On tonight's Agenda, the Township 2016-2017 budget, Budget Resolution, Millage Resolution, Fund balances, EZ-Financing the Van Curler purchase, Personnel review at the 6 pm Closed session. 

[Meeting Documents]

Here are the financial reports, rotated-upright so they can actually be read, from the meeting packet:

 

The meeting is over.  You can watch it on the VideoNorthfield youtube channel using our LiveAgenda:

This tuesday found the Trustees meeting in the new $60,000+ Boardroom.  At Call to the Public, both Mary Devlin and Candidate for Township Trustee Tawn Bellinger said the Boardroom looked wonderful.

Boardroom Seating Capacity 396w320h

The bright square reflections are from some of the $13,000+ worth of LED luminaires.

The $4,000 dais wasn't ready so the Board made do with the card tables they've met behind for the past twenty years.    The in-room audio was much improved.  The HVAC system noise was less, reduced from the roaring rumble that had made a misery out of the old meeting area on the Township Hall's north side.  But that came with a trade-off.  There were only 38 audience chairs.  On May 25th, seating capacity was officially deemed to be 137.

The audio-video equipment was only partially functional.  It incorporated no way to evaluate the quality of the video/audio broadcast to Charter.  The only TV we could monitor was at the opposite end of the building, 200 feet away.  We could close the loop on the Livestream video but the wired headphones that would have allowed us to monitor Livestream's audio quality had long ago been appropriated by the Township manager to allow Wayne Dockett to participate in closed session meetings downstairs in the Township Offices.  The result of this SNAFU was audio that sounded great over the public address system but which was barely audible on TV, Charter cable channel 191.  It was slightly louder on livestream.  My wife messaged me about this several minutes after the meeting began.   I nudged up the only identifiable gain control but was basically flying blind.   Obviously, all these problems will be resolved.

This morning I posted a repaired version of the meeting video on VideoNorthfield.  We separated the audio track from the video and increased the volume by 36 dB for the meeting's first fifteen minutes, 30 dB for the rest.  We also converted it to stereo.  After that post-processing, it sounds great.  The file was too large to post as a Livestream account update.  VideoNorthfield on Youtube is your only option.

The new main video camera had been wall mounted 20 inches from the main HVAC duct.  Every mechanical vibration in the building seemed to pump the camera/mount system at its characteristic resonant frequency.   Doors.  The elevator.  Footsteps.  The rush of air and motor noise through the HVAC ductwork 20 inches from the wall and camera.  Throughout the meeting video, this vibration is visible as a vertical, somewhat damped oscillation.  I was told that on the cable TV feed it was almost pukeworthy.   If you have the photosensitive variant of epilepsy, I suggest not watching any meetings until this problem is resolved.

Part way through the meeting I found out that the camera Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) control software, a demo version that I already knew would shut itself off permanently after two weeks, would also shut itself off temporarily after running for 3 hours.  That's life in the cheap seats.  Luckily, it restarted with none of the instance variables (positions, calibrations) wiped out.  If you can withstand the dizzying zooming around aspect, the PTZ cameras work pretty well.  They are fast and responsive.  Two cameras and camera feeds aimed at the Board desks would make it a lot more pleasant to watch discussions and conversation, though. 

The Township's h.264 uplink to LiveStream carries 768 x 432 pixel video frames.  This is much improved over the previous versions of Township video but still a degraded version of the camera source signal, an HD standard 1920 x 1080.  The computer handling the h.264 encoding and uplink regularly flashed warnings as it exceeded 80% of CPU cycle utilization.   It is operating more or less at its breaking point.  Hosting the virtual interface for both the video switcher and PTZ camera controller constituted part of the load.  Mr. Fink has been informed that the 4GB of RAM with which that Hex-Core Xeon computer came equipped is insufficient.  Xeons were designed to operate in parallel.  I believe this computer has a spare slot for another processor on its motherboard.  Whether it is cheaper to upgrade the existing four year old computer with an additional processor and another chunk of memory or to simply replace the entire setup with a newer, faster pc is the question.  Last I looked the memory modules were over $280 as pulls, i.e., used components.

Enough about the technical issues.


 

[report in progress]

On tonight's Agenda, the Road Commission contract, Township 2016-2017 budget, Fund balances, Van Curler environmental testing, Secret stuff at the closed session. 

Enjoy.

[Meeting Documents]

Here are the financial reports, rotated-upright so they can actually be read, from the meeting packet:

Here are the other included document collections, broken out: 

 

 

Documents:

2016 05 10 McKenna Northfield Township Lake Overlay District Map 240w371h

In a last minute change of opinion, Township Planner Vidya Krishnan recommended approval of the rural resident's request to attach a garage to their 1930s era home.  Location of a well head and topography.  ZBA member Doug Delfavero cited the increased safety of an attached over a detached garage structure as important.   Krishnan's report mentions this in passing.

A look at the plans shows that the view from the addition, a great room/kitchen, is much improved when not bounded by a garage attached to its western side.

Marlene Chockley asked the planner to investigate the wide difference in setback requirements.  30 feet in some zoning districts.  50 feet in others.   The Huron River Watershed Council recommends reducing setbacks as a way of reducing driveway lengths.  This has the effect of reducing impervious surfaces and runoff.  It also potentially reduces property taxes.  In cases where the assessor chooses, we are charged by the foot for driveways. 

The assessor who was run out of town a couple of years ago was counting individual landscape plantings and fruit trees, at least in the rural area.  Gotta love it.  We're charged for providing oxygen.

 

[Meeting Report]

In his opening Call to the Public comments, long time Township resident Chuck Steuer thanked Township Manager Fink for his honesty in admitting in his Manager's report that the Board had no plan for the recent Van Curler purchase. 

"I'm a little perplexed again by why we are buying three hundred thousand dollars worth of property that has an SEV of $1.2 Million dollars that's going to come off the tax rolls.

 

And we can't say why we're doing it.

 

I can say to those of you who have voted in favor of this, there are support groups out there for people who spend money and don't know why they're spending it.

 

I don't know it there are any support groups for people who spend money and don't know why they're spending it that are holding public office.

 

I don't think that's what you were elected to do."

Fink rocked in his chair.  Fink talked to Paul Burns.  Fink faked a smile.   The Board watched.    Steuer continued:

"This is not a three hundred thousand dollar or three hundred thirty thousand dollar transaction.  The cost to those of us who pay the bills around here is going to be over a million dollars.   And we've got another three million dollars coming down the road for a sewerage retention pond."

Steuer added: 

"The way this is done in other communities, and in the last election there was one community in the area that had such an issue on the ballot, is you go to the voters and get the funds approved first in the form of a millage. 

 

If we want to spend money on property, that's the correct order of doing things, rather than going out, buying the property, not knowing why we're buying it, and then we'll decide...  which I thought we were gonna do in that ninety day period that we have to, I thought part of our due diligence was to come up with a good definition as to why in the heck do we want to do this?"

Fink watched Steuer.  Fink watched the Board.  A tiny bit of smug drained from Fink's face.  The Board watched.

Next at the Public microphone, David Gordon described watching the April 26th Township Board meeting.  The Wastewater Treatment Plant equalization basin had been discussed.  Many people had attended.  Many shared their doubts.  Mr. Fink had spoken for eighteen minutes, "clarifying."  

"It's obvious to me that the Board feels they are under attack." said Gordon.  "And it's equally obvious to me that many members of this Township feel the same way.  What I heard during those eighteen minutes from Mr. Fink.  First of all, he was speaking in defense of the Board.  But he was claiming that the opinions that were expressed by the public are based on misinformation.  He asserted that the folks are seeing connections where there aren't any and is essentially saying that we're conspiracy nuts - and diminishing the resident's comments as 'chatter.'

 

I find this disrespectful and somewhat insulting.

 

Comments were made such as, in the explanation of the equalization basin, (that is again on the Agenda to spend money on tonight), It's not a sewer expansion, it's not connected to Biltmore, and it's needed.  Those were all brought forward as facts.

I think there's some confusion here between facts and opinions.

 

You can't dismiss real world connections.  If this $3,000,000.00 basin doesn't get put in, you've got between one hundred and two hundred hookups that you can put in, according to our Engineers.    If the basin does get put in, you can get up to 1500 new connections.  That is an expansion.  The plant's not getting bigger, but the capacity to handle more homes coming in, more hookups, has expanded.

 

That's the connection that people are making.

 

When you say that it is needed, and you say that that's a fact, it's actually just an opinion.  There was an opinion that the second floor of this building was needed, and it was built, and it's essentially been unused except for these meetings for the last ten or so years, at a great expense.   The million dollar platform ladder truck was purchased because it was needed, apparently, but it wasn't and it never went on a fire.

 

I believe this basin is the same situation.

 

There was a discussion about how facts are being, misinformation is being spread because it's not true that there have been no violations at the Plant.   But we all sat here and listened to Mr. Hardesty and the people at TetraTech say there have been no discharges of raw sewage into the streams.   That in wet weather events,  it's been very challenging for the people at the treatment plant but they've met these challenges.

  

Those are facts that were presented by the people that work here.

 

I think it's important that the Board start speaking for itself, especially in an election year.

 

Mr Fink said the Board will be making a decision about this $3,000,000.00 expense after getting advice from the Engineer, from the Financial Advisor, from the Attorney and the Manager.

The Engineer makes money on the project.  The Financial Advisor makes money on the project.  The Attorney gets paid for giving advice.   The Township Manager believes his task, at least one of them, is growth.

 

I'd like to see the Board start asking some serious questions about how we're spending our money."

Gordon thanked the Board.  Gordon walked back to his seat.  Fink's stubborn smugness had wilted.  The Board watched.

Trustee Wayne Dockett picked up Chuck Steuer's point:

"I know I complain a lot about when I get my Agenda, but I want to speak to what [Steuer] said earlier tonight. 

 

I got about fourteen pages of Agenda last Monday [5-2] about one o'clock in the afternoon.  Now, my store's open 'til 5:00pm.  They had a meeting here at 5:15pm.  I did not come to the meeting; I could not digest fifteen pages or whatever it was, seventeen pages, of Agenda item. 

 

Four people showed up.  Four members showed up, which you have to have to have a quorum.  They agreed to spend the money for the park, or to start it.  Two of them are not running again.  So, we've got a big decision, you know, a million dollar deal or more before we're done with this property, with two people that are going to run next time. 

 

I don't like the smell of it.  I go along with Chuck.  That should never have happened."

Supervisor Engstrom pressed forward with the Agenda.

The Fourth of July Parade, the Fireworks, and temporary road closings were approved.  The RTM ordinance changes were approved.  Another Whitmore Lake Road SAD "permanent, non-exclusive easement" was accepted. 

(curious phrasing...  It sounds as if any number of sewer pipes could go through that easement down Whitmore Lake Road.)  

Soil testing for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Equalization Basin was approved.  Trustee Thomas voted for the preliminary tests but said he had not yet been convinced that the Basin was necessary.   Dockett observed that the Township's awarding of contracts to an increasingly narrow circle of bidders has over time contracted the circle of those willing to bid. 

Dockett objected to Fink's attempt to spend $4000 adding to the Township's warehouse of underwater property and wetlands near Horseshoe Lake, a last minute add to the Agenda.  He said that the County will offer much better terms later.  The matter was deferred. 

Isn't it time to ask why the Township hasn't deeded its vast assemblage of tax forfeitured swamp, wetland, and unbuildable Horseshoe Lake area property to Washtenaw County Parks?  They could turn it a Preserve like the nearby 235 acre Whitmore Lake Preserve on Seven Mile Road.  Washtenaw County Parks can afford to do something with it.  We can't, especially at the rate our Township Board burns through tax dollars and piles up obligations.

The meeting's Big Event was the first step in abating the taxes of what is hoped will be Northfield Township's newest industrial park tenant, a Technical Center for the auto industry component manufacturer, Arvin Sango.  This step was approved.  An Industrial Development District (IDD) was voted into existence.  The Board approved with no idea of how deep the Tax abatement will actually be.  Fink has promised to reveal that later.  Cart before the Horse remains standard operating procedure for this Township Board.

One can only hope that word does not reach Arvin Sango's Japanese owner, Sango Co. Ltd., of the profoundly rude disparagement of their planned designs made by the Planning Commission Chair Ken Dignan during the May 4 Planning Commission review. 

"It looks like a Chevy Dealership." - source: Arvin Sango Technical Center 5-4-2016 Northfield Township Planning Commission LiveAgenda

In one fell swoop, Dignan insulted the Township's international guests and in using the example he did the way he did, he insulted an iconic American manufacturer as well.   Not to mention the insult to Howard Fink's best hope of adding something to his resume that will carry him onward, upward, and out.

What else happened at the meeting?  A Wayne Dockett question lured Township Manager Fink into publicly revealing the side of his management persona that led several long time Township employees to quit working for the Township.  

 

[About the documents]

We are premiering a brand new service.  (drum roll, please)  We have extracted for you and rotated the hard to read financial reports that appear turned-sideways in Board meeting packets. Turned upright, they fit quite nicely on your computer screen.   There's no more need to print this stuff out, laying waste to vast swaths of forest, just because your Township Board favors inscrutability over environmental responsibility.

  1. May 4, 2016 Planning Commission Permits Arvin Sango Tech Center in Jomar Industrial Park
  2. May 2, 2016: A Special Board Meeting for Van Curler Purchase Agreements
  3. 4-26-2016 Township Board meeting: "That Little Sliver on the Lake"
  4. Fink: More Debt? - Yes, Please!!!
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