Hayes Board Exploring Blight Options Viability

HARRISON – While the Hayes Township Board continues to meet remotely via Microsoft Teams, citizen participation continues to be limited. At the Feb. 16 general board meeting, the agenda’s Community Reports section began with Deb Hoyt, township clerk, reporting that no correspondence had been received from any of the three county commissioners who represent Hayes Township.

Supervisor Rick Jones reported the Airport Board meeting had been canceled, and that he had asked the City of Harrison and the Clare County Board of Commissioners to schedule a joint meeting but had not heard back on his request.

Under Public Comment, resident Valerie Kusiak noted the January general board meeting was posted online, but that the Feb. 9 special meeting was not. She then requested that, before voting, the Feb. 9 meeting be read aloud, as well as the bills paid prior and the bills to be paid, which also were not posted and available to the public. Kusiak then listed many other items on the Feb. 16 agenda, asking that they, too, be read aloud. Jones informed her that she could pick up copies of those items at the township office.

After approving the general board meeting minutes of Jan. 19 and the special meeting minutes of Feb. 9, the board moved on to the consent agenda, which included bills paid prior, bills to be paid, and the treasurer’s report. Treasurer Maye Tessner-Rood reported the township had a $1,545,684.33 beginning balance, with $853,442.63 in receipts for the month. She said most of the revenue, $853,209.09 was taken in through taxes, and that expenses were $1,099,454.53 with $9,360.82 in payroll transfers in and out. The left a $1,477,779.43 fund balance.

In her report, Deb Hoyt spoke of House Bill 4131 being considered which would permit increasing precinct active voter size from the current 2,999 limit up to 5,000 active voters. Hoyt said she could foresee problems if precinct sizes were increased. Asked how that might affect Hayes, she said it would make running elections more difficult, although she didn’t think it would mean having to combine the two Hayes Township precincts. The township has a total of 3,862 registered voters: 2,013 in Precinct 2 and 1,849 in Precinct 1. Hoyt said she would be reaching out to the Michigan House Elections Committee to let them know her thoughts on the matter.

Zoning Administrator Ken Hoyt noted only three permits issued in January, all for fences. He also said 911 calls were down by 22 from the previous January and included one CSC, but no Narcan calls. He added that stalking and suspicious persons were down, but ORV complaint calls “were way up, with 30 calls for that.” Hoyt also said there are usually one of two suicide calls but there had been four in January, although he was unsure if those incident calls were separate. Hoyt also noted fire calls in Hayes Township: two for medical assists for EMS, a car accident medical assist, two shorted electrical equipment/transformers, two non-life threatening fires and one house fire on Lois Drive between Harrison and Coolidge avenues.

Under New Business, the board moved to:

-Renew the expired, prior Joint Information Center [JIC] Memorandum of Understanding between Clare County and Hayes Township [which is used in case of emergency, exercise or disaster for the coordination of information distribution];

-Adopt Policy manual updates for Chapter 1 of the Board and Administration Policies Manual [no changes]; and Chapter 2 of the Township Board [with changes];

-Adopt Resolution 20-12 Budget Amendment for the second quarter [increasing revenues to $626,338.98, an increase of $3,797 and increasing expenses by $4,478 and bringing expense budget to $621,405; Road Fund expense increase of $6,207; new Expense Budget of $145,742; Fire Fund expense increase of $1,939/new budget $78,639; Recreational Development fund increase of $90,406];

-Approve Michigan Association of Township Supervisors one-year membership at $80;

-Approve spending $295 for Michigan Association of Planning training consisting of eight classes;

-Approve the scheduled deputy treasurer wage increase from $11.25/hour to $11.75/hour effective Feb. 14; and

-Approved the Assessor’s Report, as read aloud by Rick Jones.

It was noted the updated Consumers Energy Ordinance had been sent to Consumers for approval, and when it is returned to the township, it will be offered for approval by the township board.

Then it was time for an update on township blight. Deb Hoyt said board members had divided elements of blight concern among them and for her part, she had heard back from the township attorney and insurance agency. Hoyt said she would share that information with the board so it could continue on looking at the blight issues.

Jones said he had not completed his portion, and Tom Willett reported having begun the webinar series on municipal and civil infractions. Tessner-Rood expressed the need to speak with local courts and the court administrator regarding how cases are handled.

“It sounds like a lot of them end up there,” she said. “I was a little surprised at the lack of returned funding to the township in fines and what automatically goes to the court [judges] retirement fund.”

Hoyt added that MTA and the attorney were asking what the township’s plan was moving forward, so the township needed to develop a blight plan of action so the attoneys can better answer the township’s questions. She did note receiving one particular attorney comment regarding establishing a blight committee.

“The township attorney is looking into that more,” she said. “The northeast states tend to use a townhall form of government instead of township boards, and that’s why they form a lot of committees. But he is looking into that for us and [will] do more research on it.”

Willett added that it seems more blight concerns arise in areas away from the lake communities and that lake communities police themselves rather tightly. Hoyt advised that one of the guidance statements provided said the key to code enforcement is to treat everyone equally and not deviate from ordinances.

Under Public Comment, part-time resident Pat Adams requested how he could learn about previous years’ township revenues/expenses and various other expenditures, particularly what had been spent on the Mostetler Road gravel pit legal fees. He was advised that all the township audit information was available through the state treasury website, and that for the gravel pit information, he should submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the township clerk, which she said would be looked at and honored.

“Anything to do with the gravel pit, we have required FOIA requests,” Hoyt said.

When Adams asked if the board was leaning toward using a blight committee rather than hiring a person, Tessner-Rood explained that there was no leaning.

“We’re not leaning toward anything yet,” she said. “We’re researching the feasibility in Michigan. That’s used mostly on the East Coast, but it was brought forward by a taxpayer that asked about it. So, we’re trying to cover all bases with everybody and see what’s most viable.”

Adams also asked why there was no longer a capability for attendees to type in questions [through Microsoft Teams], Jones said it was too difficult for him to monitor the computer and run the meeting, adding that until there is a facilitator for the program, that function will not be available.