignorance, arrogance, unpreparedness, and hubris in full flower ]
- Beliger: I move that the Township accept...
- 2;22;16;15
- Beliger: the offer by Livonia Builders to purchase the portion as here indicated of the North Village site
- for the placement of single family homes, approximately ninety thereof
- Beliger: for a price of $765,000.00
- Beliger: with the guarantee of
- Beliger: Obviously we'll have to do that [first class contract drawing, Dunning Kruger every step of the way...]
- Otto: farts in something about the seven changes
- Chick: supports
- Beliger: I think I'm done. It may need some fine tuning...
- Twp Attorney Fink: slaps them down hard You'll need a Purchase agreement
- Twp Attorney Fink: This transaction could take a year
- mic handed to planner
- Zelenock:
- Zelenock: One of my concerns with the motion that was just made, how much is that legally binding?
- Planner Lippens:
- Zelenock:
- Chockley:
- Chick:
- Chick: 90 homes [on tenth acre lots] are copacetic with the rural character of the township
- Dockett: I don't think we ever had an appraisal on the property
- Chick: tries to splain purchase price as $16k/ acre vs sale price of almost $50k/acre
- Dockett: $765K is just about what we have in it
- Chockley: Calling the question
- Chockley: We'll look forward to what you negotiate, there.. [uh, yup..].
Agenda Item - Discuss the sale of 75 Barker
- Chick: glaring.
- Chick: Still glaring.
- Township Attorney:
- Chick:
- Zelenock:
- Dockett:
- Zelenock: Isn't that something we need to define?
- Dockett: we don't ask them what they want to pay us. we set the price.
- Zelenock: Can't we give this to the DDA and have them come up with a suggestion?
- Dockett: We don't need another committee
- Chick: I don't like the DDA coming up with the numbers [I don't need no stinkin' studies]
- Zelenock: We don't know what we're voting on.
- Planner Lippens:
- Aynes:
- 2;52;28;00
- Township Attorney: wades into the fray
- Dockett:
- Beliger: can we call the question?
- Chockley: that passes 6:1, Dockett No
Chockley: Employee Handbook
- Chockley: Motion to replace the harassment policy in the employee handbook, support by Manley
- 2;55;33;05
- Zelenock: so why are these changes being recommended?
- Beliger: It's a lot of gobblygook
- Zelenock: So do we know why?
- Chockley: I don't know...
- Zelenock: Did our labor attorney take it upon herself to make them? How did they come about?
- Aynes:
- Aynes:
- Zelenock:
- Roll Call Vote
- Chockley: that passes 7-0
Chockley: Motion to approve the january 28 special meeting minutes
- Dockett:
- Otto: Mr dockett that would be a good example of why you ought to be able to call me and ask what are we going to talk about in this closed session
- Motion passes 7-0
Chockley: motion to approve minutes of the regular board meeting of january 28th
motion to accept the trustee liaison reports
- Dockett: pulls two reports - the Clerk's report and ...
- Manley: responds to Dockett's complaing about an upcoming millage vote
- Dockett: wades into the Parks and Rec report
- Dockett: Concern about the retention pond, stormwater, the walking path
- Dockett: asks about north village ingress and egress
- Zelenock: we are moving to a new credit card processing company
- Zelenock: on fund balance
- Zelenock: requests that marijuana business application fees be pulled out as a separate line item
- Motion to accept trustee liaison reports passes 7-0
Announcements
Second Call to the public
- Dale Brewer
- Mike Cicchella lectures the board on their fiduciary duty to base their financial decisions on robust appraisals
- Jim Nelson: Highlights the Township Manager's admission that the lakeside land had no comparables, no equivalent found anywhere in the area
- Michael Repa
- Anne Hunter
- Jessica Mizner
- Faith Wheeler
- Marissa Prizgint
