The
Austin Township Board Meeting was called to order on February 11, 2014 at 7:32
p.m. by Supervisor Kenneth Vredenburg at the Township Hall at 14132 Pierce Road,
Stanwood, MI, 49346.
Present
were: Kenneth Vredenburg, Elizabeth G. Carr, Carolyn Towsley, John Conforte, and
John Brockway. There was one guest present.
Public
Comment: Art Adelman, County Commissioner- the 911 surcharge, EMS, COA, and
County Revenue will be up for renewal this coming election year. The County will
also be partnering with the state to make new fly-over maps of the Mecosta
County. The County’s share will be $13,000.00. This re-mapping is done at
regular intervals and is available for economic development and assessing, etc.
use. The County has one Planning Commission seat available. Applications must be
submitted by February 24th. Newaygo County and Mecosta County are in
the beginning stages of partnering in the creation of a biking and hiking trail
in the Hardy Dam area and along the Muskegon River. The proposed length of the
trail is approximately 40-50 miles. Most of the land proposed to be used is
owned by Consumers Energy.
Minutes: Moved by Carolyn Towsley, supported by John Conforte to accept the
minutes with the correction that sentence three of the Financial Report-“We are
down 15% from last year.” be struck from the minutes as incorrect. Motion
carried.
Treasurer’s Report: We received our Revenue Sharing and Swampland checks last
month and are deposited, and we received revenue from the bank interests and
hall rentals. Austin Township has deposited its share of the designated money
for the LUCAS machine into the First Responder account. We have not received
Mecosta Township’s share yet. Both the Township and Fire Department Balance
Sheets have irregularities from the changing of banks. The Treasurer’s Report is
accepted subject to audit.
Payment
of the Bills: Moved by John Conforte, supported by John Brockway to pay Township
check #’s 8152-8168 and Cemetery check # 1496 and to present for review Fire
Department check #’s 4862-4875 and First Responder check #’s 1399-1418. Motion
carried.
Unfinished Business:
1.
Fire
Department and First Responder Report: Fire Board Chairman John Boyd received a
call from the County that the County was going to raise funds for each First
Responder Department to receive $10,000.00 towards the purchase of a LUCAS
(automatic chest compression) machine. Each department would purchase the
machine and present their receipt to the County for reimbursement. The cost of
the LUCAS machine is $13,809.16. Purchase of the LUCAS machine was approved. The
Chevy DNR truck has tires. The new flatbed is at the Fire Hall but needs to be
installed yet. The truck should be in operating condition by spring. A
presentation was made by Ken Lind from Lind & Lind Insurance. He will be
submitting a bid to insure the Fire Department. There will be driving training
soon for the firemen. The ladder training, the SCBA, and Rescue inspections are
completed for 2013. The extrication, ventilation, and chainsaw equipment tested
well. The Fire Department received a $2,000.00 donation check.
2.
Assessor’s and Supervisor’s Report: We will lose some revenue with the
implementation of the changes to the Real Property Tax laws next year. The
changes in the law will cause deeper cuts to the revenue for the school and
county. We have had 35 lots in
Canadian Lakes returned to Austin Township through foreclosure tax sale.
3.
Treasurer’s Report: The Mecosta County Township Association Meeting was February
3, 2014 at Aetna Township. Dog Officer, Deputy Josh Reed, and Callahan were
present to answer questions and they did a demonstration of Callahan’s talents.
Michael Rounds presented MI Spot wireless internet. They have two towers in
Mecosta County. One in the southwest corner and one in the center of the county
near Rodney. Each tower has a range of 7-91/2 miles. The Mecosta County Housing
Rehabilitation Director spoke about the opportunities for Mecosta County
residents to apply for help for their homes. Shila Kiander has sent the grant
for the GIS program. The County Road Commission is using the Morley Garage this
winter. They are 38% over in salt use. The State is 140% over in its salt use.
Special thanks to Senator Emmons and Representative Potvin for attending the
meeting. The next MCTA meeting will be April 22 at Austin Township Hall at 14132
Pierce Road, Stanwood, MI. The July meeting will be hosted by Big Rapids
Township on July 28th. We will see if we can have a picnic.
4.
Clerk’s
Report: Cheryl Wensloff is interested in serving on the Library Board. We sent
out 35 absentee ballot applications. Sandy Maxwell from Colfax usually sends out
about 12. About half of them have come back so far. The Morley Stanwood School
Election is February 25th.
5.
Joint
Township Meeting: Austin Township is fine with the Fire Department buying a
large screen TV if they can get it out of their current budget. The township is
not prepared to talk about the purchase of a new truck at this time.
6.
Road
Commission: We will not be able to pave any roads this year. We will put new
gravel down on 9 Mile Road whether the trees are cut along the side or not. We
will take the free brine offered by the County, but not pay for a second brine.
7.
Township Hall: Bill Oleal will put in a bid for the repairs needed on the
Township Hall.
8.
Budget:
Check for any overages on the line items. Make sure the 224-807 Audit reflects
this year’s audit expense.
Adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Elizabeth G Carr
Austin
Township Clerk