OK, WE'RE PAST SIX O'CLOCK, SO GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. [00:00:05] CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? YES. YES. I WILL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER, AND BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING ELSE, I THINK WE [1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER] NEED TO TAKE A MOMENT OF SILENCE FIRST THE VICTIMS OF IDA THE HURRICANE AND THEN BECAME A TROPICAL STORM. AND THEN WHO KNOWS WHAT JUST MESSED UP TERRIBLY FROM LOUISIANA ALL THE WAY THROUGH NEW ENGLAND. AND THEN SECONDLY, OF COURSE, FOR 9/11, WHICH IS COMING UP THIS WEEKEND. SO LET'S TAKE A MOMENT A SILENCE. THANK YOU ALL. I WILL NOW I WILL ASK DAN IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEAD US AND HE'S THERE IN THE ROOM IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. CERTAINLY. ALLEGIANCE] THANK YOU, EVERYONE. THANK YOU, DAN. AND NOW WE NEED ROLL CALL. CALL] ALL RIGHT EVERYONE'S PRESENT. IF YOU WEREN'T CALLED ON, WE'LL FORGIVE YOU. OK, WE NOW COME TO OUR MAJOR EVENT OF THE EVENING, WHICH IS THE PRESENTATION OF THE [4A. 2022 Township Budget] 2022 PROPOSED TOWNSHIP BUDGET, AND I ASSUME THAT MR. WALSH WILL LEAD THIS PARADE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. SUPERVISOR. I WANTED TO WALK THROUGH THE ANNUAL BUDGET PRESENTATION [INAUDIBLE] THIS EVENING. BEFORE I DO THAT, I WANT TO THANK THE TEAM THAT WAS INVOLVED WITH THIS, NAMELY OUR FINANCE DIRECTOR MIRIAM MATTISON, DEPUTY MANAGER DEREK PERRY AND OUR ENTIRE MANAGEMENT TEAM WHO ARE ALL HERE THIS EVENING AS WELL. [INAUDIBLE] WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE BUDGET, THE GENERAL THE TOTAL BUDGET IS FIFTY SEVEN MILLION. WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE GENERAL FUND, THE GENERAL FUND EXPENSES ARE A LITTLE OVER TWENTY SIX MILLION, WITH REVENUE JUST OVER TWENTY FOUR MILLION. I THINK THE THE SHORTFALL THIS YEAR IS ABOUT TWO POINT FOUR MILLION AND ONE MIGHT THINK, WELL, WE HAVE A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT. WE DON'T HAVE THE REVENUE TO PAY FOR OUR EXPENSES, AND THAT WOULD NOT BE THE CASE AT ALL. YOU CAN TAKE OUT A COUPLE ONE TIME EXPENSES THAT ARE RECOMMENDED, FOR INSTANCE, THE REDEVELOPMENT FUND AT $2 MILLION AND THEN WE HAVE FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND RECOMMENDED TO GO INTO OUR I.T., ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND FOR RETENTION PAYMENTS. THAT'S TWO POINT SIX, TWO POINT SEVEN MILLION. SO IF WE WANTED TO TAKE OUT SOME ONE TIME EXPENSES, WE WOULD NOT HAVE A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT AT ALL. WANT TO WALK THROUGH A PRESENTATION COVERING THE GENERAL FUND, THE ENTIRE BUDGET AS WE NORMALLY DO. AND THEN WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS, I GUESS, LATER ON. SO I WANT TO FIRST OF ALL, BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT 2022, I WANT TO LOOK BACK AT OUR INVESTMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE IN THE COMMUNITY GOING BACK OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. FIRST OF ALL, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND I'M NOT GOING TO READ ALL OF THESE. I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE A COPY IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT THE THE INVESTMENT THAT'S MADE IT MADE IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS SUBSTANTIAL. IN ADDITION TO EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE'VE DONE AS FAR AS SOME STAFFING AND OTHER, WE'VE COMMITTED A SIX AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS FROM ANYWHERE FROM THE THE NEW FIRE STATION TO A NUMBER OF AMBULANCES. WE PURCHASED A NEW PUMPER AND OF COURSE, THE NEW LADDER TRUCK, AND FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IT'S ONE POINT THREE MILLION. SO WE'VE BEEN OUR INVESTMENTS HAVE BEEN VERY HEAVY ON THE FIRE SIDE AND NOT SO MUCH ON THE POLICE SIDE. BUT WE HAD SOME ACADEMY SPONSORSHIPS THAT CAME ABOUT SOME BODY CAMERAS, RADAR SYSTEMS, AND WE PURCHASED THREE NEW VEHICLES PER YEAR, TWO ADDITIONAL OFFICERS. WE'VE MADE GOOD INVESTMENTS IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT NOT AS NOT AS MUCH. IF YOU LOOK AT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT AS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. PARKS AND RECREATION, WE'VE HAD A NINE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLAR COMMITMENT TO THE PARKS AND REC, A VERY STRONG COMMITMENT PROBABLY LED BY THE THE TOWN OF ROAD PARK AND SOME LAND PRESERVATION, EVEN DOWN TO THE NEW COURTYARD AT THE SENIOR CENTER FOR FIFTY [00:05:05] THOUSAND DOLLARS, BUT ABOUT NINE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS INTO THE PARK SYSTEM JUST IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. IN IT, A MILLION TWO THAT WE'VE PLACED INTO THE IT DEPARTMENT. PUBLIC WORKS AND STREETS, SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS INTO PUBLIC WORKS AND THE LIFT STATIONS AND WATER MAINS THAT WE'VE COVERED AND THEN ALSO OUR STREETS . EVEN BEFORE THE NEW THE MILLAGE FOR THE STREETS THAT CAME ABOUT IN 2019. WE MADE SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS INVESTMENTS INTO OUR STREET SYSTEM, GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO CORNELL ROAD IN 2013. IF YOU RECALL, WE HAD THE BIG IF YOU WERE HERE, WE HAD A PACKED ROOM THAT NIGHT IN MAY OF 2013 FOR THE THE WIDENING OF CORNELL ROAD, THE TREES AND ALL OF THAT THE FOUR HUNDRED TREES THAT WERE GOING TO BE TAKEN DOWN. SO I REMEMBER THAT BECAUSE IT WAS MY SECOND DAY HERE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. BUT ANYWAY, WE MADE SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS FOR OUR STREETS AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMUNICATIONS. LIKEWISE, OVER A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OF INVESTMENTS INTO OUR. AND THIS DOESN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE STAFFING. THESE ARE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE TO THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT ANYTHING FROM VIDEO PRODUCTION TO SOFTWARE TO STORAGE AND SWITCHES. LET'S LOOK AT THE 2021 ACTION PLAN THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE BOARD FOR THE AREAS THAT WE WANTED TO COVER THIS IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. SO THIS WAS YOUR GOALS THAT YOU SET IN DECEMBER OF 20 FOR 2021. SO NOW WE'RE LOOKING BACK SOME 10 MONTHS LATER TO SEE THESE ARE THE THINGS. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THE BOARD SAID, THIS IS THE INVESTMENTS WE WANT TO MAKE IN OUR BUDGET GOING FORWARD. SUSTAINABILITY, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PICAS AREAS, HASLETT AND OKEMOS. IMPLEMENT OUR THREE YEAR FIRST OF OUR THREE YEAR LOCAL ROAD PROGRAM. IT'S A TEN YEAR PROGRAM, BUT THIS WAS YOUR THE FIRST YEAR. REDESIGNING THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE, BRANDING ON OUR SIGNAGE, TRYING TO IMPROVE OUR SIGNAGE. SOME OF THE SIGNAGE IS FROM THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE FROM 1970 AND THEN COMPLETE PHASE ONE AND TWO OF THE PATHWAY MSU TO LAKE LANSING AND THEN BROADBAND. THOSE ARE THE MAIN ISSUES THAT THE BOARD SET OUT BACK IN DECEMBER OF 20. THAT SAID, WE WANT TO ATTACK THESE AREAS IN 2021. WHAT ARE OUR BUDGET GOALS FOR 2022? WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE FIFTY SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS SPENDING PLAN. WHAT IS REALLY THE FOCUS? THE FOCUS IS AGAIN CONTINUING ON OUR PENSION AND LEGACY COST. THAT'S A PROMISE THAT WE MADE IN 2017 TO THE VOTERS. WE'LL COVER MORE OF THAT LATER. INVESTMENT IN THE PICAS, THE VILLAGE OF OKEMOS PROJECT AND OF COURSE, THE DOWNTOWN HASLETT PROJECT, WHICH INCLUDES PINE VILLAGE, LOCAL ROADS, IT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY. IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR FIFTY SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR SPENDING PLAN, THAT'S BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING, IT REALLY FOCUSES ON THESE SIX AREAS. NUMBER ONE PENSION. AND AGAIN, THIS GOES BACK TO THE MILLAGE THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE VOTERS IN 2017 TO ELIMINATE OUR PENSION DEBT GOING FORWARD. LET'S TALK ABOUT OUR PENSION DEBT. THAT'S MOVING FORWARD. YEAH, IT IS NOW. SO PENSION FUNDING LEVELS, WE HAVE SIX DIFFERENT PENSIONS THAT WE LOOK AT FROM THE PUBLIC WORKS GROUP, POLICE, PATROL FIRE AND ON DOWN POLICE COMMAND. AND THIS SHOWS YOU WHERE THEY WERE FUNDED AS A PERCENTAGE IN 2020 AND WHERE THEY'RE FUNDED AT RIGHT NOW AND THEN OUR OVERALL FUNDING FOR MERS PENSION. AND THIS IS THE PENSION FUND. AND I HOPE YOU'LL KEEP THIS IN MIND AS YOU VET THIS BUDGET AND LOOK FORWARD. WE'RE IN A REALLY GOOD FINANCIAL POSITION. BUT I HOPE YOU REMEMBER THAT WE ARE STILL $28 MILLION IN DEBT. ONE OF THE WORST THINGS YOU CAN DO WHEN YOU START TO GET INTO A BETTER FINANCIAL POSITION IS TO START SPENDING, BECAUSE THAT MAY HAVE OCCURRED IN THIS TOWNSHIP MANY YEARS AGO WITH A PENSIONS WITH A COLA AND ALL THE BENEFITS THAT WERE PROVIDED THAT PROVED TO BE UNSUSTAINABLE. AND THAT'S HOW WE GOT UP INTO THE 30 MILLION INTO THE THIRTY TO THIRTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT. AND THEN YOU ADD RETIREE HEALTH CARE ONTO THAT AND YOU ADD OUR TOWNSHIP PENSION FUND. WE WERE THIRTY SIX OR THIRTY SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS UNDERWATER JUST EIGHT YEARS AGO. WE'VE REDUCED THAT DOWN TO TWENTY EIGHT MILLION. WE'VE IMPROVED OUR PENSION FUND AGAIN. WE'RE STILL TWENTY EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT AND APPROXIMATELY TWENTY SIX OF THAT TWENTY EIGHT COMES FROM POLICE AND FIRE. OUR FIRE PENSION FUND IS UNDERFUNDED BY ABOUT FIFTEEN MILLION FIFTEEN PLUS AND OUR POLICE IS APPROXIMATELY NINE OR 10. [00:10:01] SO THIS SHOWS YOU WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR MERS PENSION DEBT. WHAT ABOUT MODIFYING OUR PENSIONS, WHICH WE DID BACK IN 2017 ISN'T WORKING. AND HERE ARE THE NUMBERS. AND THESE AREN'T MY NUMBERS. THESE ARE ACTUARIAL NUMBERS FROM PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO FIGURE THIS STUFF OUT. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS IS ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN PERCENT FUNDED, PUBLIC WORKS NEARLY 90 AND FIRE JUST OVER 90. SO IN ONE CASE, YOU HAVE THE FIRE PENSION THAT EXIST PRIOR TO 2017, WHICH IS FIFTEEN OR SIXTEEN MILLION DOLLARS UNDERFUNDED. AND WE'RE IN DEBT AND IT'S BASICALLY 40, SOME 50, MAYBE 50 PERCENT FUNDED AND THE NEW PENSION FUND IS NINETY ONE PERCENT FUNDED. SO THE ANSWER IS DID WE MAKE THE DECISIONS THAT WE MADE IN 2017 AS A GROUP HAS IT WORKED? IT'S OBVIOUSLY WORKED VERY WELL FOR THE TOWNSHIP AND THIS IS A SLIDE WE SHOW EVERY YEAR. IT'S AN [INAUDIBLE] PAGE. IT'S FROM THE ACTUARIAL REPORT ENDING DECEMBER 31 OF 20 AND IT SAYS AGAIN, EVERY YEAR WE LOOK AT THIS NUMBER. IF YOU WANT TO PAY OFF YOUR PENSION IN TEN YEARS TO GET TO ONE HUNDRED PERCENT FUNDING, YOU NEED TO PAY A MONTH, THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE INSTEAD OF TWO SEVENTY ONE. THE TWO SEVENTY ONE IS AN OUT, IS OUR ARC, ARC ACTUAL REQUIRED CONTRIBUTION. THEY TAKE OUR LIABILITIES AND OUR ASSETS AND THEY TELL US WHAT WE NEED TO PAY PER MONTH AND THAT'S TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ONE THOUSAND A MONTH. BUT IF YOU WANT TO PAY IT OFF IN TEN YEARS AND ACCELERATE YOUR PAYMENT, YOU SHOULD PAY THREE NINETY FIVE A MONTH. IN THIS BUDGET, WE'RE RECOMMENDING WE PAY FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR THOUSAND ALMOST FIVE FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS PER MONTH IN EXCESS OF EVEN THE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT NUMBER THAT MERS PAYS OUT. AND HERE'S THEIR ACTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN PAGE 15 OF THIS REPORT THAT LAYS OUT EXACTLY HOW WE WOULD PAY THAT. THE POLICE AND FIRE WOULD GET SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND. THAT COMES FROM THE 2017 MILLAGE, RIGHT? A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS. WHAT IS OUR REQUIRED ARC PAYMENT OF THREE POINT TWO, TOTAL CONTRIBUTION THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO PAY IS FOUR POINT SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS, BUT WE'RE NOT PAYING FOUR POINT SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS. WE'RE PAYING FIVE POINT TWO ONE SEVEN. WE'RE PAYING LIKE FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THOUSAND MORE THAT'S REQUIRED. AND WHAT ARE WE PAYING ON? REMEMBER, WE'RE NOT TAKING THE MERS ACCEPTED OR SUGGESTED SEVEN OR SEVEN POINT THREE FIVE RATE OF RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT. WE'RE USING A FIVE POINT THREE FIVE RATE OF RETURN AS WE PROMISED OUR VOTERS THAT WE WOULD DO SO. WE WERE FAR EXCEEDING OUR OBLIGATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO PENSION. THE REAL STORY WHEN IT COMES TO PENSION IS RIGHT. RIGHT HERE. BACK IN 2013, WE FACE NEARLY A $5 MILLION DEFICIT ON RETIREE HEALTH CARE AND JUST ABOUT $2 MILLION ON THE TOWNSHIP PENSION FUND. SO WE HAD ABOUT SIX POINT SEVEN IN DEBT. THAT DEBT IS SEPARATE FROM THE DEBT FROM MERS, RIGHT? MERS WAS ABOUT THIRTY TWO TO THIRTY FOUR. NOW IT'S DOWN TO TWENTY EIGHT, BUT PLUS WE HAD THIS SEVEN, SO WE WERE PUSHING FORTY MILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT JUST IN 2013. AND THIS SIX POINT SEVEN MILLION HAS BEEN PAID OFF. IT'S BEEN PAID OFF BY BEING VERY WISE AND PRUDENT OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS AND INVESTING MUCH MORE THAN WHAT'S REQUIRED TO PAY. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, BACK IN 2013, WE WERE FIFTY FOUR PERCENT FUNDED WITH RETIREE HEALTH CARE. SIXTY EIGHT PERCENT FUNDED WITH THE TOWNSHIP PENSION FUND. AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY BOTH ARE NOW ONE HUNDRED PERCENT FUNDED. OUR ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION IS EIGHTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. WE HAVE $18,000 IN DEBT FOR RETIREE HEALTH CARE. SO GREAT NEWS THAT WE'VE PAID THAT OFF OVER TIME. IT MATTERS. AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY IT MATTERS IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AND THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT SLIDE FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG. IF YOU GO BACK TO MY BUDGET REPORT TO THE BOARD IN 2014, IF WE COULD REDUCE OUR, REDUCE OUR DEBT, THE MONIES THAT ARE GOING IN THERE WILL ALLOW THE TOWNSHIP TO DO A WHOLE LOT. IF WE CAN REDUCE OUR ARC DOWN AND OUR PAYMENTS ARE GOING, OUR OUR AVAILABLE REVENUE GOES UP AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO PROJECTS LIKE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT, RIGHT? WE'RE DOING SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT THINGS WITH OUR ADDITIONAL REVENUE. WELL, HOW DOES THAT COME ABOUT? WELL, HERE'S THE SLIDE THAT TELLS YOU THAT, GO BACK TO 2019. JUST TWO YEARS AGO, WHAT WERE WE PAYING FOR RETIREE HEALTH CARE AND OUR TOWNSHIP PENSION FUND? THE ANSWER? SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PAYING JUST TWO YEARS AGO. AND REMEMBER, WE TALKED ABOUT IF WE CAN GET THAT PAID DOWN, WHAT OUR FINANCIAL PICTURE WOULD LOOK LIKE GOING FORWARD. I DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PAY IT DOWN IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS. BUT NOW WHAT'S OUR CONTRIBUTION THIS YEAR? IT'S TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. NEARLY A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IS NOW FREED UP IN AVAILABLE CASH TO THE TOWNSHIP BECAUSE WE'VE PAID OFF. IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT SLIDE ONE THAT I WOULD REMEMBER GOING FORWARD FROM THIS [00:15:02] PRESENTATION. INVEST. THAT'S ALL FOR PENSION. NUMBER TWO PICAS AND ONE IT'S A IT'S AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATION. AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A REDEVELOPMENT FUND THAT SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND. AND WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT THAT BE INCREASED TO $2 MILLION TO AVAILABLE FOR A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN THE TWO PICA AREAS. YOU SEE WHAT WE HAD DEMOLITION. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO DOWNTOWN OKEMOS, WE'RE LOOKING AT DDA FUNDING, BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FUNDING, MERIDIAN REDEVELOPMENT FUND FUNDING, EGLE FUNDING FROM THE STATE AND POTENTIALLY SMART ZONE. ALL THE DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO US FOR THE VILLAGE OF OKEMOS PROJECT. AND THANKFULLY, OVER THE LAST EIGHT TO NINE MONTHS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE DEMOLITION OCCUR AT THE SITE. WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE PINE VILLAGE PROJECT. WE SPOKE WITH THEM JUST AS OF LAST WEEK. THEY CONTINUE TO TALK IN VERY POSITIVE TERMS, LIKE THE PROJECT'S GOING TO MOVE FORWARD, AND WE CERTAINLY HOPE SO FOR THE NORTHERN PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. NUMBER THREE, SO WE HAVE PENSION, WE HAVE PICAS AND NUMBER THREE, WE HAVE FIX OUR ROADS. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE CONTINUE TO PUT IN ADDITIONAL FUNDS. WE MADE A BIG PROMISE TO OUR VOTERS IN 2019, WE SAID WE ARE NOT GOING TO PLAY A SHELL GAME WITH YOU. IF YOU GIVE US THIS FUNDING, THIS THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, WE'RE GOING TO USE IT ALL FOR ROADS. A LOT OF COMMUNITIES WOULD TAKE OUT THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE COST AND THEY WOULD STOP MAKING THEIR CONTRIBUTION BECAUSE REMEMBER, WE MAKE A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLAR SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENT RIGHT TO ROADS. WE HAVE FOR YEARS. BUT WHAT ALSO, WE GET ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY TWO THOUSAND FROM THE COUNTY, RIGHT? SO WE GET OVER FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING. WHAT A LOT OF COMMUNITIES WOULD DO IS SHOVE THAT OVER AND MOVE THAT SHELL OVER, AND THEN THEY'D PUT IN THREE POINT ONE AND THEN THIS OTHER FUNDING AND THEY WOULD FREE UP SOME FUNDS, NOT IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. NOT WHEN WE MAKE A PROMISE. SO YOU TAKE A LOOK AT OUR ROAD FUNDING TONIGHT. IT WILL BE THE THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS THAT WE COMMITTED. AND ON TOP OF THAT WILL BE THE FUNDS THAT I JUST COVERED. IT WILL OUR ROADS PROGRAM WILL BE OVER $4 MILLION BECAUSE WE'RE KEEPING OUR PROMISE TO OUR RESIDENTS. AND THIS SHOWS OUR CONTRIBUTION RIGHT HERE OF THREE POINT NINE MILLION DOLLARS. JUST ABOUT $4 MILLION. AND YOU CAN SEE BEFORE IT WAS $1 MILLION. THIS IS DUE, OF COURSE, TO THE 2019. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE WHAT I JUST ILLUSTRATED THREE AND A HALF MILLION PLUS THE TWO EIGHTY PLUS THE ONE SEVENTY TWO. WE'RE USING ALL OF THAT TO FUND LOCAL ROADS. AND IT JUST SHOWS THE PRIORITIZATION OF THE THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND FOR PREVENTATIVE. WE ALSO SAID WE'RE NOT JUST GOING TO PUT IT ALL INTO RESTORATION, WE'RE GOING TO DO SOME PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE SO THAT THE FIVES AND SIXES ON THE PASER RATING CAN STAY AT FIVE AND SIX AND THEY DON'T BECOME THREES AND FOURS IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. AND I JUST WANT TO APPLAUD THE WORK THAT MANAGER PERRY HAS DONE WITH THIS THIS ROAD FUNDING OVER THE LAST YEAR. IS IT WORKING? I LOVE THE MATRIX. I WANT TO SEE IF IT'S WORKING RIGHT. THE PENSION IS WORKING REALLY, REALLY WELL, LOCAL. IT'S ALL WORKING FOR US. SO OUR PASER RATING PAYMENT SERVICE EVALUATION AND RATING STUDY. THAT'S HOW ALL COMMUNITIES OF MICHIGAN RATE THEIR ROADS. AND OUR GOAL IS TO GET TO AN EIGHT, WHICH WOULD BE A REALLY QUALITY ROAD SYSTEM. WELL, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE WHERE WE WERE AT A FOUR POINT EIGHT THREE AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE NEED TO BE EVERY YEAR TO GET TO THE EIGHT RATING. AND SO IN 2022, WE NEED TO BE AT A FIVE POINT FIVE THREE NEXT YEAR. AND THIS IS NOT MY NUMBER. THIS IS NOT MANAGER PERRY'S NUMBER. THIS IS THE ENGINEER'S REVIEW OF OUR SYSTEM BASED ON THE PASER RATING. YOU CAN'T FUDGE THAT, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE NEED TO BE AT A FIVE FIVE THREE TO STAY ON COURSE TO GET TO AN EIGHT AT THE END OF 10 YEARS AND WE'LL BE AT A FIVE SIX FOUR. SO YES, WE'VE SURPASSED IT IN EVERY YEAR, IN THE LOCAL ROAD PROGRAMS SO FAR, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO. THE FOURTH THING SO WE'VE GOT PENSION, PICAS, LOCAL ROADS AND THE FOURTH THING IS IT INFRASTRUCTURE. WHEN YOU TALK TO OUR ADMINISTRATION OR THE IT DEPARTMENT, THEY TELL YOU WE HAVE A SYSTEM THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE ENHANCED. IT REACHES IT. IT PERKS THE EARS OF A NUMBER OF US. AND SO WE HAVE A COMMITTEE PUT TOGETHER AND WE EVEN ARE RECOMMENDING A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET TO PAY FOR THE IT INFRASTRUCTURE. MOVING ON TO SUSTAINABILITY, THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IN THE 2022 BUDGET WHEN IT COMES TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY, AND ONE IS WE HAVE A HALF MILLION DOLLAR GRANT REQUEST IN TO EGLE TO TOTALLY OVER OVERHAUL OUR RECYCLING CENTER UP IN UP IN HASLETT. SO THAT'S NUMBER ONE, THE ISSUE THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. AND NUMBER TWO, CONSUMERS ENERGY IS RIGHT NOW DOING AN ANALYSIS FOR US ON MOVING THE POTENTIAL, MOVING ALL OF OUR FLEET TO AN ELECTRIC, MOVING IT FROM WHERE WE ARE NOW TO AN ELECTRIC FLEET. AND SO THOSE ARE THE TWO THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BE GOING ON IN THE NEXT [00:20:01] FEW MONTHS, RECYCLING CENTER AND POTENTIALLY AN ELECTRIC FLEET FOR OUR TOWNSHIP. AND FINALLY, PUBLIC SAFETY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A VERY IF YOU LOOK AT OUR SURVEY RESULTS, THIS IS WHAT RESIDENTS WANT OUT OF THE COMMUNITY, POLICE AND FIRE SERVICES. AND AS YOU CAN SEE FROM 2017 NOW, WE HAD 30 FIRE PARAMEDICS AND THIRTY NINE POLICE FOR YEARS, FOR YEARS, SO OUR TOTAL WAS SIXTY NINE. AND WE TALKED ABOUT TRYING TO INCREASE THAT. WELL, NOW IF THIS BUDGET'S APPROVED, WE'RE GOING TO ADD ONE ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTER. WE'VE ADDED TWO ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS BEFORE TWO POLICE BEFORE. SO WE'LL HAVE INCREASE OUR FORCE, OUR OVERALL FORCE BY SEVEN PERCENT. WE'LL HAVE INCREASED OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT BY 10 PERCENT FROM GOING FROM THIRTY TO THIRTY THREE. SO WE'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS. AS THE COMMUNITY GROWS, SO DOES OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT. NOW, IF WE COULD JUST FIND THE ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND FILL THOSE POSITIONS, THAT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER. BUT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GET THERE. THAT IS AN OVERVIEW OF EVERYTHING FROM THE PICAS TO LOCAL ROADS TO PENSION TO IT TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY. THOSE ARE THE SIX COMPONENTS OF THIS BUDGET IN 2022, AND THAT'S WHAT WE PLAN ON DOING IT ANYWHERE FROM FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO IT TO INCREASING OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT BY ANOTHER PERSONNEL OR ONE ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL. I SHOULD SAY. 2021 DEVELOPMENTS. I'M NOT GOING TO READ ALL THOSE TO YOU, BUT WE DID SEE SOME GOOD DEVELOPMENTS. NOT WE DIDN'T DIDN'T SEE IN THE TWO AREAS. WE HAVE NOT GONE VERTICAL IN OKEMOS AND HASLETT AND THOSE TWO KEY PEAK AREAS, BUT WE HAVE HAD SOME NICE DEVELOPMENTS. IN FACT, THIS MAY SURPRISE YOU, BUT WE HAVE A FIGURE IN OUR BUDGET OF SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR BUILDING PERMITS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BRING IN A YEAR, RIGHT? AND TYPICALLY, WE HIT THAT NUMBER SOMETIME. WE TYPICALLY GET THE NUMBER A COUPLE OF YEARS WE HAVEN'T, BUT TYPICALLY WE HIT THAT NUMBER AROUND OCTOBER AND THEN IN NOVEMBER, WE ALWAYS TYPICALLY HIT THAT NUMBER. WELL, THAT NUMBER AND YOU MAY THINK, WOW, WE REALLY HAVEN'T HAD THE KIND OF DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST. IT'S NOT TRUE. WE HIT THAT NUMBER. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, WE HIT THAT NUMBER. THE SECOND, IF THIS MAKES SENSE, THE SECOND EARLIEST TIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, WE'RE ALREADY AT OUR SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND IN REVENUE IN THAT DEPARTMENT. SO IF YOU COMPARE THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, THIS IS THE SECOND BEST IS YEAR MAY NOT BE THE BEST NUMBER, BUT IT'S THE FASTEST WE'VE GONE TO THAT RECEIVING THOSE FUNDS FOR THE BILLING DEPARTMENT. SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT SURPRISING. COMPARABLE COMMUNITIES ON TAX BASE. I HOPE YOU FIND THIS OF INTEREST. IT'S OUR POPULATION AND OUR TAX BASE OF ONE POINT NINE BILLION DOLLARS. AND YOU COMPARE THAT TO MUSKEGON WITH THIRTY EIGHT THOUSAND PEOPLE AND A HALF A BILLION. EAST LANSING MORE POPULATION BUT LESS THAN HALF OF THE TAX BASE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, DE LHI TOWNSHIP. YOU COULD ACTUALLY ADD DELHI AND EAST LANSING TOGETHER, YOU'D HAVE SEVENTY FOUR THOUSAND PEOPLE IN THOSE TWO COMMUNITIES, SEVENTY FOUR THOUSAND, WE HAVE FORTY FOUR OUR TAX BASE IS HIGHER THAN BOTH OF THEM. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE'RE APPROACHING LANSING'S TAX BASE OF TWO BILLION. AND REALLY, THE ONLY COMPARABLE COMMUNITY TO US IN THE HERE WOULD BE MIDLAND. MIDLAND'S POPULATION'S ALMOST IDENTICAL TO OURS. AND OF COURSE, WITH DOW THERE, THEY HAVE JUST OVER A TWO BILLION. THEY'RE AHEAD OF US BY ABOUT YEAH $100 MILLION. BUT OTHERWISE WE REALLY. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT OUR TAX BASE IS COMPARABLE TO THE COMMUNITIES, WE STACK UP VERY WELL, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT, RIGHT? THAT'S THE INVESTMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY. 2020 CENSUS TURNED OUT EXTREMELY WELL FOR US AND 11 PERCENT GROWTH FROM THIRTY NINE POINT SIX TO FORTY THREE NINE. NOT REALLY ALARMING GROWTH IS SMART CONTROLLED GROWTH. IT'S ONE PERCENT PER YEAR. BUT LET'S COMPARE THAT TO OTHER COMMUNITIES LIKE WE DID WITH A TAX BASE. MUSKEGON, A SIX OVER A SIX PERCENT LOSS. EAST LANSING ABOUT FLAT. A LITTLE BIT OF A LOSS. DELHI A SEVEN PERCENT GROWTH. DELTA TWO. LANSING. THIS NUMBER, I'M NOT SURE IT'S CORRECT BECAUSE EVERYTHING I'VE SEEN IN LANSING AS THEY WENT DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT THE CENSUS EVERYTHING WE PULLED UP ON THE CENSUS NUMBER SHOWS A POSITIVE NUMBER THERE. BASE CITY, JUST LIKE MUSKEGON, WENT DOWN OVER SIX PERCENT. AGAIN, IT'S HARD TO FIND LIKE COMMUNITIES THAT WENT UP DOUBLE DIGITS, LIKE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, THEY'RE OUT THERE. BUT LET ME TELL YOU, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS, YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK AT THE POPULATION BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A COMMUNITY OF FOUR THOUSAND AND THEY GO UP BY ONE THOUSAND, PEOPLE MOVE IN OVER 10 YEARS, THEY GO UP TWENTY FIVE PERCENT, RIGHT? SO YOU GOT TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHEN YOU GET INTO THESE LARGER COMMUNITIES, IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO GET DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH. IT REALLY IS. SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU BUILD GREAT FARMERS MARKETS AND YOU DO THE THINGS THAT THIS TOWNSHIP HAS DONE, THAT'S HOW YOU SEE AND YOU HAVE THE EDUCATIONAL THAT WE HAVE [00:25:03] SYSTEM THAT YOU HAVE AND YOU HAVE THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS WE HAVE. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH YOUR GROWTH AND GETTING INTO THE PARKS AND REC PROJECTS THAT WE FUNDED THROUGH OUR PARKS MILLAGE WITH THE HARRIS NATURE CENTER AND THE CENTRAL MERIDIAN REGIONAL TRAIL AND THE GATEWAY AND HISTORICAL AT THE HISTORICAL VILLAGE. IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN OUT TO THE NATURE CENTER AND SEE THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS OUT THERE AND THE WORK THAT DIRECTOR MAISNER'S TEAM HAS DONE, YOU'RE REALLY MISSING OUT, STOP OUT. EXCEPT I THINK THE PARKING LOT IS GOING TO BE CLOSED ONE DAY THIS WEEK, IF I RECALL. BUT MAKE SURE YOU STEP OUT AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE WORK THAT'S OCCURRED OUT THERE. POLICE DEPARTMENT. WHAT'S IN HERE? FORTY ONE OFFICERS, FIVE NEW POLICE CARS. WE'RE ADDING BACK IN A RECORDS POSITION. WE HAD REQUESTS FOR NINE DIFFERENT STAFFING POSITIONS IN THIS BUDGET AND WE'VE APPROVED A POSITION IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND A POLICE POSITION IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND THEN AN EDUCATIONAL REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM AND A NEW GENERATOR FOR THE BUILDING. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE HAVE OUR CONTRACT WITH WILLIAMSTOWN TOWNSHIP. I WILL TELL YOU THAT ONE THING THIS BOARD IS GOING TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, NOT TONIGHT, BUT I'M JUST LOOKING AHEAD, RIGHT? THINK AHEAD, MAYBE PASS TONIGHT, THINK ABOUT THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO. AND THAT'S OUR CONTRACT WITH THE WILLIAMSTOWN TOWNSHIP. WE HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING AND I MEAN EVERYTHING TO INCREASE OUR POLICE NUMBERS, RIGHT? AND WE'RE AT THIRTY SIX OR THIRTY FIVE TODAY AND WE'VE DONE SOME REALLY GREAT THINGS OR WE WOULDN'T BE AT THIRTY SIX OR THIRTY FIVE. WE MIGHT BE AT 30. WE'RE NOT GOING TO HIT. I'M JUST GOING TO TELL YOU, IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY WE WILL HIT FORTY ONE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'D HAVE TO DO TO GET TO FORTY ONE. I WOULDN'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WE'D HAVE TO DO TO GET TO FORTY ONE. WE'RE GOING TO TRY. AND CHIEF PLAGA AND DIRECTOR TITHOF HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO GET US TO FORTY ONE, BUT WE'RE AT THIRTY SIX. IT MIGHT BE THIRTY FIVE. ONE OF THE THINGS YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IS WILLIAMSTOWN TOWNSHIP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS AND MAYBE NEXT YEAR WHEN A CONTRACT COMES UP. RIGHT NOW WE SUPPLEMENT TWO OFFICERS TO WILLIAMSTOWN TOWNSHIP AND IF WE CAN'T GET OUR NUMBERS UP, IT'S A TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS CONTRACT. WE MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT AND THAT'S A BOARD DECISION, NOT OUR DECISION, BUT YOU MAY WANT TO LOOK AT NEXT YEAR WHEN THAT COMES UP. DOES IT MAKE SENSE FOR THE TOWNSHIP ANYMORE WHEN WE CAN'T GET TO FORTY ONE? WE, MIRIAM, DIRECTOR MATTISON WAS AT WESTERN MICHIGAN ON FRIDAY. SHE RAN INTO A NICE YOUNG MAN. I THINK HE MAY HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE TOUR AND HE'S GOING INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT. SHE'S TRYING TO RECRUIT ON OUR DAUGHTER'S ROAD TRIP OR COLLEGE TRIP. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. I WAS AT THE BIG TEN PARTY STORE AND YOUNG MAN WAITED ON ME. NICE AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUNG MAN, JUST OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE. I OFFERED HIM A JOB, SAID IF YOU COME. WE'LL PUT YOU THROUGH THE ACADEMY. IT'S JUST SO HAPPENS THAT OUR OFFICERS KNOW THE YOUNG MAN BECAUSE HE WAS INVOLVED IN OUR YOUTH PROGRAM UP IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COMMUNITY. IT DIDN'T WORK OUT, BUT I'M TELLING YOU, WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO RECRUIT LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND IT'S GOING TO REALLY STRUGGLE TO GET TO FORTY ONE. SO WILLIAMSTOWN TOWNSHIP NEXT YEAR OR SOMETHING, YOU MAY HAVE TO CONSIDER WHETHER THAT MAKES SENSE. FIRE DEPARTMENT WE HAD 30. WE WENT TO THIRTY TWO. WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT GO UP TO THIRTY THREE. AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE A GRANT REQUEST IN THROUGH SAFER. IT'S SAFER, A SAFER GRANT. IT'S FOR SAFE FIRE, SAFE ADDING FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE SAFER. AND WE HAVE A GRANT IN FOR FOUR FULL TIME FIREFIGHTERS. IF WE GET THAT THEY FUND A [INAUDIBLE] AND THEN IT'S ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE TOWNSHIP HAS THAT. AND I KNOW THAT THE CITY OF MARSHAL JUST RECEIVED THE GRANT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. WE HAVE THE APPLICATION IN. IF WE DON'T GET IT, WE'LL REAPPLY IN 2022 AS WELL. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING. I UNDERSTAND THE GOAL IS TO GET BACK TO THIRTY SIX, ALTHOUGH I THINK THIRTY SIX MAY HAVE BEEN FIFTEEN OR TWENTY YEARS AGO THAT WE HAD THAT MANY, BUT IT'S A GOAL THAT WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. I'D LIKE TO SEE US GET THERE. WE CAN'T DO IT IN ONE YEAR AND WE'VE DONE A LOT TO INCREASE AND AUGMENT OUR FIREFIGHTER AND PARAMEDICS AND WE HAVE A PLAN TO GET THERE. AND THERE WERE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER AMBULANCE IN THIS BUDGET AND ANOTHER SIREN. KEEP IN MIND THESE LITTLE THINGS THAT YOU FORGET ABOUT. YOU FORGET ABOUT. WHEN WE INHERITED THIS OPERATION EIGHT YEARS AGO, WE HAD FOUR EMERGENCY SIRENS AND I REMEMBER DIRECTOR MAISNER COMING ME AND SAY, WE'RE LOOKING AT PUTTING A SIREN AT WATCH PARK, AND THAT'S GREAT. WELL, THAT'S OUR FIFTH ONE. SO HOW MANY DO WE NEED? WELL WE NEED 15. SO AGAIN, WE SET OUT A GOAL. LET'S GET TO 15. WE COULDN'T DO IT IN ONE YEAR, JUST LIKE WE CAN'T ADD ALL THE FIREFIGHTERS IN ONE YEAR, BUT WE SET A GOAL AND NOW WE'RE IMPLEMENTING OUR 11TH SIREN AND NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. [00:30:01] MOTOR POOL PURCHASES. I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM. I'VE COVERED SOME OF THEM BEFORE, BUT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF PARKS AND PATHWAYS AND PUBLIC WORKS AND FIRE AND POLICE. AND HERE'S ANOTHER THING I'M SURE NOBODY REMEMBERS, BUT I DO. WHEN I CAME HERE IN 2013, WHAT WAS THE FUND BALANCE IN THE MOTOR POOL, WHICH IS WHERE YOU BUY ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT FROM? SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE PURCHASES IN 2012 WERE OVER A MILLION DOLLARS. THAT'S HOW I REMEMBER WHAT YEAR YOU'RE THE POLICE CHIEF'S VEHICLE IS BECAUSE IT WAS PURCHASED IN 2012. WE CAME HERE, WE HAD NO MONEY IN THE MOTOR POOL FUND. AND IF YOU REMEMBER THE NEXT, WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, THE NEXT YEAR WAS SLIM PICKINGS FOR THE MOTOR POOL. AND THEN THE VERY NEXT YEAR WE SET MONEY ASIDE, WE PAID CASH FOR A SEWER VECH. SO WE'VE BUILT THAT FUND UP. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR FUND BALANCE NOW IN THE MOTOR POOL IS APPROXIMATELY SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. SO WE'VE TAKEN IT. WE'VE REALLY INVESTED HEAVILY IN OUR AMBULANCES, OUR POLICE VEHICLES. WE'VE BOUGHT A NEW PUMPER AND WE'VE STILL WE'VE BUILT UP OUR MOTOR POOL FUND OVER TIME. AND I'M PROUD OF WHERE WE'VE GOTTEN TO WITH OUR WITH OUR MOTOR POOL. GENERAL FUND CAPITAL EXPENDITURES NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. AGAIN, IT IS FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND OF THAT. THE PUBLIC SAFETY GENERATOR AND SOME OTHER THINGS, SOME IMPROVEMENTS AT THE OKEMOS LIBRARY WITH A WITH A NEW ROOF AND IMPROVING THE TREASURER AND CLERK'S BREAK ROOM. WATER AND SEWER AVAILABLE CASH. AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S A SLIDE OF ABOUT A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN THE WATER FUND AND ABOUT FLAT IN THE SEWER FUND FROM YEAR TO YEAR. HERE'S SOME OF THE UPCOMING WATER AND SEWER PROJECTS THAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE ANYWHERE FROM TOWER GARDEN METER PROJECT TO DOBIE ROAD TO GRAND RIVER, ONE POINT ONE MILLION DOLLARS ON THE WATER SIDE AND SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND ON THE SEWER. THINGS YOU DON'T EVEN NOTICE ONE POINT EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS OF UTILITY WORK THAT WILL BE GOING ON, AND THAT'S IN ADDITION TO THE WORK WE'RE DOING WITH EAST LANSING, RIGHT? WITH THE WATER WATER RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITY. I CALL THEM WASTEWATER PLANTS, BUT EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT TERM FOR THEM. RATE COMPARISON STUDY. WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT WATER RATES AS SEWER RATES AS YOU CAN SEE WE DO, WE COMPARE REALLY WELL TO OUR NEIGHBORS WHEN IT COMES TO WATER AND SEWER COST TO OUR RESIDENTS, IT'S HARD TO FIND ANYONE WHO HAS AS LOW RATES AS US IN THE REGION AND BEYOND. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PROMISES THAT WE MADE IN 2017. WE SAID WE WERE GOING TO BUDGET FOR FORTY ONE OFFICERS. WE HAVE. WE SAID WE WERE GOING TO BUDGET FOR THIRTY TWO FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS AND WE HAVE. IN FACT, WE'RE GOING BEYOND THAT WITH THIS BUDGET TO TAKE US TO THIRTY THREE. WE SAID WE'RE GOING TO CONTRIBUTE A MILLION AND A HALF PER YEAR TO POLICE AND FIRE PENSIONS. WE'VE GONE BEYOND THAT, AS YOU CAN KNOW, WE'RE LIKE, REMEMBER, WE'RE REQUIRED TO PUT FOUR POINT SEVEN IN, WE'RE PUTTING FIVE POINT TWO IN. WE'RE PUTTING AN ADDITIONAL ALMOST A HALF MILLION DOLLARS INTO POLICE AND FIRE PENSIONS. WE SAID WE'D SET ASIDE A QUARTER OF A MILLION A YEAR FOR A LADDER TRUCK. WE DID THAT. WE NOW HAVE A MILLION DOLLARS. THE TRUCK IS ON ORDER. 2019 WITH ROADS, WE SAID WE'RE GOING TO CONTRIBUTE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE LOCAL MILLAGE TO ROADS, NO ADMINISTRATIVE COST. WE'VE KEPT THAT PROMISE AND WENT BEYOND THAT AND WE SAID WE'RE GOING TO GET TEEN HIGHER RATINGS WITH OUR PASER RATING. WE'VE DONE THAT. WE'RE EXCEEDING WHERE WE NEED TO BE TO GET TO AN EIGHT. AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OVER THE LOCAL ROAD PROGRAM AND ADMINISTER IT OURSELVES. WE'VE DONE THAT AND WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE OUR OWN STAFF ON SITE. BY THE WAY, THAT'S NIALL NUNN, A LOCAL RESIDENT IN OUR ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT. BEEN HERE ABOUT 10 YEARS AND HE'S JUST AN OUTSTANDING, OUTSTANDING MEMBER OF OUR TEAM. STAFFING CHANGES, WE'RE INCREASING IT, RECOMMENDING INCREASING BY ONE AND A HALF POSITIONS. AND THE REASON THAT'S NOT TWO IS BECAUSE THE POLICE RECORDS POSITION IS AT PART TIME AND WE'RE MOVING THAT TO FULL TIME. IT WAS FULL TIME PRIOR TO COVID. A SUMMARY OF OUR STAFFING CHANGES, WE'RE AT ONE SIXTY ONE GOING UP TO ONE SIXTY THREE, WHICH WOULD PUT US BACK ON OUR NUMBER PRE-COVID. WHAT ARE OUR CHALLENGES? YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY ROSY, BUT IT'S NOT ALL ROSY. YOU GOT TO HAVE CHALLENGES, RIGHT? WE HAVE TWENTY EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS IN OVERALL PENSION DEBT. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, FIFTEEN OF THAT'S FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. NINE, 10 MILLION OF THAT IS POLICE. SO IF YOU LOOK AT IT, TWENTY FIVE, JUST OVER TWENTY FIVE MILLION OF THE TWENTY EIGHT MILLION IS IN TWO DEPARTMENTS, THE POLICE AND FIRE. RECRUITING OF POLICE OFFICERS AND PARAMEDICS, ALTHOUGH WE'RE HAVING MORE SUCCESS ON THE PARAMEDIC SIDE THAN WE ARE WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SIDE. WE ARE. I THINK WE'RE FULLY STAFFED NOW AT THIRTY TWO IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND AGAIN WE'RE WE'RE ABOUT FIVE SHORT ON THE POLICE SIDE. OUR ANTIQUATED IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND RECRUITING AND RETAINING [00:35:02] TALENT. AND TO THAT END, WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT RECRUITING AND RETAINING TALENT? WHAT WE'RE DOING A LOT OF THINGS. ONE IS THAT WE HAVE FLEX TIME. NON POLICE AND FIRE ALL HAVE FLEX TIME WHERE THEY ONLY WORK SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS A DAY. WE GIVE A HALF HOUR PER DAY, WHICH, BY THE WAY, EQUALS LIKE THREE WEEKS OF EXTRA VACATION TIME OF YEAR. IT'S A BIG DEAL, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE PARENTS WHO HAVE SEEN WHO HAVE CHILDREN WHO ARE TRYING TO GET THEM TO SCHOOL, BEING ABLE TO COME IN AT 8:30 INSTEAD OF EIGHT O'CLOCK WORK. SO YOU YOU WORK EITHER EIGHT TO 4:30 OR 8:30 TO FIVE AND IT'S UP TO YOU AND YOUR DEPARTMENT AND WORK THAT OUT. WE HAVE CASUAL WEAR. CASUAL WEAR IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE OFFER. IF YOU ASK OUR TEAM, THEY CASUAL WEAR IS REALLY IMPORTANT ON THAT LIST. WE USED TO HAVE IT MAYBE FOUR TIMES A YEAR AND NOW IT'S YEAR ROUND. AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE IT. THEY DON'T THINK IT'S. I THINK YOU HAVE TO DO ALL OF THESE THINGS TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO THE ORGANIZATION RIGHT NOW. AND I'LL TELL YOU, WHEN WE USED TO PUT OUT A NOTE ABOUT CASUAL WEAR, IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR THINGS WHERE I GOT THE FEEDBACK FROM OUR TEAM MEMBERS. WE HAVE GREAT HOLIDAY PAY, PERSONAL LEAVE, VACATION TIME, SICK LEAVE, LONG TERM DISABILITY AND PENSIONS. WE HAVE A HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT. WE DID AN ANALYSIS LAST WEEK THAT WE PAY. IF YOU IF YOU USE ALL YOUR DEDUCTIBLE, WHICH A LOT OF OUR EMPLOYEES DON'T USE ALL THEIR DEDUCTIBLE, BUT WE DID. WE BASED IT ON EVERYONE WHO USES THE FULL DEDUCTIBLE, RIGHT? SO WE PAY AT A MINIMUM NINETY THREE PERCENT OF YOUR HEALTH CARE, THAT'S THE PREMIUMS. PLUS THE HSA. WE PAY A MINIMUM OF NINETY THREE AND AS HIGH AS NINETY EIGHT, NINETY EIGHT PERCENT OF YOUR TOTAL HEALTH CARE. NOW THAT'S FOR PEOPLE WHO USE THE FULL DEDUCTIBLE IF YOU DON'T USE THE FULL DEDUCTIBLE. WE PAY ONE HUNDRED AND SOME PERCENT BECAUSE WHATEVER YOU HAVE LEFT YOU PUT INTO YOUR HSA AND YOU KEEP. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THIS BUDGET ALSO HAS A THOUSAND DOLLAR RETENTION PAYMENTS IN IT. THERE'S A LINE ITEM FOR ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. IT WOULD COVER EVERYONE EXCEPT FOR THE CLERK AND THE TREASURER AND MYSELF. EVERYONE WOULD RECEIVE A $1000 PAYMENT IF APPROVED BY THE BOARD, AND THEY WOULD RECEIVE THAT IN DECEMBER OF 2022 AT THE END OF THIS BUDGET. IT'S A RETENTION PAYMENT. IF YOU'RE STILL HERE IN 2022, YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO AN EXTRA THOUSAND AROUND THE HOLIDAYS. 2022 SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS, I'VE GONE OVER A LOT OF THESE, I'M NOT GOING TO READ THEM ALL TO YOU, BUT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AMBULANCES. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT MERS CONTRIBUTION THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE REDEVELOPMENT FUND OF $2 MILLION, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT VEHICLES. HERE'S SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT. THERE'S FORTY THOUSAND IN FOR THE REWRITE OR THE REDO OF THE MASTER PLAN. WE DID OUR MASTER PLAN IN 2017. NEXT YEAR WILL BE THE FIFTH YEAR, SO WE HAVE MONEY IN THERE FOR THAT. HERE'S AN IMPORTANT ONE, TOO A VERY EXPENSIVE ONE AN ADJUDICATION MACHINE FOR THE CLERK'S OFFICE. A BIG A BIG ASK, BUT IT'S IN THERE. AND THESE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS YOU CAN FUND WHEN YOU PAY OFF YOUR RETIREE HEALTH CARE AND YOU START HAVING EXTRA REVENUE COMING IN. THAT'S NOT EARMARKED TO PAY FOR PENSION AND HEALTH CARE BECAUSE THIS WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN PAST ANY OTHER BUDGETS. BUT THIS IS A MACHINE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THAT WHAT REALLY SLOWS DOWN THE HIGH SPEED TABULATORS AS YOU PUT FIFTY BALLOTS IN AND IF THERE'S ONE THAT HAS AN ERROR IN IT, THEY DON'T TELL YOU WHICH ONE YOU'VE GOT TO GO THROUGH THE 50. THE FOLKS GOT TO GO THROUGH THE 50 AND FIND OUT WHO VOTED FOR THREE INSTEAD OF TWO. THIS MARKS THE EXACT BALLOT WHERE THE PROBLEM IS AND WILL SPEED UP TREMENDOUSLY THE TABULATION OF HIGH SPEED OF THE ABSENTEE VOTING COUNT. AND IF I'M MISSING ANYTHING, I'M SURE THE CLERK WILL FILL US IN ON WHAT I'VE MISSED ON THAT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT THE MACHINE IS FOR. HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND FOR THE DANIEL'S DRAIN. OF COURSE, IT'S BASED ON US RECEIVING HALF OF THAT BACK. IF YOU GO TO THE REVENUE SIDE, THERE'S ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN THIS BUDGET ON THE REVENUE SIDE FOR A 50 PERCENT PAYMENT FOR THE RESIDENTS. FOR THE DANIEL'S DRAIN, IT SUPPORT THE HELP DESK THAT WE HAVE, THE COMMUNITY GUARDS, THE MEALS ON WHEELS, THE MERIDIAN BAND. IT'S ALL IN THERE. SOME EQUIPMENT FOR CAMTV, FOR THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, PRIME MERIDIAN, OUR FLAGS, SOME NEW CHAIRS AND A TREADMILL FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, POLICE EDUCATION PROGRAM. SO NEW TASERS AND NEW RADAR EQUIPMENT AND VEHICLES. LAKE LANSING. THERE'S THIRTY THOUSAND IN HERE FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION TO CONTINUE OUR WORK IN THAT EFFORT. ALL THAT AS WE WRAP UP HERE, ALL OF THAT, WHERE WILL OUR GENERAL FUND BE? AND OUR GENERAL FUND WOULD BE AT ABOUT EIGHT POINT SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS IS WHERE WE WOULD BE. THAT'S CONSIDERING, AFTER ALL REVENUES AND EXPENSES. IT PUTS US IN A VERY STRONG POSITION WHEN OUR TOTAL GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS [00:40:05] AROUND 20, DEPENDING ON IF YOU ADD IN ALL THE ONE TIME EXPENSES, BUT IT'S AROUND TWENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS. SUMMARY. IT'S A STRONG FINANCIAL OUTLOOK FOR THE TOWNSHIP, STRONG POPULATION GROWTH AND INVESTING IN OUR CORE PRINCIPLES AND THOSE PRINCIPLES, PENSION POLICE AND FIRE SUSTAINABILITY, RECRUITING, DI, IT, LOCAL ROADS, OUR PICAS AND OUR COMMITMENT TO PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND PATHWAYS. THAT'S A SUMMARY. I'M SORRY, I WENT ON. BUT WHEN YOU'RE COVERING FIFTY SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M COMPLETE IN DOING THAT. AND WHEN IT COMES TIME AFTER THE THE HEARING, THE PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION TONIGHT AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR [INAUDIBLE] YOU AND THE ENTIRE STAFF. ONE HUNDRED SIXTY THREE, I THINK IT WAS. IT WORKED AT IT. [5. CITIZENS ADDRESS AGENDA ITEMS AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS] WE'RE NOW ON TO THE CITIZENS ADDRESSING AGENDA AND NON AGENDA ITEMS AND [INAUDIBLE] IN THE AUDIENCE WAS TURNED [INAUDIBLE]. NO, SIR MR. SUPERVISOR. SO NO ONE WISHES TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME? OH, STEVEN HAS HIS HAND RAISED. WE GO ON TO THE TOWNSHIP MANAGER REPORT IS THERE ADDITIONAL REPORT OR WAS THAT IT MR. WALSH? SAID ENOUGH. [INAUDIBLE] OKAY. NOW WE GO TO BOARD MEMBER REPORTS OF ACTIVITIES AND THEIR ANNOUNCEMENTS. ANY BOARD MEMBERS WANT TO REPORT ANYTHING OR MAKE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? [7. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS OF ACTIVITIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS] TREASURER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SUPERVISOR. PRIMARILY TAXES ARE DUE IN SEVEN DAYS DUE ON THE 14TH FIVE P.M. ON THE 14TH. POSTMARKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. AND IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAIL YOUR CHECK IN, I'D RECOMMEND YOU HAVE IT IN THE MAIL BY NO LATER THAN THURSDAY. AS WE ALL KNOW, OUR U.S. POSTAL SERVICES ARE NOT AS RELIABLE AS IT USED TO BE. IF YOU'RE MAILING IT FROM OUT OF TOWN, IT MAY BE TOO LATE FOR THAT. YOU CAN STILL PAY ONLINE. NO, NO COST, AS WELL AS DROP OFF YOUR PAYMENT OR AT THE COUNTER OR PUT IT IN A DROP BOX. IN TERMS OF MEETINGS, I ATTENDED THE 25TH. I ATTEND THE DDA MEETING, MAJOR DISCUSSION OF THE VILLAGE OF OKEMOS PROJECT AND IN PARTICULAR, DOES THE NEW PROJECT BEING PROPOSED MEET THE DEFINITION OF A VILLAGE THAT WE HAD HOPED FOR. DISCUSSIONS ARE ONGOING REGARDING THAT. AS WE ALL KNOW, ON THE TWENTY SIXTH, I ATTENDED THE DANIEL'S DRAIN MEETING HERE IN THIS ROOM HOSTED BY THE DRAIN COMMISSION, BUT STAFF MEMBERS. BUT FORTUNATELY, WE HAD DEPUTY DIRECTOR PERRY HERE WHO I THOUGHT DID AN EXCELLENT JOB OF EXPLAINING THE PROJECT IN A MORE UNDERSTANDABLE TERMS AND FOR THE 100 PEOPLE OR SO THAT WERE HERE. I THINK WHILE THE MEETING MEASURED OFF A LITTLE BIT EDGY OR HOSTILE BY THE END OF THE MEETING WITH THE DIRECTOR PERRY'S ANSWERS AND WARMTH. I THINK THE PEOPLE LEFT THE MEETING FEELING THIS IS A NECESSARY PROJECT AND THAT THEIR ASSESSMENT IS IS FAIR, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT THE THIS BOARD IS CONSIDERING PAYING HALF THE COST OF THE DANIEL'S DRAIN, WHICH IS EXTRAORDINARY, BUT IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT DRAIN. IT AFFECTS SEVERAL NEIGHBORHOODS AND IT WAS AN EXCELLENT MEETING. THAT'S MY REPORT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, YES TRUSTEE WISINSKI. THANK YOU SUPERVISOR, TWO VERY SMALL. WELL, VERY BIG BUT SHORT. THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IS HOLDING OUR ELECTRONICS RECYCLING DAY ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH FROM, I BELIEVE, NINE TILL TWO, BUT IT COULD BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT. SORRY. ALSO AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IS WORKING TO ESTABLISH A WETLAND EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN WITH OUR WETLAND TASK FORCE, AS WELL AS OUR OUR CHAIR IN LEROY. OUR DIRECTOR AND MAKING SOME HEADWAY IN THAT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. WHAT ELSE, TRUSTEE OPSOMMER? I WOULD BRIEFLY JUST REPORT TO THE BOARD THAT THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION IS WORKING WITH STAFF TO EXAMINE THE UPDATES TO THE TOWER IN LAKE LANSING INTERSECTION. [00:45:05] THAT'S ALSO THE BIRCH ROAD INTERSECTION AT THE NORTH END OF THE TOWNSHIP FOR PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. THE COUNTY IS LOOKING AT RECONSTRUCTING TO SOME DEGREE THAT INTERSECTION. THAT IS THE INTERSECTION WHERE IF YOU'RE TRAVELING EAST ON LAKE LANSING ROAD, THERE IS A SLIP LANE, MEANING THAT YOU KIND OF DO A YIELD AND YOU BYPASS THE INTERSECTION TO THE RIGHT. SO THE RIGHT TURN IS CONTINUOUS. THIS CREATES COMPLICATIONS FOR PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS TRYING TO NAVIGATE THE INTERSECTION. SO THAT IS THE CRUX OF THE ISSUE BEING EXAMINED. SO FOLKS AT HOME IN THE PUBLIC OR MEMBERS ON THE BOARD WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE PLANS THEY CAN GET WITH STAFF AND PROVIDE INPUT. BUT THAT IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST ISSUE BEFORE THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AT THE MOMENT. AND THEN I WOULD ALSO BRIEFLY JUST GIVE A TIDBIT FROM OUR MOST RECENT ZBA MEETING. WE HAD AN APPLICANT ON MARSH ROAD NEAR THE HASLETT INTERSECTION. IT'S THE STATE FARM OFFICE NEXT TO THE ANIMAL HOSPITAL, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE LOCATION. SO WE HAD A VARIANCE FOR A 20 FOOT SIGN SETBACK FROM THE INGRESS AND EGRESS TO THE SITE. IT'S A PART OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES THAT I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH UNTIL SERVING ON THE ZBA AND HAVING THIS CASE COME BEFORE US. THE INTENT, OBVIOUSLY, IS TO DEAL WITH SIGHT LINES, BUT I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN VERY COGNIZANT LOOKING AT ACROSS THE TOWNSHIP AS I DRIVE. HOW OFTEN IS THE SIGN FOR THE BUSINESS LOCATED WITHIN 20 FEET AND HOW OFTEN IS IT EVEN FEASIBLE FOR IT TO BE LOCATED 20 FEET AWAY? AND IT'S PRACTICALLY NEVER FEASIBLE BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE 40 50 FEET OF FRONTAGE, YOUR ACCESS DRIVE IS, YOU KNOW, 16 FEET. DO THE MATH. YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM ON EITHER SIDE OF IT TO REALLY MOVE IT. OBVIOUSLY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IS WE DO THOSE BUMP OUTS SO THAT YOU CAN PUT IT FURTHER BACK ON THE SITE. BUT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT PLANNING COMMISSIONER HENDRICKSON, WHO ALSO SERVES ON THE ZBA AND I TALKED ABOUT, AND SINCE WE'RE UPDATING THE SIGN ORDINANCE SEEMS LIKE A PROVISION THAT WE COULD REPEAL. I DON'T THINK WE NEED EVERY PERSON BASICALLY INSTALLING A NEW SIGN OR REPLACING A SIGN TO HAVE TO COME IN FOR THAT VARIANCE. BUT JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT FOR THE BOARD SINCE WE ARE DISCUSSING THE SIGN ORDINANCE AT THE MOMENT. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD REPORT. ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR STYKA. I TOO ATTENDED THE DRAIN MEETING AND DIRECTOR PERRY DID DO A VERY GOOD JOB. THERE WERE A FEW PEOPLE WHO ASKED ABOUT IT BEING TELEVISED, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE DON'T NECESSARILY TELEVISE ALL PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS. BUT I THINK DIRECTOR PERRY TRIED TO CONVEY TO THE GROUP WHO WAS HERE AND THERE WERE ABOUT 100 PEOPLE HERE, AND I KNOW THERE WERE PROBABLY A LOT MORE WHO COULDN'T MAKE IT. BUT HE DID TRY TO CONVEY TO THE GROUP, AND I WANT TO REPEAT THAT THAT THE PRESENTATION THAT OCCURRED THAT EVENING THERE WILL BE SEVERAL OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS AND AND THAT WILL BE COMING BEFORE THE TOWNSHIP BOARD. AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, DIRECTOR PERRY, BUT THEY WILL BE NOTIFIED OF UPCOMING PUBLIC HEARINGS. AND SO THEY WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS AND TO BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS. SO IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE WHO WASN'T ABLE TO ATTEND, THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. AND THEN I ALSO ATTENDED THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MEETING, AND THEY REALLY WANTED TO CONVEY TO THE TOWNSHIP BOARD THEIR INTEREST IN THE BOARD CONTINUING TO PURSUE BROADBAND. SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD PASS THAT ALONG THIS EVENING. THAT'S MY REPORT. THANK YOU. ONE LAST CHANCE. OK, I DON'T SEE ANY HANDS UP. OK, WE'RE NOW GO ONTO APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA [INAUDIBLE] IF THERE'S NO [8. APPROVAL OF AGENDA] OBJECTION THAT DISCUSSION ITEM 13 A IS CITED RIGHT AFTER THE HEARING ON THE BUDGET, WHICH WOULD BE 10 A, 11A AND THEN THEN WOULD COME 15 [INAUDIBLE] BEFORE WE GET TO DO 12. WITH THAT, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA? I MOVED TO APPROVE THE AGENDA, AS WITH THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT RECOMMENDED BY THE SUPERVISOR. SUPPORT. SUPPORT MS. JACKSON. ALL RIGHT. I GUESS WE SHOULD [INAUDIBLE]. WELL, YEAH, NO. WE COULD DO A HAND [INAUDIBLE]. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR HAND. ANY OPPOSED? OK SO WE HAVE AN AGENDA. WE NOW GO TO [INAUDIBLE]. THE FIRST ONE IS COMMUNICATIONS, THEN WE HAVE OUR MINUTES FROM [9. CONSENT AGENDA] [00:50:05] AUGUST 17, 2021 REGULAR MEETING AND THE AUGUST 26TH SPECIAL BOARD MEETING. THERE WERE BILLS, DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS EQUIPMENT AND ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT PROGRAM. IS THERE A MOTION? TREASURER. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. SUPPORT. BY WAS THAT WISINSKI THAT SUPPORTED IT? ALRIGHTY ANY NEED TO CHANGE ANY OF THE MINUTES OR ANYTHING? OK CAN WE HAVE A ROLL CALL? TRUSTEE OPSOMMER. YES. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND. YES. TRUSTEE WISINSKI. YES. TRUSTEE JACKSON. YES. TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES. CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES. SUPERVISOR STYKA. YES. MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. THANK YOU. THERE'S NO QUESTION FOR THE ATTORNEY, WE NOW COME TO OUR HEARING ON THE [11A. 2022 Township Budget] BUDGET, AND WE WILL CALL THE HEARING TO ORDER, LET ME GET MY [INAUDIBLE] HERE . IT'S 6:52. AND ANYONE WHO WANTS TO WHO WANTS TO SPEAK ON THE BUDGET. THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO COME FORWARD AND SPEAK YOUR MIND. JUST COME UP TO THE PODIUM, GIVE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, AND IF YOU'RE ONLINE OR ELSEWHERE MR. GEBES WILL [INAUDIBLE]. I THINK [INAUDIBLE] IS COMING FORWARD. MR. GEBES, DO WE HAVE ANYONE FOR THE BUDGET HEARING? WE HAVE NO. WOW. OK. WOW, THAT WAS QUITE A HEARING WE HAD, RIGHT? [INAUDIBLE] NOW WE MOVE ON TO DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER 13A, WHICH IS THE BUDGET AND WHO WANTS TO START SPEAKING FIRST ON THIS PLEASE? [13A. 2022 Township Budget] MR. OPSOMMER. THANK YOU, MR. SUPERVISOR, LET MANAGER WALSH GET TO THE PODIUM BECAUSE I DID HAVE A QUESTION REAL QUICK FOR HIM. SO MANAGER WALSH, IF I'M READING IT RIGHT, THE ALLOCATION FOR LOCAL ROADS IS THE THREE POINT NINETY FIVE MILLION FROM THE DEDICATED RESTRICTED MILLAGE. AND THEN YOU'RE PROPOSING 450,000 IN GENERAL FUND, CORRECT? NO, I BELIEVE AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG MR. PERRY, BUT IT'S THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE MILLAGE. AND THEN THE TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE TOWNSHIP COMMITMENT THAT ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY TWO THOUSAND FROM THE COUNTY TO TOTAL ABOUT $4 MILLION OR THREE POINT NINE. OK, SO WHAT WAS THE GENERAL FUND? TWO EIGHTY, I BELIEVE. OK, THAT'S WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR. YEAH, TWO EIGHTY AND ONE SEVENTY TWO FIVE. OK. YEAH. PRESENTATION JUST CONFUSED ME RELATIVE TO THE ACTUAL DEPARTMENTAL TRANSFER OUT ON PAGE 68. SO OK. AND THAT IS THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT WE'VE DONE SINCE THE MILLAGE. ACTUALLY, NO, IT LOOKS LIKE WE DID TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND IN 2020, BUT WE'VE DONE 280 SINCE THEN. CORRECT. OK. YEAH. AND THE WHOLE THING WAS WHEN THIS IS APPROVED, ONE OF THE CITIZENS ASKED THE THOSE TWO POTS OF MONEY THERE MR. OPSOMMER, ARE YOU GOING TO, YOU KNOW? YEAH, AND WE'RE NOT. I WAS JUST GOING TO IF IT WAS FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY, I WAS GOING TO RECOMMEND THE INCREASE. BUT, ALL RIGHT. WE'RE STAYING AT 280. ONE OTHER QUESTION CLARIFICATION. SO WITH THE MERIDIAN REDEVELOPMENT FUND, YOU'RE PROPOSING 1.3 MILLION BE ADDED FOR A TOTAL FUND BALANCE OF TWO MILLION. ARE YOU COUNTING THAT TWO MILLION IN THE FUND BALANCE IN THE BUDGET? THE TWO MILLION'S NOT. IF I'LL ANSWER YOUR QUESTION THIS WAY. IF WE WERE IF YOU ZEROED THAT OUT TONIGHT, WELL, WHEN YOU APPROVE THE BUDGET ON THE TWENTY FIRST OF YOU ZERO THAT OUT, OUR FUND BALANCE WOULD BE TEN POINT EIGHT MILLION. OK, SO. SO YOU ARE TREATING THAT AS A RESTRICTED MONEY? THAT'S CORRECT. OK. OK. SO I'VE GIVEN A LOT OF THOUGHT OF THIS, A LOT OF THOUGHT TO THIS ONE ADDITION THAT I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE BUDGET, I BROUGHT THIS UP AND CLEARLY MANAGER WALSH WAS LISTENING AND I TALKED ABOUT OUR POLICE AND OUR FIRE AND PARAMEDIC STAFFING LEVELS AND THE HISTORY, AND WE'VE OBVIOUSLY WALKED THROUGH THAT TONIGHT. THE DEPARTMENT IS AT THIRTY TWO TODAY AND WE'RE PROPOSING ONE ADDITIONAL [00:55:02] FIREFIGHTER IN THIS BUDGET. IT WAS AT THIRTY PRIOR TO 2017 AND IT WAS AT 36 BACK IN 2010, BEFORE THE GREAT RECESSION REALLY KIND OF ROCKED OUR BUDGET AND REVENUES TO THE TOWNSHIP. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT'S TRANSPIRED DURING THAT DECADE SINCE THEY'VE GONE FROM 36 STAFF DOWN TO THE 30 THAT THEY WERE AT FOR MOST OF IT AND MORE RECENTLY, THE THIRTY TWO THAT THEY'VE BEEN AT SINCE 2017 TO THIS YEAR. YOU KNOW, DURING THAT TIME, WE'VE HAD THE POPULATION INCREASES. I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHERE THE 16 PERCENT CAME FROM AND IN THE THE BUDGET PDF, BUT IT DOES SAY 16 PERCENT. SO I DON'T KNOW IF SOMEONE LOOKED AT THE 2009 NUMBERS, BUT IT CITES THAT SINCE 2009, WE'VE HAD A 16 PERCENT INCREASE IN POPULATION. CLEARLY DUE TO THE CENSUS DATA, WE'VE HAD AN ELEVEN POINT FIVE PERCENT INCREASE. BUT MORE IMPORTANT IS THE CALL VOLUME. AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CALL VOLUME, WE'VE SEEN A TWENTY TWO TO TWENTY FIVE PERCENT INCREASE DEPENDING ON WHAT KIND OF DECADE YOU WANT TO LOOK AT, RIGHT? AND WE HAD A COUPLE OF YEARS WHERE WE HAD THE FIRE DETECTOR OR THE SMOKE DETECTOR INSTALLATION. AND SO THAT COUNTS TOWARDS THE CALLS AND THE RUNS THAT ARE FIREFIGHTERS MAKE. AND THEN I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO LOOK TO THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN OUR REGION. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT, I BELIEVE EAST LANSING IS AT 53 OR 54 FIREFIGHTERS TODAY TO OUR 32 OR 33 AS IT IS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. BUT REALLY, WHAT WE DID IN 2017 WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE MILLAGE, THE POLICE AND FIRE MILLAGE THAT WE PUT OUT, WHICH PROVIDED FOR THOSE TWO ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS WE WERE LOOKING AT, AS EVERY DEPARTMENT DOES, HOW MANY FIREFIGHTERS PER 1000 CITIZENS THAT THEY'RE PROTECTING DO YOU HAVE? AND SO TODAY WE HAVE 0.75 FIREFIGHTERS PER 1000 RESIDENTS. WHEN WE WERE AT OUR FULL STAFFING IN 20 IN 2010, WE WERE AT POINT NINE. SO WE NEARLY HAD ONE FIREFIGHTER PER 1000 RESIDENTS. WE WERE AT 36 FIREFIGHTERS. WE HAD A LITTLE OVER THIRTY NINE THOUSAND CITIZENS LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDATIONS THEY USUALLY RECOMMEND, YOU KNOW, NATIONAL AUDITS WILL RECOMMEND ABOUT DOUBLE WHAT WE HAVE NOW. VERY FEW DEPARTMENTS ACTUALLY CARRY 1.5 FIREFIGHTERS PER 1000 PEOPLE. BUT NO, THERE ISN'T REALLY MUCH DOUBT LANSING AND EAST LANSING HAVE MORE FIREFIGHTERS PER CAPITA THAN WE DO. AND YOU WOULDN'T FIND MANY ACROSS THE STATE. I REMEMBER WHEN WE DID THE 2017 ANALYSIS, WE BROKE DOWN, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL DOZEN COMMUNITIES THAT HAD FAR FEWER OR FAR MORE FIREFIGHTERS PER CAPITA THAN WE DID. AND SO KNOWING THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEMSELVES AT 36 FIREFIGHTERS. WHICH WAS THE ORIGINAL STAFFING AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IS THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE 24-7 STAFFING OF ALS ENGINES BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE TWO FIREFIGHTERS TO OPERATE THEIR RIGS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US ADD A SECOND FIREFIGHTER THIS YEAR TO START MOVING TOWARDS THAT 36, SO WE'D GO FROM 32 TO THIRTY FOUR. IT'S ABOUT A $90,000 POSITION. AND WHEN WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT TO START INVESTING IN THE PROTECTION OF OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GROWING THE FUND BALANCE BY A MILLION THIS YEAR AND IT'S GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY, WE'VE GONE FROM FIVE POINT FIVE MILLION UP TO EIGHT POINT SEVEN MILLION AND WE'RE WE'RE PUSHING OUR LUCK ON PUBLIC SAFETY. NOBODY, YOU KNOW, TIGHTENS THEIR BELT MORE ACROSS THE REGION THAN WE DO, AND IT'S REALLY NOT THAT CLOSE. SO THAT WOULD BE MY ONE BIG ASK FOR THIS BUDGET. WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR INPUT. OKAY, THANK YOU, MR. OPSOMMER. OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. [INAUDIBLE] FIRST, I GUESS WE SHOULD TRY TO BE LOGICAL HERE [INAUDIBLE]. YES, MS., WISINSKI. HOWEVER, I HAVE HEARD THAT WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT. BUT I HAVE HEARD THAT WE'VE HAD SOME LIKE WORKFORCE OR WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT CONCERNS. IS THERE A WAY WE CAN? I MEAN, HOW DO WE DO THAT IF WE'VE BEEN TRYING? IS THERE A WAY WE COULD, YOU KNOW, APPROPRIATE FUNDING TO FOCUS ON THAT WORKFORCE [01:00:01] DEVELOPMENT? OR HOW DO WE GET TO THE THE EXTRA, THE EXTRA PEOPLE IF WE DON'T HAVE THE PEOPLE APPLYING? YOU'RE ASKING ME? [INAUDIBLE] TO COMMENT ON BOTH THE MR. OPSOMMER AND MS. WISINSKI'S ASKING. YEAH. SO I'LL ADDRESS THE MS. WISINSKI FIRST. IF YOU WERE TO APPROVE, I'M CONFIDENT THAT IF YOU WERE TO, I DON'T. I DON'T AGREE WITH IT. I'LL SAY THAT I THINK THAT STAFFING LEVELS, BECAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT ONE DEPARTMENT AND I'M LOOKING AT 12 IN THE ADMINISTRATION'S JOB IS TO VET ALL THE REQUESTS WE HAVE FOR STAFFING. AND WE DID THAT AND WE HAD NINE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS ASKING AND WE'VE HAD DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN CUT BACK. AND AS MUCH AS WE HAVE A GOAL, IN FACT, THAT'S THE ONE AREA WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO HIT ON IS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. BECAUSE THERE IS A NEED AND WE DO HAVE A PLAN, WE HAVE A SAFER GRANT IN AND WE HAVE A PLAN TO GET US TO THIRTY SIX WHEN WHEN ELECTED OFFICIALS, IN MY OPINION, WHEN THEY START DIRECTING STAFFING LEVELS. IT'S A REALLY SLIPPERY SLOPE TO GO DOWN BECAUSE THEN THERE'S OTHER DEPARTMENTS. IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS AND THE ONLY DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE GETTING FUNDED ARE POLICE AND FIRE. AND THEN ON BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING AND SAYING, WELL, LET'S ADD MORE TO THIS DEPARTMENT THAT'S ALREADY BEEN THERE THAT CAUSES A PROBLEM, BUT I'M CONFIDENT I WILL TELL YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE, IF THE BOARD GOES IN THIS DIRECTION, WHICH I HOPE THAT THEY DON'T BECAUSE IT CAUSES ME A LOT OF INTERNAL ISSUES. WHEN YOU DO THAT, IF YOU DO GO TO THIRTY THREE WE CAN FUND, WE WILL BE ABLE TO FIND SOME MUCH MORE CONFIDENT ON THE FIRE PARAMEDIC SIDE BECAUSE WE'RE AT THIRTY TWO RIGHT NOW AND I'M CONFIDENT WE COULD FIND THAT PERSON. BUT GIVE US TIME TO DO IT RIGHT AND DON'T PUT ONE DEPARTMENT IN COMPETITION WITH 11 OTHERS. THAT'S ALREADY GETTING STAFFING INCREASED. IN FACT, WE'VE GONE UP 10 PERCENT IN THAT DEPARTMENT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. BUT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU RIGHT NOW TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY. WE CAN FILL THAT POSITION AND FIND SOMEONE. I'M NOT SO CONFIDENT ON THE POLICE SIDE. THAT'S MY FAIR ASSESSMENT OF YOUR QUESTION. THANK YOU. TREASURER. THANK YOU. I LIKE THE IDEA OF MORE FIREMEN, I LIKE THE IDEA OF MORE POLICE. I LIKE THE IDEA OF MORE PEOPLE IN THE TREASURER'S OFFICE. QUITE HONESTLY, I THINK THE CLERK WOULD LIKE MORE PEOPLE IN HER DEPARTMENT AS WELL. I'M NOT SURPRISED YOU GOT EIGHT REQUESTS FOR NEW STAFFING BECAUSE WE RUN A LEAN OPERATION HERE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. PROBABLY WE HAVE THE FUND BALANCE THAT WE DO. I SEE THIS FROM BOTH SIDES, BOTH THE BOARD PERSPECTIVE AND BEING A FULL TIME EMPLOYEE AND DIRECTOR HERE IN THE TOWNSHIP. I TOO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE BOARD STEPPING IN TO DICTATE OR SUGGEST STAFFING LEVELS. I THINK IT'S WHY WE HIRE OUR MANAGER IS TO DO THAT, TO CONSULT WITH OUR DIRECTORS AND COME BACK WITH A RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD, PARTICULARLY WHEN TWO OF THE DEPARTMENTS ARE REPRESENTED HERE. IF DEBORAH'S SUGGESTING OTHER STAFF, WE CREATE A BOARD COALITION FOR THAT TO CREATE A BOARD COALITION FOR THE TREASURER POSITION, WE COULD DO THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. BUT WHAT DOES IT DO TO THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS WAS TO DO TO THE MANAGER'S EFFECTIVENESS AS THE CEO OF THE TOWNSHIP. SO I THINK IT'S A BAD PRECEDENT TO START. NONETHELESS, I THINK COMMENTS LIKE TRUSTEE OPSOMMER IS THAT WE NEED TO GET TO A HIGHER LEVEL ARE APPROPRIATE. I JUST DON'T THINK THIS IS THE POINT IN WHICH TO ADD ADDITIONAL STAFF PEOPLE. IT'S SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT AS A BUDGET PRIORITY. BUT I THINK THE BUDGET THAT WE HAVE HAS BEEN CRAFTED BY THE MANAGER AND THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, AND I'M REALLY RELUCTANT TO TO STEP IN AND ADD A POSITION HERE OR THERE, EVEN SOMETHING AS ESSENTIAL AS POLICE AND FIRE. WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE THE HIGHEST RATE OF SERVICES, BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW, WE'RE NOT AT A POSITION NOW WHERE WE'RE HAVING EXCESSIVELY LONG OR EVEN EXTREMELY LONG RESPONSE TIME FOR FIRE AT THIS POINT. SO WE ARE MEETING OUR DEMANDS FOR CALLS. UNLESS THE CHIEF WANTS TO ADD MORE TO THIS, IS THERE AN IMMEDIATE NEED FOR THIRTY THIRD POSITION RIGHT AT THIS TIME? AS FAR AS I'VE HEARD, THERE ISN'T ONE, SO I DON'T THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR THE BOARD TO SUGGEST STAFFING LEVELS. IT'S A POLICY THAT, IN MY PART, WE HAVE HIRED ONE OF THE BEST, IF NOT THE BEST MANAGER IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. THIS IS THE STAFFING LEVELS HE'S COME UP WITH AFTER TALKING WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS, AND I THINK THE BOARD NEEDS TO RESPECT THAT EXECUTIVE RECOMMENDATION TO THIS BOARD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR, TOO, THAT I AM TOTALLY ON BOARD WITH GETTING TO 36. IT'S JUST GOING TO TAKE US A LITTLE BIT OF TIME. KEEP IN MIND, NEW FIRE STATION, NEW PUMPER TRUCK, NEW LADDER TRUCK, NEW BATTALION CHIEF VEHICLE. 10 PERCENT INCREASE IN STAFFING. $15 MILLION WORTH OF DEBT. WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO BUILD A FIRE DEPARTMENT UP AND I TOTALLY AGREE. THAT'S THE DIRECTION. IF YOU ASK ME, WHERE DO WE NEED TO ADD STAFFING IN THE TOWNSHIP? THAT'S THE DEPARTMENT, BUT GIVE US A CHANCE TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN. WE'RE JUST GETTING OUR FEET UNDER US FROM 30 SOME MILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT THAT [01:05:04] WE INHERITED. MR. OPSOMMER JUST TO CLARIFY, THOUGH, THAT THE 10 PERCENT INCREASE IN STAFFING THAT GOES BACK TO 18, SO THAT'S FOUR YEARS, EIGHT MILLAGE PASSED IN 17. SO WE BROUGHT ON TWO ADDITIONAL STAFFING IN THE 18 BUDGET ONCE WE LEVIED THAT MILLAGE. SO THAT'S FOUR YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN AT 32 WHICH AT THAT TIME WAS WHATEVER, TWO OUT OF THIRTY IS. SO THE 10 PERCENT WOULD ONLY OCCUR THIS YEAR. THAT WOULD BE, AND REALLY, IT'S ONE ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBER TO A DEPARTMENT OF THIRTY TWO. WE'VE DONE 10 PERCENT SINCE 2018 MORE THAN ANY DEPARTMENT IN THE TOWNSHIP. SO, I MEAN, FROM A GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE, WHAT I'M PROPOSING IS THAT THERE BE FUNDING FOR A 34TH POSITION. IT'S ACTUALLY THE MANAGER'S PREROGATIVE TO EXPEND THOSE FUNDS OR NOT EXPEND THOSE FUNDS. YOU KNOW, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS LAPSES FUNDS INTO THE GENERAL FUND BECAUSE WE'RE AT THIRTY SIX. IT SOUNDS LIKE POSSIBLY THIRTY FIVE OFFICERS NOW, SO THEY NEVER ACTUALLY MAKE THEIR PAYROLL. I'M PROPOSING THAT THERE BE PAYROLL FOR A THIRTY FOURTH FIREFIGHTER IN THE BUDGET. THAT'S THE LEGISLATIVE PREROGATIVE OF THE BOARD. THE BOARD DOES APPROVE THE BUDGET, BUT THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE THE MANAGER TO EXPEND IT. THERE'S NEVER A REQUIREMENT. NOW THE, YOU KNOW, THE STAFFING POSITIONS, I GUESS I'M NOT AWARE OF THE EIGHT OTHER STAFFING POSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN REQUESTED OR NOT REQUESTED. I AM FAMILIAR WITH THIS DEPARTMENT AND THE REQUEST THAT WAS MADE AND INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE REGION BECAUSE WE MEASURE THIS VERY METHODICALLY, RIGHT? NOT EVERY TOWNSHIP HAS A HOME TV TO EVEN COMPARE TO, BUT WE DO KNOW, BUT JUST BASED ON BASIC MATH THAT OUR COVERAGE ON A PER CAPITA BASIS IS DRAMATICALLY BELOW EAST LANSING. FIFTY THREE, YOU KNOW, FIREFIGHTERS, PARAMEDICS TO A COMMUNITY OF FORTY EIGHT THOUSAND VERSUS THIRTY TWO, THIRTY THREE IN THE BUDGET HERE IN A COMMUNITY OF FORTY FOUR THOUSAND. SO, AND WE DO AND WE HAVE A HUGE GEOGRAPHIC TERRITORY BECAUSE WE GO DOWN THE SANDHILL. THAT'S OUR THAT'S NOT EVEN MUTUAL AID. WE DO GO DOWN INTO ALAIEDON TOWNSHIP TO SANDHILL. SO FOR FIRE, YEAH, FIRE AND EMS. THAT'S WHY I DON'T THINK EMS, I THINK JUST FIRE. OH, THAT'S TRUE FIRE RUNS. LEVEL STUDY DONE SINCE THE ONE IN 2002? HAS THERE BEEN ANYTHING TO SUPPORT DATA ON INCREASED STAFFING LEVELS OR DECREASED STAFFING LEVELS, OR A COMPARISON WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES OF OUR SIZE AND WHAT THEY HAVE? I MEAN, CERTAINLY I UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT WHAT MY COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING, ESPECIALLY IN WHAT TREASURER DESCHAINE IS SAYING, BECAUSE WE HEAR THE EVERYDAY THINGS IN THE OFFICE. AND SO I UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITION OF A FEW, ADD A STAFF PERSON HERE OR THERE THAN THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS WILL ALSO WANT A STAFF PERSON HERE OR THERE. BUT WHAT IS, WHERE IS THE DATA TO SUPPORT ANY KIND OF WEIGHT, ANY KIND OF WAGE STUDY DATA TO SUPPORT THAT, THE FUTURE TOWNSHIP STAFF LEVELS AT MERIDIAN AND THE PAY RATES AND I KNOW WE'VE HAD A REALLY HARD TIME GETTING PEOPLE IN HERE AND WE'VE HAD TO HIRE PEOPLE AT THE HIGHER PAY RATES AND THE WAGE SCALE IS OUT OF BALANCE. AND SO FOR ME, I'D LIKE TO SEE A WAGE STUDY THAT SUPPORTS THE DECISION THAT THE BOARD MAKES THAT WORKS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MANAGER THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE STAFF AT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP AND SHOW WHAT LEVELS WE ACTUALLY NEED. YEAH, VERY. SO I'M SORRY, I ASKED 20 QUESTIONS IN A VERY LONG SENTENCE THAT I JUST MADE. SO ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT 20 YEARS AGO OR SO WHEN THE WAGE STUDY WAS DONE, AND I'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HERE BACK THEN AND IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING EXPERIENCES THE TOWNSHIP WENT THROUGH BECAUSE THEY RECEIVED IT IN, AND AGAIN, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, MR.[INAUDIBLE], YOU WERE HERE. DIRECTOR MAISNER WAS HERE, MR. PARGA, BUT IT WASN'T IMPLEMENTED, IS WHAT I HEARD. A LOT OF THE AREAS WERE NOT IMPLEMENTED AND THEREFORE CAUSED A LOT OF FRUSTRATION. JUST BE REALLY CAREFUL. [01:10:02] HOW DO I MEASURE IT? BECAUSE I WORK WITH A LOT OF COMMUNITIES IN MICHIGAN AND I GET STAFFING LEVELS WHEN I DO A RECRUITMENT FOR EACH COMMUNITY. AND SO I KIND OF HAVE A FEEL FOR WHAT'S OUT THERE, A STRONG SENSE OF STAFFING. WHEN I GET LIKE IF I GET A REQUEST IN FROM A DEPARTMENT, I FIND OUT WHAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING. LIKEWISE, LIKE, I CAN TELL YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE IN DELHI AND DELTA AND SO ON. THAT'S JUST WHAT I DO. I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO SPEND 40 OR 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HAVE SOMEBODY TELL US THE STAFFING OF THE COMMUNITIES WHEN WE'RE PRETTY MUCH UP TO SPEED ON THAT. I DON'T THINK WE'RE UNDERSTAFFED IN ANY AREA IN THE TOWNSHIP, EXCEPT FOR, I WOULD SAY, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I WOULD SAY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS THE ONLY ONE, AND I'M NOT GOING TO STAND IN THE WAY. I'M NOT GOING TO STAND IN THE WAY IF THIS IS WHAT THE BOARD WANTS TO DO. I'M NOT GOING TO STAND UP HERE AND BE A FOOL AND SAY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO ADD THAT 30 FOURTH POSITION AND I'M NOT, I'M NOT GOING TO FIGHT IT BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONE AREA WHERE WE NEED STAFFING. NO, WHEN YOU GETTING THE WAGE STUDIES, THAT'S A REALLY SLIPPERY SLOPE, WHICH I, AS A MANAGER OF NOT WANTING TO GO DOWN AT ALL. WHEN YOU DO THAT, IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THAT, BE WILLING TO IMPLEMENT IT AND YOU'RE GOING TO CREATE WINNERS AND LOSERS BECAUSE WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU GET IT AND PEOPLE ARE OVERPAID OR PAID HIGHER THAN THE THING NOW YOU'VE GOT TO ADJUST. I MEAN, IT'S A VERY IT SOUNDS GREAT, BUT YOU'RE BETTER OFF TO DO THINGS LIKE FLEX TIME AND PAY ALMOST A HUNDRED PERCENT OF HEALTH CARE AND CASUAL WEAR AND DO ALL THESE THINGS TO ATTRACT EMPLOYEES WHEN THEY COME HERE. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK ME, WHY ARE WE NOT GOING BACK TO EIGHT HOURS A DAY? WELL, THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE USE TO ATTRACT FOLKS HERE. BUT A WAGE STUDY CAN DO NOTHING BUT DIVIDE AND REALLY YOU THINK IT'S GOING TO HELP MORALE? IT DOESN'T, UNLESS YOU'RE GOING TO SAY WHATEVER IT SAYS, WE'RE GOING TO DO. OK, WELL, IT'S AN ADDITIONAL FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SIX THOUSAND ON THE BUDGET. EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE ALL THIS DEBT, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS ON NOW. JUST BE REALLY CAREFUL IF THIS BOARD EVER DECIDES TO GO FORWARD WITH A WAGE STUDY BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER SEEN ONE HELP AN ORGANIZATION AND MANY MAYBE YOU HAVE, BUT I'M TELLING YOU IT'S A WAY TO HURT MORALE. SO I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO WHAT YOU SAID EARLIER THEN, YOU MADE THE STATEMENT THAT YOU HAVE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS WHO HAVE ASKED YOU FOR STAFF WHAT DATA OR FIRM OR OUTSIDE RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE TO DECIDE WHICH STAFF GETS ADDED IN THE BUDGET AND WHICH STAFF DOESN'T. AND IS THAT SHARED WITH THE BOARD? OR IS THAT ONLY AN INTERNAL THING? I DON'T KNOW, I'M A NEW BOARD MEMBER, SO I DON'T KNOW MUCH STAFFING STUFF IS SHARED WITH THE BOARD. NO STAFFING IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION. IT'S JUST THE TRUSTEE OPSOMMER IS CORRECT. I MEAN, YOU CAN PUT IT, WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS YOU CAN PUT IT IN THE BUDGET AND THEN IF I'M A JERK ABOUT IT, WHICH I WOULDN'T BE, BUT I KNOW PLENTY OF PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BE. YOU CAN JUST NOT FILL IT. YOU CAN SAY LOOK I MADE A DECISION AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TELL ME WHO TO HIRE AND I COULD JUST NOT FILL IT. OF COURSE, THEN YOU CAN GET A NEW MANAGER, TOO. BUT LOOK, IF THE BOARD WANTS TO PUT IT IN, THERE'S A LOT OF SUBJECTS ON THE TABLE RIGHT NOW, BUT IF THE BOARD PUTS THE THIRTY FOURTH POSITION IN WE'RE GOING TO FILL IT. BUT AS FAR AS STAFFING LEVELS, NO, IT'S A CLEAR DISTINCTION. I'M NOT GOING TO BRING STAFFING LEVELS EVER TO THE BOARD. THAT'S A ROLE OF THE ADMINISTRATION, JUST LIKE, I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU SHOULD DO LATER ON WITH A GEORGETOWN SEWER PAYMENT. THAT'S A POLICY DECISION, AND DIRECTOR TEHOFF AND I AND OUR ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM, WE REVIEW EVERY POTENTIAL INCREASE IN STAFFING AND WE VET THAT AND WE COME UP WITH A DECISION AND WE DO THE BEST WE CAN. WE DO THAT IN COMPARING OURSELVES TO OTHER COMMUNITIES, AND THERE ARE SOME OTHER THINGS THAT GO INTO THAT WHICH I WON'T GO INTO TONIGHT. BUT THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT GO INTO WHERE YOU PUT STAFFING. THE NUMBER ONE NEED IN THIS TOWNSHIP IS FIRE AND PARAMEDICS. SO I'D LIKE TO ASK CHIEF PANEL QUESTION IF I COULD. I THINK TREASURER DESCHAINE HINTED EARLIER AT CALL VOLUME LEVELS AND RESPONSE TIMES, AND I WONDERED IF YOU COULD ADDRESS THAT IN THAT REGARD WITH TRUSTEE OPSOMMER'S MOTION OR SUGGESTION, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU MADE AN OFFICIAL MOTION, OK, SO RESPONSE TIME, SO THE NATIONAL STANDARD NFPA 1710, IT RECOMMENDS A FOUR MINUTE RESPONSE TO A STRUCTURE FIRE 80 PERCENT OF THE TIME. WE'RE ABOUT 60 FIVE, 70 PERCENT RIGHT NOW AND THEN AT FULL COMPLEMENT, WHICH IS ABOUT 16 FIREFIGHTERS, THREE TO FIVE RIGS IN EIGHT MINUTES. AND WE MEET THAT ABOUT THE SAME. AGAIN, THAT'S JUST A STANDARD, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT A FIRE DOES EVERY TWO MINUTES, THE FIRE DOUBLES IN SIZE, SO THEY BUILT THEIR FACTORIES AROUND THAT. SO IN REGARDS TO RESPONSE TIMES, WE'RE THERE, YOU KNOW, THE INTENT OF THIS IS TO GET AN ENGINE IN SERVICE, WHICH WILL INCREASE OUR RESPONSE TIMES, WHICH IS THE INTENT. [01:15:03] AND BEYOND THAT, I'LL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THE MUTUAL AID. WE'RE AT OVER 600 MUTUAL AID CALLS THIS YEAR, AND THAT'S GOING AND COMING. I'VE GOT THE NUMBERS WRITTEN DOWN, BUT WE'RE JUST GETTING KILLED BY OUR PRIVATE AMBULANCE SERVICES. THEY'RE STRUGGLING MORE THAN ANYBODY IN THE NATION RIGHT NOW ACROSS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND IT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE. THEY PAY LOT LESS, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO GET MEDICS, THEY PAY BONUSES. AND WHAT THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE DOING IS THEY'RE TAKING A JOB, FULFILLING THE AGREEMENT, GETTING THE BONUSES AND LEAVING GOING TO THE NEXT BONUS. SO IT'S DEFEATING THE PURPOSE. SO WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING IS THAT YOU'RE AT THE LEVELS WHERE YOU NEED TO BE AT RIGHT NOW. IS THAT CORRECT? SAY IT AGAIN, I'M SORRY. YOU'RE AT THE LEVEL WHERE YOU NEED TO BE AT RIGHT NOW IN REGARDS TO RESPONSE TIME. IS THAT WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY? WE'RE CLOSE, WE'RE NOT QUITE, WE'RE NOT THERE AT THE NATIONAL STANDARD, WE'RE AT ABOUT SIXTY FIVE PERCENT. THEY RECOMMEND 80 PERCENT. OK, AND THEN THERE WAS MANAGER WALSH HAD PROVIDED INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WERE BEING BUILT IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. THERE ARE ABOUT I THINK HE PROVIDED AROUND EIGHT NEIGHBORHOODS COMING HERE WITH X NUMBER OF HOMES PER NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. DO YOU SEE HAVING ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS GETTING UP TO THIS LEVEL, BEING ABLE TO TO SUPPORT THAT? OR DO YOU SEE NEEDING MORE FIREFIGHTERS? LIKE WHAT IS YOUR PROJECTION FOR FIREFIGHTER STAFF GROWTH? OK, SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE 2020 CENSUS, WE'RE UP TO ABOUT 16 AND A HALF PERCENT SENIOR, SIXTY FIVE AND OLDER. I THINK THAT WAS A SIX OR EIGHT PERCENT INCREASE. THAT'S OUR BIGGEST HIT. SO YOU THINK ABOUT 11 ASSISTED LIVING CENTERS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, THERE'S A RETIREMENT CENTER GOING TO GO IN IN HASLETT. THOSE ARE ALL GOING TO INCREASE OUR CALL VOLUME. NOW YOU ADD THE DOBIE ROAD ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY HOMES, THERE'S THE DEVELOPMENT ON HASLETT 90 HOMES ROUGHLY AND MANY MORE. IF THE APARTMENT COMPLEX GOES IN AT OKEMOS AND HAMILTON, THAT'S GOING TO ALL INCREASE OUR RUN VOLUME. ABSOLUTELY, I JUST CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH, BUT IT WILL. THE MORE POPULATION GOES UP, THE MORE PEOPLE, THE MORE PEOPLE ARE SICK. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE CALL VOLUME. EVEN CHIEF PLAGA WILL GET BUSIER. WOULD YOU WHAT ABOUT RECRUITMENT ENABLED THE ABILITY TO RETAIN FIREFIGHTERS? I THINK WITH THE WAY OUR CONTRACT WAS SET UP THIS LAST YEAR WITH A LOT OF THE MANAGERS EFFORTS AND SOME OF THE BENEFITS THEY WERE GIVEN, I THINK WE COMPETE WELL. PAY WISE, WE'RE KIND OF EQUAL WITH EAST LANSING. THEY'RE STILL A LITTLE HIGHER. DELTA JUST WENT UP A TON WITH THEIR CONTRACT. YOU CAN'T COMPARE TO LANSING, LANSING'S WAY UP RUN VOLUME, WE'RE THE SECOND IN THE COUNTY . EAST LANSING WAS RATED WITHIN 100 OF US, DEPENDING ON FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL GAMES REALLY KICK THEIR NUMBERS WAY UP ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE CALLS FOR A 24 HOUR PERIOD ON GAME DAY. SO I MEAN, OUR RUN BY IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO GO UP. THE MORE POPULATION GET, YOU'RE GOING TO GET MORE RUN BY HIM, AND THE OLDER OUR POPULATION GETS, THE MORE RUN VOLUME WE'RE GOING TO GET. [INAUDIBLE] MS. JACKSON, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO BRING UP ON THIS TOPIC? NOT ON THIS TOPIC. OKAY, MS. SUNDLAND, JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T MISS ANYBODY, GO AHEAD MS. SUNDLAND. I GUESS I'M INCLINED TO RESPECT OUR ADMINISTRATORS DECISIONS ON WHAT OUR STAFFING LEVELS NEED TO BE INSTEAD OF JUST TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THEIR THEIR AREA OF EXPERTISE, SO ANYWAY, THAT'S WHAT I'M INCLINED. YEAH, REGARDING YOUR COMMENT THAT WAS KILLING US RIGHT NOW IS OUR MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT, WOULD YOU EXPLAIN HOW THAT'S HURTING US AND WHAT THE SOLUTION TO THAT MIGHT BE? SO IT'S NOT A MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT. SO REALLY, WHAT'S HAPPENING IS YOU'VE GOT YOU'VE GOT A MULTITUDE OF PROBLEMS. SO YOU'VE GOT HOSPITALS THAT HAVE STAFFING ISSUES, BIG TIME AND THEY'RE STARTING TO ADMIT IT FINALLY. IT'S AFFECTING THE AMOUNT OF PATIENTS THAT ARE IN THE HOSPITALS. YOU'VE GOT THE PRIVATE AMBULANCES THAT ARE HAVING HUGE STAFFING ISSUES. IN FACT, THE MICHIGAN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION HAS ANNOUNCED OVER THE LAST MONTH THEY'RE ASKING THE STATE FOR $10 MILLION ONLY FOR MEDICARE MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT, THOUGH IT WAS KIND OF THE WAY THEY ORIGINALLY BROUGHT IT OUT WAS FOR STAFFING AND TRAINING, BUT IT'S NOT. THEY'RE DOWN THEY FIGURE IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN 500 TO 1000, SO THAT'S BETWEEN PARAMEDICS AND EMTS, 500 PARAMEDICS, FIVE HUNDRED EMTS. SO WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THEY'RE GIVING UP A CALL. [01:20:03] SO FOR INSTANCE, YOU LOOK AT OUR 11 NURSING HOMES OR ASSISTED LIVING HOMES IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. THEY PICK UP THE LOWER ACUITY PATIENTS. THEY HAVE CONTRACTS WITH THESE PLACES. THAT'S A LOT OF ADDITIONAL RUNS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT. THEY'RE GIVING THEM TO US A LOT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE STAFFING. WE'RE UP IN BATH, WE WERE UP IN BATH THIRTY TWO TIMES LAST YEAR. WE'VE BEEN IN THERE FIFTY FIVE TIMES THIS YEAR ALREADY. WE JUST RAN THE NUMBERS THIS WEEK OR LAST WEEK, I'M SORRY, MERCY'S DOWN, THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WE'RE UP IN BATH. CLINTON COUNTY IS DOWN. SO YOU LOOK AT MERIDIAN, EAST LANSING, LANSING AND LANSING TOWNSHIP, WE'RE ALL GOING UP INTO CLINTON COUNTY. WE CAN'T REFUSE A MUTUAL AID EMS CALL, IT'S A STATE REQUIREMENT UNDER OUR PROTOCOLS. SO THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF OUR VOLUMES COME UP. THE OTHER PROBLEM YOU HAVE IS THESE PRIVATE AMBULANCES AREN'T ABLE NOW TO DO THE TRANSFERS FROM HOSPITAL TO HOSPITAL. I GOT A CALL LAST WEEK FROM MCLAREN, NOT FROM THEIR MAIN HOSPITAL, BUT FROM HERE IN TOWN, ONE OF THEIR SATELLITES, ASKING IF WE WOULD TRANSFER A PATIENT FROM HERE TO U OF M, BUT WE DON'T DO THAT. LANSING HAS TRANSPORTED PATIENTS NOW FROM ST. LAWRENCE TO SPARROW BECAUSE THEY CAN'T FIND A PRIVATE AMBULANCE TO DO IT. THAT'S BUILDING, THAT'S GOING TO ADD TO OUR VOLUME. IF THEY MAKE IT A 911 CALL, WE CAN'T SAY NO. IF THEY CALL US, WE CAN SAY NO. SO THESE ARE ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE REALLY OUT THERE. INCREASING FIRE BASED AMBULANCE CALL VOLUME ON TOP OF POPULATION INCREASES. IT'S A GREAT, I MEAN, MERIDIAN'S GROWING, IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO DISAGREE WITH WHAT FRANK SAYS HE'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ON IN REGARDS TO STAFFING. THE TOWNSHIP HAS OTHER AREAS, NEEDS STAFFING. MY GOAL HAS BEEN FOR TWO YEARS NOW IS TO GET TO 36. HOWEVER, WE GET THERE IS HOW WE GET THERE. I'M HAPPY WITH WHAT WE'VE PROPOSED TO YOU. BUT HOWEVER WE GET THERE, WE GET THERE. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT. [INAUDIBLE] CHRIS, THANK YOU, I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION FOR MANAGER WALSH, I THINK TRUSTEE OPSOMMER MENTIONED OR SOMEBODY MENTIONED $90000 FOR AN ADDITIONAL. I COULDN'T HEAR WHAT YOU SAYING. YEAH, TAG, YOU'RE UP FOR THE NEXT QUESTION, RIGHT? I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR YOUR QUESTION. WELL, I'M THINKING OF HOW TO ASK IT BECAUSE I'M DEFINITELY NOT AN EXPERT IN THIS AT ALL. JUST GO AHEAD AND WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. SO WHAT HOW DOES HIRING ADDITIONAL STAFF OR POLICE AND FIRE AFFECT PENSIONS, IF AT ALL? DOES IT AFFECT THAT? AND WHAT IS THE REAL COST OF AN ADDITIONAL DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S A FIREFIGHTER OR A POLICE OFFICER, WHAT IS THE REAL COST OF IT? GOOD QUESTION, NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS IT USED TO. THOSE NUMBERS THAT I WENT OVER EARLIER THIS EVENING ABOUT ARE THE NEW PENSIONS WORKING AND THE FIRE ONE IS AT NINETY, I THINK NINETY ONE PERCENT. SO RIGHT NOW WE DO 10 PERCENT OF A DEFINED CONTRIBUTION, SEVEN PERCENT TOWARDS THEIR HEALTH CARE AND A ONE AND A HALF OR ONE POINT SEVENTY FIVE MULTIPLIER IN THEIR PENSION. AND IT'S VERY LUCRATIVE FOR THE FIREFIGHTER. IF INVESTED WELL OF OVER TWENTY FIVE YEARS, I THINK WE DID THE ANALYSIS. THEY CAN BECOME A MILLIONAIRE OVER THE TWENTY FIVE YEARS. I'M SWITCHING CAREERS THEN. YEAH. YEAH, ENCOURAGE HIM TO GO TO FIREFIGHTER AND PARAMEDIC SCHOOL. BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS IT USED TO, THAT'S NOT WHAT CONCERNS ME AT ALL. SO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THIS IS THERE. IT'S THE INTERNAL DEPARTMENT ASPECTS OF IT IS WHAT I HEARD YOUR CONCERN WAS. YEAH, IT IS A CONCERN. BUT THE ONE THING I WILL ALSO DO AND TRUSTEE SUNDLAND, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWER. I APPRECIATE THE TRUST YOU HAVE IN ME WITH THAT COMMENT, BUT I'M GOING TO TAKE BACK ALL THE COMMENTS THAT I RECEIVED THIS EVENING. AND IF IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE THIS IS A DIRECTION YOU WANT TO GO REGARDLESS IF YOU VOTE FOR IT OR NOT. IF THERE'S A REAL SENSE TO HAVE THIS ADDITIONAL STAFF, I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AND SIT DOWN AND FIGURE OUT MAYBE A BUDGET ADJUSTMENT BEFORE WE COME BACK ON THE TWENTY FIRST. IF THERE SEEMS TO BE, AND YOU MAY NOT EVEN NEED TO VOTE ON IT IF THERE JUST SEEMS TO BE GENERAL SUPPORT WITH WHERE TRUSTEE OPSOMMER IS INSTEAD OF LIKE DOING A DIVIDING, HAVING YOU KNOW, AND IN FACT, I LIKE THAT IDEA INSTEAD OF HALF FORCING SOMEONE TO VOTE [01:25:02] AGAINST ADDING A FIREFIGHTER, WHICH ISN'T A POPULAR DECISION, IF YOU ALL TELL ME THAT YOU HAVE GENERAL SUPPORT FOR DOING IN THIS DIRECTION, OR IF THE MAJORITY OF YOU, WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN AND THAT WON'T REQUIRE YOU THEN TO HAVE A PIT PEOPLE AGAINST PEOPLE AT A VOTE, I'D PREFER YOU DO IT THAT WAY. [INAUDIBLE] WE TAKE THE MAJORITY THAT IS [INAUDIBLE] MS. SUNDLAND AND I HAVE A DIFFERENT KIND OF PERSPECTIVE, PERHAPS BECAUSE WE WORK FOR THE STATE FROM BIG DEPARTMENTS. SO WE KNOW ABOUT HOW YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD TO BALANCE THE NEEDS OF VARIOUS DIVISIONS AND AND GROUPS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT SO THAT ONE MAY HAVE A NEED. BUT THEN WHEN YOU FILL THAT NEED, THERE'S OTHER NEEDS TO COME UP AND IT GETS VERY MESSY. MR. OPSOMMER. SO I JUST WANT TO PROVIDE A COUPLE OTHER FACTS FOR CONTEXT HERE, AND I APPRECIATE THAT WE CAN LEAVE IT TO THE BOARD'S DISCRETION. I DON'T WANT TO FORCE A VOTE ON ANYBODY, BUT I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT. SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT AND THERE'S BEEN EMAIL CHAINS, ET CETERA. THE MANAGER SENT EMAILS. THE TREASURER SENT EMAILS ABOUT HOW GREAT IT IS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER 11 PERCENT GROWTH AND NOBODY ELSE HAS IT RIGHT. WELL, THE CALL VOLUME DURING THAT SAME DECADE WENT UP TWENTY TWO PERCENT. SO THAT IS WHAT THE CHIEF IS TALKING ABOUT. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE AGE OF THE COMMUNITY, THE CALL VOLUME IS DOUBLING POPULATION GROWTH. OK, THAT IS AN IMPORTANT METRIC. FIRES ARE THEY DOUBLE IN SIZE EVERY TWO MINUTES? WELL, THE POPULATION GROWTH, TAKE THAT AND DOUBLE IT, AND THAT'S YOUR CALL GROWTH RIGHT NOW WITH BOTH AN AGING POPULATION AND THE PROBLEM, I WANT TO PUT THE OTHER THING THAT THE CHIEF TALKED ABOUT THAT MEMBERS ASKED ABOUT IN JUST THE PUREST OF TERMS. THESE FOR PROFIT HIRED AMBULANCE SERVICES. THEY PAY SO LITTLE, LITERALLY, NO ONE'S WORKING FOR THEM. THERE'S JUST NO ONE TO RUN AN AMBULANCE. AND THESE ARE NORMALLY THE CHEAPER BUS LOOKING AMBULANCES YOU'LL SEE LIKE RMS OR I FORGET THE THE LOCAL REGIONAL ONES THAT WILL DO THESE CONTRACTS WITH SOME OF THE SMALLER AND SOME OF THE LARGER, INDEPENDENT ASSISTED AND MEMORY CARE LIVING INSTITUTIONS. AND IT'S TO GIVE REASSURANCE TO LOVED ONES WHO ARE PLACING THEIR LOVED ONE THERE THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GOOD RESPONSE TIMES. WELL, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN'T EVEN THEY PAY SO LITTLE UNDER THOSE CONTRACTS. THEY CAN'T FIND ANYONE RIGHT NOW, AND THAT WAS THE PROBLEM THAT THE CHIEF WAS OUTLINING TO US LIKE TWO MEETINGS AGO. AND THAT'S WHY WE CREATED THE PARAMEDIC FIREFIGHTER PROGRAM IS BECAUSE WE'RE WE'RE FORECASTING THAT THIS OCCUPATION IS, YOU KNOW, SEEING SIMILAR PROBLEMS, BUT IT'S MOSTLY IN THAT PRIVATE SECTOR RIGHT. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR LIKE US, BUT WHEN THAT PRIVATE SECTOR CAN'T GET ANYONE TO RUN THOSE BUSSES, THOSE ARE CALL RUNS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE. SO AND MUTUAL AID, WE CAN END UP GOING PRETTY FAR. IF EAST LANSING RIGS AROUND RUNS AND STUFF, MUTUAL AID CAN GET PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE YOU CAN HAVE LONG, YOU KNOW, AREAS TO RUN AND HAVING NINE PEOPLE ON ACTIVE DUTY AT A GIVEN TIME ALLOWS US TO HAVE TWO TRUCKS STAFFED. SO IF THERE IS A FIRE, WE'D HAVE TWO TRUCKS. OTHERWISE, WE'RE REALLY JUST ROLLING THE DICE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO GO TO MUTUAL AID. WE HAVE TO GO TO MUTUAL AID OUT OF LIKE THE NORTHEAST, FORGET WHAT IT'S CALLED THE NORTHEAST INGHAM AMBULANCE SERVICE CENTER. I WROTE A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR THEIR GRANTS EARLIER THIS YEAR TO THE COUNTY FOR MY BOSS. BUT, YOU KNOW, MUTUAL AID, IF IT'S COMING TO US BECAUSE OUR FIRE TRUCK IS OUT ON A CALL IS NOT ANYWHERE NEAR US. THE CALL TIME IS GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOWHERE NEAR MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. SO JUST SOME OTHER FACTS, GIVEN THIS A LOT OF THOUGHT, AND I BROUGHT THIS UP LAST YEAR, AND MY POSITION IS THAT I REALLY BELIEVE WE NEED TO GET BACK TO 36 AND I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT BE A FOUR YEAR PROGRESSION. I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE QUICKER AND I THINK WE'RE WE'RE GROWING TOO FAST AND OUR POPULATION IS AGING TOO QUICKLY TO CONTINUE SUSTAINING THIS FEW OFFICERS OR THIS FEW PARAMEDICS FOR THIS KIND OF POPULATION, THANK YOU. [INAUDIBLE] I UNDERSTAND AND I'M NOT OPPOSED. MY POINT IS YOU, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES NOT WORK IN A VACUUM. THERE ARE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. YOU HAVE 13 DEPARTMENTS OR HOWEVER MANY DEPARTMENTS THERE ARE. YOU HAVE 11 PERCENT CENSUS GROWTH, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? THERE'S NO WAY YOU HAVE AN 11 PERCENT PERCENT PERCENTAGE GROWTH IN POPULATION AND THE ONLY EFFECT IS ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. GRANTED, MAYBE THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES THAT HAS PROVIDED DATA TO PROVE THAT THEY NEED ADDITIONAL STAFF. I DON'T KNOW THAT. I KNOW I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH MANAGER WALSH ABOUT MY, ABOUT MY DEPARTMENT AND OUR STAFF AND RECORDS AND THE VOTERS, HOW MANY REGISTERED VOTERS WE HAVE, YADA YADA. YOU KNOW, WE AGREED TO LOOK AT THAT AND INTO THE FUTURE, AND I GET THAT. [01:30:05] I UNDERSTAND THAT, I'M JUST I, MY POINT IS THAT THERE'S NOT A DEPARTMENT THAT'S THAT IS NOT GOING TO LOOK AT THIS AS THIS GROWTH OR THESE THINGS DON'T AFFECT US AS WELL. AND I'M IN SUPPORT OF STAFF INCREASES ALL AROUND AND I'M IN SUPPORT OF THIS ONE. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLEAR THAT I DON'T KNOW IF I'M MAKING MYSELF CLEAR THAT I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE DATA ALL AROUND FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL, NOT JUST THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MAKES SENSE. THAT'S THE BOARD ALLOCATES FUNDING HERE IN THE TOWNSHIP AND SO BOARD MEMBERS CAN BRING ITEMS FORWARD . I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE OTHER REQUESTS THAT WERE ACQUIESCED. RIGHT. WELL. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE MANAGER IS USING THIS HEARING AS A CHANCE TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE BOARD AND IS WILLING TO COME BACK WITH THE REVISED BUDGET. WE'LL LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY OF THAT, AN ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC. OUR POPULATION INCREASE IS IS SIGNIFICANT. WE SHOULD BE PROUD OF THAT. WE SHOULD ALSO REALIZE THAT THE NUMBER ONE RATED SERVICE OF OUR RESIDENTS IS OUR POLICE AND FIRE SERVICES. I HAVE A FATHER IN LAW WHO PASSED AWAY FIVE MONTHS AGO, AND HE HAD SEVERAL ENCOUNTERS WITH OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, RESCUING HIM AND OR RESCUING HIM, GETTING HIM BACK ON HIS FEET WHEN HE HAD FALLEN TO THE GROUND AND NO ONE ELSE WAS THERE. OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES THAT DOZENS AND DOZENS OF TIMES EVERY DAY. IT IS THE TOWNSHIP FOR MANY, MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS, MANY OF OUR RETIRED OR ELDERLY RESIDENTS AS WELL. AND I DON'T THINK ANYONE ON THIS BOARD DOUBTS HOW IMPORTANT THOSE BRAVE AND KIND OF PARAMEDICS AND FIREFIGHTERS ARE OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY. THEY ARE AN IMPORTANT SERVICE AND SOMETHING THAT OUR TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS ARE COUNTING ON. SO I THINK WE'VE GOT A GOOD PATH FORWARD FROM HERE BASED ON THE MANAGER'S COMMENTS. [INAUDIBLE] THANK YOU. ANOTHER ISSUE? WE'LL GO TO JACKSON NEXT, TRUSTEE JACKSON, THANK YOU. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT ARE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT AND SOME OF THEM ARE JUST INFORMATION. I NEED TO UNDERSTAND SOME THINGS BEFORE I CAN MAKE A PERSONAL JUDGMENT ABOUT THE VALUE OF THESE THINGS TO THE COMMUNITY. PROBABLY FOR A LONG TIME, I HAVE WONDERED WHAT IS A SUPPORT HELPDESK AN I.T. SUPPORT HELP DESK? WHAT DOES IT DO AND WHY DOES IT COST $36000 A YEAR? YEAH, SO THIS IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING WE JUST INSTITUTED IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, AND IT HASN'T RECEIVED THE TRACTION THAT I'VE HOPED IT HAS. WE NEED TO DO BETTER IN INFORMING ALL OF OUR USERS, BUT WHAT IT IS IS IT'S THROUGH LOGICALIS. IT'S A CONTRACT THAT WE SIGNED WITH THEM. AND LET'S SAY YOU'RE HAVING AN ISSUE AT YOUR DESK WITH YOUR COMPUTER. IT CAN BE A VARIETY OF ISSUES. YOU CAN CALL THIS NUMBER. AND INSTEAD OF CALLING ON OUR THREE STAFF PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE IN THE IT DEPARTMENT, YOU CAN CALL AND GET ASSISTANCE THROUGH LOGICALIS THROUGH THE HELP DESK. AND SO THIS IS A CONTRACTED FIRM THAT UNDERSTANDS ALL OF THE SOFTWARE AND ALL OF THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE AND IS ON CALL, WHAT, TWENTY FOUR SEVEN? I BELIEVE IT'S TWENTY FOUR SEVEN. YEAH, YEAH. WELL, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR OUR STAFF, RIGHT USERS OF OUR SYSTEM, RIGHT. AND SO ONE OF THE HICCUPS THAT I WON'T CALL IT A HICCUP. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE FOR ME IS THE TIME IT'S TAKEN FROM WHEN WE SIGNED THE CONTRACT TO WHEN USERS CAN START USING THE SYSTEM BECAUSE THERE IS THAT TIME WHERE THEY HAVE TO LEARN OUR SYSTEM AND ALL OF THAT STUFF. SO IT'S OFF TO A START, I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU IT'S OFF TO A ROARING START, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT'S FOR. AND AGAIN, LOOKING AT IT STAFFING AND WHERE WE'RE AT, DO WE ADD A FOURTH PERSON AT 70 OR NINETY THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR, OR DO WE BRING IN LOGICALIS FOR [01:35:07] HELPDESK? AND THOSE ARE THE KIND OF DECISIONS WE MAKE AND TAKING IN EVERYTHING IN CONSIDERATION. OK, THAT HELPS. THANK YOU. DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER ONE MS. JACKSON? I DO, SO THE PAYMENT FOR THE DANIELS DRAIN AND GOING THROUGH THE BUDGET, THERE IS A OH, WHAT DID IT COST? THERE IS A FUND WHERE YOU'RE WE APPARENTLY PAY THE DRAIN COMMISSIONER FOR SEVERAL DIFFERENT KINDS OF DRAINS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. MM HMM. WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ALLOCATION IS THE AMOUNT THAT IS IN THIS BUDGET IS AN INSTALLMENT ON THE FINAL COSTS OR OR AN INSTALLMENT ON THE 50 PERCENT THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAS AGREED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS. IS THAT HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG HERE. BUT THE THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND IS OUR WOULD BE ON OUR ANNUAL PAYMENT, AND HALF OF THAT IS IN THE REVENUE SIDE, WHICH WOULD BE THE ONE SEVENTY FIVE IS IN THERE. THAT'S IN THERE, BUT THE BOARD, IT'S A POLICY DECISION, NOT MINE, NOT MR. PERRY'S. AND WE'RE STILL WAITING TO GET THAT THROUGH WITH THE BOARD ABOUT WHAT PERCENTAGE YOU WANT TO DO. BUT IT'S BEEN SUGGESTED THAT FIFTY ON THIS PARTICULAR BECAUSE IT'S A CHAPTER 20 DRAIN AS I UNDERSTAND IT, WHICH COULD FALL ACTUALLY ALL ON THE TOWNSHIP. SO 50 PERCENT IS A GOOD NUMBER, I BELIEVE, AND THAT'S WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET THREE FIFTY FOR OUR FIRST INSTALLMENT, BUT IT'LL BE THREE FIFTY FOR MANY YEARS AND THEN THE ONE SEVENTY FIVE IS THE REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE 50 PERCENT FOR THE RESIDENTS. SO THE 350 AND INSTALLMENT, WE'RE ASSUMING TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WHOLE BILL WITH THE EXPECTATION OUR BY, I GUESS, A CONTRACT WITH THE RESIDENTS AND THOSE WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS, THAT HALF OF THAT WILL COME BACK TO THE TOWNSHIP. YEAH, IT'LL BE SET UP AS A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT. OK, WE MAKE THE PAYMENT. WE COLLECT HALF. OK, THIS IS A 20 YEAR AGREEMENT WE'RE SETTING UP, I THINK SO BY THIS BY THIS DESIGN? YEP. OK, I'LL YIELD FOR THE MOMENT. YIELD TO YOUR FRIEND [INAUDIBLE] WE MADE SOME PROMISES, PROMISES ABOUT POLICE AND FIRE PENSIONS IN 2017, VERY SPECIFIC PROMISES AND WE'RE ON TRACK TO MEET THOSE. WE MADE VERY SPECIFIC PROMISES ON ROADS AND WE'RE ON TRACK TO MEETING THOSE. THIS BOARD HAS HAD SOME LOFTY GOALS AND WE FORTUNATELY HAVE THE REVENUE TO MEET THOSE GOALS AND STAY WITHIN OUR MEANS AT THE SAME TIME AND TRUSTEE OPSOMMER MENTIONED STILL ADD TO OUR TO OUR RAINY DAY FUND AS WELL OUR RESERVE ACCOUNTS. THAT YOU DID MENTION ALLOCATION TO COMMUNITY GARDENS, MEALS ON WHEELS, COMMUNITY BAND, QUANTAS, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. THESE AREN'T DONATIONS, CORRECT? THESE ARE, WE ARE GIVING THESE COMMUNITY GROUPS MONEY FOR SPECIFIC SERVICES. YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ON HOW THOSE WORK? YEAH, SO UNDER THE IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL FOR US JUST TO GIVE MONEY TO MEALS ON WHEELS OR ILLEGAL JUST TO THERE HAS TO BE A COMMUNITY, A PUBLIC BENEFIT, I THINK IS THE TERM LEGALLY. AND SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE LETTERS WRITTEN IN AGREEMENTS WITH, I BELIEVE, MEALS ON WHEELS, THE BAND, LAKE LANSING, KIWANIS AND OTHERS FOR THE SERVICES THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING TO THE COMMUNITY. HERE'S RE-NUMERATION FROM THE TOWNSHIP, FOR THOSE PUBLIC BENEFITS THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. AND UNDER THE UNDERLYING REVENUE, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE EXPECTED INCREASE IN ASSESSMENTS IS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF PERCENT BASED ON WHAT WE EXPECT THE STATE TO PEG THAT INFLATION RATE. TAXES CAN ONLY GO UP BECAUSE OF PROPOSAL A FIVE PERCENT OR THE OR THE CURRENT RATE OF INFLATION. RIGHT. SO TWO AND A HALF PERCENT IS THAT NUMBER. YES. AND I THINK IT COULD ACTUALLY BE HIGHER, BUT WE DON'T KNOW THAT UNTIL WE ACTUALLY SEE THE NUMBER. BUT TWO AND A HALF PERCENT, I THINK, IS A SAFE NUMBER FOR JULY AND AUGUST, ANNUAL INFLATION RATE WAS PEGGED AT FIVE POINT ONE PERCENT. SO MANY ECONOMISTS ARE WORRIED THAT WE MAY HAVE INFLATION AGAIN, SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE THE 80S EARLY 80S, WHICH IS THE WHOLE PROBLEM IN AND OF ITSELF. [01:40:01] ALTHOUGH IT DOES IT CAUSE IT DOES HELP OUT WITH TAX REVENUE, BUT IT CREATES SO MANY OTHER PROBLEMS, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT WORTH THAT TRADE OFF. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS, THANK YOU. YEAH, IF YOU TAKE IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE WAY [INAUDIBLE] THE MANAGER IS STILL ADDRESSING TREASURER DESCHAINE. OH I'M SORRY, DIDN'T HEAR IT. AND THAT'S OK, THIS SYSTEM IS WORKING WELL TONIGHT. IT'S JUST IF YOU JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THIS BUDGET IN FRONT OF YOU, AND I KNOW YOU HAVEN'T DONE BUDGETS FOR OTHER COMMUNITIES, BUT I WILL TELL YOU WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU THIS EVENING WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE INVESTING IN FROM WARNING SIRENS, TO RADARS, TO TREADMILLS AND THE FUND BALANCE YOU HAVE WHAT'S BEFORE YOU TONIGHT, AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE WORK OF MYSELF AT ALL, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE WORK OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, RIGHT. WHAT'S BEFORE YOU TONIGHT'S REALLY EXCEPTIONAL, IT REALLY IS. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. [INAUDIBLE] T HIS IS CLEARLY A VERY THOUGHTFUL AND INTENTIONAL BUDGET. AND I AGREE THAT YOU'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB. I HAVE JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. SO IN THE PAST, WE'VE HAD EITHER A TREES GRANT OR A GREEN GRANT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND OUR TREES, I KNOW WE'RE WELL RESPECTED AMONGST THE COMMUNITY. I THINK TREASURER HEADED UP THE INITIAL TREES GRANT AND I THINK WE HAD 30 LARGE TREES IN OVER A THOUSAND SEEDLINGS THAT WERE DISTRIBUTED. THOSE MOST OF THE LARGE TREES WERE AT THE OKEMOS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTH OR NORTH PART OF OUR TOWNSHIP AND MAYBE HASLETT PUBLIC SCHOOLS IF THEY'RE INTERESTED AND OR THIS YEAR WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL GREEN GRANTS. SO WE LEFT IT UP TO THE COMMUNITY TO DECIDE WHAT THEY THOUGHT MAYBE WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE TO INVEST IN OUR ENVIRONMENT. AND SO WE HAVE TWO RIGHT NOW ONE AT HASLETT MIDDLE SCHOOL THAT'S DOING AN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM AND THEN THE RADMOOR MONTESSORI SCHOOLS ALSO UPGRADING THEIR OUTDOOR CLASSROOM. SO I'M WONDERING, I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN THE BUDGET AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN REALLY WELL RECEIVED AND I THINK IT'S DONE REALLY GREAT THINGS FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO I WOULD RECOMMEND ADDING THAT 10000 BACK INTO THE BUDGET, WHETHER IT BE FOR GREEN GRANTS OR TREES SPECIFICALLY. I THINK IT REALLY JUST ADDS TO THAT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMPONENT OF OUR BOTH OUR GOALS AND OF OUR BUDGET. WOULD YOU SUGGEST THAT THAT TEN THOUSAND BE EARMARKED TO A TREE PROGRAM OR TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION? WHAT WOULD BE YOUR SUGGESTION? YOU KNOW, JUST BASED ON THE INTEREST THAT WE HAD IN GREEN GRANTS, I THINK THE COMMISSION MAY LIKE IT TO BE OPEN SO THAT THEY COULD DETERMINE AMONG THEMSELVES WHAT MIGHT BE BEST AND OPEN THAT UP TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY CAN TELL US MORE. SO TEN THOUSAND TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION FOR A GREEN PROJECT, GREEN PROJECT, OK, WE'LL NOTE THAT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, I HAVE ONE OTHER REQUEST. AGAIN, SIGNIFICANT LIKE ALL THE INCREASE TO THE LEDS UPGRADING THE HVAC SYSTEM, I MEAN, GOING THROUGH THE FIVE COMPONENTS OF OUR CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN, YOU'VE JUST DONE A FANTASTIC JOB OF OF HITTING MOST OF THOSE ADDING ELECTRIC VEHICLES, JUST UPGRADES TO THE RECYCLING CENTER. ONE THING THAT WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO DEVELOP IS WETLANDS EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH STAFF, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION A LOT OF THAT CAN BE DONE WITHOUT A TON OF MONEY, JUST TIME. BUT THERE WILL BE SOME SORT OF COST ASSOCIATED, WHETHER IT BE PRINTING OR MAYBE SOCIAL MEDIA, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO I'M WONDERING IF WE CAN'T MAKE A SMALL REQUEST FOR THAT ANYWHERE BETWEEN LIKE THREE TO $5000 TO SUPPORT THAT? YEAH, IF YOU COULD PUT THAT IN AN EMAIL TO ME, WE'LL CERTAINLY CONSIDER IT. OK, YEAH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OK, WAS SOMEONE ELSE BEFORE WE GO TO MR. OPSOMMER? [INAUDIBLE] THANK YOU, MR. SUPERVISOR, MANAGER WALSH, I WAS JUST HOPING YOU COULD GIVE SOME MORE DETAIL ON THE IT INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A KEY PRIORITY OF THE BUDGET. I'VE BEEN PART OF SOME OF THE MEETINGS THAT HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING, AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT THE SCOPE OF THAT IS, OBVIOUSLY. FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT AND SERVERS AND WHATNOT DOESN'T GO VERY FAR. SO WHAT IS THE BIG PICTURE OVERVIEW ON THAT LINE ITEM AND IS IT REALLY SUFFICIENT OR DO YOU VIEW THIS AS A FIRST YEAR FOR A MULTI-YEAR INVESTMENT? [01:45:01] YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO FUDGE IT. I DON'T KNOW. I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE'VE INTERVIEWED CONSULTANTS TO COME IN HERE. OUR SYSTEM IS ANTIQUATED, AND I WOULD SAY IT'S FAILING, BUT I DON'T KNOW A WHOLE LOT ABOUT IT. I JUST KNOW I SEE ALL THE ISSUES THAT ARE GOING ON, AND I WANT TO ADDRESS IT AND ADDRESS IT FOR ALL THE DEPARTMENTS BECAUSE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS ARE STRUGGLING WITH OUR INFRASTRUCTURE WITH IT. THAT'S NOT TO SAY TO CASTIGATE ANY PERSON OR ANY ANYBODY IN OUR ORGANIZATION. WE JUST HAVE AN OLD SYSTEM. IT'S LIKE THE OLD CARPET WE USED TO HAVE, THIS ROOM USED TO LOOK TERRIBLE, AND WE'VE UPGRADED. WE SPENT A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS. WE'VE UPGRADED, THIS ROOM LOOKS BETTER. YOU'VE GOT TO INVEST IN YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE. WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'VE INTERVIEWED TWO FIRMS NOW AND WE REALLY LIKE ONE OF THE FIRMS. THAT FIRM IS OUT OF BRIGHTON. AND WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO COME IN AND DO A COMPLETE ANALYSIS, AN UNBRIDLED ANALYSIS WITH CONTROL OF NO ONE. NO ONE IS GOING TO BE IN CONTROL OF THIS REVIEW. THEY'RE GOING TO BE GIVING UNFETTERED ACCESS TO EVERYTHING WE HAVE IN OUR IT DEPARTMENT. AND I DON'T, I AM TALKING ABOUT STUFF I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT, BUT SWITCHES AND AND SERVERS AND ALL THAT STUFF IN OUR I.T. DEPARTMENT, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE LINES, OUR FIBER AND DS LINES, ALL THAT STUFF THAT I'VE HEARD ABOUT THAT I REALLY GOES OVER MY HEAD, BUT I KNOW WHAT I KNOW WHEN I HAVE A PROBLEM THAT I DO KNOW AND I KNOW HOW TO FIX PROBLEMS. SO I WILL TELL YOU, THOUGH INTERESTING ENOUGH TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY. TRUSTEE THE COMPANY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, THAT'S GOING TO COME IN AND THEY'RE GIVING US A PROPOSAL AT THE END OF THIS WEEK, AND IT'LL TAKE ABOUT 10 TO 12 WEEKS TO COMPLETE THEIR ANALYSIS AND GIVE US A BLUEPRINT FOR GOING FORWARD. I ASKED THEM, WHAT'S OUR SYSTEM NEEDS HELP, WE'VE GOT PEOPLE WHO CAN'T EVEN ACCESS THE GET INTERNET SERVICE IN THE BUILDING, AND THEY SAID, WELL, WE'D BALLPARK YOUR NEED AT ABOUT FOUR, ROUGHLY FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. THAT'S THE NUMBER THEY GAVE US. THE FIVE HUNDRED I JUST TOOK OUT OF THE AIR A FEW WEEKS AGO TO PUT IN THERE AS A START. AND WE COULD HAVE A SECOND REQUEST IN 2023. BUT THIS IS A START TO OVERHAUL THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. WE WANT TO TAKE OUR SYSTEM FROM A C MINUS D PLUS TO A B PLUS A MINUS. WE WANT TO REALLY HAVE A GREAT I.T. INFRASTRUCTURE HERE THAT SERVES EVERYONE WELL. SO WHEN IS THAT REPORT DUE AND WILL IT HAVE A RECOMMENDATION ON THE TIMELINE? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN'T, YOU KNOW, UPDATING THE WIRELESS SYSTEM IS ONE THING, THAT'S ONE PROJECT, BUT REPLACING EQUIPMENT IS DONE STAGGERED OVER TIME. SO WE'LL HAVE LIKE A TIMETABLE AND WE'LL HAVE ESTIMATED COST. YEAH, THEY ESTIMATE THAT THEIR STUDY IS GOING TO COST APPROXIMATELY THIRTY FIVE TO FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. WILL THEY PRODUCE A NUMBER FOR US? RIGHT, AND THEN WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO AT THE END OF THAT TIME STUDY IS TO PROVIDE US A BLUEPRINT FOR GOING FORWARD. YOU WANT TO GET TO AN A-MINUS SYSTEM. HERE'S EVERYTHING, EVERY SWITCH YOU NEED TO TAKE, EVERY SERVER YOU NEED TO BUY AND EVERY LINE YOU NEED TO CHANGE, THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE US ALL OF IT, THE SWOT ANALYSIS, RIGHT? AND THAT'LL LAY IT ALL OUT AND THEN WE WILL IMMEDIATELY, OF COURSE, IF THIS BUDGET GETS APPROVED, WE WILL IMMEDIATELY START EMBARKING ON FINISHING THAT. MY HOPE IS THAT A YEAR FROM NOW, WHEN WE'RE DELIVERING THE BUDGET, WE HAVE A UNPARALLELED IT SYSTEM. BUT THIS COMPANY IS GOING TO GIVE US WHAT WE NEED FROM A TO Z. OK, SO I SUPPORT ANY, YOU KNOW, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THAT REVIEW COMPLETED AND LOOK FORWARD TO THAT INFORMATION THAT IT YIELDS AND SUPPORT WHATEVER IS NECESSARY. YOU KNOW, I.T. COSTS ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE DRAMATICALLY. SO WE MIGHT AS WELL SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, OUR WORKFORCE. AND IT'S A LOT OF LOST PRODUCTIVITY CAN OCCUR WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE GOOD I.T., SO I SUPPORT WHATEVER IS NEEDED TO MAKE THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT. THANK YOU, YOU'LL ALL GET A COPY OF THAT WHEN WE RECEIVE THE REPORT. ALRIGHTY, MS. JACKSON WAS THAT YOUR HAND I SEE? YES, MR. WALSH IN YOUR EARLIER PRESENTATION, YOU LISTED BROADBAND AS REFERRED TO BROADBAND AS ONE OF OUR EARLIER GOALS FOR THIS YEAR. AND YET, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOTHING IN THE NEW BUDGET AND NOTHING IN YOUR RECOUNTING OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR IN THIS YEAR ABOUT BROADBAND. SO AND I'M PRETTY SURE I KNOW WHY. BUT CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT? SURE, I WAS, IN FACT, KIND OF STRUCK BY YOUR DESCRIPTION OF WHERE YOU ARE IN RELATIVE TO SOLVING THE I.T. PROBLEM, AND I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS A SIMILAR DESCRIPTION ABOUT WHERE WE ALL ARE RELATIVE TO ADDRESSING THE BROADBAND PROBLEM. [01:50:02] YEAH, WE'RE I WOULD SAY WE'RE NOT AS FAR ALONG WITH THE BROADBAND AS WE ARE WITH I.T., ALTHOUGH ONE COULD CALL THOSE THE SAME. BUT WE'RE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY GETTING A SURVEY STARTED, MANAGER PERRY IS WORKING WITH MR. TODD OVER AT THE COUNTY OF THE ADMINISTRATOR. I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE WAY I SEE THINGS COMING OUT, OF COURSE, IS A POLICY DECISION. BUT WHATEVER WE DECIDE, WHATEVER THE BOARD DECIDES TO DO WITH BROADBAND, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO COME FROM ARP FUNDING BECAUSE THE ARP FUNDING CLEARLY CALLS OUT BROADBAND. SO THAT'S THE PATH TO GET US THERE AS I SEE IT, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT'S GOING TO BE ALL ABOUT. BUT WE'RE GOING TO BRING IN THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO WORK WITH US ON THAT. CHRIS, MANAGER WALSH, THE I.T. INFRASTRUCTURE IS THAT JUST FOR THIS BUILDING OR IS THAT ALSO ADDRESS ISSUES OUT AT THE HARRIS NATURE CENTER AND OTHER BUILDINGS THAT THE TOWNSHIP OWNS? ALL BUILDINGS, I THINK IT'S SIX OR SEVEN BUILDINGS WE TALK TO THEM ABOUT. OK, CAN YOU CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE $2 MILLION FOR THE PEKA ZONES, WHAT THAT DOES? YEAH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE IT, I WISH I HAD MORE ANSWERS FOR YOU THIS EVENING. I HAVE A VISION, BUT I DON'T REALLY HAVE A LOT OF ANSWERS. THE PEKA, I'VE BEEN THERE, YEAH, SO NO WORRIES. THE PEKAS AREN'T MOVING ALONG AS FAST AS WE'D LIKE THEM TO. AND THEY'RE REALLY IMPORTANT TO THIS COMMUNITY. AND SO I THOUGHT UPPING THE GAME A LITTLE BIT AND HAVING MORE FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP MIGHT TRIGGER THE DEVELOPMENT QUICKER THAN IF WE DIDN'T. SO THAT'S JUST A BALLPARK. WHETHER IT GETS USED OR NOT IS A WHOLE NOTHER SUBJECT. BUT I THOUGHT JUST BY INCREASING IT SIGNIFICANTLY, IT MIGHT TRIGGER MORE DEVELOPMENT QUICKLY IN THOSE TWO AREAS. OK, AND CAN YOU TELL ME WHY THIS IS PROBABLY A SUPER SIMPLE ANSWER WAY EASIER FOR YOU THAN THE I.T. INFRASTRUCTURE, WHY MORE MONEY IS BEING ADDED TO THE ROAD MILLAGE? YEAH, IS THERE A SPECIFIC REASON WHY MORE MONEY IS BEING ADDED ON TOP OF THE MONEY THAT WE PUT INTO THE ROAD MILLAGE FOR THE ROADS? I GUESS. YEAH, IT'S MY QUESTION. YEAH, I'M SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE ROAD MILLAGE ALLOCATION FOR 2022 IS SIMILAR TO 2021. IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME. IT'S THE TWO EIGHTY PLUS THE ONE SEVENTY TWO FIVE PLUS THE THREE AND A HALF MILLION. TWO YEARS AGO THAT 280 WAS FOR A LONG TIME OUR COMMITMENT WAS TWO FIFTY BUT LAST YEAR WE INCREASED THAT, I THINK, TO 280. SO IT'S THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS MORE ON A $4 MILLION BUDGET. YEAH, BUT IT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE JUST TO BECAUSE THE REASON WE DID THAT IS BECAUSE WE TOOK A LOOK AT WHAT THE COST IS FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO DO THE WORK. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD ENOUGH MONEY IN THERE TO PAY JUST TO KEEP OUR PROMISE ABOUT ALL THE ADMINISTRATION COMING FROM A SEPARATE POT AND NOT THE THREE FIFTY. SO THAT TWO FIFTY AND ONE SEVENTY TWO FIVE PAYS FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROJECT OF THE ROADS AND WE USE AN ENGINEERING FIRM, I BELIEVE THEY'RE OUT OF MONROE FOR THAT. OK AND THEN IN REGARDS TO THE THE WATER SEWER RATES, DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY SORT OF SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE NEAR FUTURE SINCE WE ARE SO MUCH LOWER THAN ALL THE OTHER COMMUNITIES? I THINK ALL IS THE CORRECT TERM, CORRECT OR MOST. AGAIN, THE ONLY CAUTION I WOULD DO WITH THAT IS WHEN YOU COMPARE RATES, YOU REALLY DO HAVE TO DO A DEEPER DIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW YOU CAN HAVE LOW RATES BUT NOT INVEST IN YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE. THAT'S NOT THE CASE IN MERIDIAN. WE'RE FORTUNATE TO WHERE WE ARE INVESTING EACH YEAR, IN FACT, USUALLY TO THE TUNE OF A HALF MILLION DOLLARS ON OUR CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE. BUT BACK TO YOUR QUESTION ON RATES, WE ARE RECOMMENDING TWO PERCENT ON WATER AND TWO PERCENT ON SEWER FOR THE 2022 BUDGET. OK, THANK YOU, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION, I THINK WE FIND IT. OH, I'M SORRY, I LIED, I HAVE TWO MORE, I HAVE A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS. THE THOUSAND DOLLAR RETENTION PAYMENT JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, I MAY HAVE ASKED THE SET OF I DON'T KNOW IF I ASKED THIS BEFORE. WHY A THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DECEMBER 2022 AND NOT DECEMBER 2021? WELL, TWO REASONS, ONE, THIS IS THE 2022 BUDGET, SO WHATEVER YOU APPROVE SHOULDN'T BE EXPENDED UNTIL 2022 TO KEEP THINGS ON THE UP AND UP. AND SECOND OF ALL, IF IT'S TRULY A RETENTION PAYMENT, LET'S GET PEOPLE TO STAY. IT MIGHT BE A TRIGGER FOR SOMEONE TO STAY UNTIL NEXT DECEMBER. [01:55:02] OK, AND THEN THE HSA ACCOUNTS, THERE ARE TWO DEPOSITS THAT GO INTO STAFF'S HSA ACCOUNTS ONE IN JANUARY, ONE IN JULY. IS THERE A REASON WHY IT'S SPLIT THAT WAY? THEY'RE LIKE SOME KIND OF STATE MANDATE OR SOMETHING OR... NO, I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S A STATE MANDATE. JUST WHAT WE'VE DONE FOR, I THINK, 10 OR 15 OR WHATEVER, EVERY SINCE PA152 CAME OUT, WE MAKE THE PAYMENTS IN JANUARY AND JUNE OR JANUARY AND JULY, AND IT'S BASED ON EXPERIENCE. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT 2022'S NUMBER WILL BE UNTIL SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, THE END OF SEPTEMBER INTO OCTOBER WHEN WE GET OUR EXPERIENCE RATES BACK FROM [INAUDIBLE]. WE'RE SELF-FUNDED, OUR HEALTH CARE IS SELF-FUNDED. WE MADE THAT MOVE ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO AND IT HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT, SIGNIFICANT GOOD DEAL FOR THE TOWNSHIP. I THINK WE'RE ABOUT A MILLION THREE THAT WE'VE SAVED BY BEING SELF-FUNDED OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS THAN PAYING A PREMIUM TO WAS A GREAT DECISION BY OUR STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD. SO WE DO THE PAYMENTS AT THAT TIME. I THINK IT'S JUST A SPREAD IT OUT. AND ALSO ONE OF THE REASONS THAT SPREAD OUT, MADAM CLERK, IS THAT IF YOU FRONTLOAD IT IN ALL TO SOMEONE, SOMEONE COULD BE HERE IN JANUARY AND RETIRE AND THEY GET THE FULL HSA AND THEN YOU'RE PAYING SOMEBODY WHO COMES ON, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAD TO RETAIN SOME OF OUR, I THINK, 13 AND A HALF PERCENT. WE HAD TO RETAIN AROUND THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS OF OUR HSA TO PAY FOR NEW PEOPLE WHO COME ON DURING THE YEAR. KIND OF MAKES SENSE, AND THEN LASTLY, IN REGARDS TO THE IT HELPDESK, I MEAN, I GUESS IT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION THAT IF THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THE STAFF IS UTILIZING, THAT'S ADVANTAGEOUS ACROSS THE BOARD. I GUESS MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO, I DON'T KNOW, POSSIBLY, YOU KNOW, HAVE A PHONE PERSON, TAKE ALL THE PHONE CALLS AND AND BE A FLOATER ADMINISTRATIVE PERSON TO HELP EVERYONE OR AN ADDITIONAL AN ACTUAL PHYSICAL PERSON THAT'S HERE IN THE BUILDING. I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS TO THE TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATION TO HAVE PEOPLE PHYSICALLY HERE IN THE BUILDING. AND SO THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION IF THAT CONTRACT IS FAILING THAT THIS BOARD, CONSIDER LOOKING AT HAVING SOMEONE HERE IN THE BUILDING THAT CAN ANSWER PHONE CALLS THAT CAN ASSIST OTHER STAFF ACROSS ALL OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. AND THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I COMMENTS QUESTIONS. YEAH, THANK YOU, WE HAVE TO GIVE THE THE HELPDESK A CHANCE TO SUCCEED. IT'S JUST BRAND NEW. RIGHT, WHAT I SAID IN THE BEGINNING WAS IF IT'S FAILING AND NOT WORKING THAT IT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION TO LOOK AT DOING THAT. THANK YOU. [INAUDIBLE] THANK YOU. KNOW WHAT'S MISSING, RIGHT NOW, WE SHOULD BE, WE HAVE THAT BIG CONDENSER GO ON UP IN THE ATTIC, OK. BECAUSE THE ROOM GOT TOO HOT, ALL RIGHT. AND I BRING THAT UP BECAUSE THAT'S AN INVESTMENT WE'VE MADE. WE NOW HAVE A BUILDING WITH EXCELLENT AC AND HVAC. TWO POINT TWO MILLION DOLLARS PAID IN CASH. NO DEBT FOR THE TOWNSHIP. WE FORGET HOW WELL WE'RE DOING. YEAH, I MEAN, I'M EXPECTING THAT THING TO COME ON ANY MINUTE NOW, I'LL START SCREAMING. REGARDING WATER AND SEWER RATES WE DO HAVE THE BEST RATES IN, BUT MY OFFICE IS RIGHT OUTSIDE WHERE ALL THOSE WATER AND SEWER CALLS AND NO ONE CALLS UP TO SAY, MAN, YOUR RATES ARE LOW I CAN'T WAIT TO PAY MY BILL. THEY CALL UP AND OUR CALLS ARE EVERY BIT AS DEMANDING AS A [INAUDIBLE] OF WATER AND LIGHT, WILLIAMSTON PEOPLE THAT CHARGE TWO AND THREE TIMES WE DO. SO OUR RESIDENTS DON'T THINK THEY'RE GETTING THE BEST. THEY ARE GETTING A GOOD DEAL BECAUSE WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT SYSTEM. BUT OUR RESIDENTS THINK THEY'RE PAYING AS MUCH AS THEY WANT TO PAY FOR THAT. SO WE NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. TWO PERCENT IS A REASONABLE INCREASE. I DO WANT TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT I.T., I USED TO WORK FOR A FIRM THAT DID THE KIND OF WORK THE BRIGHTON FIRM DID TO COME IN AND DO THAT ANALYSIS. SO I KNOW LITTLE ABOUT THIS KIND OF STUFF. YOU KNOW, SOME AREAS OF I.T. MIGHT BE A C-MINUS, BUT OTHER PARTS OF OUR I.T. ARE B PLUS OR A MINUS OK. WE WE HAVE MADE GOOD CHOICES FOR THE VENDORS IN THE PAST. WE HAVE VERY RESPONSIVE STAFF THAT WHEN YOU MAKE A CALL, THEY'RE THERE AND THEY FIX ANY PROBLEMS WE HAVE IN THEIR BUILDING SO WE CAN DO BETTER. I KNOW THAT AND PARTICULARLY WITH THE WIRELESS, THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE A C MINUS, IF NOT A D, OUR WIRELESS COVERAGE IN THIS AREA. BUT WE DO HAVE A STRONG I.T. SERVICES IN THIS BUILDING AND OUR ISSUES FROM A MANAGEMENT POINT OF VIEW ARE, TO ME, MUCH MORE STAFFING LEVELS, WHICH WE'RE ALL STRUGGLING WITH MORE THAN THE FACT THAT OUR COMPUTERS AREN'T WORKING PROPERLY. THEY CAN DO BETTER, BUT GOOD CHOICES HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE PAST WITH I.T. WE CAN IMPROVE THAT SYSTEM, BUT IT'S NOT A SYSTEM ABOUT READY TO FAIL AND SHUT DOWN ANY MOMENT WE TALK WITH MANAGEMENT THIS MORNING ABOUT A NEW SQL SERVER WE'VE GOT UP AND GOING THAT'S CAUSED TO ALLOWED OUR MAIN APPLICATION BS&A SOFTWAREBE MUCH MORE RESPONSIVE THAN IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST. SO GOOD CHOICES HAVE BEEN MADE. [02:00:01] WE CAN DO BETTER AND WE WILL DO BETTER. BUT OUR SYSTEM WE HAVE NOW IN MANY AREAS IS CERTAINLY WELL ABOVE A C MINUS IN TERMS OF HOW I THINK OTHERS WOULD RATE IT. FOR EXAMPLE, WE USE BS&A SOFTWARE ACROSS THE ENTERPRISE HERE. MANY ORGANIZATIONS WILL PICK A VENDOR FOR THIS DEPARTMENT, A VENDOR FOR THIS DEPARTMENT AND A VENDOR FOR THIS DEPARTMENT. AND SO THEY HAVE ALL THESE SYSTEMS THAT ARE IN DON'T SPEAK TO EACH OTHER. SO THERE'S ALL THIS DATA THAT'S LOST BECAUSE THEIR SYSTEMS CAN'T HAND OFF DATA BACK AND FORTH. OUR I.T. DEPARTMENT HAS MADE IT WORK FOR ACCOUNTING, MADE IT WORK FOR TREASURE, MADE IT WORK FOR [INAUDIBLE], MADE IT WORK FOR PLANNING UPSTAIRS AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT SO THAT THE SYSTEMS CAN TALK AND SHARE DATA BACK AND FORTH. THAT'S EXCEPTIONAL. IT'S A HARDER ROAD TO GO BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS TO MAKE A COMPROMISE TO GIVE UP A LITTLE BIT, TO HAVE A UNIFIED SYSTEM. WE'VE ACHIEVED THAT HERE AT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. I MEAN, I COMMEND STEPHEN AND HIS WORK OVER THE YEARS TO MAKE THAT WORK. THAT'S EXCEPTIONAL, THAT WE'VE GOT A SYSTEM ENTERPRISE WISE, AND I HOPE WE BUILD ON THOSE STRENGTHS RATHER THAN THINKING, WELL, EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT NOW HAS TO BE THROWN OUT AND START OVER AGAIN. WE DON'T HAVE TO START OVER AGAIN. WE JUST HAVE TO BUILD ON OUR CURRENT STRENGTHS. WELL, I HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT, AND THAT'S NOT WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD BY OUR SENIOR LEADERSHIP. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF AREAS WHERE OUR SYSTEM REALLY NEEDS TO BE UPGRADED, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HIRING SOMEBODY, AND MAYBE WE DON'T NEED TO SPEND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. MAYBE IT'S TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND I'D BE, I'D BE SO HAPPY IF THAT HAPPENS, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE IT SO IT WORKS FOR EVERYONE, AND THEN IT'S THE TOP OF THE LINE, AND I HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT, MAYBE IT'S BETTER THAN WHAT WE ALL THINK, THAT'D BE GREAT. INAUDIBLE] BUDGET DISCUSSION. [INAUDIBLE] A LOT OF INFORMATION, A LOT OF THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER, INCLUDING POTENTIALLY ADDING MAYBE A FIRE PERSON. MR. OPSOMMER, DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE. TRUSTEE JACKSON DOES, AND THEN I DO. [INAUDIBLE] THIS IS JUST A COMMENT, AND RELATIVE TO THE FACT THAT THERE IS A TWO PERCENT RATE INCREASE, APPROXIMATELY TWO PERCENT RATE INCREASE FROM WATER AND SEWER AND STUDYING THAT IN THIS BUDGET, I SAW EVIDENCE OF INCREASES IN THE COST OF WATER. I SAW THAT IN THESE AMAZINGLY LOW RATES IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP COMPARED TO THESE OTHERS THAT WE'RE ALSO TAKING CARE OF THE STATE MANDATED UPGRADES IN THE SYSTEM. ALL OF THAT WHILE STILL MAINTAINING, AND SO I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY AT THIS POINT AN AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPLAUD THE MANAGEMENT OF THOSE SYSTEMS AND THOSE SERVICES AND THEIR OPERATION AND HOW WE PAY FOR WHAT WE GET. BUT I WAS REALLY SURPRISED AT SOME OF THE, IN ONE CASE, THERE WAS A FAIRLY LARGE INCREASE IN THE COST OF PERSONNEL IN ONE OF THESE SYSTEMS THAT FEEDS INTO THE WATER AND SEWER. ANOTHER, THERE WAS JUST ACTUALLY AN INCREASE IN THE COST OF THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT IS GOING TO BE DELIVERED. BUT APPARENTLY WE MANAGED OUR SYSTEM, OUR PARTICIPATION IN THESE SYSTEMS IN A WAY THAT A TWO PERCENT INCREASE, WHICH IS THE FIRST THERE WAS A CONSIDERABLE LENGTH OF TIME, WILL KEEP US ON TRACK TO TO PAY FOR WHAT WE GET IN THAT SYSTEM, SO THANK YOU . MR. OPSOMMER, THANK YOU MR. SUPERVISOR, I JUST WANTED TO SAY I ALSO SUPPORT TRUSTEE WISINSKI RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE GREEN GRANTS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND FOR WETLAND EDUCATION PROGRAMING. AND THEN I HAD TWO OTHER ITEMS BEFORE WE WRAP UP OUR DISCUSSION. THE FIRST OF WHICH IS SOLAR INVESTMENT, WHICH HASN'T BEEN TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT, BUT WE HAVE THREE CONSECUTIVE BUDGET YEARS IN WHICH WE'VE ALLOCATED FUNDS TOWARDS CAPITAL OUTLAY FOR SOLAR. THE MAJOR REASON BEING THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY A PART OF THE MASTER PLAN AND THE GOALS, THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN THAT WE ADOPTED AS A TOWNSHIP TO ACHIEVE RENEWABLE, I'M SORRY, 100 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2035. AND SO THE FIRST YEAR WAS IN 2019. WE BUDGETED 50000 FOR THE FIRST SOLAR ARRAY OUTSIDE THE TOWNSHIP HALL, AND WE DOUBLED THAT IN 2020 FOR THE SOLAR INVESTMENT THAT LARGELY TOOK PLACE AT THE SOUTH FIRE STATION ON THE ROOF AND ALSO THE RESTROOMS AT THE MARKETPLACE ON THE GREENS. [02:05:01] AND THEN LAST YEAR, OF COURSE, 100 PERCENT OF OUR $300000 INVESTMENT WENT TO THE SERVICE CENTER, WHICH IS NOW 100 PERCENT RENEWABLE, ROUGHLY. AND SO I WOULD PROPOSE THAT WE CONTINUE THE 2021 ALLOCATION SO THAT WE CONTINUE ON OUR PACE FOR 100 PERCENT RENEWABLE BY 2030. AND SO THAT'S THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND, SAME AS THE 2021 BUDGET. IT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET. [INAUDIBLE] THE BOARD HAS ALWAYS PUT THIS IN. BY THE WAY, I ALSO AGREE WITH THE ADDITION OF THE GREEN IDEA, THE GREEN MONEY TO FOR IT TO BE SPENT BY THE [INAUDIBLE] COMMISSION. AND I AM INCLINED TO KEEP OUR SOLAR MOVING. BUT I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE ISSUES AS TO WHERE WE GO NEXT IN TERMS OF ACTUALLY DEVELOPING THAT, AND MAYBE SOME TIME WAS NEEDED. HERE'S WHAT I WAS TOLD WHEN I ASKED ABOUT IT. MR. ROSS YOU WANT TO ELABORATE ON THAT. YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT, YOU KNOW, IT'S WE HAVE A LOFTY GOAL AND WE'RE WELL OVER HALF WAY OF MAKING THAT GOAL, BUT WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING EVERY YEAR. AND THIS YEAR WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE RECYCLING CENTER. WE'RE FOCUSING ON MAYBE AN ELECTRIC FLEET. WE'VE DONE HALF MILLION DOLLARS ROUGHLY OF SOLAR IN THE LAST THREE YEARS. AND WE THOUGHT THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE'VE GOT TO FIND A LOCATION AND PLUS WE HAVE BROADBAND, PLUS WE HAVE THE VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION ISSUES THAT WE HAVE AND WE'VE GOT A LOT ON OUR PLATE. AND WE THOUGHT IN 2022 WE WOULD TAKE A ONE YEAR HIATUS ON SOLAR AND FOCUS ON THE OTHER TWO AREAS THAT I MENTIONED. BUT IF WE CAN FIND A LOCATION, WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT IT, BUT WE JUST GOT TO BE CAREFUL. IF WE WERE GOING TO DO THAT, MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO LOWER THEIR REDEVELOPMENT FUND TO ONE POINT SEVEN MILLION INSTEAD OF TWO TO FIND A WAY. I THINK WE'RE AT A POINT OF SPENDING AND WE'VE ADDED SOME STUFF TONIGHT, POTENTIALLY, AND I THINK WE'RE AT OUR CEILING ON SPENDING. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO ADD A $300000 COST TO THE BUDGET PLUS FLEET PLUS MAYBE REDO OUR RECYCLING CENTER AND THEN DO THE GREEN STUFF AND THEN DO THAT, I THINK WE HAVE TO JUST TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND SAY, OK, WHAT CAN WE DO? AND IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT, WE NEED TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM A DIFFERENT PLACE. AND THAT'S IF WE CAN FIND A PLACE TO DO IT TO A SOLAR PROJECT OF THAT SIZE. MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A GOOD PLACE FOR THE NEXT CAPITAL OUTLAY ON SOLAR, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY HAS SOME USE 24 SEVEN, BUT PERHAPS NOT TO THE TUNE OF 300000. AND IF THERE'S, YOU KNOW, NO ADDITIONAL USE THAN THE REMAINING FUNDS WOULD LAPSE TO THE GENERAL FUND, CORRECT? CORRECT, THAT'S THE NO ONE'S TOLD ME THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT SOLAR ON THE POLICE STATION. BUT YEAH, IT COULD BE. YEAH, WELL, IT'S GOING TO BE DOING THE MOVING TOWARDS ELECTRIC VEHICLES, AND, YOU KNOW, SUSTAINABILITY IS MORE THAN JUST HOW WE POWER OUR LIGHTS, ET CETERA, ITS ENTIRE PACKAGE OF HOW WE RUN OUR TOWNSHIP. AND I THOUGHT WE WERE STILL MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION. WE STILL HAVE A NUMBER OF YEARS TO GET THERE AND WE COULD, I ENDED UP AGREEING WITH THE MANAGER FOR THE POINT OF VIEW THAT WE NEED TIME TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHERE TO GO NEXT WITH THE SOLAR. IN THE MEANTIME, WE'LL TAKE SOME OTHER STEPS THAT ARE ENVIRONMENTAL AND GREEN AND PART OF OUR SUSTAINABILITY. BUT I LEAVE IT TO THE BOARD. IF THERE ISN'T MONEY NEXT YEAR IN THE BUDGET FOR SOLAR, WE'RE STILL ON TRACK FOR 2035. OH YEAH, I THINK WE'RE AT SIXTY FIVE PERCENT, RIGHT? ROUGHLY, YEAH. CAN YOU SPEAK YOUR ANSWER INTO THE MICROPHONE, SO WHEN ZACH DOES THE MINUTES HE HAS, HE KNOWS WHAT TO TYPE, AND SO WE'RE STILL ON TRACK... WE HAVE ROOM AND IN THE TIMELINE TO, YOU KNOW, PUT OFF A PROJECT NEXT YEAR. YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE OTHER THING, TOO. I MEAN, EVERYONE LOVES DOING ALL THESE PROJECTS, BUT AS WE TALK ABOUT THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH CAPACITY INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES HAVE TO GET, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE THINGS DONE IN 12 MONTHS. SO JUST BE COGNIZANT OF THAT AND YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO, BUT WE WE DO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT GETTING EVERYTHING DONE IN THE YEAR. THANK YOU. MS. WISINSKI. THANK YOU SUPERVISOR, I WOULD ALSO SUPPORT WITH TRUSTEE OPSOMMER SAYS I'M HEARING WHAT THE MANAGERS ARE SAYING. I DO UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING IN ONE YEAR, SO MAYBE WE [02:10:03] NEED TO SCALE DOWN A LITTLE BIT. BUT I'D HATE TO LOSE THE MOMENTUM. WE'VE MADE SO MUCH PROGRESS WITH SOLAR AND LOSING THAT MOMENTUM, I THINK COULD REALLY BE DAMAGING CONSIDERING THE ENGINEERING FEAT THAT WE ARE. YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST IT'S SO EXCITING RIGHT NOW TO SEE HOW SOLAR IS ADVANCING SO VERY QUICKLY. SO I WOULD SUPPORT THAT EVEN IF IT'S NOT NECESSARILY 300000, THAT WE AT LEAST PUT SOME IN THE BUDGET SO THAT WE CAN KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING. AND MAYBE THAT'S JUST TO DEVELOP WHERE WE'RE GOING TO PUT IT NEXT. BUT I'D HATE TO SEE IT GO AWAY, MY THOUGHTS. CONTRACT OUT TO SOMEONE IN THE STAFFING SIDE, I AGREE WITH MANAGER PERRY, WE'RE REACHING OUR CEILING ON WHAT WE CAN DO, BUT WE'VE REACHED A CEILING ON OUR SPENDING AS WELL. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT AGAIN, IT'S A BOARD POLICY. IF YOU WANT TO HAVE SOLAR, WE CAN JUST LOOK AT ONE AREA. AND EVEN IF THE REDEVELOPMENT FUNDS A MILLION SEVEN, IT'S STILL UP A MILLION DOLLARS, RIGHT? WHAT WAS OUR RAINY DAY FUND? EIGHT MILLION. EIGHT POINT SEVEN. IS THERE ANY, ANY SPOT IN THERE WHERE WE COULD, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THAT. I MEAN, REALLY, YOU KNOW, IF EVEN IF EVEN IF YOU CHOSE TO SUPPORT EVERYTHING ENVIRONMENTAL THAT WE'RE ASKED FOR RECENTLY, THAT'D BE THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND. YEAH, PLUS PLUS SOME OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED, YEAH. MENTIONED TONIGHT. THE ONLY THING THE ONLY ISSUE I HAVE IS THAT, LOOK, THIS TOWNSHIP AT SOME POINT GOT A LITTLE AHEAD OF THEMSELVES. AND WHEN I WALKED INTO THE STORE IN 2013, WE HAD SIGNIFICANT SIGNIFICANT DEBT THAT NO ONE WAS TALKING ABOUT. AND I JUST DON'T WANT TO GET INTO A POSITION WHERE WE START. WE LOOK, WE LOOK, WHAT DO THEY CALL IT? FAT AND HAPPY, RIGHT? I READ THE BUDGET LOOKS GOOD. WE HAVE THIS MONEY, WE JUST START SPENDING AND WE SPEND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALREADY TWO POINT FOUR MILLION BEYOND OUR REVENUE FOR THE YEAR. WE'VE GOT TO KEEP IN MIND, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT DEBT. AND SO IF WE'RE GOING TO SPEND DOWN OUR FUND BALANCE, LET'S CONTINUE TO PAY OFF OUR DEBT AND LET'S HAND THIS PLACE OFF TO SOMEBODY IN THE FUTURE WHERE IT'S A HECK OF A LOT BETTER THAN WHEN WE INHERITED IT AND WE'RE ON THAT COURSE. THERE'S A LAUNDRY LIST OF THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IN THIS BUDGET. IT'S UNPARALLELED. I'M JUST I'M AT A POINT. WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE WE HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT A CEILING ON SPENDING, AND I'M NOT OPPOSED TO ANYTHING YOU'VE BROUGHT UP TONIGHT, BUT IT HAS TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE. IF WE'RE GOING TO DRAW DOWN OUR FUND BALANCE, I'M FOR PAYING OFF OUR DEBT BECAUSE WE'VE HAD REALLY GOOD YEARS WITH WITH A PENSION FUND, RIGHT? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE'S A DOWNTURN IN THE STOCK MARKET? WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR TWENTY EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS? IT STARTS TO ESCALATE. TRUSTEE [INAUDIBLE], I THINK, MR. OPSOMMER HIS HAND UP FIRST. YEAH. SO I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO PROPOSE, I DID SAY I HAD TWO THINGS LEFT AND I WAS GOING TO PROPOSE A REDUCTION TO THE MERIDIAN REDEVELOPMENT FUND SIMPLY BECAUSE I DON'T SEE $2 MILLION WORTH OF ASSISTANCE NEEDING TO GO OUT. WHEN WE LOOK AT HASLETT NOW, WE HAVE TWO PROJECTS THAT SUCCEEDED WITH ONLY BROWNFIELD RESOURCES, SMALL BROWNFIELDS AND REALLY THE ONLY AREA IN THE TOWNSHIP IN WHICH PROJECTS DON'T SUCCEED EITHER AS A GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT TIFF ASSISTANCE OR IN THREE INSTANCES WE'VE HAD BROWNFIELDS ELEVATION AND THE TWO IN HASLETT IS DOWNTOWN OKEMOS. I'M CERTAINLY NOT OF THE MIND THAT WE WOULD GIVE DOWNTOWN OKEMOS TWO MILLION DOLLARS CASH, SO I WAS GOING TO PROPOSE REDUCING THAT I WOULD BE FINE WITH REDUCING IT DOWN TO A MILLION. I JUST DON'T SEE THAT AS A GOOD USE OF OUR FUNDS. AND IF THEY END UP NEEDING IT, IF THAT'S THE DEAL BREAKER, WE CAN HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE DEVELOPERS AT THAT TIME. BUT I DON'T. I JUST FEEL LIKE WE'RE SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS AND WE HAVE [INAUDIBLE] COOPER COME TO US AS WELL ASKING FOR SUPPORT, AND THEY COULDN'T. THEY COULDN'T EVEN DO A BROWNFIELD BECAUSE IT WAS TAX CREDIT HOUSING. SO THEY ALREADY HAD A PILOT AND WERE PAYING PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TAXES. SO I JUST DON'T SEE THE POINT IN PUTTING US IN A BAD POSITION. NEGOTIATING WISE, THEY KNOW WHERE WE ARE AND THEY KNOW THAT WE HAVE MONEY. THEY KNOW THAT WE ALSO HAVE 4.3 MILLION IN ARPA MONEY. SO I WAS GOING TO PROPOSE REDUCING THAT. I MEAN, IF IT WERE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE NINETY NINE POINT EIGHT PERCENT OF THE [02:15:01] BUDGET OR SO. BUT AGAIN, THE FUND BALANCE 2021, BUDGETED WAS SEVEN POINT SEVEN. AND IT'S GROWN BY A MILLION. SO WE DID NOT BUDGET WHEN WE DID THE BUDGET LAST YEAR. GO LOOK AT THE DOC. WE DID NOT PROJECT TO HAVE EIGHT POINT SEVEN THIS YEAR. SO I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE POLICE, I DON'T KNOW IF THE PAYROLL HAS BEEN ADJUSTED FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE FACT THAT WE'RE LIKELY TO HAVE A LOT OF VACANCIES, BUT THAT'S EVERY VACANCY FOR 12 MONTHS OR FOR ONE MONTH. THERE'S 112 OF 20 OF 12, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE TWELFTH OF A $90000 POLICE FIGURE OR POLICE SALARY. SO YOU KNOW, THE FUND BALANCE WILL LIKELY GO UP. WE DID THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND FOR SOLAR LAST YEAR AND AGAIN IT WENT UP BY A MILLION. BUT I DO THINK THE REDEVELOPMENT FUND, I JUST THINK WE'RE SETTING OURSELVES UP BY PUTTING TOO MUCH MONEY INTO THAT. WHEN PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO FIND US AND THEY KNOW HOW TO FIND WHAT OUR FUND BALANCE IS, SO WE CAN SHOW NINE POINT SEVEN MILLION ON THE BOOKS OR WE CAN SPEND DOWN SOME OF THAT IF WE HAVE THE RESOURCES. IF STAFF ARE, YOU KNOW, TOO BUSY, WE CAN TAKE A YEAR PAUSE. I DON'T SEE A REASON TO SUBCONTRACT OUT THE WORK. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE POLICE STATION, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BE IN LINE. AND WHO KNOWS IF STAFF COULD FIND OTHER FACILITIES IN THE TOWNSHIP THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE YEAR. AND JUST TO KEEP THE LINE ITEM WHERE IT WAS, THAT WAS MY MINDSET THERE. BUT IF YOU TOOK THE MILLION OUT OF THE FUND BALANCE OR OUT OF THE REDEVELOPMENT FUND, YOU'D ACTUALLY HAVE A HIGHER FUND BALANCE. YOU'D HAVE A $90000 FIREFIGHTER, THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND FOR SOLAR AND LIKE TWENTY TEN OR TWENTY THOUSAND SMALLER GREEN PROGRAMS. AND WE'D HAVE THE FUND BALANCE STILL THERE IF IF DEVELOPERS AND DOWNTOWN OKEMOS NEED TO ASK THAT OF US. BUT I DON'T SEE THE NEED TO PUT IT ON THE TABLE FOR THEM EITHER. THOSE ARE. SO I GUESS THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS MORE HOLISTICALLY. OK. [INAUDIBLE] I WOULD SUPPORT REDUCING THE PICA FUNDS AS WELL, BUT I WOULD ALSO SUPPORT THE MANAGEMENT ADVICE AND THE DIRECTION THAT THEY'RE HEADING WITH THE THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN OR WHATEVER, WHATEVER YOU CALL IT, AND THAT WE'RE ON TRACK WITH WHERE WE'RE HEADING IN 2035 AND NOT DOING SOLAR. BUT IF THE REST OF THE BOARD WANTED TO DO SOLAR NEXT YEAR, YOU KNOW, THAT'S FINE WITH ME. BUT I UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT THE MANAGEMENT DECISION OF THE GREEN CARS AND THE OTHER ITEMS THAT YOU HAVE IN THE BUDGET FOR THAT AND THAT'S STRETCHING STAFF OUT. TREASURER. [INAUDIBLE] I WANT TO KEEP [INAUDIBLE], WE HAVE THE SOLAR, BUT I THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH MOMENTUM THAT IF WE DON'T DO ANY SOLAR FOR 2022 WE'RE WE GOT THE MOMENTUM, THAT'LL KEEP US GOING. AND I THINK AS DEPUTY MANAGER PERRY POINTED OUT, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO IT, WE'RE GOING TO CONTRACT IT OUT. AND THAT'S GOING TO ADD TO THE COST CONSIDERABLY. SO PUTTING IT OFF FOR A YEAR MAY BE THE BEST FISCAL FISCAL DECISION TO MAKE AS WELL. AND REGARDING THE TWO MILLION VERSUS ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN THE REDEVELOPMENT FUND, I'D LIKE TO TURN THIS OVER TO THE MANAGER AND ASK HIM TO EXPLAIN THE $2 MILLION VERSUS THE ONE MILLION DOLLARS OR VERSUS NOTHING THAT YOU PUT INTO THAT FUND. YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, THE PICA AREAS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY. THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO THE BOARD, THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO OUR TEAM SPELLED OUT IN THE MASTER PLAN IN 2017. WE HAVE NOT HAD WE'VE HAD A LOT OF GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE TOWNSHIP. THOSE TWO AREAS ARE NOT AT THE TOP OF OUR LIST FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. AND THE THEORY WAS THE THOUGHT WAS LET'S INCREASE THIS. IT DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE GOING TO IT'S IT'S AVAILABLE AT A WHIM. SOMEBODY JUST DOESN'T ASK FOR IT AND GET IT, BUT IT MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO HELP SPUR DEVELOPMENT IN THOSE TWO AREAS. THAT WAS JUST A THOUGHT BEHIND IT. I STAND BY THE DECISION TO INCREASE IT. WHETHER IT WORKS OR NOT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO GET SOMETHING GOING IN THESE TWO AREAS FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND I'D RATHER HAVE A FUND THAT ASSIST A PUBLIC NOT PUTTING IN PRIVATE MONEY. IT'S FOR PUBLIC AMENITIES, ASSETS THAT CAN GO ALONG WITH THOSE DEVELOPMENTS. BUT IF WE REDUCE IT DOWN TO A MILLION, WE STILL HAVE A MILLION DOLLARS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST. IT'S JUST IT WAS A HIGH PRIORITY. SO THAT'S WHY IT RECEIVED THAT MUCH OF A REQUEST. THANK YOU. IF WE, ANY OF US WOULD SEE SOMEONE IN THE STREET THAT WOULD ASK, WHO MIGHT GIVE US AN OPINION ON HOW WE'RE DOING WITH THE BOARD? THEY WOULD SAY, WHAT THE HECK'S GOING ON IN DOWNTOWN OKEMOS? WHAT IS DOWNTOWN HASLETT LOOK LIKE IT'S BEEN ABANDONED FOR 20 YEARS? [02:20:02] I MEAN, IT IS AN AREA WHICH WE ARE BEING JUDGED ON AND NOTHING HAS HAPPENED THERE. I THINK KEEPING THE TWO MILLION DOLLARS THERE IS NOT SHORT OF A GREAT PROPOSAL FOR PUBLIC SPENDING. THIS BOARD ISN'T GOING TO SPEND THAT WILLY NILLY. WE'RE NOT GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO SOMEONE LIKE [INAUDIBLE] COOPER WHO JUST WANTS SOME CUSHION. I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE VERY JUDICIOUS IN HOW WE SPENT THAT MONEY. I DON'T WANT TO THINK IT'S EARMARKED FOR ANY PARTICULAR PROJECT, EITHER. THE DDA MEETING TWO WEEKS AGO, HE MADE IT VERY CLEAR SEVERAL OF US DID THAT. WE'RE GOING TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT PUTTING PUBLIC MONEY INTO THAT INTO THAT PROJECT. SO IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE A STRONG PUBLIC GOOD BEFORE WE'RE GOING TO RELEASE THAT MONEY OUT OF THE MERIDIAN REDEVELOPMENT FUND, HAVING AN ADDITIONAL MILLION THERE. IF WE DON'T HAVE A GREAT PROJECT, IT CAN GO BACK TO THE GENERAL FUND. IF WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE A GAME CHANGER AND WE NEED A GAME CHANGER DOWNTOWN OKEMOS, WE NEED TO GET MORE GAME CHANGERS DOWNTOWN HASLETT, WE MADE SOME GREAT PROGRESS IN THE FOUR CORNERS IN HASLETT. BUT WE'VE GOT A WAYS TO GO THERE AND WE'VE GOT A MUCH FURTHER WAY TO GO IN DOWNTOWN OKEMOS. THIS GIVES US A TOOL TO DO THAT, BUT I THINK ANYONE WATCHING THIS BOARD, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THAT CASUALLY WOULD BE WRONG. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY WE'RE GOING TO BE. I WOULD THINK THIS WOULD BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT HOW IT GETS SPENT, BUT I THINK IT DOES HELP US TO HAVE THAT MONEY THERE. THANK YOU. CLERK. CAN THE ARPA FUNDS BE USED FOR THAT FOR PICA? THE ARPA FUNDS CAN BE USED FOR WELL, AS IS BROADLY DEFINED. THEY CAN BE USED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND BROADBAND. THEY CAN'T BE THEY THEY CAN'T BE USED FOR PENSION AND A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER THINGS. BUT THE ARPA FUNDS COULD BE USED IN SOME OF THE UTILITY WORK AROUND THOSE AREAS, IF THAT'S WHERE THE BOARD ENDS UP. AND THAT'S AN IMPORTANT NOTE. THANK YOU. CLERK GUTHRIE THE FOUR POINT FIVE MILLION THAT WE'RE GOING TO RECEIVE IN ARPA FUNDING IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS BUDGET AT ALL. IT'S A SEPARATE DISCUSSION. [INAUDIBLE] IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WHERE WE'RE AT IS THIS IS ON OUR AGENDA FOR THE NEXT TIME, WE'LL BE MEETING IN TWO WEEKS AND IT'LL BE ON FOR ACTION WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A LOT OF AMENDMENTS. OR THIS COULD FURTHER DISCUSSION BEFORE IT GETS ADOPTED AND IF WE NEED TO, WE'LL ADD A MEETING ON THE TWENTY EIGHTH FINAL ADOPTION. IF WE CAN'T GET THERE AT THE NEXT MEETING, BUT IT'LL BE AN ACTION ITEM NEXT TIME. I THINK WE'VE GIVEN A LOT OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT TO EACH OF US. IN ADDITION TO THE MANAGER AND THE MANAGER WILL COME BACK WITH MAYBE SOME MODIFICATIONS, ADOPTION OR WHATEVER. SOME OF THESE ITEMS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND MAYBE WE WILL COME UP WITH OUR OWN IDEAS AGAIN. BUT WE HAVE TO GET IT ALL RESOLVED BY THE 28TH. SO RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE A MEETING THE 28TH BUT WE WILL IF WE NEED TO. MR. OPSOMMER [INAUDIBLE]. YEAH QUICK QUESTION BECAUSE IT WAS REFERENCED THE CONSUMERS ENERGY STUDY, THERE'S NO TOWNSHIP COMMITMENT TO THAT, RIGHT? THAT'S PRIVATE. THAT'S JUST CONSUMERS APPROACHED US. AND SO THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE US A REPORT ON HOW MUCH WE WOULD SAVE IF WE HAD AN ELECTRIC FLEET OR WHATEVER PERCENTAGE OF OUR FLEET WAS ELECTRIC, BECAUSE THEN WE'RE NOT BUYING COMBUSTIBLE FUEL. WE'RE BUYING THEIR ENERGY. RIGHT? THAT'S YEAH. SO THEY DO THIS AND THEY ROTATE WHO THEY COME TO, RIGHT? SO DO WE HAVE ANY STAFF COMMITMENT IN IT, THOUGH? IS IT GOING TO TAKE UP STAFF TIME? WELL, YES. I MEAN, IT ALWAYS TAKES UP STAFF TIME. ANY TIME WE DO THESE PROJECTS, TYPICALLY IT WOULD BE MYSELF AND ROB MACKENZIE WHO HELPS OVERSEE THE MOTOR POOL. BUT AGAIN, THERE'S NO DIRECT COST TO THE TOWNSHIP. WHAT THEY'LL DO IS THEY'LL BRING IN THEIR THIRD PARTY, THEY'LL DO THE ANALYSIS, THEY'LL LOOK AT OUR ENTIRE FLEET AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, VEHICLES X Y Z. IT MAKES SENSE TO PERHAPS CONVERT THOSE TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN THE FUTURE, THAT KIND OF THING. SO KIND OF PROVIDE US A ROADMAP ON HOW WE COULD, YOU KNOW, START TO INCLUDE SOME OF THOSE ELECTRIC VEHICLES. SO THEY'LL TAKE INVENTORY OF EVERY KIND OF VEHICLE, WHAT YEAR IT WAS, HOW MANY MILES OR EACH VEHICLE DRIVEN A YEAR TO ARRIVE AT OUR CURRENT COST. AND THEN WE'LL MAKE THOSE DETERMINATIONS AT THE SERVICE CENTER, WHAT KIND OF UPGRADES WE WOULD NEED TO DO THERE TOO TO PROVIDE RECEPTACLES TO PLUG THOSE VEHICLES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. YEAH. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR INPUT. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. OK, I'M GOING TO ASK THAT WE TAKE A 10 MINUTE BREAK BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO OUR ACTION ITEMS. [INAUDIBLE] ACTION ITEMS, A IS ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS APPOINTMENT. THIS IS ONE WHERE I'VE TAKEN A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE BOARD OF APPEALS ITSELF. [12A. Zoning Board of Appeals Appointment] [02:25:03] WE HAVE AN ALTERNATE WHO'S READY TO STAND IN AND BECOME A FULL TIME MEMBER. [INAUDIBLE] HAS BEEN FAITHFUL IN ATTENDING AND THEREFORE I RECOMMENDED THE APPOINTMENT OF THE ALTERNATE. [INAUDIBLE] IS THERE A MOTION ? MR. OPSOMMER. I MOVED TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT MADE BY SUPERVISOR STYKA OF BRIAN [INAUDIBLE] TO THE ZONING BOARD, TO THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS FOR A TERM ENDING 12/31/2022. SUPPORT. THANK YOU [INAUDIBLE] IS THERE A SECOND? TRUSTEE JACKSON SUPPORTED. TRUSTEE JACKSON. OK. ALL RIGHT. ANY DISCUSSION? SIMPLY THAT I'VE SERVED WITH MEMBER [INAUDIBLE]. HE HAS STEPPED IN AS AN ALTERNATE ON THE ZBA MANY TIMES AND IS WELL AWARE OF THE ZBA OPERATIONS, AND I'M VERY PLEASED TO SEE THAT HE'S WILLING TO TAKE THIS APPOINTMENT. VERY GOOD. TRUSTEE OR CLERK, WOULD YOU CALL THE ROLL? SUPERVISOR STYKA? YES. CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES. TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES. TRUSTEE JACKSON. YES. TRUSTEE OPSOMMER. YES. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND. YES. TRUSTEE WISINSKI. YES. MOTION CARRISE SEVEN ZERO. [12B. Acceptance of American Rescue Plan Funding] NEXT, IS 12B ACCEPTANCE OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDING. [INAUDIBLE] MOTION FOR THESE, TREASURER. I MOVED TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT ARPA FUNDING. SUPPORT. IS THERE ANY COMMENTS? WE HAVE A NO BRAINER. CLERK TAKE THE ROLL PLEASE. TRUSTEE JACKSON. YES. TRUSTEE OPSOMMER. YES. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND. YES. TRUSTEE WISINSKI. YES. TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES. SUPERVISOR STYKA. YES. AND CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES. MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. THANK YOU. NEXT IS THE SILVERSTONE DEVELOPMENT STREETLIGHT SAD NUMBER 427 RESOLUTIONS ONE [12C. Silverstone Development- Streetlight SAD #427, Resolution #1 & #2] AND TWO. [INAUDIBLE] YES, TREASURER. I MOVE THE SILVERSTONE ESTATES PUBLIC STREET LIGHT IMPROVEMENT SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICT NUMBER FOUR TWENTY SEVEN, RESOLUTION NUMBER ONE ORDERING PLANS TO BE PREPARED SHOWING THE STREET LIGHTING IMPROVEMENT LOCATION ESTIMATE OF COST AND RESOLUTION NUMBER TWO FOLLOWING THE PLAN SHOWING THE IMPROVEMENT LOCATION ESTIMATE OF COST. WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE TENTATIVELY DECLARING INTENTION TO INSTALL AND MAINTAIN SEVEN LED TRADITIONAL WITH CUTOUT STREETLIGHTS AND DEFRAY THE COST OF OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE BY A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT AGAINST THE 22 BENEFITING LOTS AND SETTING THE PUBLIC HEARING DATE FOR SEPTEMBER 21, 2021. SUPPORT. YOU SAID A MOUTHFUL, SUPPORTED BY JACKSON. WOULD MR. PERRY WANT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR STYKA, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AGAIN, THIS IS A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICT FOR THE SILVERSTONE ESTATES SUBDIVISION, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR NEW SUBDIVISIONS OFF OF [INAUDIBLE] ROAD. AS THE BOARD IS AWARE, STREET LIGHTS ARE PAID FOR THROUGH SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE TOWNSHIP. AGAIN, THIS WOULD BE THE WAY THAT AS THEY'RE CONSTRUCTING HOMES NOW, THE STREETLIGHTS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AND THIS IS ESSENTIALLY HOW THEY WOULD PAY FOR THE STREETLIGHTS TO BE LIT UP ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. IF THERE'S NO DISCUSSION, WE NEED A ROLL CALL. ALL RIGHT. TRUSTEE WISINSKI. YES. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND. YES. SUPERVISOR STYKA. YES. CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES. TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES. TRUSTEE JACKSON. YES. TRUSTEE OPSOMMER. YES. MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. [12D. 2021 Sidewalk Order to Maintain SAD #18, Resolution #1 & #2] THANK YOU. NEXT ONE IS D 2021 SIDEWALK ORDER TO MAINTAIN SAD NUMBER 18. RESOLUTION NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO. CLERK, I MEAN, TREASURER. I MOVE TO APPROVE 2021 ORDER TO MAINTAIN SIDEWALKS, SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICT [02:30:01] NUMBER 19, RESOLUTIONS NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO, WHICH TENTATIVELY APPROVES THE IMPROVEMENTS AND COST ESTIMATES OF PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS AND SETS THE DATE FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2021. SUPPORT. SUPPORTED BY WISINSKI. [INAUDIBLE] OH, I'M SORRY. I HEARD ABOUT THREE VOICES, SO I JUST GUESSED. ONE OF THEM WAS MS. WISINSKI. SURE. SO THIS PROGRAM IS THE TOWNSHIP'S PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM FOR THE SIDEWALKS THAT EXIST THROUGHOUT THE TOWNSHIP. THIS IS SECTIONS EIGHT, THIRTY TWO, THIRTY THREE, THIRTY FOUR AND THIRTY SIX. WE TEND WE TRIED TO DO A TEN YEAR CYCLE ON THESE SIDEWALKS. WE ACTUALLY GO OUT AND INSPECT THOSE, IDENTIFY TRIPPING HAZARDS, THINGS THAT INCREASE LIABILITY FOR THE TOWNSHIP AND POTENTIALLY THE ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNER, AND THEN MOVE FORWARD WITH DEVELOPING THIS ORDER TO MAINTAIN TO BASICALLY GO OUT. WE GO OUT FOR BIDS, GET PRICING ON THESE. AND THEN AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM, ALL THE RESIDENTS WILL RECEIVE A LETTER AND THEY'LL HAVE AN OPTION TO EITHER REPAIR THAT THEMSELVES OR WORK WITH THE TOWNSHIP AS WE'LL DO THAT REPAIR. AND THEN THEY'LL RECEIVE THE THE BILL, ESSENTIALLY THE SPECIAL ASSESSMENT TO COVER THAT COST. AND THIS IS THE FIRST TWO STEPS IN THAT PROCESS. SIMILAR CLERK GUTHRIE TO WHAT WE'LL DO ON THE DANIEL'S DRAIN AS A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS. THERE'S ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN LOCATIONS IDENTIFIED, AND WE'RE ESTIMATING AT ABOUT TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF WORK. LAST YEAR, BECAUSE OF COVID, WE DID NOT CONDUCT OUR PROGRAM, BUT WE FEEL THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO GO TOO MANY YEARS OUT BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS JUST CREATES ADDITIONAL LIABILITY FOR THE TOWNSHIP. SO WE THOUGHT THAT'S BEST TO BRING THE PROGRAM FORWARD AGAIN. MOST OF MY NEIGHBORS ON MY STREET HAVE, ARE IN THIS [INAUDIBLE]. OK, [INAUDIBLE]. WE'LL GET YOU NEXT DECADE. [LAUGHER] ROLL CALL PLEASE. ALL RIGHT. TRUSTEE OPSOMMER. YES. TRUSTEE JACKSON. YES. TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES. CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES. SUPERVISOR STYKA. YES. ALL RIGHT. MADE IT OFFICIAL. TRUSTEE WISINSKI. YES. AND TRUSTEE SUNDLAND. YES. ALL RIGHT MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT ITEM IS RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR VOTER REGISTRATION MONTH, [12E. Resolution of Support for Voter Registration Month] SOMETHING THAT THE CLERK BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION. YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT QUICKLY MS. GUTHRIE? SURE, SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION MONTH, AND IT'S JUST KIND OF INFORMATIONAL ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO GET REGISTERED TO VOTE. JOCELYN BENSON CELEBRATED THE START OF NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION MONTH ON SEPTEMBER 1ST TO ENCOURAGE ELIGIBLE MICHIGAN CITIZENS TO REGISTER DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. SO OUR OFFICE IS LOOKING TO DO SOME SIMILAR ENCOURAGEMENT OF OF OUR RESIDENTS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP TO GET REGISTERED TO VOTE, AND WE STARTED WITH PUTTING A LITTLE TAGLINE ON OUR AND OUR EMAIL. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE'S NOTICED IT, AND IN MY EMAIL THERE'S LITTLE TAGLINE AT THE BOTTOM FOR HOW PEOPLE CAN GET REGISTERED TO VOTE. AND SO WE'LL JUST BE SHARING INFORMATION, AND WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO DO THIS. OKAY. ALRIGHT ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION OR [INAUDIBLE]. I'LL MAKE THE MOTION. YES PLEASE MAKE THE MOTION. ALL RIGHT. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING SEPTEMBER 2021 AS NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION MONTH IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. SUPPORT. ALRIGHT NOW, I HEARD MORE THAN ONE SUPPORT WHO WANTS THE CREDIT? TRUSTEE WISINSKI. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO THIS [INAUDIBLE], WE GET THIS DO A WELL. WELL, GUESS, I GUESS, BECAUSE I'M VIRTUAL, YOU SHOULD CALL ROLL. ALL RIGHT. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND. YES. TRUSTEE OPSOMMER. YES. TRUSTEE JACKSON. YES. TRUSTEE WISINSKI. YES. TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES. SUPERVISOR STYKA. YES. AND CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES. MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. I ASSUME YOU'LL HAVE OUR PR PEOPLE ALSO PUT ON SOMETHING THAT WE ADOPTED THIS. [02:35:02] [INAUDIBLE] YES. WE NEXT COME TO OUR DISCUSSION ITEM B SMARTZONE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCE [13B. SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority] AUTHORITY. GOODNESS. YES, AMBER CLARK, DIRECTOR. GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO TAKE MY MASK OFF. REQUEST BEFORE YOU TONIGHT. IT WAS A REQUESTED TO BRING BACK THE SMARTZONE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY AS DISCUSSION TONIGHT. THE REQUEST FOR TONIGHT IS THE INTENT FOR THE BOARD TO EITHER TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOU WANT TO DECLARE IT INTENT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE LANSING REGIONAL SMARTZONE, A LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY, AND TO INCLUDE THE PROPOSED MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP PARCELS WITHIN THE TAX AUTHORITY FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. IN ORDER TO MEET THE CURRENT APPROVAL DEADLINES, WHEN WE INITIATED THIS CONVERSATION IN MAY, WE WEREN'T ON A TIGHT DEADLINE, BUT I MADE SURE TO INCLUDE A CALENDAR WITH THE BOARD PACKET THIS EVENING. THAT KIND OF HIGHLIGHTS THE STEPS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE IN ORDER TO KEEP UP WITH ADOPTION FOR THIS YEAR. THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY ADOPTING THIS YEAR FOR MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP IS THE GOAL TO KEEP THAT FIVE YEAR STRONG TAX CAPTURE, AS WELL AS TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE EXTENSION OF THE LDFA. SO THAT IS WHY TONIGHT'S REQUEST IN FRONT OF YOU IS TO DECLARE INTENT SO THAT STAFF CAN COMMUNICATE TO THE LDFA BODY THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE THOSE PARCELS THAT WILL ALLOW THEM THE TIME TO CONTINUE DRAFTING THE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING PLAN THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND THAT WE CAN KEEP PACE WITH ALL SCHEDULES FOR DEADLINE APPROVAL. SO THAT CALENDAR HAS GOT SOME DATES FOR THE CITY OF EAST LANSING, MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, AS WELL AS LANSING, MAYBE EVEN THE COUNTY. THE STEPS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN FOR THOSE BODIES, FOR ALL OF US TO BE IN LINE FOR ADOPTION. WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSION WITH OUR CONSULTANTS. WE HAVE OUR CONSULTANTS HERE THIS EVENING WITH US, PUBLIC SECTOR CONSULTANTS THAT ARE HELPING LEAP, INITIATE AND ADMINISTER THE NEW PLAN, AS WELL AS THE PROGRAM AND IN ITS ENTIRETY, AND A LOT OF THE MAJOR BENEFITS OF A SMARTZONE IS JOB CREATION AND THE CONNECTION TO THE LOCAL UNIVERSITIES. AND THIS WOULD GIVE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP BESIDES A REGIONAL CONNECTION TO CITY OF LANSING AND EAST LANSING, BUT A CONNECTION TO LCC AND MSU DIRECTLY FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION. I ALSO INCLUDED IN THE PACKET A COPY OF A PLANNING COMMISSION LETTER TO THE BOARD IN PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP. PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP IS SOMETIMES CONSIDERED A COMPARABLE COMMUNITY TO MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP BASED ON ITS ECONOMIC BASE AND POPULATION, AND PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP IS A PART OF THE REGIONAL SMARTZONE IN ANN ARBOR AND OF THE ANN ARBOR SPARK. AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO REAP THE REWARDS OF BEING A MEMBER OF THEIR REGIONAL SMARTZONE FOR A $68 MILLION PROJECT THAT PRODUCED THREE HUNDRED JOBS. AND THAT PROJECT WAS APPROVED AND FINALIZED THIS YEAR. IT DID GO THROUGH A COUPLE OF HICCUPS, BUT I DO LIKE TO SEE THAT A SMALL TOWNSHIP LIKE THAT HAS BEEN ABLE TO LAND A VERY LARGE INDUSTRIAL PROJECT THAT'S FOR A POSITIVE BENEFIT FOR THE COMMUNITY. OK, ANYONE WANT TO START THIS DISCUSSION GOING? MS. JACKSON. FIRST OF ALL, I'M FULLY IN SUPPORT OF PARTICIPATING IN THIS SMARTZONE PROGRAM. I AM IN SUPPORT OF INCLUDING THE TWO SUGGESTED AREAS OF INDUSTRIAL ZONING IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP IN SMARTZONES DISTRICTS FOR THIS EFFORT, AND I AM AT THIS POINT. DO WE NEED TO ESSENTIALLY DECLARE OUR INTENT THROUGH THE RESOLUTION TO OUR INTENT TO HOLD A PUBLIC MEETING THROUGH THE RESOLUTION? OR ARE WE AT A POINT WHERE WE WILL DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT WE'LL HAVE THAT HAPPEN AT OUR NEXT MEETING? GOT IT. YES, THE RESOLUTION INTENT IS TO SHOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SET THE PUBLIC HEARING. SO THAT WOULD BE WHAT THIS BODY COULD DECIDE TO DO FOR ACTION AT THE NEXT MEETING OF THE 21ST. YES. OK, OK. TONIGHT WOULD BE A VERBAL INDICATION TO STAFF TO LET THE LDFA KNOW TO PLEASE PROCEED TO INCLUDE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP IN THE PROPOSED PROJECTIONS FOR THEIR PLAN. I SEE. WELL, THEN THEN I WILL CONCLUDE MY REMARKS BY SAYING THAT I AM IN FULL SUPPORT OF [02:40:02] MAKING THAT INDICATION, AND I HOPE THAT MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS WOULD JOIN ME. WE'VE HAD THIS IN FRONT OF US SEVERAL TIMES, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT, SO EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE SOME OPINION ON IT. WHO WANTS TO SPEAK NEXT? TRUSTEE WISINSKI. WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF TIME. SO THANK YOU FOR THIS WAS A VERY NEW THEORY FOR ME. SO IT DID TAKE ME QUITE SOME TIME, BUT I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, I AM IN FULL SUPPORT. I THINK THIS REGIONAL APPROACH TO ECONOMIC GROWTH IS REALLY IMPORTANT. REINVESTING BACK INTO SUPPORT FOR MSU AND LCC IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND IT POTENTIALLY KEEPS THAT RESIDENTS HERE, IF NOT IN MERIDIAN, AT LEAST IN OUR SURROUNDING AREAS, WHICH WHICH ALSO SUPPORTS OUR COMMUNITY. SO I FEEL LIKE THERE'S MINIMAL RISK. I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTION FROM FROM LANSING BEING ZERO TO NONE, BUT BEING THAT WE WE RECEIVE 90 PERCENT OF THE THE TAX RATE IS 90 PERCENT. WE GIVE 10 PERCENT INTO THE KIND OF YEAH, OK. THAT IS THE PROPOSED THAT IS THE PROPOSAL FOR THE DRAFT PLAN. AGAIN, THIS THIS BODY, MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP WOULD GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING THAT AS WELL AND WOULD DECIDE IF THAT'S THE PROPOSAL YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE SO FURTHER DOWN THE STEPS. CORRECT. I ALSO DO SUPPORT THE TWO AREAS CHOSEN GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS, AND I WAS WONDERING I THOUGHT I SAW SOMETHING. THIS WAS SOMETHING ELSE. BUT IS IT POSSIBLE TO ADD AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THIS IS EVEN THIS IS JUST SHOOTING FROM THE HIP, SO I APOLOGIZE. BUT DOWNTOWN OKEMOS AS A SMARTZONE, IF THAT WAS THE EVER APPROACH OR IF WE WERE TO EVER TRY TO HAVE A THINK TANK SIMILAR IN OUR NEWLY DEVELOPED DOWNTOWN? GOT IT. YEAH. COULD POSSIBLY DOWNTOWN OKEMOS BE INCLUDED IN A SMARTZONE? YES. NOW I DON'T KNOW IF RIGHT NOW IS THE ANSWER. OK. JUST BECAUSE OF THE TIMELINE, AGAIN, NOW WE IN ORDER FOR US TO MEET THE DEADLINES, WE HAVE TO GET THROUGH THE APPROVAL PROCESS BY THE END OF THIS YEAR TO HAVE THAT FULL FIVE YEAR CAPTURE IN ORDER FOR DOWNTOWN OKEMOS TO QUALIFY, THEY WOULD. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A CERTIFIED TECHNOLOGY PARK, WHICH YOU'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE CERTIFICATION WITH MBDC OR REZONE ALL THE PARCELS TO INDUSTRIAL. YEAH, OR OR A BUSINESS INCUBATOR WOULD BE OPERATING IN THE DDA. BUT AGAIN, I THINK THAT WE'RE COMING DOWN ON TIME. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT IT COULDN'T HAPPEN, IT'S JUST THAT. WOULD THE DDA QUALIFY BASED ON THE LDFA REQUIREMENTS IN TIME ENOUGH TO BE INCLUDED AND PROJECTIONS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PLAN? UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. [INAUDIBLE] IS IT TRUE THAT WE HAVE TO WAIT FIVE YEARS BEFORE WE CAN MAKE CHANGES TO THIS IF WE GET INTO IT? SO AS MUCH AS WHAT I KNOW ABOUT TAX AUTHORITIES, IT'S IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT YOU CAN'T MAKE CHANGES IN BETWEEN EXTENSIONS, IS THAT TYPICALLY WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO ADD TO A TAX AUTHORITY, YOU'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO THOSE TAX JURISDICTIONS, IT'S GOING TO TAKE YOU A LITTLE BIT LONGER AND YOU MAY NOT NECESSARILY GET THE APPROVAL TO ADD ANY DISTRICTS OR ANY PARCELS INTO THE DISTRICT. IT'S USUALLY EASIER TO TAKE SOMETHING OUT OF DISTRICT IN BETWEEN EXTENSION YEARS THERE ARE A SUGGESTION RECOMMENDATION IS THAT IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO AN EXTENSION TO A DDA OR A CIA OR ANY OF THOSE TAX AUTHORITIES TO INCLUDE THAT DURING THE EXTENSION APPROVAL PROCESS AT THAT TIME. SO A LITTLE BIT OF YES, A LITTLE BIT OF NO, IT'S NOT RECOMMENDED IT COULD. IT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD SOME SORT OF TECHNOLOGY. DOWNTOWN OKEMOS AREA COULD QUALIFY, WE WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR QUITE A WHILE TO ADD THAT. YES. OR IF IT DID GET APPROVED, LET'S JUST SAY WE DID, YOU KNOW, GET A BUSINESS INCUBATOR OPERATING IN THE DDA AND WE WENT TO THE LDFA AND THEY DID APPROVE IT. WE WOULD HAVE FROM THAT TIME AS THE TAX BASE TO THE END OF THE FIVE YEARS. SO IF WE WENT THROUGH THAT PROCESS, LET'S SAY IT TOOK US TWO YEARS TO GET A BUSINESS INCUBATOR UP AND RUNNING. WE WOULD ONLY HAVE AN ADDITIONAL THREE YEARS ON THE LDFA FOR THOSE PARCELS. SOMETHING TO CONSIDER. MR. OPSOMMER. SO I HAD ASKED FOR THIS TO BE ON [INAUDIBLE]. I THINK TRUSTEE JACKSON DID AS WELL. MY REASON FOR ADDING IT WAS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT IN TRUSTEE WISINSKI ENTERED INTO THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE DDA. [02:45:03] SO IN IN STUDYING THIS FURTHER, I LOOKED AT EAST LANSING AND WHAT THEY DID, AND SO THEY BASICALLY MIRRORED THE TO THEIR THEIR SMARTZONE, OR LDFA IS HAS A FEW PARCELS THAT ARE NOT IN IT THAT DO COMPRISE THE DDA. BUT FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, THEY'RE ABOUT 95 PERCENT NEAR IMAGES OF ONE ANOTHER IN TERMS OF THE TAX CAPTURED DISTRICT THAT IS CODIFIED. AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE FISCAL IMPACT OF THIS, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, THOUGH, THAT EVERYBODY REMEMBER THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT PROJECT OCCURS IN THE DISTRICT. THE TAX CAPTURE THEN GETS CAPTURED WITHIN THAT DISTRICT. SO SAY WE HAD IN LDFA OR A SMARTZONE ON DON AVENUE, WHERE WE'RE CURRENTLY PROPOSING ONE. IF ELLISON BREWING COMPANY WENT IN, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOT AN ELIGIBLE BUSINESS, IT WOULD GENERATE A TAX CAPTURE. BUT THEN, IN ORDER TO EXPAND THE TAX CAPTURE, THAT'S WHERE YOU NEED AN ELIGIBLE BUSINESS AND THEN YOU CAN SPEND PRETTY MUCH ANY INFRASTRUCTURE OR UTILITIES, ENERGY, ET CETERA, TO GET THAT PLACE UP TO SNUFF FOR THAT ELIGIBLE BUSINESS TO COME IN. SO I MEAN, WE COULD END UP WITH A LOT OF TAX CAPTURE THAT WE CAN'T UTILIZE IN THESE AREAS JUST BASED ON EXPERIENCE. SO THAT'S ONE CONCERN I HAVE. BUT I WANTED TO TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION AGAIN AND TO TALK ABOUT DOWNTOWN OKEMOS, WHICH AT THE TIME WHEN I HAD ASKED FOR IT TO BE ON, WE HAD THOUGHT THAT WE HAD ABOUT 1.9 MILLION IN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THE VILLAGE OF OKEMOS DEVELOPERS WERE ASKING US TO PUT IN, IN ADDITION TO A LOT OF OTHER TAX CAPTURE FROM THE DDA AND ELSEWHERE. IT TURNS OUT THAT ONE POINT NINE IS ACTUALLY ROLLED INTO THE DDA. ASK THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY MAKING OF THE TOWNSHIP, SO I'M NOT SURE THAT FISCALLY WE NEED TO. BUT IF WE WERE GOING TO DO IT TO HELP THE DOWNTOWN, WE WOULD NEED TO DO IT NOW. I MEAN, MY THOUGHT WAS FOR PURPOSES OF DISCUSSION, ELIGIBLE BUSINESS UNDER THE UNDER THE STATE ACT, AS IT WAS RECONFIGURED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, IS PRETTY BROAD, LIKE EVEN A WEB DEVELOPMENT COMPANY WOULD QUALIFY. SO IF A WEB DEVELOPER CAME IN AND OCCUPIED SOME OF THE COMMERCIAL SPACE IN DOWNTOWN OKEMOS, TECHNICALLY THE ACCESS, WATER, SEWER ROADS, UTILITIES, STORM WATER, I MEAN, IT'S AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. BECAUSE ENERGY IS PRIVATE, CONSUMER CONSUMERS ENERGY, DTE THEY'RE PRIVATE ENTITIES. SO JUST HAVING LIKE ONE ELIGIBLE BUSINESS, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU CAN SPEND TAX CAPTURE FROM ALL THESE OTHER BUSINESSES ON, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS THAT ELIGIBLE BUSINESS, BUT ALSO EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE DISTRICT. SO I MEAN, WE JUST NEED TO BE CLEAR IT'S A MECHANISM, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE EVERY DOLLAR BEING CAPTURED AND SPENT GOES DIRECTLY TO THE ELIGIBLE BUSINESS. IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE ELIGIBLE BUSINESS IS A TRIGGER TO REVITALIZE THE AREA. SO DO THESE OTHER TWO AREAS MAKE SENSE? I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M NOT SURE THAT IT'S NEEDED FOR DOWNTOWN OKEMOS ANYMORE. I JUST KNOW THAT IF WE WANTED TO HAVE IT AS A TOOL, WE WOULD NEED TO DO IT NOW BECAUSE IF ANY REDEVELOPMENT OCCURS ON THE CURRENT DEMOLISHED SITES, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OR IT'S GOING TO TAKE MUCH LONGER THAT THAT BASELINE THEN CHANGES IF YOU OPT IN AFTER THAT DEVELOPMENT OCCURS, THERE IS NO TAX CAPTURE, RIGHT, BECAUSE YOU SET THE BASELINE NOW. SO WE OPTED IN FIVE YEARS LATER IN THAT DEVELOPMENT HAS OCCURRED. THEN I GUESS IT WASN'T REALLY NEEDED ANYWAY, PERHAPS, BUT FOR THE OTHER TWO SITES? WELL, ACTUALLY, LET ME BACK UP FOR A MINUTE. THE OTHER THING THAT'S IMPORTANT IS TO LOOK AT WHAT TAXES WE'RE CAPTURING, WE'RE CAPTURING THE ISD MILLS, WE'RE CAPTURING THE 18 MILL NON HOMESTEAD, THE STATE EDUCATION TAX AND THE LOCAL SCHOOL OPERATING MILLAGE. SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE EAST LANSING FOR ONE OF THESE PROPOSED ZONES, HASLETT FOR THE OTHER, AND IT WOULD BE OKEMOS FOR DOWNTOWN OKEMOS. SO WE'RE TECHNICALLY TALKING ABOUT THREE DIFFERENT ZONES, SO WE'D HAVE TAX CAPTURE IN THOSE ZONES AND THE LOCAL SCHOOLS ISD AND THEN THE STATE EDUCATION TAXES THAT COME BACK TO OUR SCHOOLS. JUST AS A SIDE, BY THE WAY, THE ONE ALONG GRAND RIVER WOULD BE [INAUDIBLE]. OK. I KNEW IT WAS RIGHT THERE. OH, THAT'S TRUE. WARD CLIFF TO THE NORTH IS OKEMOS. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TWO DISTRICTS OF OKEMOS AND THEN ONE THAT WOULD BE HASLETT I BELIEVE. IT COULD BE EAST LANSING, IT GETS [INAUDIBLE]. THAT'S ACTUALLY IN [INAUDIBLE] YES. YEAH. AND SO THOSE TAXES THAT ARE CAPTURED UNDER THE LDFA, THEY'RE A PERFECT MIRROR IMAGE OF THE BROWNFIELD. SO FOR DOWNTOWN OKEMOS, THE BROWNFIELD RUNS SEVEN YEARS CURRENTLY FOR THE VILLAGE OF [02:50:06] OKEMOS. IF IT WERE TO OCCUR AFTER THAT POINT IN DURING, WELL, DURING THAT SEVEN YEARS, IT WOULD CAPTURE JUST OVER THREE MILLION. OVER THE NEXT SEVEN YEARS, THE LDFA OR THE SMARTZONE WOULD KICK IN AND CAPTURE ROUGHLY ANOTHER SEVEN MILLION THAT COULD BE SPENT ANYWHERE ACROSS THE THREE ZONES. SO I MEAN, IT WOULD BASICALLY BE A WAY OF SO LONG AS YOU HAD ONE ELIGIBLE TENANT ANYWHERE IN THE ANYWHERE IN THE ZONE. YOU COULD USE THAT TAX CAPTURE OF ABOUT THREE MILLION EVERY SEVEN YEARS TO FUND INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS THAT ZONE, SO LONG AS IT'S HELPING THE ELIGIBLE BUSINESS. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO IT'S JUST IT'S VERY UNIQUE IN THAT SENSE. SO YOU REALLY HAVE TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW? EAST LANSING SAW THE SMARTZONE AS A WAY TO AUGMENT THEIR DDA, THEIR DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. IT'S BASICALLY A LAYERED BECAUSE THE DDA CAPTURES DIFFERENT MILLAGES, BUT BROWNFIELDS WORK IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH THE LDFA. THAT'S WHY EAST LANSING, WHEN WE LOOK AT THEIR NUMBERS, THEY HAVEN'T CAPTURED ANYTHING INTO THE SMARTZONE. IT'S BECAUSE OF BROWNFIELDS. THE BROWNFIELD IS EATING AWAY ALL OF THE TAX CAPTURE, AND THEY ONLY HAVE ONE. THEY'RE NOW PROJECTED TO GET 2.5 MILLION BECAUSE ONE OF THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS, THE LARGE HUB BUILDING AT GRAND RIVER IN BOGUE THAT REALLY STICKS OUT, THAT ONE DID NOT HAVE A BROWNFIELD OR IT HAD A VERY SMALL ONE. SO IT'S FINALLY ALLOWING SOME OF THAT TAX CAPTURE TO FLOW THROUGH INTO THE LDFA. SO WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW IT'S WORKED FOR THEM. BUT THAT WAS THEIR THEORY WAS THIS IS A PRIORITY AREA THE DOWNTOWN. SO LET'S JUST PUT THE SMARTZONE IN IT TO BECAUSE IT TAKES JUST SO MUCH TO HAVE REDEVELOPMENT OCCUR. I THINK WE FOUND THAT OUT TOO IN DOWNTOWN OKEMOS. SO THAT WAS THEIR IDEA BECAUSE THEY'RE NON COMPETING TAX CAPTURES. PUT THEM WITH ONE ANOTHER. MY ONLY OTHER THOUGHTS THAT I'LL SHARE IN THE OTHER TWO ZONES, I MEAN, I LIKE DON AVENUE A LOT MORE THAN THE NORTHERN ONE, BUT I'M NOT SOLD ON EITHER. JUST BECAUSE I JUST I MEAN, TECH COMPANIES ARE GOING TO GO, THAT'S REALLY SOME KIND OF GREAT TECH COMPANY. THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO GO WHEREVER THEIR TALENT, THE TALENT THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT WANTS TO BE. AND SO IT'S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE IN ONE OF THESE TWO ZONES. AND THAT'S SO WHAT I SEE HAPPENING IS PROJECTS LIKE ELLISON BREWING COMPANY OR LIKE MERIDIAN MERIDIAN COMPANY. MERIDIAN PLUMBING HAS TALKED ABOUT PUTTING A COMMERCIAL STRIP MALL OUT FRONT THAT WOULD CREATE A TAX CAPTURE. BUT LIKE, WE DON'T NEED THESE FUNDS FOR THAT, AND I DOUBT ANYTHING WOULD GO INTO A STRIP MALL ON SAGINAW HIGHWAY THAT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE. SO I JUST SEE A LOT OF TAX CAPTURE OCCURRING, KEEPING IT OFF OUR, YOU KNOW, KEEPING IT AWAY FROM THE ENTITY THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO TO BECAUSE THERE'S NON ELIGIBLE DEVELOPMENT OCCURRING. I THINK IT'S REALLY HARD TO GET ELIGIBLE DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, IN MOST PLACES, IS A WEB COMPANY REALLY GOING TO WANT TO GO BACK THERE AND THERE'S THERE'S HIGH TECH, BUT VANCAMP WENT BACK THERE. IT'S A CONSORTIUM WITH MSU, YOU KNOW, MSU IS LOOKING FOR REAL ESTATE SOMEWHAT NEAR CAMPUS AND IT WAS LARGELY GRANT FINANCED. SO IT'S NOT PRIVATE SECTOR, SO I'M STILL NOT SOLD ON THE OTHER TWO ZONES JUST BECAUSE I SEE IT CAPTURING A LOT OF TAXES. AND I'M STILL NOT SOLD ON THE UTILITY FOR THOSE ZONES. BUT AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT IT'S NEEDED FOR THE DOWNTOWN BASED ON SOME OF THE NEW NUMBERS WE HAVE. BUT I JUST WANTED TO THROW IT OUT THERE FOR THE BOARD'S DISCUSSION SINCE EAST LANSING DID IT, ALBEIT THEY, WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN ABLE TO PROFIT FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE YET DUE TO ALL THEIR BROWNFIELDS, BUT JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE AS A SUMMARY. THANK YOU. TRUSTEE WISINSKI. WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE AN ELIGIBLE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DDA TO BE INCLUDED AS A POTENTIAL. SO THE DDA WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH A PROCESS. RIGHT THERE THERE ARE POSSIBILITIES. THERE DIFFERENT ONES. OK, OK. THERE'S NO INDUSTRIAL IN MS AREA IN EAST LANSING. I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT LANSING'S ZONING, BUT THERE ISN'T A SINGLE INDUSTRIAL PARCEL IN EAST LANSING. THAT WAS MY QUESTION. IT'S ALL COMMERCIAL CORE AND A MIX OF SOME OTHER RESIDENTIAL. I AGREE WITH TRUSTEE OPSOMMER HAD TO SAY ABOUT THIS, I THINK WHAT EAST [02:55:07] LANSING DID INSTRUCTIVE HERE AND WHERE THESE TECH COMPANIES ARE GOING TO WANT TO BE ARE GOING TO BE AREAS, PROBABLY NOT THE TWO AREAS IDENTIFIED NOW. AND IT SEEMS TO MAKE SENSE TO HAVE THESE MIMIC OUR DDA AREAS, DOWNTOWN OKEMOS AND POSSIBLY EVEN THE FOUR CORNERS IN HASLETT, WHICH ARE MORE LIKELY, I THINK, TO ATTRACT A TECH COMPANY THAN DON AVENUE OR THAT CORRIDOR OF SAGINAW HIGHWAY. IT SEEMS LIKE THIS THESE LDFAS ARE BEING SUBSIDIZED BY THE STATE. THE CAPTURE CAN BE UP TO 50 PERCENT OF STATE, LOCAL AND INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL TAXES, WHICH THE STATE MAKES THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHOLE. AND AS TRUSTEE OPSOMMER POINTED OUT, THESE ARE RECIPROCAL TO THE FUNDS THAT ARE BEING CAPTURED BY THE DDA WITH THE FUNDS, I'M SORRY, THAT THE TIFF DO NOT COLLECT. THESE ARE THE SCHOOL FUNDS WHICH ARE WHICH ARE TIFF DOESN'T COLLECT FOR DOWNTOWN OKEMOS. CORRECT. DDA. CORRECT. DDA. SO IT DOESN'T TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM THOSE DEVELOPMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY STATE FUNDING FOR THESE TAX CAPTURES. IS THAT YOUR UNDERSTANDING AS WELL? THERE'S NO THERE'S NO COST TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHEN THIS MONEY IS CAPTURED? CORRECT. SO I'D LIKE SOME FEEDBACK FROM YOU OF THE IDEA OF MOVING THE SMARTZONES TO AREAS THAT ARE MORE LIKELY TO ATTRACT A HIGH TECH BUSINESS RATHER THAN DON AVENUE OR SAGINAW HIGHWAY. DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? I WOULD. I WOULD CAUTION AGAINST SAYING THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT PLACES BETTER THAN VANCAMP INCUBATOR, CONSIDERING THAT THEIR WET LAB SPACE IS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OCCUPIED AND THEIR OFFICE SPACE IS 50 PERCENT OCCUPIED. AND THEY DID THAT THROUGH COVID. I SEE THAT I SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR THEIR EXPANSION AND THEN A BETTER CONNECTION BETWEEN MSU AND MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP THROUGH A POSSIBILITY OF THAT. WHEN I THINK ABOUT A MAJOR TECH COMPANY. I MEAN, [INAUDIBLE] JUST WENT OFF INTO KIND OF THE FURTHEST REACHES OF EAST LANSING ON A CERTIFIED TECH PARK. WE DO HAVE SOME AREAS IN OUR FUTURE LAND USE MAP THAT IDENTIFY THAT. I THINK DOWN IN THE DDA REGION, THAT MIGHT BE SOME OF THE SOME OF THE INTEREST. BUT I THINK IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT I'M OPPOSED TO ME PERSONALLY A RECOMMENDATION OF THE DDA. IT'S MORE ABOUT TIMING OF BEING ABLE TO QUALIFY PARCELS OR PARCELS IN THE DDA AND THEN GET THOSE PROJECTIONS TO THE BODY TO INCLUDE THEM. WE'RE GETTING BACK TO THE EARLIER QUESTION, DO WE THE BOUNDARIES WE ESTABLISH NOW THE ONES WE'RE LOCKED IN WITH FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. GOING THROUGH SETTING UP A TAX AUTHORITY. IF I UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS CORRECTLY, IT'S PUBLIC HEARINGS NOT BEFORE 20 DAYS, NOT MORE THAN 40 AFTER THAT IS APPROVED BY THE BODY. THEN YOU GO. THAT ALSO INCLUDES NOTIFICATION TO THE TAX JURISDICTIONS AND ALLOW THEM TO SAY YES OR NO ABOUT THE PARCELS TO BE INCLUDED. IT'S EASIER DURING AN EXTENSION TO ADD PARCELS BECAUSE YOU'RE ASKING THOSE TAX JURISDICTIONS TO GIVE UP THAT FUTURE INSTEAD OF COMING IN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAPTURE AND SAYING, HEY, OOPS, WE FORGOT OR WE WANT TO ADD THESE. IT'S ALSO EASIER TO TO RETRACT TO SAY, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU THIS MONEY THAT YOU WOULD INITIALLY GET BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO REMOVE THESE PARCELS. SO THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD AS RECOMMENDATION OF HOW THE PROCESS WOULD GO. WELL, SINCE WE'RE AT THE DISCUSSION STAGE AND WE WERE GOING TO MAKE A DECISION ON THIS, WE NEED TO AT THE MEETING IN THE TWENTY FIRST. IS THAT CORRECT? THE MEETING OF THE 21ST THIS IS IS SETTING A RESOLUTION OF INTENT FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS. CORRECT. WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO BRING THIS BACK FOR THE 21ST, BUT TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION INCLUDED EXPANDED AREAS, INCLUDING THE DDA AND DOWNTOWN OKEMOS AND AT LEAST THAT ZONE AND POSSIBLY THE FOUR CORNERS IN HASLETT AS WELL. UNLESS YOU CAN IDENTIFY A DETRIMENT TO INCLUDING THESE TWO ADDITIONAL WHAT I WOULD CALL OUR PICA AREAS. INCLUDING THE PICAS. WILL TAKE TIME, AND I AM NOT SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT ABILITY. I'M GOING TO BRING PUBLIC SECTOR CONSULTANTS UP TO HELP ME KEEP UP WITH THE TIMELINE OF OUR ADOPTION AS A BODY AND THEN GO INTO THE OTHER BOARD IF WE WERE TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL PARCELS WITHOUT A NUMBER OF HOW MANY PARCELS, WHAT WOULD THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE AND HOW WOULD WE GO THROUGH THAT APPROVAL? [03:00:02] GOOD EVENING. TIM DEMPSEY, VICE PRESIDENT WITH PUBLIC SECTOR CONSULTANTS. SO A COUPLE OF THINGS. NUMBER ONE IS THE TIMING ISSUE REALLY IS DRIVEN BY SETTING THE BASE VALUE. UNLIKE LANSING AND EAST LANSING THAT ESTABLISHED THEIR VALUE BACK IN 2007, WHEN THE PLAN WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED RIGHT, THE TOWNSHIP IS GOING TO BE ADDED. SO THE LEGISLATION READS THAT YOU ALWAYS DO THAT BASED ON THE YEAR IN WHICH IT WAS ADOPTED. RIGHT. SO YOU WANT TO TRY TO GET IT ADOPTED BY DECEMBER 31ST, OTHERWISE IT GETS PUSHED INTO 2022. WE CAN KIND OF REVERSE ENGINEER THE TIMING AND KIND OF WHAT'S THE LATEST? THE TOWNSHIP COULD ADOPT THE PLAN, SO WE'D HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT. I DON'T HAVE A CLEAR ANSWER THIS EVENING. WE'D WANT TO GO AND EXPLORE THAT BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE A FACTOR OF NOT JUST TIMING IN YOUR MEETINGS, BUT ALSO THE EXTENT OF WHAT YOU MIGHT ADD AND SUBTRACT AND HOW THAT COULD IMPACT THE TIMELINE SO WE CAN GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT. SO I WOULD SAY I WOULD SAY THAT'S A POSSIBILITY, BUT DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU THE 100 PERCENT CERTAINTY UNTIL WE WE LOOK AT THAT FULL SCHEDULE. THANK YOU. CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR STYKA. I SUPPORT THIS RESOLUTION AS ITS WRITTEN, AND I WANT TO THANK AMBER FOR SETTING UP A TIME FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO TAKE A TOUR OF THE VANCAMP BUILDING AND TAKE HOURS OF JEFF'S TIME TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. AND I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE OF YOUR TIME IN SETTING THAT UP AND HIS TIME FOR FOR GIVING ME A TOUR AND TRUSTEE JACKSON WAS ON A TOUR AT THE BUILDING AS WELL. I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH VANCAMP BUILDING AND I LIKE THE POSSIBILITY AND I'M GLAD THAT IT'S BACK BEFORE THIS BOARD. AND IF THERE IS A WAY, BECAUSE I THINK THIS WAS A QUESTION THAT I HAD FOUR MONTHS AGO ABOUT DOWNTOWN OKEMOS BEING PART OF THIS, IF THERE WAS A WAY TO HAVE THAT IN HERE EASILY. I KNOW THERE'S PROBABLY WORK ON YOUR END AND WE DON'T SEE THAT. I WOULD SUPPORT THAT, BUT IT'S. BUT OTHERWISE, I'M FULLY PREPARED TO SUPPORT THESE TWO ZONES AND SEE WHAT THAT CAPTURE LOOKS LOOKS LIKE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS AND THE POSSIBILITY THAT THAT COULD MEAN IN ALONG DON AVENUE. I THINK THAT THE VANCAMP BUILDING WHEN I WAS, IT'S SO IMPRESSIVE WHAT THEY'VE DONE. THE WET LABS INSIDE THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING INSIDE. I THINK THAT THAT BUILDING ALONE, NO MATTER WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM, BECAUSE I KNOW THEY HAD A LOT OF MSU FOUNDATION MONEY THAT BUILDING BEING THERE IS AN ATTRACTOR FOR OTHER TECH COMPANIES TO WANT TO COME DOWN THAT AREA AND DO SOMETHING SIMILAR. AND SO I THINK THAT IT'S A VERY IMPRESSIVE WAY TO TO REACH OUT AND MARKET AND HAVE OTHER TECH COMPANIES COME IN THAT AREA BECAUSE THE VANCAMP BUILDING IS THERE. AND SO I'M FULLY IN SUPPORT OF DON AVENUE AND AND THE LITTLE SAGINAW SAGINAW AREA. AND IF THERE WAS A WAY FOR US TO PUT DOWNTOWN OKEMOS IN THERE, I'D BE IN SUPPORT OF IT. BUT IF IT WASN'T IN THERE, IT'S STILL ABOUT HOW THIS IS WRITTEN AND BE IN SUPPORT OF THIS. MS. JACKSON. YES, I AM. FIRST OF ALL. TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH WITH CLERK GUTHRIE. BUT IN ADDITION, I BELIEVE THE DON AVENUE LOCATION AND THE TOWN OF ROAD LOCATIONS WERE SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED BY THE AUTHORITY AS APPROPRIATE, AT LEAST IN THEIR OPINION, THE MOST APPROPRIATE LOCATIONS IN THE TOWNSHIP FOR SMARTZONE DISTRICT DESIGNATION. IS THAT CORRECT? I BELIEVE THAT WAS. THE DON AVENUE [INAUDIBLE] WERE INITIAL SUGGESTIONS FROM THE LDFA BODY. I THINK ESPECIALLY BASED OFF JUST ELIGIBILITY AND EASE OF ACCESS, THERE'S MULTIPLE PARCELS TOGETHER THAT ARE INDUSTRIAL ZONED. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER ANY OTHER EARLY CONVERSATIONS STAFF HAD WITH. OK. AND PART OF THE APPEAL ALSO WAS THAT THESE LOCATIONS WERE RIPE FOR REDEVELOPMENT [03:05:01] AND GROWTH AND EXPANSION. IS THAT NOT ALSO A PART OF THE APPEAL OF THESE THERE? YES. I SEE A LOT OF POTENTIAL IN THE I69 CORRIDOR WITH, EVEN THOUGH IT IS AN KIND OF OUTDATED AS FAR AS SOME OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC UTILITIES THAT'S TALKED ABOUT FROM MR. PHILIP PITCH WITH MERIDIAN COMPANY. I JUST DO SEE A POTENTIAL IN IT AND KNOWING THAT HE'S GOING TO HAVE AN UPDATED SPACE THAT'S THAT'S SHELL EMPTY MOVE IN READY. ESSENTIALLY, THAT'S 20000 SQUARE FEET. I CAN SEE A POTENTIAL MAJOR DEVELOPER OR ANY COMPANY LOOKING AT THAT AS AS AN OPPORTUNITY. AND AND THE THIRD POINT OR A FINAL POINT WE HAVE HAD IN THE MIDST OF THIS DISCUSSION AND IN THIS ROOM, EVIDENCE FROM OUR INDICATIONS FROM OWNERS OF PROPERTIES IN THESE LOCATIONS THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN AND PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROGRAM AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTING TO THE ATTRACTION AND SUPPORT OF LIKE MINDED OR LIKE SIMILAR KINDS OF ESTABLISHMENTS IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP. LOOKING FOR THOSE BUSINESSES? YES. YES, YEAH. I TALKED WITH JEFF SMITH OF VANCAMP ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS. FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE, I HAD A COUPLE OF CALLS WITH AARON HANSON OF ELLISON BREWING CO. FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE, AS WELL AS MR. PHILLIPS FROM JUST KIND OF SPOTTING IN AND TRYING TO REACH OUT TO ANY OF THE BUSINESS OWNERS OVER IN THE AREA. I MEAN, THERE'S JUST A GREAT POTENTIAL FOR REDEVELOPMENT. THANK YOU. MR. OPSOMMER [INAUDIBLE]. YEAH, I'M JUST CURIOUS. SO IF A IF A IS THERE ANYTHING OF A STATUTE? I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THIS, BUT I JUST CONTEMPLATED THIS QUESTION. IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE STATUTE THAT PREVENTS SPENDING ON AN ELIGIBLE BUSINESS THAT'S ALREADY THERE, INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS OF AN ELIGIBLE BUSINESS THAT'S ALREADY IN THE YEAH, I WOULDN'T THINK SO BECAUSE IT'S BASED ON THE DISTRICT AS LONG AS THE PARCELS WERE INCLUDED AND THE BUSINESS WAS ELIGIBLE. YES, IF I COULD HAVE, IF IT'S IF IT'S AN ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY, IT REALLY GETS BACK TO THAT ACTIVITY THAT'S BEING SPENT ON SPECIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND IT'S BEING SPENT TO SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, HIGH TECH BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OR SOME SORT. SO THERE COULD BE AN EXISTING BUSINESS THAT EITHER COULD LEVERAGE THAT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND OR RECEIVE SUPPORT IF THEY'RE MEETING THE DEFINITION OF THAT, YOU KNOW, ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY THAT THEY'RE UNDERTAKING, RIGHT? SO A BUSINESS TODAY MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE HIGH TECH, BUT IF THEY GET INTO SOME AVENUE OF INVESTMENT OR SOME OTHER ACTIVITY, THEN THEY COULD POTENTIALLY LEVERAGE THAT. AN IMPORTANT POINT, THOUGH, IS THAT THERE'S ALSO STATE OF MICHIGAN. THE MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION HAS A LDFA EXPENDITURE POLICY, WHICH IS EVEN SOMEWHAT A LITTLE BIT MORE RESTRICTIVE ON TOP OF THE LEGISLATION. AND THAT'S THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU CANNOT PROVIDE DIRECT FUNDING TO A BUSINESS IT ALL HAS TO BE IN TERMS OF SUPPORT. SO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, INCUBATOR TYPE SERVICES CAN BE PROVIDED DIRECTLY, BUT YOU CAN'T PROVIDE LIKE A GRANT TO A BUSINESS WITH SMARTZONE FUNDING. THERE'S OTHER AVENUES FOR LOANS AND GRANTS THROUGH THE STATE, BUT NOT THROUGH THE SMARTZONE, SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT AREA TO CONSIDER AS WELL. YEAH. SO ESSENTIALLY. ANY REDEVELOPMENT OR ANY INCREMENTAL GROWTH THAT OCCURS FROM HERE AND OUT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE DUE TO VANCAMP. ARE THERE OTHER AT LEAST IN THE DON AVENUE CAPTURED? BUT THEN AGAIN, YOU COULD MOVE THAT UP TO. SO BASICALLY THE THE DON AVENUE ZONE IS ALREADY ELIGIBLE FOR ANY INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE ACROSS THE ZONE. ARE THERE OTHER ELIGIBLE BUSINESSES THAT ARE ALREADY THERE? I WOULD THINK DEPENDING ON WHAT MAYBE HUNTSMAN ADVANCED MATERIALS MAKES, MAYBE THEY WOULD BE ALSO QUALIFYING BASED OFF OF WHATEVER THEY DO AND WHATEVER THEY DO WITHIN MAKING MATERIALS IN THAT BUILDING. THAT'S ALSO ON DON RIGHT. THERE'S ANOTHER ONE ON DON AVENUE [INAUDIBLE]. YEAH, YEAH. SUPERIOR BRASS. SO I THINK THAT'S WHY THEY WERE WHY THEY REALLY NARROWED IN ON DON AVENUE. SO IN TECH COMPANIES MOVE, THEY'RE PRETTY TRANSIENT. SO TECH SMITH WAS REFERENCING JUST MOVED FROM OKEMOS TO EAST LANSING, AND IT'S TECHNICALLY ON MSU'S CAMPUS BECAUSE IT'S ON THE THE OLD SPARTAN VILLAGE CAMPUS. [03:10:04] SO IT'S, I BELIEVE, THROUGH THE WAY THAT MSU'S STRUCTURING THAT IT'S ACTUALLY PROPERTY TAX EXEMPT. BUT WHAT'S TO STOP US IF WE REBUILD ALL THAT INFRASTRUCTURE OVER THERE FROM VANCAMP MOVING TO SPARTAN VILLAGE, IT WOULD SEEM ENTICING. I'M JUST. I DON'T I GUESS I DON'T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL ON THAT ONE OR FOR RIGHT NOW, IT LOOKS LIKE VANCAMP IS HAPPY OPERATING WITHIN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, AND THEY'RE JUST LOOKING FOR FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO EXPAND THE THE SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE TO THAT UNIQUE LIKE CLUSTER AND NICHE GROUP OF OF INNOVATORS, I GUESS, IS REALLY THE WAY TO TERM IT. IT'S JUST POSSIBILITIES, AS THEY'RE JUST OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE TOWNSHIP TO POTENTIALLY GROW AND TO FOCUS ON TECH AS A GROWTH MECHANISM. OK. I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW. I'VE TRIED REALLY HARD TO FIND VIABILITY IN THESE TWO ZONES. I'VE READ A WHOLE BUNCH OF SMARTZONE REPORTS FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES. I JUST I CAN'T SEE ANYONE THAT POINTS TO LIKE THIS BUSINESS HAPPEN LIKE THIS SEEMS LIKE THE REVERSE. IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO REBUILD A ZONE THAT DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF COMMUNITY VALUE WITH A TAX CAPTURE BECAUSE VANCAMP IS ALREADY THERE AND WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A HIGH PROBABILITY OF LOSING THEM AT SOME POINT BECAUSE IF THEY GO TO MSU, THEY LITERALLY DON'T EVEN HAVE TO PAY PROPERTY TAXES. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY CURRENTLY DO BECAUSE IT'S LIKE A PUBLIC PRIVATE CONSORTIUM, BUT THEY MAY NOT HAVE TO. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE A PILOT OR I GUESS OUR ASSESSOR COULD TELL US THAT, BUT. AND I'VE TALKED TO MR. [INAUDIBLE], AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS HE WANTS TO BUILD A TRADITIONAL STRIP MALL LIKE WHAT YOU WOULD FIND AT OKEMOS AND HASLETT ROAD. I THINK THAT WAS HIS ORIGINAL PLAN THAT HIS REZONING THAT HE JUST RECENTLY DID IS TO BUILD A NEW STRUCTURE FOR MERIDIAN COMPANY AND ALLOW FOR AN EXPANSION OF HIS BUSINESS. AND THAT SITE. [INAUDIBLE] YEAH, BUT HE WENT FROM HE HE'S REZONING INDUSTRIAL. HE WENT FROM COMMERCIAL TO INDUSTRIAL ORIGINALLY, DIDN'T HE? NO HE REZONED BACK TO INDUSTRIAL. HE WAS. HE WENT FROM INDUSTRIAL TO COMMERCIAL BACK TO INDUSTRIAL. HE WENT BACK TO [INAUDIBLE] BECAUSE HE WANTS TO BUILD SOMETHING THAT'S RELATED TO THAT HIS BUSINESS ITSELF. HE GAVE UP THE IDEA OF THE STRIP MALL. THAT IS WHAT HE TOLD ME. YEP, OK. YEAH, AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND HIS PLANS ON BUSINESS EXPANSION. YEAH, BUT HE'S NOT PURSUING THE TRAINING FACILITY ANYMORE FOR TRAINING PLUMBERS. SO WE DON'T EVEN. OK, SO I MEAN, THERE'S A WAREHOUSE OF SOME KIND, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. I'M JUST INFRASTRUCTURE IN THESE AREAS IS NOT REALLY HOLDING ANYTHING BACK, SO I'M JUST STRUGGLING TO SEE WHAT THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT IS. I GUESS I'M STILL STRUGGLING WITH THAT. I THINK IF THE BOARD WANTED TO PURSUE IT, THERE ARE THERE ARE VERY LITTLE RISKS TO MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP AND SOME OF THE BENEFITS INCLUDE BEING IN DIRECT CONNECT WITH THE UNIVERSITY'S INNOVATION, THE POSSIBILITY OF OF JOB RETENTION OR WELCOMING A NEW FIRM INTO OUR COMMUNITY BASED OFF OF THE POTENTIAL FOR TECH IN THE COMMUNITY. SO. MS. JACKSON. I, FOR ONE, AM PREPARED TO SUPPORT THE LETTER OF INTENT THAT'S REQUIRED AND AS WRITTEN SO FAR AS DESCRIBED SO FAR WITH THESE TWO LOCATIONS AS DESIGNATED AS THE SMARTZONE DISTRICTS AND WOULD SEE THE RESOLUTION OF INTENT FOR COME BACK AT OUR NEXT MEETING SO THAT WE CAN START THE PROCESS. OK. OK. OK. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. OKAY. I SAY AT THIS POINT, WE WILL HAVE IT ON FOR ACTION AND WE'LL DECIDE IT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. NEXT TIME. WE GO FORWARD [INAUDIBLE]. OK. CORRECT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. [INAUDIBLE] COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC [INAUDIBLE]. [03:15:03] NO PUBLIC. MR. GEBES ANY [INAUDIBLE]? I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE'S ANY PUBLIC [INAUDIBLE]. ANYWHERE ELSE? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. OTHER MATTERS FROM THE BOARD? WE WILL HAVE TO GO TO A CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS A CONFIDENTIAL LEGAL OPINION [16. CLOSED SESSION] FROM OUR TOWNSHIP ATTORNEY CONCERNING THE GEORGETOWN SEWER PAYBACK DISTRICT. I NEED A MOVE. MS. JACKSON. SO MOVED. SO YOU MOVED TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION, UNDER? TO DISCUSS YES. OK. SUPPORT. [INAUDIBLE] SUPPORT BY MR. OPSOMMER. [INAUDIBLE] WE NEED A SUPERMAJORITY HERE. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND. YES. TRUSTEE WISINSKI. YES. TRUSTEE OPSOMMER. YES. TRUSTEE JACKSON. YES. TREASURER DESCHAINE. YES. SUPERVISOR STYKA. YES. CLERK GUTHRIE VOTE YES. MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO. WE'LL GO INTO CLOSED SESSION AND THE ONLY BUSINESS I KNOW OF WHERE WE'VE COME OUT OF IT WILL BE ADJOURNMENT UNLESS WE DISCOVER WE NEED TO ACT [INAUDIBLE]. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.