Nov 02, 2021 Township Board

OUR OTHER ACTION ITEM IS 2022 BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE RESOLUTION USING LAST

[12B. 2022 Board Meeting Schedule Resolution ]

YEAR'S PATTERN AND THE VARIOUS HOLIDAYS AND OTHER THINGS LIKE ELECTIONS THAT COME ABOUT PROPOSED A CALENDAR WITH THE HELP OF MS. MICHELLE IN MR. WALSH'S OFFICE AND WOULD PROPOSE THAT WE ADOPT IT.

IS THERE A MOTION? YES, MR. TREASURER? I MOVE WE APPROVE THE TOWNSHIP BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE.

ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO DISCUSS ABOUT US CHANGING IT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? WE CAN ALWAYS DO IT IF WE HAVE TO LATER ON, ONCE WE REALITIES.

MS. JACKSON.

IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT WE DO HAVE OUR TWO MONTHS WITH THREE MEETINGS BECAUSE WE'RE DOING OUR TOWNSHIP BOARD AND THE COMMISSION'S MEETING IN JANUARY AND THEN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN MARCH.

WHICH IS OUR HISTORICAL PATTERN.

YES, AND WITHOUT COVID, HOPEFULLY THESE WILL GO OFF, YOU KNOW, OR AT LEAST

[01:05:03]

REDUCED REDUCE REDUCE AGENCY, GO OFF AS WE PLAN OK.

DO WE NEED A VOTE? I GUESS WE DON'T NEED A FORMAL ONE, WE COULD JUST DO THIS BY VOICE VOTE.

ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? OK, WE HAVE A SCHEDULE.

WE NOW GO TO OUR DISCUSSION ITEMS AND THE FIRST ONE IS THE TOWN HALL ROOM AV

[13A. Town Hall Room A/V Upgrades]

UPGRADES.

AND DO WE HAVE SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT THIS? THIS SUMMER WAS THE, I THINK, THE BEGINNING OF THE DISCUSSIONS ON MAKING ADDITIONAL AV CHANGES TO THIS ROOM THAT WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW.

WITH COVID, IT UNCOVERED A LOT OF NEED FOR MULTIMEDIA USAGE, EITHER IN A VIRTUAL OR HYBRID SENSE.

WE HAVE DONE VERY WELL TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE NEEDS IN A TEMPORARY SITUATION.

THANK YOU TO OUR IT DEPARTMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT FOR DOING THAT, BUT IT IS NOT A LONG TERM SOLUTION.

WE HAVE MULTIPLE LAPTOPS AND WEBCAMS AND A PHONE THERE.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS THAT WE COULD BE LOOKING AT.

SO WHEN WE OPENED THAT PROJECT IDEA, SOME OTHER IDEAS CAME ABOUT.

MAYBE WE NEED MORE MONITORS.

MAYBE WE NEED BUILT INS INTO THE DAIS AND SKY'S THE LIMIT ON SOME IDEAS.

WE, THE IT DEPARTMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, REACHED OUT TO SOME COMPANIES TO SEE WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS ARE DOING, AND THIS IS A VERY HOT COMMODITY RIGHT NOW.

A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS HAPPENING.

WE HAVE RECEIVED TWO PROPOSALS, BUT WE MET WITH THREE DIFFERENT COMPANIES.

ONE DECLINED TO PROVIDE A PROPOSAL.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS THE DISTANCE OR JUST THE SIZE OF THE PROJECT.

WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING, IF YOU WISH TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ADDITIONAL UPGRADES WOULD BE TO WORK WITH A SMART OFFICES SMART.

HOMES AT A MASON TO ADD ADDITIONAL MONITORS, NEW MICROPHONES, SOME BUILT IN OUTLETS TO THE DAIS.

INDIVIDUAL MONITORS FOR EACH OF YOU TO SEE WHAT'S ON THE SCREEN.

OUR CART BEFORE YOU, I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT IT'S GOING TO BE DAMAGED BEING ROLLED DOWN THE HALLWAY FOR MANY, MANY MEETINGS.

SO A SOLUTION TO THAT WOULD BE TO ADD TWO MONITORS IN THE CEILING FOR YOU AS WELL.

AS WELL AS A DIFFERENT ROOM SET UP WHEN WE'RE IN A QUAD SQUARE, YOU COULD SEE FROM ALL DIRECTIONS AND THEN INDIVIDUAL MONITORS AT THE TABLE ON LOW PROFILE STANDS NOT BUILT IN.

WE INITIALLY THOUGHT ABOUT SKY'S THE LIMIT, LET'S GET NEW FURNITURE AND GO FROM THERE, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY NOT THAT FEASIBLE.

THAT'S A MUCH LARGER IN A LONG TERM PROJECT AND WITH THE CABLING OF OUR CAMERA EQUIPMENT THAT OPENS UP A WHOLE CAN OF WORMS WITH REWIRING EVERYTHING THAT'S BELOW THAT DESK.

SO THIS IS A MODEST PROPOSAL FOR WHAT WE COULD PROPOSE FOR THIS ROOM.

IT IS THE PROPOSAL THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO GO WITH IS 64,000, AND THAT'S THE AV UPGRADES.

SOME ELECTRICAL WOULD BE REQUIRED TO ADD OUTLETS FOR ADDITIONAL MONITORS.

WE ALSO WOULD LIKE SOME ON BOTH ENDS OF THE ROOM.

WE COULD HAVE AGENDAS OR BULLETINS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE AUDIENCE AND THEN THE QUAD MONITORS AND THE DAIS MONITORS WOULD SHOW THE AGENDA OR THE PRESENTATIONS SO THAT EVERYONE CAN SEE THE SAME SCREEN.

ONE OF OUR BIGGEST NEEDS IS A NEW MULTIMEDIA LECTERN.

THIS IS A VERY SMALL LECTERN AND DOES NOT MEET THE NEEDS THAT WE NEED FOR THIS ROOM, LET ALONE THE PRODUCTION FOR HOMTV.

RIGHT NOW, THE DOCUMENT CAMERA DOESN'T EVEN, SOMETHING'S WRONG, THE SIGNAL IS NOT EVEN GETTING TO US, SO WE'RE USING A CAMERA TO ZOOM IN ON THE PRESENTATION TO SHOW WHAT'S ON THE SCREEN.

SO LIKE I SAID, ALTHOUGH IT WORKS, WE'VE MADE SOME SOLUTIONS ON THE FLY.

WE DEFINITELY WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS LONG TERM SOLUTION.

WHEN I MENTIONED VIRTUAL AND HYBRID, WE ARE AWARE THAT THOSE SITUATIONS MAY NOT CONTINUE FOR OPEN MEETINGS ACT MOVING FORWARD IN 2022.

BUT THIS ROOM IS UTILIZED IN MULTIPLE DIFFERENT WAYS BY MULTIPLE DIFFERENT GROUPS, SO WE WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMMODATE AS MANY MULTIMEDIA USAGES AS WE CAN.

ONE THING I FORGOT TO MENTION IS A MOBILE CART, SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE THERE IS A PROJECTOR SCREEN IN THE CEILING BEHIND YOU.

IT IS BROKEN AND DOES NOT WORK.

SO WE ARE LOOKING AT A LARGER MOBILE CART FOR THOSE SITUATIONS WHEN SOMEONE NEEDS A LARGE PROJECTOR LIKE SCREEN FOR PEOPLE, FOR IT TO BE ROLLED OUT FROM THIS ROOM INSTEAD OF ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE HALL FROM THE STUDIO WHERE MORE DAMAGE COULD BE DONE.

[01:10:03]

SO WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS WITH THE BUILT INS ON THE DAIS.

IT WOULD BE A MICROPHONE, NEW MICROPHONES THAT ARE SHORTER.

THE LOW PROFILE AND BUILT IN TO THE DESK.

I'D LIKE TO SEE LESS REAL ESTATE, LESS ITEMS ON THE TABLE, IF POSSIBLE, TO HELP.

SO YOU GUYS CAN USE THE DAIS TO YOUR OWN NEEDS.

THE MONITOR, LIKE I SAID, LOW PROFILE STANDS CAN BE REMOVED BECAUSE I KNOW WE USE THIS ROOM FOR ELECTIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, AND THOSE THINGS CAN BE REMOVED AND THE OUTLETS FOR A CHARGING STATION, USB AND AN OUTLET WHERE YOU COULD CONNECT YOUR, I THINK IT WAS HDMI, WHERE YOU CAN CONNECT YOUR OWN LAPTOP TO HAVE A DUAL SCREEN OR SHOW YOUR SCREEN LARGER FROM YOUR IPAD, FOR EXAMPLE.

SO I'M OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS OR ADDRESS ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO, BUT THIS IS NOT A BUDGETED PROJECT, SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY.

THERE IS FUNDS AVAILABLE IN THE PREVIOUS CABLE-TV FUND.

A LOT OF THE FUNDING FROM THAT ACCOUNT IS FROM PEG FEES AND FRANCHISE FEES, AND PEG IS USED FOR THIS TYPE OF SITUATION THAT ITS INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES FOR AV TYPE EQUIPMENT.

[INAUDIBLE] YES? JUST REAL QUICKLY ON THE FUNDING PART OF THAT, WHICH IS ALWAYS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF A PROJECT WHEN WE BACK IN 2019, WHEN WE MOVED THE CABLE TO THE GENERAL FUND AND WENT THROUGH ALL OF THAT.

WE LEFT THE CABLE FUND, WHICH WAS AT THAT TIME JUST OVER $300000.

WE LEFT IT AS A SEPARATE FUND TO FUND FUTURE PROJECTS.

SO THIS IS CLEARLY SEPARATE FROM THE GENERAL FUND AND IT HAS APPROXIMATELY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN IT.

I HAVE A FUNDING QUESTION.

THE MEMO TALKS ABOUT 54 THOUSAND.

THEN IT SAID 64THOUSAND IS THAT INCLUDE THE 54? YES.

YOU KNOW, WITH THE ELECTRICAL WORK THAT'S NECESSARY, WE ARE GETTING PROPOSALS AND QUOTES FOR ELECTRIC.

IF WE WANT TO MONITORS OVER HERE AND THERE, THE COMPANY WE'RE SELECTING DOESN'T DO THAT KIND OF AC POWER AND THEN IT IS COMPATIBLE TO WORK WITH OUR HOMTV EQUIPMENT.

SO SENDING WE SEND THE SIGNAL TO US, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF SENDING THE SIGNAL DOWN HERE TWO WAY, AND THAT WOULD HELP IN A VIRTUAL OR HYBRID SITUATION.

SO THERE IS SOME ENGINEERING TO COMBINE THE TWO SYSTEMS. SO IF I WHEN I COME BACK TO YOU, I WILL HAVE THESE SOLID NUMBER OF ALL OF THE WORK.

BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S A ROUGH ESTIMATE OF TOTAL FOR ALL OF THAT FOR 64.

YEAH, I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO THINK IT WAS 54 PLUS 64.

NO.

MR. OPSOMMER? INCLUDED IN ALL OF THIS, HAS THERE BEEN CONVERSATIONS AROUND CONFERENCE CALL TECHNOLOGY AND LINES? SO I WILL TALK TO OUR IT DIRECTOR IN JUST A MOMENT.

THE THE SYSTEM THAT THEY'RE PROPOSING WE USE IS FOR AUDIO AS WELL, SO THAT WE MADE IT VERY CLEAR WHEN WE SPOKE WITH A COMPANY THAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE CALLS, ZOOM IN THIS ROOM AND BE ABLE TO FEED IT BACK OR VICE VERSA FROM THE CONTROL ROOM.

SO I BELIEVE SO, BUT I WILL DOUBLE CHECK THAT.

I'VE JUST BEEN ON A COUPLE OR BEEN IN THE TOWN HALL ROOM FOR A COUPLE OF MEETINGS IN WHICH MULTIPLE PARTICIPANTS WERE TRYING TO PHONE IN, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, JUST A SIMPLE, HARD LANDLINE CONNECTED CONFERENCE CALL MACHINE.

AND USER FRIENDLINESS IS USUALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WHOEVER IS COMING INTO THE MEETING IS JUST WHOEVER'S COMING TO THE MEETING, RIGHT? YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE SOMEONE ON SITE THAT KNOWS HOW TO WORK IT.

SO USER FRIENDLINESS AND A SIMPLE CONFERENCE CALL LINE IS JUST SOMETHING THAT ALSO COMES TO MIND FOR JUST KIND OF THE EVERYDAY KIND OF AD HOC PURPOSE IN THE ROOM.

OF COURSE, I'LL DOUBLE CHECK THAT.

BEFORE CALLING ON MS. JACKSON [INAUDIBLE] HAS THERE BEEN ANY THOUGHT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OCCASIONALLY WE HAVE THE OVERFLOW WHERE TO PUT THE FIRE, THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION ROOM AND ANY THOUGHT ABOUT, IS THERE ANY NEED TO DO ANYTHING THERE IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT IT CAN BE USED EFFECTIVELY? THAT WAS NOT A PART OF THIS PROJECT.

THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT.

THAT'S THE ANSWER.

MS. JACKSON? WHAT COMES FIRST TO MY MIND IS THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S A NEED TO ANY PLANNING THAT YOU'VE ALREADY DONE TO COORDINATE THESE KINDS OF THE CHANGES INVOLVED IN THIS ROOM AND THE OTHER KINDS OF IT CHANGES THAT ARE APPARENTLY ON THE TABLE AND BEING STUDIED.

[01:15:02]

I DID ASK MANAGER WALSH AND DIRECTOR GEEBES THAT, I DON'T, THAT TYPE OF SITUATION IS IN A PART OF THAT IT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT.

WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING TODAY IS SEPARATE FROM THE IT PROJECT, OK, BUT IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE ANY KIND OF COORDINATION IN TERMS OF THE IT CAPACITY AND THIS CAPABILITY? STEVEN, CAN YOU ADD TO THAT, PLEASE? TIME FOR THE RED MASK.

ACTUALLY, THE IT ASSESSMENT THAT'S ONGOING RIGHT NOW IS THE FOCUS ON IT INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN PLACE OUR SERVERS, OUR WORKSTATIONS, OUR NETWORKS AND ALL THOSE PIECES.

AND WHILE THERE ARE NETWORK COMPONENTS THAT WILL BE EVALUATED AND WILL IMPACT OUR CAPABILITIES IN THIS ROOM, THIS PROJECT IS REALLY FOCUSED ON ENHANCING THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THIS ROOM AND OUR STUDIO DOWN THE HALL AND MAKING SURE THAT ALL THE FANTASTIC THINGS THEY CAN DO BACK THERE AND MAKE ITS WAY OUT HERE.

AND IF THERE'S A PHONE CALL OR MANY PHONE CALLS THAT NEED TO BE BRIDGED IN HERE, THEY CAN DO THAT AND TELEVISE IT.

I'LL TALK TO TRUSTEE OPSOMMER A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT HE WANTS, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT PHONE ACTUALLY IS WAS PURCHASED FOR THIS ROOM RIGHT HERE.

THAT IS A FANTASTIC CONFERENCE PHONE THAT WILL REMAIN HERE.

SO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HAVE JUST CONFERENCE PHONE CAPABILITY IN THIS ROOM OR ANY OF OUR SMALLER CONFERENCE ROOMS THAT'S ALREADY THERE, BUILT INTO THE PHONE SYSTEM.

AND YES, BRANDY'S PROJECT IS GOING TO ALLOW HER TO LEVERAGE AND MERGE ALL OF THESE SYSTEMS TOGETHER.

THE ASSESSMENT IS GOING TO FOCUS ON GETTING OUR BACK AND INFRASTRUCTURE BACK IN GOOD SHAPE, AND THERE WILL BE A LITTLE BIT OF OVERLAP, BUT THEIR FOCUS IS REALLY A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ARENA.

OK, THANK YOU.

MS. WISINSKI? ONE QUESTION THAT WAS HERE, SO I LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING MORE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THINGS THIS IS EVEN DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SEE, AS I TEND TO GET OLDER, AND I ASSUME AS OUR COMMUNICATIONS EXPERT, HAVE WE MADE THE CONSIDERATION OF ADA COMPLIANT? CAN WE GET THE ABILITY FOR CLOSED CAPTION AND OR WHEN WE HAVE CONFERENCE CALLS, DO WE HAVE THAT TYPES OF CAPABILITIES FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR COMMISSIONERS THAT MIGHT NEED THAT? I WILL VERIFY IT, BUT YES, THAT IS ALWAYS THE FOREFRONT OF OUR MIND.

THE MONITORS THAT THE SYSTEM THAT CONTROLS THE MONITORS, THERE'S IT'S A VERY ROBUST SYSTEM WHERE WE COULD HAVE DIFFERENT MONITORS SHOW DIFFERENT THINGS.

WE CAN HAVE IT ALL, SHOW THE SAME THING AND UTILIZE THEM OTHER THAN THIS MEETING SETTING, FOR EXAMPLE.

BUT I WILL VERIFY THE CLOSED CAPTIONING AND ACCESSIBILITY.

I THINK IT WAS THE CLERK WAS NEXT.

THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR STYKA.

THAT WAS MY QUESTION AS WELL.

FOR MS. YATES WAS ACCESSIBILITY.

ONE IN REGARDS TO THE EASE OF ANY BOARD MEMBERS OR COMMISSIONERS IN REGARD TO THEIR SETUP HERE, WHAT THEIR NEEDS WOULD BE FOR RIGHT NOW.

I'VE GOT TO GO UNDER THE DESK AND PLUG MY LAPTOP, AND I COULDN'T IMAGINE LIKE MY MOM DOING THAT, FOR INSTANCE, THERE'S NO WAY THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

SO YOU SAID IT I THINK.

SO JUST WILL THOSE UNITS, BE ON TOP? THE USB, THE OUTLET, ALL THAT KIND OF THING? YES, WE WOULD HAVE COVERED UNITS THAT ARE DRILLED INTO THE TOP.

SO YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO UNDER THE DAIS.

THERE'S A LOT GOING ON DOWN THERE.

YOU SAID IT VERY KINDLY AND THEY HAVE THE COMPANY, WHICH WE WOULD LIKE TO ENGAGE WITH.

THEY HAVE THINGS TO HIDE, THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT NECESSARY FOR YOU TO SEE UNDER THE DAIS AND HELP CLEAN UP ALL OF THAT WIRING THAT IS UNDER THERE.

OK, AND THEN THE SAME QUESTION GOES FOR THE PODIUM.

IF WE WERE TO HAVE ANYONE ADDRESS THE BOARD OR COMMISSION IN REGARDS TO WHEELCHAIR BEING ABLE TO PULL UP AND AND ADDRESS THE BOARD IN THAT KIND OF MANNER? I'M ASSUMING THAT THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED AS WELL? YES, YES IT IS.

AND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE SOME BUILT-INS IN THIS STAFF TABLE AS WELL FOR THE CAPABILITY OF THE MICROPHONE.

OBVIOUSLY, IT'S KILLING ME SEEING ALL OF THESE WIRES EVERYWHERE.

ME, TOO, I'M WITH YOU.

SO ALLOWING THE STAFF TABLE TO ALSO HAVE BUILT-INS AND BE ABLE TO HIDE THE WIRING THEY HAVE A LOW PROFILE RACEWAY IS WHAT THEY HAVE PROPOSED IN THEIR PROPOSAL THAT CONNECTS THE TWO WITH AND IT'S ADA COMPLIANT, ACCESSIBLE, COVERING OF THE LITTLE AISLE WAY THERE BETWEEN THE DYESS AND THE STAFF TABLE.

OK, GOOD.

AND THEN TWO MORE QUESTIONS.

ONE IS JUST CLARIFYING DID I HEAR CORRECTLY THAT IF THERE WERE A MEETING IN HERE AND

[01:20:03]

PEOPLE WERE TO CALL VIA THE PHONE THAT IT COULD GO BACK AND FORTH THROUGH HOMTV IF NEEDED, ON THE CHANNEL? FROM THERE TO HERE AND THE SPEAKERS IF NEEDED AND THEN FROM HERE TO THERE OR FROM OUTSIDE AS WELL? THE COMBINATION OF ALL OF THAT.

WE HAVE DISCUSSED HAVING KIND OF CALL-IN SHOWS HERE, FOR EXAMPLE, AND THAT CAPABILITY IN THIS ROOM IS NOT THERE AND BEING ABLE TO IF HYBRID MEETINGS IN THE FUTURE CONTINUED AND TAKING CALLS FROM THE PUBLIC OR ON ZOOM OR A PHONE CALL, THAT THAT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT IN THE CURRENT SETUP.

AND WE ARE LOOKING AT THE PROPOSAL, THE EQUIPMENT THEY ARE PROPOSING WOULD ALLOW FOR THAT.

I HAVE TO CALL DERRICK OUT OR ANYTHING, BUT HE SEEMS TO HAVE LARGER PUBLIC FORUM TYPE MEETINGS OR PEOPLE COME, AND THERE MAY BE INSTANCES WHERE PEOPLE AREN'T ABLE TO COME.

SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE A BENEFIT TO THEM.

AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS, IF THERE I KNOW YOU HAVE THE ONE FAILSAFE CAMERA UP THERE, IF YOU NEED IT, ARE THERE ADDITIONAL CAMERAS GOING IN HERE? I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT THE MONITORS IN THE CEILING.

ARE THERE ADDITIONAL CAMERAS AS WELL? WE ARE NOT AT THIS TIME PROPOSING ADDITIONAL ROBOTIC CAMERAS.

THIS ONE WAS TEMPORARILY NOT WAS FAILING AT ONE POINT, BUT I THINK IT WAS A CONNECTION ISSUE AND WE HAVE FIXED THAT SENSE WITH OUR ROBUST HOMTV INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.

THERE IS STILL A NEED FOR CAMERA OPERATORS.

TWO OF THEM ARE IN HERE RIGHT NOW, SO WE DON'T WANT TO REMOVE THAT, BUT IN THE FUTURE, THAT IS SOMETHING ON OUR FIVE YEAR EQUIPMENT PLAN.

MAYBE THE ADDITIONAL OF CEILING ROBOTIC CAMERAS WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR THIS ROOM IN THE FUTURE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS.

APPRECIATE IT.

THEY'RE PORTABLE; IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.

SO IT IS A LOW PROFILE STAND THAT CAN BE ADJUSTED FLAT COMPLETELY OR TOWARDS YOU.

RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE PROPOSING A 22 INCH, WHICH I BELIEVE IS A LITTLE TOO BIG, BUT THEY ARE LOOKING AT OTHER OPTIONS 15 OR 16.

THE ONLY ISSUE WITH THAT IS IT GETS INTO SPECIAL ORDERING, WHICH MAY DRIVE UP COST, AS WELL AS THE IT'S MORE OF A TABLET WHEN YOU GET SMALLER, AND THE PORTS THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO WORK WITH THE SYSTEM WOULD MAY NOT BE THERE.

SO I DID ASK THEM.

I THOUGHT 22 WAS A LITTLE LARGE, BUT WITH THE LOW PROFILE MONITORS, WE CAN MOVE THEM AND THE STANDS ARE ADJUSTABLE AS WELL.

OK, WOULD THEY BE AVAILABLE TO THE OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AS WELL? YES, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY BOARD AND COMMISSION HAS THE SAME ACCESS TO THIS EQUIPMENT AS THE BOARD.

ACTUALLY, THESE DAYS, 22 INCHES IS NOT THAT BIG, PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE USED TO TWO MONITORS AS MOST OF US ARE FROM WORK.

THE QUESTION IS, IF YOU'RE PLUGGING, I MEAN, LOOK AROUND THE TABLE HERE.

WE HAVE TWO OF THE ORIGINAL IPADS THAT STEVEN ROLLED OUT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN WE WENT ELECTRONIC, BUT THERE ARE NOW THREE OR FOUR LAPTOPS HERE AS WELL, SO WE'LL NEED TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT.

EVERYONE IS STILL USING THE ORIGINAL IPAD.

SO THAT IS WHY I REQUESTED THAT IN THEIR PROPOSAL, THEY HAVE A PLUG IN OPTION THAT'S IN THE OUTLET.

SO IT WILL BE POWER USB AND A FUNCTION.

I THINK HDMI OR A I CAN'T REMEMBER THE PORT ACTUALLY THAT WILL CONNECT YOUR OWN DEVICES TO THE MONITOR, SO IT WILL BE LARGER.

AND EVENTUALLY, I KNOW, POSSIBLY.

I KNOW CLERK GUTHRIE HAS DISCUSSED SOFTWARE THAT YOU COULD VOTE AT YOUR SEATS, FOR EXAMPLE.

SO THOSE KIND OF THINGS WOULD BE UTILIZED FOR THOSE MONITORS IN THE FUTURE.

AND WHILE WE'RE DISCUSSING SOFTWARE, DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SOFTWARE THAT WOULD HELP PEOPLE WATCHING THE BOARD MEETINGS FROM HOME TO TO FOLLOW ALONG IN THE PACKET CLOSURE? SOME BOARDS DO ALLOW THAT SCROLLING AS THE BOARD MEETING MOVES ALONG THAT PACKET ELECTRONIC PACKET AS WELL.

SO THAT'S THAT A PART OF THIS, BUT YES, DEFINITELY.

THERE'S A LOT OF OPTIONS WE CAN DO TO EXPAND NOT ONLY IN THIS ROOM FOR FUTURE VIEWERS WHO ARE NOT IN THE ROOM, BUT YES, SOMETHING WE CAN DEFINITELY DISCUSS.

I'M COMPLETELY ON BOARD WITH STREAMLINING PROCESSES AND MAKING IT EASIER.

CERTAINLY, WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WATCH THESE MEETINGS AND WE WANT TO MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE TO FOLLOW THE MEETING, PARTICULARLY IF HOPEFULLY THEY HAVEN'T SET THAT THE WHOLE MEETING THEY'VE JOINED FOR A CERTAIN POINT TO KNOW WHERE WE'RE AT ON THE AGENDA.

MM HMM.

OTHER IDEAS, COMMENTS, THOUGHTS? YOU KNOW, I'M A GREAT JERRY SEINFELD FAN.

YOU KNOW, CAN WE HAVE MINI FRIDGES AND HAMMOCKS? LIKE GEORGE DID WITH THEM RIGHT NOW?

[01:25:01]

I'M A SEINFELD FAN MYSELF, I GOT THE REFERENCE.

BACK TO, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO FOLLOW UP ANYTHING YOU'RE DOING NOW OR CAUSE ADDITIONAL ANGUISH, BUT FOR EXAMPLE, THE THE APPROVAL AUTHORITY ONLY MEETS A FIRE STATION.

SO WE NEED TO GIVE SOME THOUGHT TO BEING ABLE TO DO SOME OF THIS WITH REGARD TO THEM.

AND IF AT SOME POINT WE WANT TO DO ANY TELEVISING OF THAT WITH REGARD TO THAT, THIS BOARD HAS MET THERE TO ON OCCASION.

SO WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AS OUR NEXT PHASE, SO TO SPEAK, PERHAPS.

OF COURSE, THANK YOU.

I GUESS WE'RE ON TIME DELAY HERE.

WE CAN ALL HEAR THAT MISTIE.

OK, HERE WE GO.

IT'S ALL GONE SOUTH SINCE THE SEINFELD REFERENCE.

ANYTHING ELSE? YES, JUST ONE MORE.

SO IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF ELECTRICAL OUTLETS IN THIS ROOM, HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO INCREASING THE NUMBER? I THINK WHEN I CONTACT THE ELECTRICIAN FOR PROPOSALS, I WILL BRING THAT UP TO SEE AS AN ANALYSIS.

YES, THAT'S CORRECT.

I'VE BEEN IN THE ROOM ON THAT SIDE AND START TO RUN OUT OF POWER AS WELL, SO THAT MIGHT BE MORE HELPFUL FOR SOME OF OUR VISITORS.

OF COURSE.

WE SET UP IN THE SQUARE.

MM HMM.

WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT DISCUSSION ITEM, WHICH IS THE TOWNSHIP SIGNAGE, AND I

OK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[13B. Township Signage ]

BELIEVE MR. SCHMIDT WILL PROBABLY BE TALKING TO US ABOUT THAT.

YES? NO, NO.

MR. PERRY.

WRONG KIND OF SIGNAGE, ACTUALLY.

OH, OK, DIFFERENT KIND OF SIGNAGE.

GOT IT AT SOME POINT.

MR. SCHMIDT WILL BEFORE THE BOARD TALKING ABOUT THE SIGN ORDINANCE, YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO HOOK THEM TONIGHT, GOT HOOK THE CONVERSATIONS TONIGHT.

OH, YEAH, THESE ARE THESE ARE THE FAMOUS SCIENCE.

OK, GOT IT.

YEAH, THE FAMOUS SCIENCE.

YES, THE CIA IS AFTER THESE.

I TRY TO BRING UP AN IMAGE HERE.

THERE IT IS.

SO AS PART OF YOUR 2021 GOALS, THE TOWNSHIP BOARD WANTED US TO PURSUE GATEWAY SIGNS, WHICH ESSENTIALLY WELCOME TO MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP KIND OF SIGN.

AND ALSO REPLACE THE ENTRANCE SIGNS HERE TO THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING.

I KNOW EVERYONE LOOKS AT THOSE TO SEE HOW UPDATED THEY ARE AND ALL THE GREAT INFORMATION ON THERE.

I MEAN, I'M BEING A LITTLE FACETIOUS.

YOU REALLY CAN'T READ THEM.

THEY'RE KIND OF A SQUARE.

I MEAN, I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT'S ON THEM CURRENTLY, SO WE KNOW THEY DEFINITELY NEED TO BE UPDATED AND REPLACE.

SO AS PART OF THAT, WE CONTRACT WITH CORBIN DESIGN.

AND AGAIN, WHAT CAME OUT OF THAT PROCESS IS BEFORE YOU, IT SHOULD LOOK FAMILIAR IN THE SIX MONTH UPDATE.

THIS IS WHAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE TOWNSHIP BOARD AS THE UPDATE.

AT THAT TIME, THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT CAN WE KEEP THE TAIL? WE REALLY LIKE THE TAIL ON THE SWOOSH.

AND THEY WERE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THAT.

SO THAT'S BEEN INCORPORATED THERE.

NO GUARANTEES THAT IT WON'T GET SNAPPED OFF AT SOME POINT.

BUT YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO STICK WITH THE BRAND STANDARD SO THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO INCORPORATE THAT.

SO THERE'S MULTIPLE SIGN TYPES.

THERE'S ONE LARGE MUNICIPAL CAMPUS ID SIGN THAT DOES HAVE A CHANGEABLE MESSAGE BOARD SIGN.

AGAIN, WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR A LAS VEGAS FLASHING EFFECT, BUT A LOT OF THESE SIGNS CAN DO SLOW TRANSITIONS, DIFFERENT PICTURES AND THINGS.

SO I THINK IT WOULD BE A VERY NICE AMENITY FOR THE BUILDING TO BE ABLE TO MESSAGE SOME OF THAT, AND MAYBE WE'D BE ABLE TO MOVE AWAY FROM SOME OF THOSE, BASICALLY THE VINYL KIND OF SIGNS THAT WE PUT UP WITH THE T POSTS, YOU KNOW? AND AGAIN, THEY'RE EFFECTIVE, BUT I THINK WE CAN DO BETTER WITH MAYBE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

ALSO, THERE'S TIMES WHEN WE'RE DOING THINGS LIKE HYDRANT FLUSHING, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE THOSE MESSAGES UP THERE TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE PEOPLE BACK TO THE WEBSITE TO SAY, HEY, IF YOU WANT MORE DETAILS ON THAT, GO TO THE WEBSITE AND UPDATE THAT MAP.

SO WE'RE LOOKING TO DO ONE OF THOSE.

THERE WOULD BE A SIMILAR ONE ACTUALLY ON CENTRAL PARK DRIVE.

IT WOULDN'T HAVE THE MESSAGE BOARD SIGN UNLESS THE BOARD REALLY FELT THAT IT MAKES SENSE TO DO TWO OF THOSE.

AND THEN THERE'S THE RENDERING OF THE CITY WELCOME SIGN AND THOSE WILL BE LOCATED ON THE FOUR, KIND OF, I GUESS, COMPASS LOCATIONS TWO ON GRAND RIVER, ON THE EAST AND WEST BOUNDARIES, ONE ON NORTH MARSH AND THEN ONE SOUTH AT JOLLY AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE.

WE'D LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX SIGNS BECAUSE WE OWN THE PROPERTY.

IT'S EASY FOR US TO GET GOING ON THIS PROJECT.

WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH SOME OF THE ACQUISITION ON THE WELCOME SIGN, SO THAT'S GOING TO TAKE US A LITTLE LONGER.

BUT AGAIN, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE BOARD'S ON BOARD WITH THE CONCEPT PLAN.

[01:30:04]

AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE IDENTIFICATION SIGNS AND WAYFINDING SIGNS FOR THE CAMPUS ITSELF.

SO A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE WILL PULL IN HERE AND YOU CAN SEE THEM, THEY'LL COME KIND OF THE CENTER AREA AND THEY'LL JUST KIND OF DO ONE OF THESE AND ONE OF THESE, YOU KNOW, THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO, YOU KNOW? AND SOME OF THIS WAYFINDING SIGN WILL HELP WITH THAT.

AND THEN THERE'S ALSO SOME SIGNS FOR THE PARK SYSTEM.

SO LUANNE, DIRECTOR MAISNER, WAS INVOLVED WITH THAT, AND THAT'S BEEN A GOAL OF THE PARKS COMMISSION TO KIND OF UPGRADE THEIR PARK SIGNAGE TO.

SO WE INCORPORATED ALL INTO ONE BIG PLAN.

SO IT DOES.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO TO A PARK, THE SIGN IS GOING TO LOOK VERY SIMILAR TO A MUNICIPAL COMPLEX SIGN AND REALLY CARRY THROUGH THE BRANDING, WEAVE THAT THROUGH ALL THE SIGNS.

SO REALLY, TONIGHT I WANTED TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORIES ON THE SIGNS AND MAKE SURE THAT THIS STILL IS A GOAL OF THE TOWNSHIP BOARD.

AND IF SO, WE'RE GOING TO PROCEED WITH BIDDING AND GET SOME REAL WORLD COSTS ON THESE THINGS AND TRY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME INSTALLATIONS.

OK, THE THE CITY WELCOME SIGNS ARE DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT THE CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY HAS BEEN AFTER FOR SOME TIME.

MR. OPSOMMER, YEAH, GO AHEAD.

MANAGER PERRY, THE FOCUS HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN ON THE WELCOMING SIGNS ON THE BOUNDARIES OF THE TOWNSHIP AS YOU ENTER OUR BOUNDARIES EAST, WEST, NORTH, SOUTH AND THEN ALSO KIND OF THE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX HERE IN THE HISTORICAL VILLAGE.

BUT WHAT WOULD BE THE TOTAL TIMELINE IF WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYFINDING SIGNAGE WITHIN VARIOUS COMPLEXES, BUT ALSO THE PARKS AND LAND PRESERVATION HAS BEEN TALKING.

I'VE SPOKEN TO YOU, BUT THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT SIGNAGE UPDATES, I SEE EXAMPLES HERE FOR SOME OF OUR PARKS AS WELL.

SO HOW BROAD IS THE SCOPE AND WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR ACCOMPLISHING THIS GOAL? WELL, THE SCOPE ROLE IT CAN BE AND THE TIMELINE IS REALLY GOING TO BE DICTATED BY THE BOARD AS PART OF THE BUDGETING PROCESS.

SO NOW THAT WE HAVE, I GUESS, OUR MASTER PLAN AND WHAT THE SIGN SHOULD LOOK LIKE, WE NOW CAN START PROCEEDING WITH SOME OF THAT BUDGETING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IN FIVE YEARS, OR MAYBE THIS IS MORE OF A 10 YEAR KIND OF THING IN THE PARKS.

COMMISSION CAN LOOK AT THAT TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? YEAH, MAYBE IT IS GOING TO TAKE US SEVEN YEARS TO GET THROUGH ALL THE PARKS SYSTEM, THAT KIND OF THING WITH THE FUNDING THAT THEY HAVE AVAILABLE.

BUT FROM THE WELCOME SIGNAGE AND THE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX SIGNAGE AND THE WAYFINDING THAT REALLY COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHIN, YOU KNOW, 12 TO 18 MONTHS.

ONCE WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS, IT'S THE ONLY HESITATION I HAVE IS JUST WITH EVERYTHING ELSE IS MANUFACTURERS HAVING AVAILABILITY, GETTING THE RAW MATERIALS THAT THEY NEED TO FABRICATE THESE, YOU KNOW, THOSE WILL CREATE SOME DELAYS.

BUT OUR FIRST STEP REALLY IS TO WORK WITH CORBIN DESIGN, GET THIS THING BUILT OUT AND GET SOME REAL WORLD REAL WORLD NUMBERS SO WE KNOW.

I'M SORRY, MANAGER WALSH, HAVE WE BUDGETED ANYTHING FOR THIS, TECHNICALLY? WE HAVE NOW.

WE'RE PREPARED IN OUR GENERAL FUND TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT WHATEVER THE BOARD MOVES FORWARD WITH.

MY OBSERVATION AND ALL THIS IS JUST REAL QUICKLY THAT WE HAVE GOT TO REPLACE THE TWO TOWNSHIP SIGNS ON THIS BUILDING.

I MEAN, THEY ARE HIDEOUS.

I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL, YOU CAN'T READ THEM.

YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY'RE THERE.

WE DON'T EVEN IDENTIFY, AND WE'RE NOT PROUD ENOUGH TO EVEN IDENTIFY OUR OWN BUILDING.

AND IT REALLY NEEDS TO HAPPEN AND WITH ALL SPEED AHEAD TO AT LEAST PUT THOSE TWO UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND IDENTIFY AND BE A LITTLE PROUDER OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR BUILDING.

AND DID WE? THE ONE THING THAT COMES TO MIND, IN ADDITION TO THE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX, IS MORE OF AN IMMEDIATE NEED JUST IN TERMS OF ENSURING IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THESE DIGITAL BOARDS.

WAS THERE ANY THOUGHT GIVEN TO PUTTING ONE AT THE FARMER'S MARKET? I GUESS THAT IS ONE THAT ACTUALLY LIKES TO ADVERTISE ITS SCHEDULE, AND IT HAS AN IRREGULAR SCHEDULE, RIGHT? I REALLY, IF YOU LOOK DOWN THERE AT THE LARGE MUNICIPAL PARK IDENTIFICATION SIGN, I THINK YOU PROBABLY COULD.

RIGHT NOW IT'S THE CENTRAL PARK SOUTH, BUT YOU PROBABLY COULD INCORPORATE SOME TYPE OF MESSAGE BOARD SIGN.

AND I KNOW THEY HAVE STARTED UTILIZING THE VINYL BANNERS AT THE FARMERS MARKET TO ADVERTISE TO.

SO YEAH, I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY YOU COULD NOT DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT THERE.

I THINK IF WE, IF THE BOARD DECIDES TO GO WITH A MESSAGE SIGNS, TO YOUR POINT, TRUSTEE OPSOMMER, THAT PERHAPS THE, AND THIS IS NOT MY BAILIWICK, THIS IS JUST AN OBSERVATION THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE MESSAGE SIGN NOT TO BE ON OUR CAMPUS, BUT TO BE IN FRONT OF THE FARMER'S MARKET FOR I THINK IT WOULD BE VIEWED A LOT EASIER BY VEHICULAR TRAFFIC AND PEDESTRIANS.

IF IT'S ON THERE AND NOT ONE.

I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED TO RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER.

YEAH, OUR ORIGINAL CONCEPT WOULD BE TO HAVE ONE ON MARSHALL ROAD FOR THE

[01:35:01]

MARSHALL ROAD TRAFFIC HAVE THAT ONE THERE.

THIS ONE WOULDN'T HAVE THE SIGN, BUT THEN INCORPORATING ONE ON THE FARMER'S MARKET, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO BASICALLY TO GET NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST TRAFFIC.

I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, THE TRAFFIC'S GREAT AROUND MARSH ROAD, BUT THE TRAFFIC COUNTS AT THE FIRE STATION WOULD BE INTERESTING TOO, BECAUSE WE DO THE VINYL SIGNAGE FOR THE FARMERS MARKET AT THE FIRE STATION, TOO.

BUT I MEAN, I CERTAINLY AM WILLING TO PROCEED, YOU KNOW, AS QUICKLY AS STAFF CAN.

OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, A MULTIYEAR ENDEAVOR.

SO BUT I DON'T SEE ANY POINT IN SLOWING STAFF DOWN.

I JUST THINK WE SHOULD GET ECONOMY OF SCALE AND DO IT IN A PHASED APPROACH THAT MAKES SENSE.

IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THE COMPLEX, JUST DO ALL THE WAYFINDING AND EVERYTHING FOR THE IMMEDIATE COMPLEX HERE.

GET IT ALL DONE AT ONCE BECAUSE GETTING THE CONTRACTORS ON SITE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ECONOMIES OF SCALE, JUST GETTING THEM HERE, YOU KNOW THAT NEXT SIGN DOESN'T COST NEARLY AS MUCH.

AND SEE IF WE CAN NEGOTIATE SOME OF THESE UNIT COSTS DOWN THROUGH SOME METHOD LIKE THAT.

SAME WITH LIKE THE PARKS.

IF WE'RE GOING TO DO WAYFINDING INSIDE OF A PARK, LET'S DO THE PARK, YOU KNOW, AND LET'S MOVE THROUGH METHODICALLY LIKE THAT.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, FOR THE WELCOMING SIGNS, THAT'S $100000 PROJECT ALONE IF WE'RE GOING TO DO FOR WELCOMING SIGNS AND THE NORTH, SOUTH, EAST AND WEST OF THE TOWNSHIP.

SO BUT I THINK PRIORITY WOULD BE THIS COMPLEX.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE FOUR ENTRANCES TO THE COMMUNITY.

BUT I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY WE SHOULD PROLONG YOUR TIMELINE AND YOUR STAFF'S TIMELINE AND GETTING IT IMPLEMENTED JUST TO SAVE SOME MONEY OVER TIME.

SO THAT WOULD BE MY TAKE ON THE FISCAL COMPONENT.

OK, JUST QUICKLY, I WANT TO MENTION IF WE DO GO WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE SIGNS WITH THE WRITING.

I DON'T KNOW WHY CORPORATIONS THINK THAT OUR MANUFACTURERS THINK THE RED IS READABLE.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE OKEMOS HIGH SCHOOL, THE RED IS VERY UNREADABLE.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE HASLETT, WHICH HAS A WHITE OR YELLOW TYPE RATING, IT'S VERY READABLE, YOU KNOW, SO KEEP THAT IN MIND.

MR. DESCHAINE? THANK YOU.

I AGREE WITH TRUSTEE OPSOMMER THAT WE OUGHT TO THINK OF DOING THESE IN BULK, PERHAPS AND GETTING BETTER PRICES.

WHILE I CAN SEE 2A FOR MARSH ROAD, YOU CAN MAKE AN ARGUMENT THAT THAT SHOULD BE ON CENTRAL PARK AS WELL, BECAUSE I WOULD THINK OUR NUMBER OF PEOPLE ENTERING TOWN HALL FROM CENTRAL PARK DRIVE VERSUS THE MARSH ROAD IS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER, COMING IN ON CENTRAL PARK DRIVE.

AND SO WHILE THE ONE ON MARSHALL WOULD PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION, PEOPLE COMING IN TO THE COMPLEX JUST SO OUTNUMBER THE ONES THAT ARE JUST DRIVING BY.

IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD COST TO IF WE WERE LOOKING AT TWO OR THREE OF THOSE LIKE ALSO THE IDEA OF ONE AT THE FARMER'S MARKET.

THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE UNIQUE SIGNING REQUIREMENTS THERE AS WELL WITH THE DIFFERENT VENDORS AND SO FORTH.

THEY'RE REALLY STUNNING SIGNS.

THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK GREAT.

THEY'RE GOING TO HELP PEOPLE TO FIND THEIR WAY.

THEY'RE GOING TO ALLOW US TO GET OUR MESSAGE OUT ABOUT EVENTS AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE TOWNSHIP.

SO I'LL BE CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT KIND OF PRICES WE GET BACK FROM THESE AND SEE WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO COST.

THEY COULD HAVE GONE UP CONSIDERABLY.

MAYBE NOT PARTICULARLY.

WE'RE LOOKING AT BUYING ONE OR MORE IN QUANTITY.

BUT ANYWAY, THIS IS EXCITING AND I AGREE WITH THE MANAGER.

WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING THIS YEAR WITH THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING, OUR SIGNS ARE REALLY PATHETIC.

TRUSTEE JACKSON? I'D LIKE TO ASK MR. SCHMIDT IF HE HAS LOOKED AT THESE THE DIMENSIONS AND THE DESIGN OF THESE SIGNS TO DETERMINE HOW THEY FIT WITH OUR CURRENT SIGN POLICIES? I WILL SAY BEFORE HE STEPS UP THAT TWENTY FIVE SQUARE FEET IS A REQUIREMENT AND WE DID ADJUST THAT FOR THAT.

OH, OK.

YEAH, DITTO.

SO, YOU KNOW, I HAVEN'T DONE A DEEP DIVE ON THESE.

WE DID MANAGE TO TALK ABOUT GENERAL PARAMETERS SORT OF EARLY ON IN MY TENURE HERE.

FRANKLY, MY RECOMMENDATION IN THE SIGN ORDINANCE IS GOING TO BE TO EXEMPT TOWNSHIP SPONSORED SIGNAGE.

THE CURRENT ORDINANCE PARTIALLY DOES ALREADY, AND MUNICIPALITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE GO BACK AND FORTH ON THIS ISSUE.

BUT AS A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, WE SERVE A DIFFERENT PURPOSE THAN AN ADVERTISING SIGN.

WE ARE SPREADING INFORMATION THAT IS A BROAD SOCIAL IMPORTANCE.

[01:40:04]

SO THAT IS GENERALLY HOW MOST CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS JUSTIFY SORT OF THEIR DIGITAL CHANGE OF MESSAGE SIGNS.

AND I WILL BE RECOMMENDING THE TOWNSHIP DO THE SAME WHEN WE GET THERE.

BUT TO THE POINT, YOU KNOW, LARGELY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PROBABLY A COUPLE OF TWEAKS HERE AND THERE, BUT LARGELY THESE SIGNS SHOULDN'T MEET OUR CURRENT STANDARDS IN MOST PLACES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.

ANYONE ELSE? THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS? YES.

GOOD QUESTION.

SURE.

CLERK? YES, THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR STYKA.

I AGREE WITH TREASURER DESCHAINE AND TRUSTEE OPSOMMER IN REGARDS TO THE LARGE MESSAGE BOARD SIGN AT MARSH AND CENTRAL PARK AND AND AT THE FARMER'S MARKET.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE STAFF NOT HAVE TO PUT UP THOSE VINYL SIGNS EVERYWHERE AND SAVE THEIR TIME FROM HAVING TO GO OUT AND PUT UP THESE SIGNS FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY AND FOR GREATER COMMUNICATION.

I COULD SEE THIS, YOU KNOW, IF THE POLICE OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OR IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO GO OUT THERE IN REGARDS TO WATER OR SEWER OR ANY KIND OF ALERT THING.

AND THEN IN ADDITION, WITH THE WITH THE SIGN AT THE MARKETPLACE, THE NUMBER OF THINGS THAT I KNOW DIRECTOR MAISNER IS LOOKING AT SCHEDULING OVER THERE, THAT'S OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE FARMER'S MARKET AS A GATHERING PLACE FOR THE COMMUNITY.

I COULD SEE A MESSAGE BOARD THERE AS WELL.

SO, YEAH, I, TOO, AM INTERESTED IN THE COST.

I'M SURE THAT THOSE BILLS HAVE RISEN AND THE PROJECT COULD GET DELAYED DEPENDING ON MATERIALS AND ALL THAT KIND OF THING.

SO I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO SIGNS THAT THE THE LAND PRESERVATION.

ARE THE SIGNS THAT ARE AT THE LAND PRESERVATION, ARE THOSE PAID FOR BY THE LAND PRESERVATION MILLAGE OR THE MILLAGE DOESN'T COVER THAT AND THAT'S COVERED UNDER THE GENERAL FUND? THE SIGNS THAT WOULD BE AT THE LAND PRESERVATION SITES WOULD BE PAID FOR HAVE BEEN AND WOULD BE PAID FOR OUT OF THE LAND PRESERVATION FUND.

SO NEW SIGNS THERE WOULD BE PAID FOR OUT OF THE LAND PRESERVATION FUND, TOO? CORRECT.

AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS WHAT WOULD THE COST BE IF LAND PRESERVATION WERE TO CHANGE ITS NAME OR IF HOMTV STUDIOS WERE TO MOVE TO THE MALL OR CENTRAL PARK WERE TO CHANGE ITS NAME TO SOMETHING ELSE? LIKE, I'M ASSUMING THAT THOSE ARE LOW, EASY FIXED COST, BUT JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY.

IF THERE WAS AN ANSWER THAT THEY COULD GIVE, WHAT THAT COST WOULD BE? SURE.

YEAH, WE WOULD HAVE TO ASK THE MANUFACTURER WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO MODIFY A SIGN, LET'S SAY, IF SOMETHING WAS RELOCATED.

THE EASY ANSWER IS YOU JUST NEVER YOU CAN'T MOVE ANYWHERE.

YOU JUST HAVE TO STICK WITH.

BUT WE KNOW THAT'S NOT THE REALITY, RIGHT? WELL, RIGHT.

BUT ALL SIGNS CAN BE MODIFIED.

YEAH, I DON'T SEE PUBLIC WORKS ON THAT ONE SIGN THERE.

YOU DON'T WANT ANYONE TO FIND YOU THEY'RE THERE.

NO, THESE LOOK GREAT, THANK YOU, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS.

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS? DAN? SO JUST ONE QUESTION AS A CLARIFICATION ON THE UNIT COST.

SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE SIGNS, SOME ARE CLEARLY INTENDED TO JUST BE ONE SIDED SIGNS, RIGHT? THE WAYFINDING SIGNS, ET CETERA.

WHICH SIGNS ARE TWO SISED AS THEY'RE QUOTED AND BID HERE ON THE UNIT PAGE? IF YOU LOOK IN THE DETAIL PLAN, WE'D HAVE TO PULL THAT OUT AND IT DOES INDICATE WHICH ONES ARE DOUBLE-SIDED.

THE CAMPUS IDENTIFICATION SIGNS THOSE ARE DOUBLE SIDED.

THE CITY WELCOME SIGNS ARE THE MAIN LOGO IS AS YOU APPROACH THE COMMUNITY WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT.

DO YOU WANT TO LIKE A MESSAGE SAYING THANK YOU FOR VISITING MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? BUT IN THEORY, IT WOULD JUST BE A BLUE BLANK FACE ON IT, BUT WE COULD DO SOME TYPE OF MESSAGE ON THAT.

A LOT OF THE OTHER SMALLER SIGNS, SOME OF THEM ARE DOUBLE SIDED, LET'S SAY, LIKE A PARK SIGN.

IF IT MAKES SENSE AS YOU'RE APPROACHING THE ROAD TO SEE IT FROM FROM TWO DIRECTIONS, IT WOULD BE BOTH SIDED.

IT REALLY IS SITE SENSITIVE.

[01:45:01]

AND SOME OF THESE LIKE THE HERITAGE PARK SIGN THAT MIGHT ONLY BE QUOTED FOR ONE SIDE.

WE DON'T WE'RE NOT SURE RIGHT NOW.

SO SOME OF THESE COSTS MIGHT BE HIGHER THAN WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR SITE SPECIFIC.

IF IT'S BEING PUT PERPENDICULAR TO THE ROADWAY AND WE NEED A TWO SIDED SIGN FOR NORTH AND SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC OR EAST OR WEST? ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

SO WE DID A SITE PLAN FOR THE MUNICIPAL CAMPUS AND THEN THE PARK SIGNS ARE PRETTY, I WOULD SAY, GENERAL, BECAUSE AGAIN, THOSE ARE GOING TO BE VERY SITE SPECIFIC DEPENDING ON HOW THE ACCESS DRIVE IS POSITIONED ON THE ROAD AND THAT KIND OF THING.

BUT WE DID REQUEST THAT THEY GIVE US A BALLPARK PRICING.

SO WE HAD AT LEAST KNEW A MAGNITUDE OF WHAT THE COST WOULD BE.

I DO LIKE THE IDEA THAT THE BACK SIDE OF THE WELCOMING SIDE IS SAYING SOMETHING LIKE, THANK YOU FROM MERIDIAN OR FOR VISITING MERIDIAN.

YEAH, YEAH.

EXCELLENT.

THANK YOU FOR VISITING A PRIME COMMUNITY.

I WAS LIKE, YEAH, NEVER MIND.

OK? ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU, GOT GOOD INFORMATION FROM US AND WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS.

IT'S PRETTY EXCITING.

JUST THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

JUST ALWAYS IT, MR. SCHMIDT.

SORRY.

ONE QUICK NOTE FOR DEPUTY MANAGER PERRY, IF I COULD REAL QUICK.

SO IF YOU COULD GET WITH THE MEIJER, PLEASE GET WITH THE DIRECTOR FOR PARKS BECAUSE LAND PRES.

HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT SIGNAGE AND THEY MIGHT BE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING SOME SIGNAGE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE'VE HAD ISSUES WITH ONE PRESERVE IN PARTICULAR.

SO JUST CHECK WITH THEM AND SEE BECAUSE THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO DOVETAIL INTO THIS NOW.

AND WE DON'T WASTE RESOURCES.

AND FOR EVERYONE'S, I GUESS, INFORMATION, DIRECTOR MAISNER WAS PART OF KIND OF OUR INTERNAL GROUP.

AND SO SHE'S WELL AWARE OF ALL OF THIS AND THE PARKS AND EVERYTHING.

IN FACT, SHE NEEDS TO ACTUALLY GET A COUPLE OF PARK SIGNS FOR SOME OF THEIR MOST RECENT PROJECTS.

SO AND I LIKE THE PARKS, WERE BRANDED WITH THE GREEN SIGNS.

I GOT THE BRANDING.

OK, MR. SCHMIDT NEXT ITEM IS MIXED USE PLAN, UNIT DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE UPDATE.

[13C. Mixed Use Planned Unit Development Ordinance Update ]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

SO I'LL BE BRIEF.

AT THE LAST MEETING, THE TOWNSHIP BOARD ASKED FOR A COUPLE OF CHANGES AND ALSO ASKED FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S INPUT ON SORT OF THIS FINAL DRAFT.

THE PLANNING COMMISSION REVIEWED THE MATTER AT THE MEETING LAST WEEK AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT THE CHANGES AND ARE READY TO HAVE THIS IMPLEMENTED.

SO THE LAST TWO CHANGES REALLY THAT WERE MADE AT THE REQUEST OF THE BOARD FROM THE LAST MEETING WAS INCLUSION OF INTENT LANGUAGE WITH EACH OF THE AMENITIES.

SORT OF HOW I EXPLAIN THINGS AT THE MEETING THAT EVERYONE SEEMED TO AGREE WITH.

SO WE'VE INCLUDED THAT LANGUAGE AND THEN THERE WAS DISCUSSION WITH RESPECT TO TRYING TO PUSH TOWARDS THE TOP TIER AMENITIES.

AND SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE ACTUALLY REQUIRED THAT EVERY PROJECT THAT MEETS FOR AMENITIES ARE MORE HAS TO INCLUDE A TOP TIER AMENITY.

I THINK THE THINKING BEHIND THIS WAS RATHER THAN LIMIT THE TIER TWO, BECAUSE AT THAT POINT, THEN THE TIER ONE AND THE TIER TWO ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME FOR SOMEONE TO SIMPLY GO TO THE TOP TIER RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING AND THEN LET THEM PICK UP THEIR OTHER POINTS , HOWEVER THE MATH FALLS.

CERTAINLY, WE COULD CHANGE IN EITHER DIRECTION, AND I'M PREPARED TO DO SO IF THE BOARD DESIRES, BUT THAT'S THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT AT THIS POINT.

WE'RE PRETTY HAPPY WITH WHERE WE'VE GOTTEN, AND IT'S ALREADY GOTTEN ME TO THINKING HOW WE ADDRESS SOME OTHER ORDINANCE ISSUES WITH THIS FRAMEWORK.

SO I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT.

OK, WELL, IT SEEMS TO ME FOR OUR DISCUSSION, AS WE MOVE, WANT TO BE MOVING THIS TOWARDS AN ACTUAL ACTION ITEM IN THE FUTURE, WE'RE DOWN TO THAT LAST ISSUE YOU JUST BROUGHT UP.

WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO TO? WE WANT TO HAVE FORCED THEM INTO ONE OF THE TOP TIERS OR NOT? MR. OPSOMMER? SO I'M NOT GOING TO EXPRESS AN OPINION.

I'M JUST GOING TO GO THROUGH KIND OF THE MATH AS I WAS BECAUSE I READ THE MEMO AND I LIKE IT.

I'M OK WITH IT EITHER WAY, PERSONALLY.

BUT LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT, THEY'RE LIKELY GOING TO NEED SIX TO EIGHT POINTS BASED ON VARIANCE REQUESTS AND TO GET THE DENSITY BONUS, WHICH IS FOUR POINTS.

AND SO IF THEY GET ONE POINT FOR THAT, WHAT DO WE CALL THAT LOW TIER, THAT ONE POINT.

IF THEY ONLY CAN GET ONE POINT FROM THE BOTTOM TIER OF AMENITIES, SO THEN THEY'RE DOWN TO NEEDING FIVE TO SEVEN AND THEY'D HAVE TO USE ONE IN THE TOP THREE.

SO JUST WHEN WE RUN INTO THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE THEY NEED SEVEN OR EIGHT POINTS THE WAY THAT IT'S CURRENTLY STRUCTURED WITH MAKING THEM GO TO TIER ONE, THEY'LL GO TO TIER ONE AND DO ONE OF THEM, AT LEAST BASED ON HOW THE ORDINANCE PUSHES THEM.

WE COULD ALWAYS PUSH THEM TO DO A SECOND, YOU KNOW, THREE POINT AMENITY IF WE TRY TO.

BUT IF WE LIMITED THE TWO POINT AMENITIES AT JUST THEM BEING LIMITING THEM TO ONLY

[01:50:03]

BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE ONE, THEN THEY CAN ONLY GET THREE POINTS FROM THOSE TWO TIERS AND THEY MIGHT HAVE TO ACTUALLY DO TWO OF THE THREE POINT AMENITIES.

SO THAT'S KIND OF A TRADE OFF, AS I SAW IT, AS CERTAIN SITUATIONS, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO REQUIRE THEM TO DO A SECOND.

THEY MIGHT HAVE TO DO THE ART AND A VERTICAL STACKING, OR THEY MIGHT HAVE TO MEET THE TWENTY FIVE PERCENT NON RESIDENTIAL AND PUBLIC ART.

SO WE MIGHT GET A COMBINATION OF THE TWO THE OTHER WAY.

BUT EITHER WAY, WE ENSURE THAT THEY DO ONE OF THE THREE POINT AMENITIES, RIGHT? SO THAT WAS THE KIND OF PRO AND CON ANALYSIS THAT I DID.

OK, MS. WISINSKI? SO THAT WAS HELPFUL.

TRUSTEE OPSOMMER.

SO MY QUESTION WAS SO IF WE HAVE A MINIMUM OF FOUR, WE'RE REQUIRING THREE.

IS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL INCENTIVE FOR DOING ADDITIONAL AMENITY POINTS? SO THAT WE, YOU KNOW? SO UNLESS CAN WE MAXIMIZE UNLESS IT'S THE MOST OF THE UNLESS IT'S REQUIRED, I DON'T ANTICIPATE SOMEONE'S GOING TO DO AMENITIES JUST TO DO AMENITIES.

I THINK AND I WENT THROUGH A SIMILAR THOUGHT PROCESS AS TRUSTEE OPSOMMER DID.

OK, THIS PROJECT, YOU KNOW, IS GOING TO NEED THIS AND THIS AND THIS.

I THINK THE, AND PUTTING ON MY HAT OF TRYING TO ENCOURAGE GOOD DEVELOPMENT A LITTLE BIT HERE.

THOSE TOP TIER AMENITIES ARE BIG ASKS FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF PROJECTS.

YOU KNOW, THE ONE PERCENT FOR ART HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE WELL OVER A SIX FIGURE ASK FOR A PROJECT.

SO THESE ARE IT'S GOOD THAT WE REQUIRE ONE, BUT MY CONCERN IS LIMITING SOME OF THE DESIGN ITEMS IN THE TIER TWO, WHERE WE MIGHT GET A BETTER PROJECT THAT SOMEONE DOES THREE OR FOUR OF THE TIER 2S AND THEN JUST TAKES THEIR TOP TIER ONE AND MOVES ON WITH IT.

BUT I ALSO THINK, YOU KNOW, I'VE ALREADY SHARED THIS ORDINANCE WITH ONE POTENTIAL DEVELOPER AND THE COMMENTS I GOT BACK FROM THE ARCHITECT.

THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING APPROACH, AND I DON'T THINK I'VE SEEN THIS ANYWHERE.

SO I THINK PART OF THIS IS GOING TO BE, LET'S SEE IF THERE'S THERE'S ALSO A BIT OF LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS HERE, TOO, BECAUSE I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING TRUSTEE OPSOMMER SAID.

I MEAN, THERE'S GOING TO BE CERTAIN PROJECTS THAT GET UP AROUND SEVEN OR EIGHT.

HOW DO THEY TACKLE THE PROBLEM THEN? THERE ARE SOME COHERENCE WITH THE TOP TIERS, BUT UNLESS YOU REALLY GET TO A TRULY DENSE, BIG PROJECT, SOME OF THOSE TOP TIER THREE ITEMS JUST DON'T MAKE SENSE.

I MEAN, UNLESS YOU HAVE A MASSIVE PROJECT, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DO UNDERGROUND PARKING.

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DO A STRUCTURED PARK, RIGHT? YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET THE TWENTY FIVE PERCENT AND THE MIXED USE THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT.

WHEREAS, YOU KNOW, IF I GO TO IF I GET MY ONE THERE, MAYBE IT'S THE LEED CERTIFIED BUILDING, WHICH WOULD BE GREAT.

YOU KNOW, THEN I GET, YOU KNOW, I CAN GO TO THE TIER TWO AND GET ALL BRICK BUILDING, AND I'M GETTING A GREEN GRAY WATER SYSTEM TO HELP WITH DRAINAGE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO I THINK PART OF THIS IS GOING TO BE, HOW DOES THIS WORK GOING FORWARD? BUT I'VE GONE FAR BEYOND THE QUESTION YOU ACTUALLY ASKED ME, WHICH WAS, IS THERE INCENTIVIZING TO GET ADDITIONAL MONEYS? I DON'T THINK THERE IS.

I'M NOT SURE THAT HOW WE WOULD DO THAT SHORT OF CHANGING THE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERPINNING OF ONE AMENITY PER VARIANCE OR THE DENSITY BONUS AMENITY REQUIREMENT.

I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND REALLY CHANGE HOW THIS IS SET UP TO DO THAT.

THAT UNDERSTANDING IS LIKELY.

WHY WOULD ONE PROJECT REQUIRE EIGHT DIFFERENT AMENITIES? IF THEY WERE TO NEED A VARIANCE FROM SETBACKS AND IN NEED OF VARIANCE FROM PARKING AND HAVE A DENSITY AND BE IN THE AREA WHERE YOU COULD GET A DENSITY BONUS LIKE THEY START TO STACK AND YOU HAVE TO START WITH ONE, NO MATTER WHAT.

SO IT STARTS TO STACK UP AND EVENTUALLY YOU GET TO FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT, DEPENDING ON.

AND THERE'S A TON OF VARIABLES.

IT'S THE UNDERLYING ZONING AND IT'S THE TYPE OF PROJECT YOU'RE DOING, AND IT'S WHETHER YOU'RE IN ONE OF THE THREE SORT OF AREAS OF FOCUS.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS THAT THESE START TO STACK UP AND GET TO A HEAVY A HEAVY AMENITY PROJECT.

OK, I HAVE TWO OTHER QUESTIONS SUPERVISOR, NOT RELATED.

AND AGAIN, I KNOW I ASKED FOR THIS TO COME BACK IN DISCUSSION BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO REVIEW IT A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH.

SO I NOTICED, AND I THINK YOU'VE EVEN DISCUSSED THIS DIRECTOR SCHMIDT ABOUT IT USED TO BE THAT THE DEVELOPER WOULD HAVE TO COME TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE BOARD NOW IT SAYS IN THE ORDINANCE, ITS PLANNING COMMISSION OR THE BOARD.

CAN YOU? SO THAT'S ONLY FOR ONE SPECIFIC PART.

THEY COULD, IF THEY'RE JUST DOING THE CONCEPTUAL REVIEW, THEY CAN GO EITHER DIRECTION.

FRANKLY, WE'D ADVISE EVERYONE TO GO BOTH PLACES, BUT FOR THE ACTUAL PROCESS, IT STILL IS

[01:55:01]

GOING TO GO PLAY IN A COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION FOUR FOR DECISION.

AND THEN THE LAST QUESTION WAS THE REMOVAL OF BOTH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND THE SCHOOL BOARD AS APPLICABLE.

AS FOR REVIEW.

WHAT WAS YOUR REASONING BEHIND THAT? KNOWING WE HAVE ORDINANCES THAT REQUIRE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION TO REVIEW CERTAIN THINGS, INCLUDING WETLANDS? THAT WAS ACTUALLY REMOVED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION BEFORE I EVEN STARTED.

SO I THINK THE IDEA WAS THERE ARE ALREADY WAYS FOR THOSE BOARDS TO WEIGH IN AND SO NOT NECESSARY FOR THAT ADDITIONAL PROCESS HERE.

BUT I CAN'T SPEAK, I DON'T WANT TO PUT WORDS IN THE MOUTH OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION IN THAT REGARD.

AND SO HOW WOULD THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO WEIGH IN IF IT'S NOT IN THIS ORDINANCE? SO IF THERE WERE SOMETHING LIKE A WETLAND IMPACT OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE FOR A MVPD PROJECT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD HAVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WEIGH IN ON.

THE SCHOOL BOARD QUESTION IS AN INTERESTING ONE.

I THINK THEY PROBABLY TOOK THAT OUT BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN A WHOLE LOT OF RESPONSE FROM THAT IN THE PAST, AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET ANSWERS.

BUT THAT IS I THINK THE PLANNING COMMISSION WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO TAKE A SOMEWHAT UNWIELDY ORDINANCE AND MAKE IT A LITTLE SMOOTHER.

SO IF THERE'S A WETLAND PERMIT, IT WOULD STILL BE REQUIRED TO GO TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION? I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND IN A CASE LIKE THIS, JUST GIVEN THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE BECAUSE PART OF THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROCESS IS GET PUBLIC INPUT LIKE THERE IS AN ENCOURAGEMENT.

THERE'S A REQUIREMENT THAT THEY MEET WITH SORT OF GROUPS TO GET INPUT ON THE PLAN EARLY ON.

AND SO THAT WOULD BE CERTAINLY SOMETHING IF THERE IS A WETLAND IMPACT ON AN MVPD PROJECT, WHICH IS SOMEWHAT RARE, I'M NOT GOING TO SAY NOT POSSIBLE, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WHERE WE'D SAY, HEY, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY GO TALK TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION NOW AS PART OF YOUR INITIAL DUE DILIGENCE PROCESS BEFORE YOU MAKE A FORMAL SUBMITTAL.

WELL, IT'S REQUIRED BY ORDINANCE CURRENTLY.

OK, EXCELLENT.

LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT.

APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

SO IT WOULD NO LONGER BE REQUIRED TO GO TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION? SO WHAT IT DOES IS IT TAKES OUT THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT THAT THIS THE MUPUD GOES THROUGH THAT REVIEW.

THAT IS ALL IT TAKES OUT.

SO THERE ARE STILL OTHER REQUIREMENTS THROUGHOUT THE ORDINANCE WHERE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WOULD BE INVOLVED.

BUT FOR THE MUPUD ORDINANCE A FUTURE MUPUD WOULD NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT PROJECT.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DROPPED OUT BY THE PLANNING COMMITTEE.

AND QUITE FRANKLY, IF ANYTHING, WE WANT OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION INVOLVED AS MUCH AS WE CAN IN ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS.

THAT'S MY OPINION.

OTHERS? MR. OPSOMMER, THEN MS. GUTHRIE.

FIRST, I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK FOR WHAT PAGE AND PROVISION ARE WE DISCUSSING? SO I'M ON THE STRIKETHROUGH VERSION.

WOULD YOU LIKE STRIKETHROUGH OR CLEAN? I GUESS THE STRIKETHROUGH VERSION, SINCE WE'RE STRIKING LANGUAGE, WE KIND OF NEED TO.

YEAH, IT'S PAGE 18 OF THE STRIKE, IT'S SUB 4J5 UNDER THE PROCEDURE PROVISIONS OF THE ORDINANCE.

9.8 AND 9.14.

I'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND WEIGH IN ON THAT IN A MINUTE.

IT'S THE OLD FIVE YET.

OK, YEAH.

SO ONE OTHER ALTERNATIVE THAT I THOUGHT OF ON THE POINT SCORING THING, SO JUST TO PUT A THIRD ALTERNATIVE OUT THERE AS A CONCEPT BECAUSE WE ALREADY DO THIS IN THE ORDINANCE WE DO HAVE THE OVERLAYS FOR THE DENSITY THAT WE LIFTED IN DOWNTOWN HASLETT AND DOWNTOWN OKEMOS, WE COULD REQUIRE A THIRD OR SORRY, A SECOND THREE POINT AMENITY IN THOSE TWO AREAS, JUST KNOWING THAT WE'RE GIVING PEOPLE THIS DENSITY BONUS AND THIS OPTION.

AND THEY DO HAVE SOME LOW HANGING FRUIT.

TO DIRECTOR SCHMIDT'S POINT LIKE BUILDING A PARKING DECK IS A HUGE ASK.

LIKE, THAT'S PROBABLY JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN FOR ANY OF THESE PROJECTS, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE DOWNTOWN OKEMOS.

BUT WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THAT KIND OF PLAY OUT AND IT'S OUT; RIGHT? SO PERHAPS JUST FOR THOSE TWO ZONES WHERE WE LIFT THE DENSITY AND IT'S ALREADY IN THE MUPUD, YOU COULD REQUIRE A SECOND THREE POINT AMENITY BECAUSE I CAN EASILY POINT TO, I MEAN, IN THE DOWNTOWNS, THEY SHOULD BE DOING SOME PUBLIC ART, IF NOT THE FULL ONE PERCENT, VERY CLOSE TO IT.

THEY SHOULD ALREADY BE DOING PUBLIC ART.

IF YOU WALK DOWNTOWN EAST LANSING AND THEIR RECENT DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENTS, YOU KNOW THEY HAVE SIMILAR PUBLIC ART REQUIREMENTS AND YOU CAN SEE IT IN THE ALLEYWAYS.

YOU CAN SEE IT ON JUST SOME OF THE DEAD ZONE WALLS WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE GLASS; RIGHT? BUT IT'S PUBLIC FACING AND YOU SEE MURALS GO UP.

SO THAT'S LIKE THE LOW HANGING FRUIT ONE, RIGHT? IS THE PUBLIC ART, BUT WE DON'T WANT THEM IN THOSE TWO ZONES TO JUST UTILIZE PUBLIC

[02:00:04]

ART IN THAT TWO VERTICAL STACKING, TWENTY FIVE PERCENT COMMERCIAL, ET CETERA.

SO THAT WOULD BE A THIRD ALTERNATIVE WHERE WE ZERO IN ON THOSE AREAS AND TO TRUSTEE BRZEZINSKI'S POINT OF HOW ARE THESE POINTS BEING ACCRUED? ONE, THEY HAVE TO DO ONE AMENITY JUST BY DOING AN MUPUD.

FOUR IS WORTH DENSITY TO GET GO FROM 14 UNITS TO 18.

SO LIKE DTE'S PROJECT NEWTON POINT OR DTE'S PROJECT OFF CENTRAL PARK, NEITHER OF THOSE, THEY'RE NOWHERE NEAR 14 UNITS AN ACRE.

SO THEY'RE NOT REQUIRING THOSE FOUR.

THEY WOULD JUST NEED THE SETBACKS.

BUT DOWNTOWN OKEMOS, THEY'RE GOING TO NEED SETBACKS ON ALL FOUR SIDES, FOR SURE.

THEY'RE GOING TO AND THEN THEY'RE GOING TO NEED FOR FOR DENSITY.

SO THEY'RE GOING TO NEED NINE POINTS.

SO FOR DOWNTOWN OKEMOS, THERE'S NINE POINTS AT LEAST.

BUT FOR, YOU KNOW, THE DTN PROJECTS THAT WE'VE RECENTLY LOOKED AT, THEY PROBABLY NEED LIKE TWO OR FOUR POINTS BECAUSE THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT GETTING INTO TOO MANY SETBACK ISSUES EITHER.

SO I WOULD JUST THROW THAT OUT AS ONE OTHER ALTERNATIVE APPROACH THAT WE DON'T END UP WITH A BUNCH OF PUBLIC ART PROJECTS IN FRONT OF US, BUT NEVER EXAMINING THOSE OTHER ONES AND ZEROING IT TO THE CRUCIAL AREAS.

HOWEVER, PUBLIC ART IS SOMETHING WE DEFINITELY NEED.

BUT I AGREE, I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT.

I THINK IT WOULD ALL.

I THINK IT WOULD BE ONE EYE TO THE ALL ART.

I THINK IT WOULD BE ONE OF THE TWO, ALMOST ALWAYS.

MS. GUTHRIE, YOU WERE NEXT.

THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR STYKA.

I AGREE WITH YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION COMPONENT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING THEIR OPINION.

MY ONE QUESTION I HAVE IS IN REGARDS TO THE DEFINITION OF AMENITY.

YOU STRUCK OUT THE THE CURRENT DEFINITION WAS STRICKEN AND IT WAS REWRITTEN TO SAY EXTRAORDINARY PROJECT FEATURE THAT PROVIDES USABLE BENEFIT TO BOTH THE OCCUPANTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND REFLECTS THE SCALE OF THE FACILITY, BUILDING OR PLACE.

CAN YOU? I FEEL AS IF I UNDERSTAND MORE WHAT THE FORMER DEFINITION WAS THAN THE CURRENT DEFINITION.

MAYBE IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY PROJECT FEATURE IS THAT AND WHAT A USABLE BENEFIT IS? I'M HAVING A HARD, TO ME, THOSE LIKE, YEAH, AND WHO'S DESCRIBING WHAT'S EXTRAORDINARY? YEAH.

AND I THINK IT'S YOU'RE TRYING TO DEFINE SOMETHING THAT'S PROBABLY DIFFERENT FOR EVERY PROJECT, TOO, WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT.

SO IN THIS CASE, IT'S GENERALLY IT'S GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULDN'T FIND IN THE AVERAGE PROJECT.

IF, SAY, SOMEONE CHOOSES TO.

LIKE A WATERFALL ALONG AN OUTSIDE WALL OR SOMETHING? THAT WOULD BE A VERY INTERESTING PIECE OF PUBLIC ART IF SOMEONE TRIED TO JUSTIFY IT THAT WAY.

I'VE SEEN IT.

EXACTLY THAT'S THE POINT.

I'VE SEEN BAMBOO GARDENS IN DOWNTOWN SETTINGS.

I'VE SEEN REFLECTING POOLS.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S I THINK, WHAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION WAS TRYING TO DO WITH THIS WAS NOT PIGEON HOLE BY DEFINITION WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GET.

AND I THINK THAT'S ALSO WHY THERE'S LANGUAGE.

ONCE YOU GET INTO THE ACTUAL AMENITIES ABOUT ANY OTHER THINGS SUBJECT TO THE TOWNSHIP BOARD'S APPROVAL.

I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO SIMPLY GET PEOPLE TO THINK BEYOND YOUR AVERAGE PROJECT AND SOMETHING THAT IS NOT ORDINARY, SOMETHING THAT IS EXTRAORDINARY FOR A PROJECT THAT IS.

AND THAT AND THEN IT GETS INTO THE WHOLE IDEA OF SOME OF THESE ARE GOING TO BE VERY BENEFICIAL TO THE PUBLIC.

SOME OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE OF A MORE ESOTERIC BENEFIT, SORT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL LONG TERM BENEFIT TO THE PUBLIC, BUT THAT IT'S SOMETHING BEYOND SIMPLY DEVELOPMENT THAT IS BENEFITING US AS A TOWNSHIP AND THEN GETTING IT TO THE SCALE.

YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, A SMALLER PROJECT IS GOING TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT TIGHTER OF AN AMENITY, WHICH GETS US INTO THE WHOLE IDEA OF WHAT WOULD SUPPORT A PARKING STRUCTURE.

AT WHAT POINT DOES THE PROJECT GET TO A SCALE IF THAT IS THE AMENITY THAT'S REQUIRED? SO I THINK REALLY WHAT THIS IS TRYING TO DO IS POINT OUT THAT AN AMENITY IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT ORDINARY TO A DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.

IT IS BEYOND WHAT YOU WOULD SEE NORMALLY.

WAS THERE CONFUSION OR LOTS OF QUESTIONS? DO YOU KNOW ON THE PART OF THE DEVELOPERS IN REGARDS TO AMENITY OR? I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN SOME QUESTION AS TO WHAT ACTUALLY ACCOUNTS AS AN

[02:05:01]

AMENITY FOR A PROJECT BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE CERTAIN PROJECTS IN THE PAST THAT PEOPLE HAVE CALLED AMENITIES SOMETHING THAT IT'S SOMETHING WE'D NORMALLY EXPECT.

YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S SOME ENHANCED.

LIKE A BIKE RACK OR SOMETHING? OR SOME ENHANCED LANDSCAPING OR SIDEWALK PLANTERS OR THINGS LIKE THAT.

COVERED BICYCLE PARKING ACTUALLY WAS ONE THAT WAS USED FREQUENTLY.

IT WAS AN AMENITY, SO THEY GOT POINTS FOR IT.

BUT WE EXPECTED IT.

AND APPLICANTS WOULD SAY, WELL, IT'S YOUR ORDINANCE.

FIX YOUR ORDINANCE IF YOU DON'T WANT.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING, WE'RE REPRIORITIZING.

SO WE'RE NOT JUST LETTING THEM GET ALL THE LOW HANGING FRUIT RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? AND SO THAT'S THE POINT OF WHEN SHOULD THEY HAVE TO DO TWO OF THESE THREE POINT THINGS? WHEN SHOULD THEY HAVE TO DO YOU KNOW MORE OF THE TWO POINT AMENITIES? WHEN SHOULD THEY HAVE TO DO ONE POINT AMENITY AND WE'RE TRYING TO SCALE THEM? SO THAT'S THE POINT OF THE WORD EXTRAORDINARY? EXTRAORDINARY, I THINK.

NOT NORMAL.

WELL, DIRECTOR SCHMIDT SAYING THAT THEIR INTENTION IS LEAVING IT OPEN ENDED BECAUSE.

I'M MAKING SURE I'M ON THE SAME PAGE AS EVERYONE ELSE.

IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S OUTSTANDING.

EXTRAORDINARY MEANS IT'S NOT ORDINARY.

RIGHT.

THAT'S A COMMON MISCONCEPTION OF THE WHAT EXTRAORDINARY MEANS.

IT'S OPEN ENDED LIKE THE DEVELOPMENT AT ABBOT AND GRAND RIVER IN EAST LANSING HAS A ROOFTOP RESTAURANT AND BAR.

WE DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT IN OUR ORDINANCE TO DIRECTOR SCHMIDT'S POINT, THE PLANNING COMMISSION LEFT IT SOMEWHAT OPEN ENDED SO THAT A DEVELOPER WANTED TO PROPOSE SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

THEY COULD BRING IT TO US AND SAY, WOULD THIS BE WORTH THREE POINTS OR TWO POINTS? OK, WE COULD GO, YEAH, THAT'LL GET YOU THREE POINTS.

YES, MR. DESCHAINE? I LIKE THIS DRAFT.WHEN YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE EMPTY ORDINANCE AND THIS IS A RELATIVELY BOLD ATTEMPT AT IT, AND I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GET BACK, BUT THIS IS A TRY AT IT.

IT'S A GOOD TRY.

YOU MIGHT FIND IN A COUPLE OF YEARS WE NEED TO COME BACK AND TWEAK IT FURTHER.

BUT I COMMEND THE PLANNING COMMISSION, THE WORK THEY DID ON DOWN IT, THEIR IMAGINATION IN DOING THAT.

AND I THINK WE WILL GET BACK SOME, SOME INTERESTING PROPOSALS AND WE MAY NOT AGREE WITH THEM ALL OR APPROVE THEM ALL.

BUT WE'LL GET SOMETHING MORE THAN WHAT WE'VE BEEN GETTING BECAUSE TOO MANY OF THEM HAVE TAKEN THE LOW HANGING FRUIT, THE ELECTRIC CAR CHARGER, WHICH TRULY THESE DAYS IS AN ESSENTIAL DEVELOPMENT FEATURE.

THERE'S NOTHING EXTRAORDINARY ABOUT THOSE AT ALL IN 2021.

SO WE DON'T KNOW YET, BUT I THINK WE'LL GET SOME GOOD RESULTS HERE.

AND SO MY SENSE IS WE SHOULD MOVE THIS TOWARDS ADOPTION AND SEE A CLEANED UP VERSION OF THIS AND BRING IT BACK FOR DISCUSSION AND HOPEFULLY FINAL PASSAGE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

DAN AND THEN COURTNEY.

I WAS WONDERING IF WE MIGHT JUST TAKE A STRAW POLL ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION STRIKING A CONCEPT OF REQUIRING A SECOND THREE POINT AMENITY FOR DOWNTOWN OKEMOS AND HASLETT? IS THAT ADVERSE TO GETTING A, SEE IF THERE'S A CONSENSUS ON THOSE TWO ISSUES.

LET'S START WITH THE FIRST ONE.

AND HOW DO PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THAT? KEEP IT.

KEEP IT.

I, QUITE FRANKLY, I THOUGHT WE SORT OF I WAS GOING TO SAY WE HAD [INAUDIBLE].

AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS ON THE THE AMENITY AND YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE MORE, DAN? YEAH, SO JUST REQUIRING.

SO RIGHT NOW, THE WAY THAT THE ORDINANCE IS PRESENTED IN OUR PACKET DIRECTOR SCHMIDT INVERSE WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE LAST MEETING, AND INSTEAD OF LIMITING HOW MANY POINTS YOU CAN ACCRUE IN THAT TWO POINT BUCKET TO ONE, YOU KNOW, ONE AMENITY WORTH TWO POINTS.

HE FLIPPED IT AND SAID, OK, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO DO ONE THREE POINT AMENITY.

MY IDEA IS WHY NOT REQUIRE A SECOND THREE POINT AMENITY ONLY IN DOWNTOWN OKEMOS AND HASLETT, AS WE DEFINE IT IN THE ORDINANCE ALREADY FOR THE DENSITY LIFTING BECAUSE WE LIFTED THE DENSITY REMEMBER AND WE CREATED THOSE ZONES AND THEY'RE MAPPED.

SO WE'RE GIVING PEOPLE THE ABILITY TO GO UP A FIFTH STOREY UNLIMITED DENSITY WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF GOING UP FIVE STOREYS.

SO IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE, CAN WE EXPECT THEM TO DO A SECOND THREE POINT AMENITY? WHICH I THINK THE WAY IT IS TODAY, WE'D SEE A LOT OF PUBLIC ART.

IT'S THE LOWEST HANGING OF THE THREE AND WE REALLY WANT TO SEE ONE OF THOSE OTHER ONES.

BUT PUBLIC ART IS REALLY CRITICAL IN A DOWNTOWN ENVIRONMENT, SO I THINK WE COULD REALLY MAXIMIZE.

SO YOU, OK, SO BOTTOM LINE IS YOU WOULD PREFER THAT THE LANGUAGE BE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO PICK A ONE THIRD, TOO; RIGHT? YOU HAVE TO DO TO THREE POINT AMENITIES IN THE TWO DOWNTOWNS.

BUT CAN I JUST CLARIFY ONE THING? YEAH.

[02:10:01]

WE ARE ADDING THE MERIDIAN MALL TO THOSE TWO DOWNTOWNS, SO IT'S ACTUALLY THREE AREAS.

THAT WOULD BE, YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO CREATE ANOTHER CATEGORY.

SO YEAH, NO, THAT'S RIGHT, I FORGOT THAT WE ADDED THE MERIDIAN MALL TO THE DENSITY LIFTING BECAUSE WE'RE ADDING THAT AS PART OF THIS AMENDMENT THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW.

SO WHICH WAS PART OF A PRIOR DISCUSSION.

SO FOR THOSE THREE ZONES.

HOW MANY PEOPLE SEEM TO, WITHOUT VOTING, HOW MANY PEOPLE SEEM TO AGREE WITH THAT? I JUST NEED NODS OF THEIR HEADS.

OK, WITH THOSE TWO IDEAS IN MIND, CAN YOU BRING US A FINAL VERSION FOR AN INTRODUCTION? YES, SIR.

AND HE WILL EITHER MAKE SOME AMENDMENTS BEFORE WE INTRODUCE IT OR INTRODUCE IT AS IT COMES.

CAN I ADD ONE OTHER THING? ALL RIGHT.

VERY GOOD.

THAT'S GOOD.

I'M GLAD YOU SAID IT.

YES, GO AHEAD.

I BROUGHT THIS UP PREVIOUSLY AND DIRECTOR SCHMIDT GAVE US HIS THOUGHTS.

I MEAN, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DID RECOMMEND TAKING THE TRAFFIC STUDY REQUIREMENT FROM A NET INCREASE OF ONE HUNDRED TRIPS PER DAY.

SO THIS IS WHEN WE REQUIRE THE TRAFFIC STUDY IS WHEN WE SUSPECT THAT THERE'S A NET INCREASE IN ONE HUNDRED TRIPS PER DAY.

PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDED TAKING IT DOWN TO 50.

I DID A LITTLE BIT OF MY OWN RESEARCH.

IN EAST LANSING IT'S 750, AND THAT'S FOR ALL REZONING.

IN DELHI IT'S 500.

I MEAN, I WOULD ACTUALLY PROPOSE, AND THIS, MANY PEOPLE ASK ME IN THIS TOWNSHIP, BUT I WOULD PROPOSE THAT IT SHOULD BE MINIMUM 250.

I STILL THINK THAT'S EXTREMELY CONSERVATIVE WHEN YOU JUST LOOK AT PRAGMATIC TRAFFIC.

I REALLY THINK DELHI'S 500 WOULD BE APPROPRIATE, BUT I GUESS I WOULD PROPOSE TONIGHT THAT MAYBE WE BUMP THAT TO 250.

I COULD SEE THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT NEXT TIME AS WE ADAPT, IF WE WANT TO GO HIGHER THAN THAT.

WHO ELSE FEELS [INAUDIBLE]? OK, THAT'S YOUR THIRD ONE.

WELL, THAT'S YEAH, WE COULD MAKE THAT TEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND YOU'RE STILL GOING TO HIT IT FOR MOST OF THESE PROJECTS.

50 IS A BANK, SO YEAH, WE CAN MAKE THAT CHANGE AS WELL.

OK, THEN WE'LL SEE THIS ON FOR ACTION AS INTRODUCTION.

AND LIKE I SAY, IF THERE'S A NEED FOR AMENDMENTS, WE'LL ALL PUT OUR THINKING CAPS ON.

ARE YOU READY FOR THAT IN TWO WEEKS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

FOR THE NEXT ITEM, I WAS HOPING TO CALL THE MANAGER FIRST.

NEXT ITEM IS APPRECIATION PAY.

[13D. Appreciation Pay ]

THANK YOU, MR. SUPERVISOR.

SO NOT AN EASY SUBJECT TO TRY TO GET TO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT APPRECIATING AN EMPLOYEE.

WE HAVE SEVEN BARGAINING GROUPS AND THEN WE HAVE A NONUNION GROUP.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

BUT I WANT TO REWIND THE TAPE A LITTLE BIT.

GO BACK TO FOR SOME OF YOU THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ON THE BOARD OR INVOLVED IN THE TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT BACK IN 2013, 14 AND 15.

WE ACTUALLY WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CONTRACTS.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT OR NOT.

BUT BACK THEN WE HAD CONTRACTS IN PLACE, BUT WE ALSO HAD A TIE BAR TO THAT BECAUSE THE ECONOMY WASN'T AS STRONG BACK THEN.

AND WE SAID THAT IF THE TAXABLE VALUE WENT UP, MORE OF THE TOWNSHIP WENT UP MORE THAN TWO PERCENT.

WE WOULD ADD ONE PERCENT EACH YEAR.

THE SUPERVISOR REMEMBERS THIS.

WE TIE BARRED THAT FOR THREE YEARS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE WERE GIVING INCENTIVES OUT EIGHT YEARS AGO TO OUR TEAM MEMBERS.

SO WHAT'S BEFORE US TONIGHT ABOUT HOW WE GO ABOUT THIS APPRECIATION THING? ALSO GOING BACK TO I KNOW EVERYONE WANTS TO TIE THIS TO COVID, BUT THERE'S JUST SOME BASIC THINGS I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT.

I THINK TRUSTEE SUNDLAND SAID IT BEST TO ME THREE OR FOUR WEEKS AGO.

YOU KNOW, SHE MAY BE A QUIETER ONE IN THE BOARD, BUT SHE WAS PRETTY PROPHETIC THREE WEEKS AGO WHEN SHE SAID THIS DISCUSSION BECAUSE YOU KNOW WITH HER HR EXPERIENCE.

SHE SAID TO ME, TRUST ME, THIS DISCUSSION IS GOING TO END UP CAUSING YOU ISSUES WITH YOUR BARGAINING GROUPS.

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID.

AND WE'RE THERE.

SO THAT WAS JUST THREE OR FOUR WEEKS AGO.

BUT UNDERSTANDING, HOW DO WE PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER.

HOW DO WE WORK AS A TEAM TO ACCOMPLISH THE GOAL WITH MAYBE COMBINING JUST ALL THE DISCUSSION THAT'S OCCURRED.

BACK FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO? WE SAID TO OUR NONUNION GROUP, JEEZE, WE'RE PAYING ALL THESE HIGHER PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR POLICE AND FIRE.

WE'RE GOING TO VOLUNTARILY INCREASE YOUR DEFINED CONTRIBUTION, WHICH IS EIGHT

[02:15:02]

AND A HALF PERCENT OF YOUR SALARY TO 10 PERCENT.

REALLY? YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT.

WELL, DO WE HAVE TO NEGOTIATE THAT? NO, WE'RE JUST GOING TO DO THAT.

SO ADD ON A PERCENT AND A HALF SIX YEARS AGO TO ALL NONE POLICE AND FIRE EMPLOYEES AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT NUMBER WOULD BE TODAY THAT WE'VE INCENTIVIZED AND APPRECIATED OUR TEAM.

SO WHETHER IT WAS INCREASING THE DEFINED CONTRIBUTION VOLUNTARILY OR TIE BARRING AN INCREASE TO TAXABLE VALUE TO GIVE FOLKS MORE OF A PERCENTAGE BACK EIGHT YEARS AGO, WE'VE BEEN DOING THE APPRECIATION THING AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER.

SINCE I ARRIVED HERE IN 2013, WE ALSO STARTED SUMMER PICNICS.

WE STARTED LUG NUTS GAMES.

WE'VE DONE A LOT OF THINGS TO TRY TO APPRECIATE OUR EMPLOYEES.

IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT INCOME, AS SOME PEOPLE WOULD POST.

IT'S ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS AND LUNCHES AND TEAM BUILDING AND ALL THAT STUFF MATTERS TO PEOPLE.

IN FACT, WE FAST FORWARD NOW TO COVID, AND I HOPE THAT I'VE TRIED TO ILLUSTRATE THIS A FEW TIMES AND I HOPE TONIGHT IT MAKES SENSE TO EVERYONE.

THE TALK IS ABOUT EQUITY, AND I GET THAT DISCUSSION.

THAT'S AN IMPORTANT TOPIC.

WE HAVE EQUITY.

IN FACT, IF WE SIDED WITH ONE OR THE OTHER, IF YOU ASK ALL OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS WHO GOT THE BIGGER SLICE OF THE PIE IN THE LAST YEAR, IT WOULDN'T BE POLICE AND FIRE.

BACK WHEN COVID STARTED, THERE WAS AN I SPEAK TONIGHT, NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF, BUT ON BEHALF OF DIRECTOR TITHOF AS WELL, WHO'S BEEN INTIMATELY INVOLVED WITH ALL OF THIS WITH ME.

WHEN THIS ALL STARTED, 80 HOURS OF TIME OFF CAME ABOUT, WHICH IS MORE OF A VALUE THAN A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO EMPLOYEES.

80 HOURS OF TIME OFF.

TWO WEEKS.

WE DECIDED WHO WAS ESSENTIAL AND WHO WAS NOT ESSENTIAL.

AND THIS WAS APRIL OF 2020.

SO THIS IS WHEN COVID FIRST HIT.

SO POLICE AND FIRE, YOU COME TO WORK EVERY DAY, YOU GET NO TIME OFF.

EVERYBODY ELSE.

FOR THE MOST PART, YOU GET 80 HOURS OFF.

AND THEN AFTER YOU'RE FINISHED WITH YOUR 80 HOURS, YOU CAN WORK AT HOME FOR SIX WEEKS, WHICH WAS A BIGGER HIT THAN ANYTHING ANYTHING WE'VE EVER DONE IN THE TOWNSHIP.

WORK FROM HOME WAS NUMBER ONE.

I CAN TELL YOU THAT FROM OUR EMPLOYEES STANDPOINT.

SO NONE POLICE AND FIRE RECEIVED AT A LATER TIME TO ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR PAYMENTS.

EVERYONE ELSE GOT THE BENEFIT OF 80 HOURS OFF PLUS SIX WEEKS AT HOME, AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY CAME BACK? WE INSTITUTED A FLEX TIME AND AGAIN, FLEX TIME IS NOT NEW.

FLEX TIME DIDN'T JUST BECOME OF COVID.

IF I CAN REWIND THE TAPE THREE YEARS AGO IN THIS ROOM, SOME OF YOU WERE IN HERE.

CHIEF PLAGA IS SHAKING HIS HEAD WHEN WE WERE TRYING TO DO FLEX TIME THREE YEARS AGO AND AN ELECTED OFFICIAL STOOD IN THE WAY OF IT.

WE WERE TRYING TO DO FLEX TIME THREE YEARS AGO, SO BRINGING THIS OUT NOW DURING COVID AND ALL THAT, IT'S NOT ANYTHING NEW.

WE'VE BEEN APPRECIATING OUR EMPLOYEES FOR EIGHT YEARS.

DO WE HAVE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SATISFACTION AMONG OUR TEAM? NO, WE DON'T.

BUT WE HAVE A STRONG SATISFACTION AMONG OUR TEAM.

VERY STRONG.

I WON'T GET INTO PAYING THE FULL PREMIUM FOR HEALTH CARE OR 90 PERCENT OF DEDUCTIBLES, WHICH NOW THE BOARD HAS DECIDED THEY'RE GOING TO BE PAID UP FRONT ALL AT ONCE, WHICH IS GOING TO BE A COST TO US.

I SHARE THIS ALL WITH YOU BECAUSE WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY IN THIS TOWNSHIP OF APPRECIATING IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

HAS IT BEEN ENTIRELY FAIR? PROBABLY NOT.

BUT WHEN YOU HAVE SEVEN BARGAINING GROUPS AN A NONUNION GROUP, IT'S TOUGH TO FIND THAT LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

BUT WE HAVE IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT COVID, JUST OVID AND SET ASIDE ALL THE STUFF WE'VE DONE BEFORE THAT, OK, LET'S FOCUS ON COVID TONIGHT AND WHAT HAPPENS SINCE COVID.

IF YOU ASK THE NONUNION EMPLOYEES THE ONES WHO'VE HAD ALL THE TIME THAT THEY WERE GIVEN OFF, PLUS THE FLEX TIME OF A HALF HOUR PER DAY, WHICH EQUALS THREE WEEKS OF ADDITIONAL VACATION, IF YOU ASK THEM WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A ONE TIME PAYMENT OR WOULD YOU RATHER? WELL, WE ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE TO THINK ABOUT ASKING THEM.

WE'VE ASKED THEM, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE ALL THIS TIME MENTAL HEALTH WISE TIME OFF WINTER COMING? OR WOULD YOU HAVE A PAYMENT TO A PERSON? PLEASE CONTINUE THE FLEX TIME.

IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

NOW WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING.

WE CAN'T PAY YOUR HEALTH CARE AND GIVE YOU MORE SALARY AND GIVE YOU TIME OFF TO GIVE YOU A CASH PAYMENTS, GIVE YOU MORE OF AN INCREASE.

SO WHAT WE DID AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS, THIS JUST DIDN'T COME ABOUT THE LAST FEW WEEKS.

[02:20:01]

NO BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, ACTIONS PUT THIS IN MOTION.

THE RETENTION DISCUSSION STARTED WITH THE BUDGET FORMATION BACK IN JULY.

DIRECTOR TITHOF AND I HAD BEEN WORKING ON A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR QUITE A WHILE.

WHY DON'T WE TALK ABOUT IT A LOT? BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO GET TOO FAR OUT IN FRONT OF OURSELVES WITH THINGS WE CAN'T DO.

WE GOT TO SEE WHERE THE FINANCES ARE.

WE JUST GOT FROM OUR ASSESSMENT WE JUST RECEIVED FROM OUR ASSESSOR.

THE COST OF LIVING, THE INFLATION RATE FOR GOING FORWARD, FOR NEXT YEAR, FOR TAXABLE VALUE ON PROPERTIES.

WE KNOW THAT IT'S GOING TO BE WELL OVER THREE PERCENT.

IN OUR CONTRACTS.

WE CALL FOR A TWO PERCENT RAISE NEXT YEAR, SO WELL BELOW THE COST OF LIVING.

SO AGAIN, HOW DO WE PUT THIS ALL INTO MOTION? HOW DO WE PUT A A LEVEL APPROACH TO ALL THE BARGAINING GROUPS AND ALL OF OUR ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE TEAM MEMBERS? SO WHAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT THE NONUNION OR NON POLICE AND FIRE UNION STAFF, SO THAT WOULD BE ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE MINUS ROUGHLY 70 WOULD RECEIVE WE'RE GOING TO TRY SOMETHING REALLY, REALLY UNIQUE HERE.

IT'S GOING TO BE A BOLD APPROACH, PROBABLY THE MOST BOLD APPROACH IN MICHIGAN FOR WHAT A COMMUNITY IS DOING, WHETHER IT'S GOING TO WORK OR NOT.

I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT I KNOW ONE THING THE TEAM IS GOING TO LOVE IT AND IT MAY.

IT'S GOING TO INCREASE OUR RETENTION AND IT'S GOING TO INCREASE OUR RECRUITMENT.

THE JURY'S STILL OUT ON WHAT HAPPENS WITH IT.

BUT HERE'S THE APPROACH, AND I'M SORRY TO BE SO LONG WINDED, BUT THERE'S AN EIGHT YEAR HISTORY HERE TONIGHT, NOT JUST THE LAST FIVE WEEKS.

SO FOR ALL AND ALL TEAM MEMBERS SEPARATE FROM POLICE AND FIRE UNION THEY'RE GOING TO GO TO A FOUR DAY WORKWEEK STARTING IN JANUARY.

SO JANUARY AND FEBRUARY ONLY IT'S A VERY TRIAL PERIOD.

FOR EIGHT WEEKS, THEY WILL HAVE EIGHT FRIDAYS OFF WITH PAY.

WE WILL NOT GO TO 10 HOURS BY GOING TO 10 HOURS.

WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES.

WE HAVE SINGLE PARENTS IN OUR TEAM.

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THEM AND SITTING DOWN AGAIN, TAKING THE TIME WHICH WE HAVE DONE, AND I'M POINTING OVER HERE TO DIRECTOR TITHOF WHICH WE HAVE DONE TALKING TO THEM AND SAY, WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU? YOU WANT A PAYMENT, YOU WANT THIS.

YOU WANT THAT.

WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT? THE LAST THING I COULD DO, FRANK ABBY, IS TO BE HERE UNTIL SIX O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.

I HAVE CHILD CARE ISSUES.

I HAVE TO BE THERE.

RIGHT NOW, THIS GREAT FLEX TIME THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING.

I CAN LEAVE HERE AT 4:30.

I CAN'T STAY TILL SIX, SO TO GO TO FOUR TENS WOULD BE A HUGE SACRIFICE, IMPOSSIBLE FOR A NUMBER OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS.

SO AGAIN, SITTING DOWN, TALKING TO WHAT'S IMPORTANT.

SO WE'RE GOING TO GO TO FOUR EIGHTS AND SEE HOW IT GOES STARTING IN JANUARY.

WE'RE GOING TO ADJUST THAT A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE OF TAX TIME, WE'RE GOING TO BRING SOME PEOPLE IN ON A COUPLE FRIDAYS, BUT THEY'RE AWARE OF THAT.

SO THEY WOULD RECEIVE A FLEX TIME ENHANCED EIGHT FRIDAYS OFF.

ONCE WE COME BACK IN MARCH, THEY WILL GO BACK TO THEIR FLEX TIME THEY HAVE NOW OF SEVEN AND A HALF.

OUT OF EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE IN APPRECIATION, WHETHER IT'S LUG NUT GAMES, THIS THAT OR THE OTHER THING TEAM ALL THAT.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO OUR TEAM MEMBERS IS THE FLEX TIME THAT WE'VE DONE.

BAR NONE.

AND I'VE TAKEN THE TIME AND WENT AROUND THE BUILDING AND TALKED TO PEOPLE AND ASKED THEM, WITHOUT A DOUBT.

IN ADDITION TO THE FLEX TIME, THE FOUR DAY WORK WEEK FOR FOUR EIGHT WEEKS WILL THEN GO BACK TO THE FLEX TIME WE HAVE IN PLACE RIGHT NOW.

WE WOULD ALSO KEEP THE RETENTION PAYMENT, WHICH IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER OF 2022 AND A THOUSAND DOLLARS IS IN THE BUDGET.

AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE WOULD PROVIDE ONE PERCENT ADJUSTMENT ON THEIR BASE PAY STARTING IN JANUARY ABOVE WHAT WE NORMALLY PROVIDE, WHICH IS TWO PERCENT.

SO WE WOULD SCALE UP TO TRY TO GET MORE TO THE COST OF LIVING IN THE INFLATION.

SO ALL NONE POLICE AND FIRE WOULD GET THREE PERCENT INCREASES STARTING IN JANUARY.

SO AN EIGHT HOUR WORKWEEK OR AN FOUR DAY WORK WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS.

FLEX TIME AFTER THAT AND A ONE PERCENT INCREASE IN MY BASE AND A RETENTION PAYMENT IN DECEMBER.

THAT'S FOR NON POLICE AND FIRE.

WHAT WOULD THE POLICE AND FIRE GET? WELL, GUESS WHAT? WE CAN'T GIVE THEM TIME OFF.

HOW DO YOU CREATE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD? YOU CAN'T.

YOU CAN'T SAY TO POLICE AND FIRE, YOU CAN HAVE ALL THIS TIME OFF.

WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO DO THAT.

AND SO WE SET DOWN, WE TOOK THE TIME INSTEAD OF JUST COMING UP WITH A CONCEPT.

WE TOOK THE TIME TO SIT DOWN WITH THE POLICE UNIONS.

WE TOOK THE TIME TO TALK TO THE FIRE UNION AND SAY, BY THE WAY, THE FIRE UNIONS

[02:25:01]

SAID.

ANYTHING YOU CAN GIVE US IS GREAT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THEY'RE GETTING TIME OFF, BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT.

AND THE POLICE UNIONS, WE MET WITH THEM TWICE TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION, AND THEY'RE VERY PLEASED WITH WHAT WE'VE COME OUT WITH AS WELL.

THEY WOULD GET NO TIME OFF.

THEY WOULDN'T GET THE FOUR DAY WORKWEEKS.

PLUS THEY WOULDN'T GET THE EXTENDED FLEX TIME IN 2022 AND THEY WOULD GET A THOUSAND DOLLAR RETENTION PAYMENT.

THEY GET THEIR HSA UP FRONT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, AND THEY WOULD GET A ONE AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE ON TOP OF THEIR TWO PERCENT.

THAT'S CALLED FOR IN THE CONTRACT, SO THEY WOULD GET AN EXTRA HALF A PERCENT IN 2022.

SO THEY WOULD GET AN EXTRA HALF A PERCENT OF SALARY.

EVERYONE ELSE WOULD GET THE FLEX TIME THAT I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.

THAT'S THE CONCEPT THAT'S TAKEN US FIVE MONTHS TO PUT TOGETHER, STARTING WITH THE RETENTION DISCUSSION BACK IN JULY AND AUGUST.

IT HAS AN [INAUDIBLE] IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT EQUITY.

TALK ABOUT EQUITY FOR THE POLICE AND FIRE.

BECAUSE IF YOU ASK ANYONE, IF YOU ASK OUR EMPLOYEES, IF ANYONE GOT THE SHORT STICK AND EVERYONE'S ALWAYS, YOU KNOW WHAT, IF ANYONE GOT THE SHORT STICK, IT WAS THE POLICE AND FIRE.

THEY LOST OUT ON 80 HOURS OF TIME OFF AND DO THE MATH.

IF YOU'RE MAKING FIFTY TWO THOUSAND A YEAR, THAT'S TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.

AND THEN THEY GOT SIX WEEKS AT HOME, SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF COMPENSATION FOR FOLKS TO STAY HOME AND THE OTHER AND THE POLICE AND FIRE DIDN'T GET IT.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE ARE PLANNING TO IMPLEMENT STARTING IN JANUARY.

IT'S A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH.

ALL THE UNIONS ARE AWARE OF IT.

WE HAD A ZOOM CALL WITH, I THINK SIXTY SIX OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS ATTENDED IT TODAY.

ALL THE UNIONS ARE ON BOARD WITH IT.

I THINK IT GOES A LONG WAY TOWARDS EQUITY, RETENTION, RECRUITMENT AND JUST ALL OUT APPRECIATION FOR OUR ENTIRE TEAM.

SO I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE, BUT THAT'S WHAT THE PROPOSAL IS FROM THE TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATION.

SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WINDED, BUT I WANT TO TAKE YOU BACK AND REWIND THE TAPE EIGHT YEARS AND WALK THROUGH THAT.

YEAH, I WOULD JUST MENTION AS A RETIRED GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE AND THERE'S OTHER HERE ADDING TO THE BASE IS MUCH MORE VALUABLE THAN A ONE TIME PAYMENT.

IT'S THERE FOREVER, AND THE NEXT TIME THERE'S ANOTHER INCREASE, IT COMPOUNDS JUST LIKE INTEREST.

SO ADDING TO THE BASE IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT.

I THINK KATHY CAN CONTEST TO THAT AS WELL.

IT'S TRUE.

[LAUGHTER] ALL RIGHT.

SO SOME THOUGHTS ON WHAT THE MANAGER HAS PUT OUT THERE.

AND OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A CONVERSATION THAT I THINK WE'VE ALL BEEN HAVING, YOU KNOW, FOR SOME TIME NOW.

SO IN THE BUDGET, WE HAVE THE $1000 RETENTION PAY, WHICH TO THE SUPERVISOR'S POINT THAT BRINGS EQUITY, THOUGH FOR THE LOWER INCOME EMPLOYEES THAT WHERE THE BASE PAY JUST DOESN'T HAVE THAT IMPACT, RIGHT? AND SO BY DOING THE ONE PERCENT INCREASE OR THE 1.5, DEPENDING ON THE EMPLOYEE CLASS, WE'RE KIND OF CO-MINGLING THE TWO AND WE'VE GOT THAT EQUITY FOR LOWER INCOME EMPLOYEES.

AND WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, THAT LONG TERM, MORE SUSTAINABLE APPROACH OF ADDING TO THE BASE PAY INCREASE THAT COMPOUNDS ITSELF.

SO I LIKE THE MARRYING OF THE TWO.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I ASKED FOR IN THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE.

SO I'M HAPPY TO SEE US ADVANCING THIS.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ALSO SOMETHING I THINK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT INTERNALLY ACROSS THE BOARD.

COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT, RIGHT? AND I THINK THIS PROPOSAL HELPS OUR EMPLOYEES MEET THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS THAT THEY'RE SEEING PRETTY CLOSELY OUR LOWER INCOME EMPLOYEES WOULD SEE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A FOUR POINT TWO AND A FOUR POINT EIGHT PERCENT INCREASE.

THEY'D PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, GET UP NEAR THAT FOUR POINT FIVE TO FIVE POINT FIVE PERCENT INFLATION THAT WE'RE SEEING.

SOME OF THE EMPLOYEES ON THE HIGHER END OF THE PAY SCALE WOULDN'T QUITE GET THERE ON A PERCENTAGE BASIS THIS YEAR.

SO I CERTAINLY LIKE THOSE COMPONENTS.

I'M INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT, IF ANYTHING, WOULD COME FROM THE FLEX SCHEDULING ON FRIDAYS.

THAT WILL BE INTERESTING, BUT I DO WANT TO JUST HAVE ONE THING THAT STOOD OUT TO ME WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN DONE AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WORK FROM HOME AND STUFF, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S TOUGH TO SAY.

I DON'T KNOW THAT I'VE SEEN ANY PEER REVIEWED SURVEYING ON IT TO KNOW DEFINITIVELY.

BUT ANECDOTALLY, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE ENJOYED THE EXPERIENCE, BUT NOT

[02:30:05]

EVERYBODY HAD A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE.

SO, I MEAN, SOME HOUSEHOLDS WERE PARENTING AND TRYING TO GET THEIR KIDS THROUGH SCHOOL, AND IT WAS A VERY UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE, AND THEY ENDED UP WORKING LATER INTO THE EVENING BECAUSE THEY WERE BEHIND ON THEIR WORK BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THAT.

I VERY MUCH PREFER TO GO TO THE OFFICE ENVIRONMENT AND BE ABLE TO REMOVE MYSELF FROM SOME OF THE DISTRACTIONS.

SO THAT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT KIND OF STOOD OUT TO ME IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'VE DONE.

THE OTHER THING THAT I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL MANAGER WALSH SAID IT WAS THIS PRIOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WHERE WE CREATE THAT TRIGGER WITH THE TAX BASE INCREASE.

I DON'T KNOW WHOSE IDEA THAT WAS FROM THAT MANAGEMENT TIME IN THAT BOARD, BUT I DO LIKE THAT BECAUSE IT MAKES SURE THAT THE BOARD IS HELD HONEST WHEN WE'RE HAVING LARGE INCREASES AND WE DON'T SEE INCREASES ABOVE, WE'RE USUALLY IN THAT ONE POINT FIVE TO TWO POINT SIX RANGE FOR A TAX BASE GROWTH.

BUT IF WE'RE HITTING TWO POINT SEVEN, FIVE AND UP, WE REALLY SHOULD BE LOOKING AT LIKE A TRIGGER LIKE THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE EMPLOYEES ARE BEING COMPENSATED IN GOOD TIMES BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE HIRING FREEZES AND THERE'S GOING TO BE WAGE FREEZES DURING THE REALLY BAD TIMES, WHICH DON'T OCCUR OFTEN FOR A LOCAL UNIT LIKE THE GREAT RECESSION.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING THAT IN GOOD TIME.

SO I THINK THAT'S AN INTERESTING CONCEPT FOR THE FUTURE.

AS AN ASIDE FROM WHAT'S BEEN PUT OUT THERE, BUT I THINK WE'RE ARRIVING AT SOMETHING VERY HOLISTIC WHERE WE'VE GOT THAT LUMP SUM.

[INAUDIBLE] AND HOPEFULLY, IT'LL LEAD TO GOOD RETENTION AND HOPEFULLY GOOD RECRUITMENT, TOO, BECAUSE WE SPENT THE EARLY PART OF THE MEETING TALKING ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET SOME OF THESE VACANCIES FILLED IN THE TOWNSHIP AS WELL? YEAH.

WELL, I'LL TELL YOU THE BEST THING ABOUT THE ONE PERCENT TIE BARRED TO THE GROWTH.

THE BEST PART ABOUT IT WAS I CAME HERE IN MAY OF 2013 AND WITHIN A FEW WEEKS WAS NEGOTIATING CONTRACTS THAT WERE GOING TO EXPIRE AND WE CAME UP WITH THAT CONCEPT OF TIE BARRING IT BACK THEN.

BUT IT WAS AFTER THE BASICALLY WE WERE DONE NEGOTIATING.

AND YOU KNOW HOW EVERYTHING HAS TO GO INTO A CONTRACT, RIGHT? I SAID, JUST TRUST ME, TRUST ME IN 2013, 14 AND 15.

I'M TELLING YOU IF OUR GROWTH IS TWO PERCENT OR MORE, WE WILL ADD ONE PERCENT ONTO YOUR BASE.

THEY ALL THE UNIONS SAID YES, AND FOR THREE YEARS IN A ROW WE HAD GROWTH AND THEY GOT A ONE PERCENT OUT OF THEIR BASE.

IT WAS A HANDSHAKE AGREEMENT.

SO IT TECHNICALLY WASN'T CODIFIED INTO THE AGREEMENT.

IT WAS EVEN BETTER.

IT WAS A HANDSHAKE AGREEMENT.

LOOKING AT EACH OTHER IN THE EYE AND TRUSTING EACH OTHER, AND THAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP I'VE TRIED TO HAVE HERE FOR THE LAST ALMOST NINE YEARS.

AND ONE FINAL POINT, AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE SUPERVISOR.

THE CONVERSATION, I THINK WE'RE ALL HAVING HOLISTICALLY HERE, AND I THINK IT'S HEALTHY ONE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UNITS SPECIFICALLY, AND I'VE SAID THIS MANY TIMES, THEY OFTEN DON'T NEGOTIATE THE BASE PAY INCREASE.

THERE'S JUST FRANKLY MORE IMPORTANT THINGS FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE UNION, NAMELY RETIREMENT ORIENTED BENEFITS THAT THEY SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME NEGOTIATING ON THOSE RETIREMENT COMPONENTS OF THEIR BENEFIT PACKAGE.

SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING THAT WE'RE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION BECAUSE THIS BASE PAY THING OFTEN GETS LEFT OUT OF THE EQUATION BECAUSE THEY'RE TAKING THEIR TIME TO NEGOTIATE THE OTHER COMPONENTS.

AND I DO THINK, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW WITH HIGH INFLATION, IT'S A GOOD TIME TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT ANNUAL COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT.

I WILL TELL YOU, THOUGH, IN RESPONSE TO THAT IN THE LAST TWO CONTRACTS AT ONE CONTRACT, THE NON ADMINISTRATIVE PART OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT GOT A FIVE PERCENT INCREASE IN ONE YEAR AND THEN THE NEXT CONTRACT.

THE OTHER, I DON'T WANT TO SAY THE OTHER HALF, BUT THE OTHER PORTION OF THE FIRE.

SO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, ALL OF THEM HAVE SEEN ONE YEAR IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS WITH A FIVE PERCENT RAISE IN ONE YEAR.

YEAH, I'M AWARE OF THAT.

AND PART OF THAT WAS THERE WAS OTHER COMPONENTS THERE, WITH THE POLICE UNIONS HAVING A CONTRACT THAT EXCEEDED THEIRS FOR THE THREE YEARS PRIOR.

BUT THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS TO YOUR POINT.

THERE'S NEVER GOING TO BE TRUE PARITY OR EQUITY.

SO THAT WAS REALLY A SMALL CONCESSION TO FIRE BECAUSE THEY MADE A LOT MORE CONCESSIONS IN THE THREE YEAR AGREEMENT PRECEDING THAT ONE.

SO YEAH.

WITH THAT, I'LL YIELD MY TIME SUPERVISOR.

MR. DESCHAINE.

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION TO HAVE HAVE WORKED HARD THE PAST 18 MONTHS.

THEY'VE HAD A DIFFICULT TIME OF IT.

NO ONE KNOWS THAT BETTER THAN MY DEPARTMENT OF UTILITY AND TAXES.

[02:35:02]

WE'VE HAD THREE TAX SEASONS FORTY FIVE THOUSAND TAX PAYMENTS SINCE COVID BROKE OUT AND ABOUT 100,000 UTILITY PAYMENTS.

MANY OF THOSE MOST OF THOSE COME IN ONE PAYMENT AT A TIME.

SO WORKING FROM HOME REALLY HASN'T BEEN AN OPTION FOR US FOR HANDLING CASH.

WE'RE MEETING WITH THE PUBLIC EVEN DURING THE WORST OF COVID, BUT WE HAD THEM OUTSIDE IN THOSE PORTABLE UNITS A YEAR AGO, WHICH WAS NO PICNIC MOVING ALL YOUR STUFF OUT THERE.

BUT THEY DID IT.

THEY WORKED HARD.

SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK AT OUR EMPLOYEES AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING ALL WE CAN TO SHOW APPRECIATION AND TO COMPENSATE THEM PROPERLY.

I REALLY LIKE WHAT THE MANAGERS COME UP WITH.

TODAY I WAS IN ON THE MEETING HE HELD WITH ALL THE EMPLOYEES.

THERE ARE 66 EMPLOYEES, BUT IF YOU TAKE OUT THE POLICE AND FIRE, MANY OF WHOM WERE ON PATROL OR OUT OF THE BUILDING, PROBABLY HAD 90 PERCENT OF OUR NON POLICE AND FIRE EMPLOYEES THERE.

AND THE MANAGER EXPLAINED IT TO THE EMPLOYEES AND ESSENTIALLY SAID TO THEM THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A WEEK AGO.

THIS HAS EVOLVED.

AND EXPLAINED THAT PROCESS TO THE EMPLOYEES.

I THINK THEY APPRECIATED HIS CANDOR.

AND WHILE THE INITIAL DISCUSSION WAS TO HAVE DECEMBER NO FRIDAY THAT HAVE FRIDAYS OFF IN DECEMBER AS WELL, THAT'S JUST NOT FEASIBLE.

AND THEY SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT.

AND MY SENSE FROM READING THE CROWD WAS THEY'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE HAVING THE EIGHT FRIDAYS OFF IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.

KIND OF SURPRISED BY IT.

MANY OF THEM THINK, WELL DOES THAT MEAN WE WORK TEN HOUR DAYS AND NO THEY DON'T.

THEY'LL BE COMPENSATED FOR THIRTY TWO HOURS IN THE BUILDING.

NOW MOST DEPARTMENTS LIKE OURS WILL HAVE TO PUT IN A LITTLE EXTRA PRODUCTIVITY, EXTRA TIME THEY'RE GOING TO NOT LIKE THE WORKLOAD IS BEING CUT BY 20 PERCENT THE WORKLOAD IS STILL THERE, SO THEY'RE GOING TO REQUIRE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HUSTLE.

BUT I THINK MOST EMPLOYEES SAY IT'S WORTH IT TO HAVE THOSE FRIDAYS OFF BECAUSE THE WORKLOADS REMAIN THE SAME.

WE CAN'T STOP CALLING RESIDENTS BACK.

WE CAN'T STOP PROCESSING PAYMENTS.

YOUR DEPARTMENT CAN'T STOP PROCESSING VOTER APPLICATIONS.

ALL THE WORK HAS TO BE DONE AND IT WILL BE DONE.

OUR EMPLOYEES ARE VERY CONSCIENTIOUS AND LOYAL.

SO TO THE DISCUSSION IN FRONT OF US ABOUT THE APPRECIATION PAY.

AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD.

ALSO, I LIKE WHAT THE MANAGER HAS PROPOSED.

IN LIEU OF THAT, IT IS ACTUALLY GIVING THEM MORE THAN THEY WOULD GET WITH THE BONUS PAY AND WE SAW THAT TODAY, WE SAW THE APPRECIATION THAT WAS SHOWN IN THE WORDS AND REACTION FROM OUR EMPLOYEES.

AND TO ME, MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WE SET POLICY.

WE DON'T DIRECTLY SET PAY.

WE HIRE A MANAGER TO MANAGE OUR EMPLOYEES BY ADOPTING ENDORSING WHAT THE MANAGER PROPOSED TONIGHT IS A WAY TO SHOW APPRECIATION FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.

WE STAY IN OUR ROLE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

WE DON'T STEP OVER THAT STEP ONTO THE MANAGERS ROLE OF DIRECTLY SETTING PAY OR BONUS LEVELS.

THAT'S A REALLY DANGEROUS STEP FOR THIS BOARD TO TAKE.

I DON'T THINK ANYONE WANTS TO DO ANYTHING DANGEROUS.

I THINK THE INTENT IS HONORABLE AND RIGHT, WHICH IS TO SHOW APPRECIATION.

WE NEED YOU TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY THAT REFLECTS THE ROLE OF THE MANAGER AND THE ROLE OF BOARD WE SET POLICY THE MANAGER IMPLEMENTS IT.

I THINK THESE ITEMS HE'S ITEMIZED TONIGHT FOR US, THE ONE PERCENT PAY RAISE, THE THOUSAND DOLLAR BONUS, THE EIGHT DAYS OFF AND NOT TO MENTION THE FLEX TIME ALL SHOW THAT HE IS FOLLOWING A POLICY WHICH IS TO APPRECIATE OUR EMPLOYEES AND DO ALL WE CAN TO RETAIN THEM.

WE HAVE GOT ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE VERY HARDWORKING EMPLOYEES AND THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT THIS BOARD APPRECIATES THE WORK THEY'VE DONE.

WE'RE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE THEY DO THEIR WORK EVERY DAY, AND I BELIEVE THESE INCENTIVES AND THIS APPRECIATION, THESE ACTIONS SHOW AN APPRECIATION TO COMPLETE THAT JOB OF SHOWING OUR EMPLOYEES THAT WE DO VALUE THEM.

WE WANT TO KEEP THEM.

THEY'RE ESSENTIAL TO OUR SUCCESS.

SO I THANK THE MANAGER FOR BRINGING THESE FORWARD.

I THINK THEY REFLECT THE WILL OF THIS BOARD, WHICH IS TO SHOW APPRECIATION TO OUR EMPLOYEES FOR THE GOOD WORK THEY'RE DOING, PARTICULARLY DURING THE PAST 18 MONTHS, WHICH HAVE BEEN VERY CHALLENGING.

I JUST WANT TO REITERATE JUST ONE THING THAT THIS PLAN IS OUR PLAN.

DIRECTOR TITHOF HAS BEEN INTIMATELY INVOLVED WITH PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.

MS. SUNDLAND.

AND I WANT TO MENTION THAT, YES, I WAS CONCERNED EARLY ON THIS WAS THE BARGAINING UNIT ISSUES AND EVERYTHING INVOLVED.

BUT I THINK THIS IS REALLY EXCITING HOW THE HR MANAGER AND MR.

[02:40:05]

WALSH PUT THEIR THINKING CAPS ON TO TRY TO ACTUALLY GET A BETTER DEAL FOR THE EMPLOYEES THAN WHAT WE ORIGINALLY PROPOSED.

I THINK IT'S JUST EXCELLENT.

IT'S GREAT.

I'M GOING TO MENTION SOMETHING THAT IS KIND OF UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES, PROBABLY VIRTUALLY NOBODY ELSE ON THE BOARD, MAYBE MR. DESCHAINE BASED ON HIS COMMENTS IS AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THIS BOARD LONG BEFORE ANY OF US GOT ON IT, ADOPTED FORMALLY TO FOLLOW POLICY GOVERNANCE.

AND POLICY GOVERNANCE, AS DESCRIBED BY JOHN CARVER IN HIS BOOK BOARDS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

AND IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT, YOU SHOULD.

AND MAYBE MR. WALSH COULD HAVE MICHELLE OR SOMEBODY DIG OUT THE POLICY GOVERNANCE ADOPTION THAT THIS BOARD WENT THROUGH.

UNDER THAT THE MERIDIAN BOARD SETS THE POLICY, BUT IT'S THE MANAGER WHO CARRIES IT OUT.

IT'S THIS SYSTEM HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN CORPORATIONS AND GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS EVERYWHERE, BOTH SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT WE HONOR ALL SO MUCH HERE THEY FOLLOW IT.

THE BOARD DOES NOT DO THINGS LIKE DECIDE, OK, MANAGER, WE WANT YOU TO GIVE A BONUS.

MANAGER WE WANT YOU TO DO THIS.

EXCEPT MAYBE AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS.

THE BUDGET PROCESS IS WHERE POLICY GOVERNANCE ALLOWS THE BOARD TO GET MORE INTO THE NUTS AND SCREWS AND NAILS AND EVERYTHING ELSE OF THE PROCESS.

BUT GENERALLY, IT'S UP TO THE MANAGEMENT TO CARRY OUT OUR POLICIES.

OUR POLICY IS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A GOOD, WELL-PAID STAFF, THAT WE SHOULD RETAIN THAT STAFF AND IT'S UP TO THE MANAGER IN HIS PEOPLE.

MS. TITHOF AND OTHERS IN THE MANAGEMENT SPHERE TO CARRY THAT OUT, AND IT'S NOT REALLY OUR JOB.

WE SHOULDN'T BE SAYING, OK, LET'S MANAGER YOU GO GIVE HIM A THOUSAND DOLLAR BONUS.

THE MANAGER SHOULD COME TO US AND SAY, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO GIVE THEM A THOUSAND DOLLAR BONUS.

THIS IS FOR ANY INFORMATION.

IT FITS INTO YOUR BUDGET AND IT'S NEEDED.

AND THIS IS WHY.

AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE SHOULD BE.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE ARE NOW.

SO I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY ACTION NEEDED ON THIS ITEM.

I THINK AT THIS POINT, THE MANAGER AND HIS TEAM HAVE COME UP WITH A GOOD PROPOSAL AND THEY'RE GOING TO DO WHAT THEY SHOULD DO AND CARRY OUT THEIR PROPOSAL.

AND AGAIN, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU ALL LOOK AT MR. CARVER'S BOOK BOARDS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

AND IF WE DIG OUT THE POLICY GOVERNANCE THAT THIS BOARD HAS FORMALLY ADOPTED EVEN BEFORE I GOT ON IT, MS. JACKSON.

SO ARE YOU MR. WALSH LOOKING FOR BOARD ENDORSEMENT OF YOUR PLAN? I'M LOOKING FOR BOARD INPUT.

YOU KNOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT THE SUPERVISOR JUST SAID, BUT I DON'T OPERATE ON MY OWN.

I LIKE TO HAVE INPUT FROM THE BOARD AND I SENT OUT AN EMAIL TO ALL OF YOU.

MAYBE A WEEK OR 10 DAYS AGO THAT THIS IS WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON.

EXCUSE ME.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING AT IT FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH SEVEN BARGAINING UNITS, IT TAKES TIME TO WORK OUT SOME THINGS LIKE THIS.

AM I LOOKING FOR AN ENDORSEMENT? OBVIOUSLY, IF I GOT A LOT.

IF I RECEIVED, IF WE RECEIVED A LOT OF PUSHBACK TONIGHT LIKE, OH, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING.

WHY ARE WE DOING? YOU KNOW, WHY ARE WE HAVE CONTRACTS IN PLACE.

WHY ARE WE GIVING THEM ONE AND A HALF PERCENT ON TOP OF THEIR CONTRACTS? WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.

IT WOULD CAUSE US.

WELL, I'LL SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND I CAN PROBABLY SPEAK FOR DIRECTOR TITHOF IT WOULD CAUSE US TO PAUSE.

LIKE MAYBE WE'RE NOT.

MAYBE WE'RE ON A DIFFERENT ISLAND THAN EVERYONE ELSE.

BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT I'VE HEARD SO FAR TONIGHT.

IT'S A VERY BOLD, VERY BOLD PLAN.

AND I WOULD PUT IT UP AGAINST ANY OF THE 17 HUNDRED COMMUNITIES IN MICHIGAN.

IT IS VERY BOLD.

YOU'RE NOT GOING.

YOU'RE NOT SEEING COMMUNITIES GO ABOVE THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS.

OH, LET'S DO MORE FOR YOU AND THEN LET'S GIVE YOU A THOUSAND DOLLARS AND THEN LET'S PAY YOUR HSA UP FRONT.

AND SOME OF THIS THAT CAME FROM THE BOARD, I THINK, AT THE LAST MEETING.

SO OUR APPROACH? LOOK, I HAVE BEEN OPPOSED.

IF YOU ASK ANYONE, YOU KNOW, I SHOULD GET AN A FOR ONE THING AND THAT'S HAVING AN OPEN MIND BECAUSE I AM VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED TO A FOUR DAY WORKWEEK.

[02:45:02]

I DON'T THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA AT ALL.

AND THAT'S BEEN MY APPROACH FOR 30 YEARS.

BUT AS I LOOK AT RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT, I HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY I DO THINGS.

EITHER CHANGE THE WAY YOU DO THINGS OR GET OUT OF THE WAY IS THE WAY I LOOK AT IT.

AND SO IN LISTENING TO EVERYONE AND TAKING A DIFFERENT APPROACH, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I LIKE WHAT I'M PROPOSING, BUT I'M WILLING TO GIVE IT A SHOT TO SEE IF IT WORKS AND WHAT THE.

IT'S BEEN THE GREATEST.

I THOUGHT CASUALWEAR WAS THE GREATEST THING WE'VE EVER DONE.

BUT FLEX TIME AND 4 DAY WORK WEEKS AND ALL THE PEOPLE ARE REALLY EXCITED.

AND IT'S PRETTY GOOD TO SEE.

BUT AGAIN, I'VE BEEN REALLY OPPOSED TO THIS CONCEPT FOR THREE DECADES, BUT LET'S GIVE IT A SHOT.

MS. JACKSON.

I'M PERSONALLY IMPRESSED WITH ALL OF THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING.

I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND IT ALL.

I'D LIKE TO SEE IT ON PAPER AND ON THE SURFACE, I DON'T HAVE ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT.

LET ME JUST WALK THROUGH IT REAL QUICKLY FOR ONE MORE MINUTE.

IF YOU'RE A POLICE OR FIRE UNION MEMBER, YOU'RE GOING TO GET A ONE AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE IN JANUARY ON TOP OF WHAT YOU'RE PRESCRIBED IN YOUR CONTRACT, WHICH IS TWO PERCENT.

SO I'M A POLICE OFFICER, I'M GOING TO GET THREE AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE.

I'M GOING TO A THOUSAND DOLLAR PAYMENT IN DECEMBER OF 2022 IF I'M STILL HERE, I'M GETTING MY HSA IN JANUARY IN FULL.

IF I'M A NON POLICE AND FIRE IF I'M MR. [INAUDIBLE] HERE I'M GOING TO GET A FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK STARTING IN JANUARY.

I'M GOING TO GET EVERY FRIDAY OFF IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY PAY.

I'M NOT GOING TO 10 HOUR DAYS AND I'M GOING TO GET A ONE PERCENT INCREASE IN WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE ON TOP OF.

WELL, THE TWO PERCENT.

SO THEY WOULD BE AT THREE PERCENT, THEY GET A HALF A PERCENT LESS BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING THE TIME OFF.

THEY'D GET THEIR HSA UP FRONT IN JANUARY AND THEY WOULD GET A THOUSAND DOLLAR.

MR. [INAUDIBLE] WILL GET A THOUSAND DOLLARS IF HE IS WITH US IN DECEMBER OF 2022.

THAT'S THE WHOLE PLAN IN TOTALITY.

MR. OPSOMMER THEN MS. WISINSKI.

I'VE ALREADY SPOKEN I'LL LET TRUSTEE WISINSKI GO.

GO AHEAD.

FIRST OFF, I ALSO WANT TO SAY I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORT IN THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX BECAUSE IT IS TIMES ARE DIFFERENT AND YOU'RE RIGHT.

WE DO HAVE TO CHANGE.

I DO APPRECIATE THAT.

I AM A LITTLE CONFUSED, THOUGH.

AND, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK TO EQUITY, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH THIS PROPOSED DRAFT PLAN, ONE AND A HALF PERCENT TO CERTAIN PERSONNEL AND ONLY ONE PERCENT TO OTHER PERSONNEL YET GIVING TIME OFF.

MY CONCERN IS THE POINT 5 PERCENT DIFFERENCE IS GUARANTEED.

THE TIME OFF ISN'T GUARANTEED.

IF IN FACT, THE CAPACITY OF YOUR WORKLOAD STAYS THE SAME.

LIKE, I THINK OF IT FROM A MANAGER PERSPECTIVE.

THAT'S NOT CORRECT.

SO WOULD THE FRIDAYS BE MANDATORY, MANDATORY? YEAH.

OH, THERE'S NOT A SOUL THAT'S GOING TO COME IN HERE IF THEY DON'T HAVE TO.

I MEAN, WE ARE CLOSING ON FRIDAYS.

WE'RE NOT OPEN.

SO, YEAH, WE'RE CLOSED.

WE'RE AT A FOUR DAY WORK WEEK.

YEAH, SO IT'S GUARANTEED.

AND THEN I ALREADY KNOW FROM A TRIAL PERIOD OF A YEAR THAT THE FLEX TIME OF SEVEN AND A HALF WORKS.

WE HAVEN'T MISSED A BEAT OVER THE LAST YEAR.

WE'VE BEEN IN SEVEN AND A HALF HOUR DAYS.

SO THAT'S WE'RE GOING RIGHT BACK TO THAT IN MARCH.

SO TO SAY IT'S NOT GUARANTEED IT IS IN PLACE AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY.

NOW, WILL IT BE IN PLACE A YEAR FROM NOW? WILL WE DO IT IN FEBRUARY AND JANUARY OR JANUARY, FEBRUARY OF 2023? DON'T KNOW THAT YET.

SO THEY'RE GOING TO GET EIGHT FRIDAYS OFF, BUT THEN NOT GET THE POINT FIVE PERCENT SUSTAINABLE BASE PAY, WHICH SUPERVISOR SAID HIMSELF THE BEST WAY TO APPROACH IT IS IN BASE PAY.

YEAH, AND WE ARE GIVING THEM A PORTION OF BASE PAY.

AND IF YOU WANT TO COME IN AND PULL THE EMPLOYEES LIKE I HAVE AND ASK THEM IF THEY WANT A HALF A PERCENT OR WHETHER THEY WANT EIGHT DAYS OFF IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, YOU'LL GET A RESOUNDING LOVE THE PROPOSAL THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED, THE HALF A PERCENT WILL NOT INTEREST THEM.

IN FACT, WE PUT IT UP AGAINST A LOT.

WE PUT UP THE PROPOSAL INTERNALLY WITH A LOT MORE THAN A HALF A PERCENT.

WE CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING.

WE CAN'T SAY.

NO, BUT WE CAN MAKE IT EQUITABLE AND I'M HAVING A HARD TIME SEEING SPEAKERS] AND IT IS EQUITABLE.

SO WHY ARE WE CHOOSING DAYS OFF OVER? WHY ARE WE MAKING IT DIFFERENT? I GUESS THAT'S MY QUESTION TO YOU.

[02:50:03]

EXPERIENCE.

SO WE'RE MAKING IT DIFFERENT BECAUSE I'M DEALING WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS.

I CAN'T SAY TO POLICE AND FIRE.

IN FACT, THE POLICE AND FIRE WILL TELL YOU, THEY TOLD US, WELL, I'LL SPEAK FOR THE POLICE HAS TOLD US THEY WOULD RATHER HAVE THE CASH BECAUSE THEY'RE SO THEY CAN'T TAKE THE TIME.

GIVING THEM AN EXTRA 40 OR 60 HOURS CAN'T GIVE THEM EIGHT DAYS.

BUT IF WE GAVE THEM A PORTION OF THAT, THEY CAN'T TAKE IT ANYWAY.

SO THEY WALK THEM [INAUDIBLE] ONE AND A HALF PERCENT.

AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, IF ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES WOULD RATHER COME TO WORK EIGHT HOURS A DAY FOR AN EXTRA HALF A PERCENT A YEAR, THEN LET'S DO IT.

BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY WANT, AND THAT'S WHAT'S TAKEN US FIVE MONTHS TO PUT TOGETHER.

THIS IS EQUITABLE BECAUSE ONE GROUP IS GETTING ONE AND A HALF PERCENT, BUT THEY COME TO WORK FULL 12 HOUR DAYS.

NO BREAKS.

THE OTHER GROUP GETS A SIGNIFICANT FLEX TIME AND A HALF A PERCENT.

I MEAN, IF WE WANT TO GO BACK AND SAY TO EVERYBODY, THEY CAN COME TO WORK EIGHT HOURS A DAY FOR A HALF A PERCENT.

THIS PROPOSAL GETS TURNED ON ITS HEAD.

I GUESS I JUST DON'T KNOW WHY THAT WAS A DIFFERENT PROPOSAL BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS TO BEGIN WITH.

IF WE GAVE ONE AND A HALF PERCENT TO EVERYONE.

OK, NOW WE'RE EQUITABLE, RIGHT? BUT GUESS WHAT? YOU GET EIGHT DAYS OFF IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, AND YOU GET THREE WEEKS OF ADDITIONAL VACATION TIME BY COMING IN A HALF HOUR LATE EVERY DAY.

THAT'S WHAT YOU GET.

YOUR DEPARTMENT'S NOPE.

YOU'RE COMING TO WORK EVERY DAY.

I GUESS YOU'RE NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT I'M ASKING.

SO I GUESS NOT.

SO IF WE GET ONE AND A HALF PERCENT OVER THE BOARD RIGHT EVERYBODY AND NOT GIVE THE TIME OFF? WHY WAS THAT EVEN ON THE TABLE? I GUESS.

WHAT, WHY? WHY MAKE THAT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS? PREFER AND A RESOUNDING RESPONSE FROM AND I'M NOT POINTING TO JUST YOU, BUT THE GROUP.

WE LOVE THE FLEX TIME.

WE LOVE IT.

THEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN THAT.

THEY DON'T.

I CAN TELL YOU THE ONE PERCENT WE DIDN'T EVEN NEED TO DO.

THE FLEX TIME IS SO IMPORTANT TO THAT GROUP THAT THEY NOT ALL OF THEM.

THERE'S A FEW PEOPLE WHO, WHATEVER WE DO ARE GOING TO BE, HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON IT.

OK, THERE'S A SMALL GROUP OF THAT.

WE HAVE THAT IN THE TOWNSHIP, BUT THE LARGE MAJORITY OF FOLKS PREFER THE FLEX TIME.

I MEAN, EIGHT FRIDAYS OFF IN THE DEAD OF WINTER AND THEN I COME BACK IN THE REST OF THE YEAR.

I GET SEVEN AND A HALF HOUR DAYS OR I'M MAKING FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR.

ONE PERCENT IS FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS.

HALF A PERCENT IS TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS.

NO, I WANT TO COME TO WORK THOSE EIGHT DAYS AND I DON'T WANT THAT THREE WEEKS VACATION.

I WANT MY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TRUSTEE WISINSKI THE GROUP WANTS THE FLEX TIME.

GIVEN THE OPTION ABSOLUTELY NOT, BUT I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE OPTION WAS ON THE TABLE, WHY IT WASN'T ONE AND A HALF PERCENT ACROSS THE BOARD PERIOD.

THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY.

LIKE GIVEN THE OPTION, OF COURSE THEY'RE GOING TO CHOOSE THAT ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT WHAT SPEAKERS].

YOUR QUESTION REALLY IS SO WHY ARE WE OFFERING FLEX TIME? WE'RE OFFERING FLEX TIME.

BECAUSE NO, MY QUESTION IS WHY ARE WE OFFERING DIFFERENCE? THAT'S MY QUESTION.

YOU'VE EXPLAINED IT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

WE CAN'T GET FLEX TIME TO POLICE AND FIRE THAT'S NOT THEIR TOP CHOICE.

THEIR TOP CHOICE IS THE ONE AND A HALF PERCENT.

THE OTHER SIDE PREFERS THE FLEX TIME.

WHY DO WE DO IT? BECAUSE THIS WHOLE GOAL WAS TO RECRUIT, TAKE CARE OF MENTAL HEALTH AND RETAIN EMPLOYEES.

THAT WAS THE WHOLE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM.

AND IF YOU ASK ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES ON THIS SIDE OF THE TABLE, THAT'S WHAT THEY WANTED.

THE WHOLE GOAL WAS TO PROVIDE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANTED.

AND SO THAT'S WHY WE DID IT.

I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING, I GUESS, WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM.

I GUESS I'M JUST I'M LOOKING BACK AT WHEN THE BUDGET WAS, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET.

AND I FEEL LIKE I MADE A BIG MISS ON WHAT WAS HAPPENING HERE.

I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE I TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD IT.

SO THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW.

WHAT DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHEN WE DID THE BUDGET? HELP ME UNDERSTAND.

I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE DIDN'T HAVE TWO INCENTIVE PAYS ACROSS THE BOARD.

WHY YOU KNOW WHY WE'RE ONLY HAVING ONE FOR ONE GROUP AND ONE FOR THE OTHER.

AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE SOME PREFER FLEX TIME.

THAT'S FANTASTIC.

AND I UNDERSTAND THAT POLICE AND FIRE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT.

I'M JUST WONDERING MAKING THOSE OFFERS AND ACTIONS TO BE MORE CONSIDERATE OF THE EQUITABILITY OVER OVERALL AND THE SUSTAINABILITY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INCREASING BASE PAY THAT'S SUSTAINABLE VERSUS I MEAN I WOULD LOVE EIGHT FRIDAYS OFF, TOO.

THAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE, THAT'S TEMPORARY.

SO IN MY HEAD, I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN PROCESSING FOR THE

[02:55:01]

LAST FIVE MONTHS.

AND THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING THE QUESTIONS.

SO IT IS SUSTAINABLE BECAUSE THE ONE, THE HALF A PERCENT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS.

SO OVER FOUR YEARS, IT'S A THOUSAND DOLLARS.

SO OVER FOUR YEARS WE'RE GOING TO BE OFFERING THREE, SIX, 12, 15 WEEKS OF VACATION TO THE SAME GROUP.

SO THEY COULD NOW IF YOU TOOK THIS IN TOTALITY, THEY CAN GET A THOUSAND DOLLARS OVER FOUR YEARS WITH A HALF A PERCENT, OR THEY CAN HAVE ABOUT 12 TO 15 WEEKS OFF.

AND YOU'RE BASING THAT ON TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND PER YEAR, FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR.

HECK, MAKE IT ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND.

MAKE IT ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND WAY OUT OF WHACK.

AND THEY WOULD GET FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS OVER FOUR YEARS OR 15 WEEKS OUT.

BUT IT COMPOUNDS RIGHT.

IT COMPOUNDS, SO YOU'RE INCREASINGLY INCREASING PROPORTIONATELY, RIGHT.

SO TRUE.

BUT IT'S AND WE DID IT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE TEAM THAT PART OF THE TEAM WANTED.

I GUESS IF I CAME IN HERE TONIGHT AND SAID, WE'RE DOING AWAY WITH FLEX TIME, BUT WE'RE NOT DOING FOUR DAY WORK WEEKS AND EVERYONE'S GETTING A ONE AND A HALF PERCENT AND EVERYBODY SAYING, WELL, WAIT A SECOND, WE WANT TO KEEP OUR FLEX TIME.

WE'VE TAKEN THE TIME TO INVESTIGATE AND TALK TO PEOPLE.

WE WENT AROUND THE BUILDING AND TALKED TO PEOPLE AND SAID, WHAT WOULD YOU PREFER? AND YOU KNOW WHAT? WE PUT IT UP AGAINST A LOT MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS A YEAR AND EVERY PERSON WE TALKED TO, EVERY PERSON SAID, LOVE THE FLEX TIME, ESPECIALLY WITH WINTER COMING COMING IN A HALF HOUR LATE.

AWESOME.

FOUR OR EIGHT FRIDAYS OFF.

AWESOME.

THEY WANT THAT WAY UP HERE COMPARED TO THE HALF A PERCENT.

WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE WE'VE TAKEN THE TIME OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS TO RESEARCH THIS.

SO WHY WAS IT OFFERED IT WAS OFFERED BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY WANTED.

THAT WAS THE GOAL.

I'M NOT GOING TO SAY I KNOW YOU WANT THAT.

I KNOW YOU WANT FLEX TIME.

I KNOW YOU WANT FOUR DAY WORK WEEKS.

BUT FRANK WALSH HAS NEVER BELIEVED IN THAT.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT.

YOU'RE GOING TO GET THE ONE AND A HALF PERCENT AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET WHAT THEY WANT.

THAT DOESN'T HELP US WITH RETENTION RECRUITMENT.

NOW WE CAN GO OUT AND TALK TO EMPLOYEES AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? SEVEN AND A HALF HOUR DAYS.

AND WE HAVE A HISTORY OF FOUR DAY WORK WEEKS IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY.

YOU DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO MAKE DIRECTOR TIHOFS JOB A LOT EASIER.

THAT WAS THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM.

I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.

I APPRECIATE ALL OF THAT.

YEAH, THANK YOU.

WELL, IT'S A GOOD QUESTIONS.

IT'S JUST I KNOW THIS HAS TOOK US FIVE MONTHS TO GET TO THIS POINT.

I UNDERSTAND THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF HAPPY TEAM MEMBERS AND IT'S GOING TO HELP US RECRUIT AND RETAIN.

AND I SAID WE WOULD NEVER DO IT.

YOU KNOW WHAT I WILL OPENLY SAY THAT ON FRIDAY I BECAME 75 AND THAT GIVES ME THE RIGHT TO PRETEND THAT I HAVE SOME WISDOM.

EARLY IN MY CAREER AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, I ATTENDED SESSIONS EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS LIKE WE HAVE FOR MUNICIPAL AND TOWNSHIP PEOPLE, ET CETERA.

AND THERE WAS A WHOLE SESSION BY A SPEAKER WHO WAS WELL-KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND I DON'T REMEMBER HIS NAME UNFORTUNATELY, ABOUT FAIRNESS AND EQUITY.

AND IT STUCK WITH ME EVER SINCE.

AND THIS IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, 40 YEARS AGO, 30 YEARS AGO THAT I WENT THROUGH THIS.

YOU GET A PARENT WHOSE CHILD IS STRUGGLING, YOU GET A PARENT WHOSE CHILD CAN HANDLE EVERYTHING EASILY, AND THE TEACHER IS SPENDING MORE TIME WITH THE STUDENT THAT'S STRUGGLING.

AND THE PARENT OF THE OTHER STUDENT SAYS THAT'S NOT FAIR.

MY KID IS NOT GETTING YOUR TIME THE WAY THIS OTHER KID IS BECAUSE THEY'RE HUNG UP ON WHAT THIS SPEAKER CALLED A JUNIOR HIGH ASPECT OF FAIRNESS.

THAT IS NOT WHAT FAIRNESS IS.

FAIRNESS IS NOT GIVING THE SAME TO EVERYBODY.

FAIRNESS IS GIVING TO EVERYBODY THE AMOUNT THEY NEED.

NOW WHAT I'M HEARING IS THE EMPLOYEES PREFER.

AND YOU KNOW, I CAN PUT MY OWN FEELING.

WOULD I PREFER IT? IT'S NOT IMPORTANT.

THE EMPLOYEES PREFER THE SEVEN HALF HOURS THE EMPLOYEES PREFER THE EIGHT FRIDAYS FREE TO THE HALF PERCENT.

WELL, THAT'S WHAT THEY PREFER.

SO LET'S GIVE THEM WHAT THEY NEED, WHAT THEY WANT.

THAT'S WHERE THE EQUITY AND THE FAIRNESS COMES IN.

NOT JUST BLINDLY SAY, OK, EVERYBODY GETS ONE AND A HALF PERCENT BECAUSE THAT'S NOT REALLY FAIRNESS, NOT IF THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY NEED OR WANT.

YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP.

THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR STYKA.

I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU AND DIRECTOR TITHOF HAVE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST FIVE MONTHS, YOU SAID.

EVER SINCE THE BUDGET WAS ADOPTED.

FOR THE PAST FIVE MONTHS, I HAVEN'T BEEN ON THE BOARD BEFORE, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW

[03:00:01]

MUCH DISCUSSION THERE IS IN THE PAST IN REGARDS TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND THE THINGS THAT YOU BARGAINED FOR IN THESE TYPES OF ISSUES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

THE APPRECIATION PAY THAT WAS BROUGHT BEFORE THE BOARD ON OCTOBER 5TH, BY TRUSTEE JACKSON AND MYSELF AND THANK YOU TO THE BOARD MEMBERS FOR TABLING IN MY ABSENCE LAST TIME.

I APPRECIATE THAT AND THE REINTRODUCTION OF THE APPRECIATION PAY TONIGHT.

THE PURPOSE AND THE INTENT OF THE APPRECIATION PAY WAS IN REGARDS TO APPRECIATING EMPLOYEES FOR ALL THAT THEY WENT THROUGH DURING COVID.

IT DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.

I THINK ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT YOU'RE INTRODUCING AND YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH MS. TITHOF ARE FABULOUS THINGS.

I WAS HIRED IN 1988 AT THE TOWNSHIP AND I WAS IN THE NON SUPERVISORY CATEGORY.

I WAS ALSO IN THE SUPERVISORY CATEGORY.

BOTH MY PARENTS ARE UNION MEMBERS.

I WAS IN THE UNION FOR HOWEVER MANY YEARS.

THAT WAS THAT I WAS IN THE UNION.

I'VE BEEN ENDORSED BY UNIONS.

AND SO I'M A STRONG UNION PERSON.

I'M A STRONG SUPPORTER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE IN UNIONS AND I'M A STRONG SUPPORTER OF COMPENSATING THEM APPROPRIATELY.

AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU AND MS. TITHOF LOOKING AT COMPENSATING THEM APPROPRIATELY WITH THE ONE AND A HALF AND THE ONE PERCENT.

I UNDERSTAND IT.

I GET IT.

I HAD THE SAME QUANDARY AS IN REGARDS TO THE FRIDAYS THAT YOU'RE DISCUSSING, AND I THINK TREASURER DESCHAINE MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WE GOT BILLS.

WE MAY HAVE TO HAVE PEOPLE COME IN AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE VOTERS AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH IN REGARDS TO THE WORKLOAD, YOU KNOW WITH SHOVELING SIDEWALKS AND WITH DPW WORKERS.

AND SO THEY'RE JUST NOT GOING TO SHOVEL ANY SIDEWALKS ON A FRIDAY.

I MEAN, I GET THAT WHOLE THING OF WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WE PROVIDE A SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC.

WE NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE.

I'VE ALSO.

SO I SEE BOTH SIDES BECAUSE I'VE ALSO BEEN A LONG TIME PROPONENT OF 10 HOUR WORKDAY.

SO I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF WORKING THIRTY TWO HOURS A WEEK AND THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT STAFF HAS AND THAT THEY DON'T GET BURNED OUT FEELING LIKE THEY HAVE TO FIT ALL OF THAT WORK IN TO GET IT DONE, SO THEY CAN HAVE A FRIDAY OFF.

THAT DOES CONCERN ME, ALTHOUGH I APPRECIATE IT.

I GET IT.

I DEFINITELY WANT EVERY FRIDAY OFF.

I UNDERSTAND IT.

BUT I ALSO THINK IN MY EXPERIENCE AS BEING AN EMPLOYEE OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP AND NOW A BOARD MEMBER, THAT NOT ONLY YOURSELF, BUT THE PREVIOUS TOWNSHIP MANAGER AND MY PREVIOUS BOSSES THAT I'VE HAD HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY FLEXIBLE.

THEY'VE ALWAYS AND YOU YOURSELF HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY CONSIDERATE OF TIME AND BEING WITH FAMILY AND MAKING THAT TOP PRIORITY AND UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYEES.

THERE IS NOT ONE TIME THAT I KNOW OF WHERE ANY DIRECTOR OR CHIEF OR MANAGER OR ASSISTANT TOWNSHIP MANAGER DEPUTY TOWNSHIP MANAGER HAS DENIED AN EMPLOYEE THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A FAMILY.

AND THAT STRIKES ME AS FLEXIBLE TIME.

IN MY OPINION.

WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE SUCH AS YOURSELF OR THE LEADERSHIP THAT'S UNDER YOU UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYEES AND THEY SAY LIKE IN MY CURRENT SITUATION, MY MOM NEEDS ME, I GOT TO GO.

THERE'S NO QUESTION.

THERE'S NO THERE'S NO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT TO WORK ON ALL YOUR TIME AND ALL THE, YOU KNOW, 10 HOURS AND 15 MINUTES THAT YOU'VE WORKED OR WHATEVER.

IT'S NOT LIKE THAT AROUND HERE, AND THERE'S AN APPRECIATION FOR THAT AND THERE'S AN UNDERSTANDING FOR THAT.

AND THAT'S A COMMUNITY TYPE OF FEELING THAT HAS BEEN BUILT INTO BEING EMPLOYEE AT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

AND THAT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I'VE ALWAYS LIKED WORKING AND SERVING THE RESIDENTS OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

AND SO I APPRECIATE ALL OF THOSE EFFORTS.

AND LIKE TRUSTEE OPSOMMER SAID, THIS IS A VERY HEALTHY DISCUSSION, AND I THINK THAT I THINK THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF THE APPRECIATION PAY HAS LED TO THIS VERY HEALTHY DISCUSSION.

I KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN YOU MENTIONED YOU HAD A DISCUSSION WITH TRUSTEE SUNDLAND AND I KNOW WE TRUSTEE SUNDLAND AND I DISCUSSED EQUITY AT THE CONFERENCE.

WE WENT TO THE CONFERENCE IN SEPTEMBER, SO THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL HEALTHY DISCUSSIONS.

BUT I WANT TO FOCUS ON I THINK THESE THINGS ARE GREAT.

I AM STILL A FIRM BELIEVER IN THAT THE TOWNSHIP, POLICE AND FIRE,

[03:05:06]

THEY RECEIVED TWO ONE THOUSAND PAYMENTS.

THE OTHER UNION STAFF, THEY DID NOT RECEIVE A $1000 PAYMENT FOR THE INCREDIBLE HARDSHIPS THAT THEY DID GO THROUGH.

THEY DID HAVE TO WORK IN A POD LIKE, TREASURER DESCHAINE SAID.

AND HE ALSO SAID, YOU KNOW, WE SET THE POLICY FOR THE MANAGER TO APPRECIATE THE EMPLOYEES.

YEAH, WE DO.

AND THERE'S NO REASON WHY THE TOWNSHIP BOARD WE SHOWED APPRECIATION FOR POLICE AND FIRE TWICE WITH TWO ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS PAYMENTS.

THERE'S NO REASON WHY THIS BOARD CANNOT SHOW APPRECIATION TO THE REST OF THE EMPLOYEES WHO WERE HERE DURING COVID BY GIVING THEM $1000 EACH FOR WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH.

IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO WORK FROM HOME.

THERE WERE SINGLE PARENTS, THERE WERE MARRIED COUPLES.

THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF FAMILY SITUATIONS WHERE PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO WORK FROM HOME.

THEY DID HAVE TO STAY UP LATE.

THEY DID HAVE TO JUGGLE SCHEDULES.

THEY DID HAVE TO JUGGLE ANIMALS AND PETS AND ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS.

IT WASN'T JUST A PURE JOY RIDE FOR EVERYONE.

IT SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAKE IT SEEM LIKE IT WAS A JOY RIDE.

IT WASN'T.

I HAD TO DEAL WITH MY OWN HUSBAND WHO THOUGHT I WAS DOING NOTHING AT HOME, AND I'M LIKE, I KEPT HAVING TO SAY I'M WORKING TO GET OUT OF MY DINING ROOM KIND OF THING.

AND THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT HAD TO WORK HERE.

THE CLERK'S OFFICE HAD TO BE OPEN.

THE TREASURER'S OFFICE HAD TO BE OPEN, DPW HAD TO DO WATER MAIN BREAKS AND GO WORK AND PEOPLE HAD TO GO CODE ENFORCEMENT HAD TO HAPPEN.

THERE WERE LOTS OF THINGS THAT HAD TO HAPPEN.

IT'S THIS TOWNSHIP UNDER YOUR DIRECTION, AND RIGHTFULLY SO CONTINUED TOP QUALITY PRIME SERVICES TO THE RESIDENTS OF MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP WITHOUT SKIPPING A BEAT.

AND THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN WITH POLICE AND FIRE ALONE.

THAT HAPPENS AS A TEAM, AN ENTIRE TEAM, NOT JUST POLICE AND FIRE, BUT ALL OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL.

I AM FULLY PREPARED TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE A THOUSAND PAYMENT FOR EACH TOWNSHIP EMPLOYEE THAT DID NOT RECEIVE COMPENSATION ALREADY FOR THEIR TREMENDOUS EFFORTS THAT THEY GAVE DURING COVID.

YEAH, IT JUST SO WELL.

I THINK IF YOU HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR I'M GOING TO WAIT TO YOUR.

I'M WAITING.

IS THERE A SECOND.

I'LL SECOND? OK, SO JUST SO, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH MONEY TO GO AROUND, OK, SO THE PAYMENT IN DECEMBER OF 2022 IS ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS.

THE ONE AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE AND ONE PERCENT TOTAL IS ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.

SO THAT'S THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS OF ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION ON TOP OF THE TWO PAYMENTS TO POLICE AND FIRE, WHICH WAS 140.

SO NOW YOU'RE UP TO A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS AND NOW YOU'VE GOT A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO ADD ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE TO THAT.

YOU'RE UP TO YOUR BORDERLINE OF THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION DOLLARS.

SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS TO YOU DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO AT THIS POINT.

I'VE SAID MY PIECE ON THIS WHOLE ISSUE.

THERE IS EQUITY.

WE PROVIDED EQUITY.

I WAS HERE EVERY DAY.

I KNOW WHO WAS HERE AND I KNOW WHO WASN'T HERE.

SO, YOU KNOW, IF THIS IS THE DIRECTION YOU GO, WHAT WE'LL HAVE TO DO, IT'S JUST AND IT'S FINE, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE AWAY.

WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING.

I MEAN, THIS IS NOT JUST A PERCENT HERE, AND A PERCENT HERE, A THOUSAND HERE AND DO ALL THIS.

IF YOU WANT TO DO THE THOUSAND DOLLARS, GO AHEAD AND DO IT.

AND THEN WE'LL JUST REDUCE THE INCREASE ON THE BASE THAT WE WERE GOING TO PROVIDE BECAUSE IT'S ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND FOR THE BASE PAYMENT AND IT'S ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND FOR THE MOTION THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU.

SO WE WOULD JUST TAKE ONE AWAY AND IT'D BE THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY.

FURTHER DISCUSSION.

SO JUST ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION, AND I CAN'T SAY FOR CERTAIN THAT I'M CORRECTING IT, BUT I DID SOME BACK OF THE ENVELOPE MATH ON THE ONE AND THE ONE AND A HALF PERCENT.

I CAME OUT WITH ROUGHLY ONE HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND NOT QUITE ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND THAT WAS ASSUMING FIFTY FIVE THOUSAND FOR THE AVERAGE SALARY.

MAYBE THAT'S A LITTLE ON THE LOW END, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE'VE DONE THE MATH DOWN TO A T.

IT'S ONE HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND FOR ONE PERCENT, AND THE ADDITIONAL ONE HALF BUMPS IT UP TO ABOUT ONE SIXTY.

OK, YEAH, OUR AVERAGE PAY MUST BE IN THE RANGE OF 85 TO $90,000.

OK, THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO ADD UP, BUT I DO WANT TO JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO BE A VOICE

[03:10:01]

OF REASON.

WE'VE GOT TWO COMPETING PROPOSALS IN FRONT OF THE BOARD, AND I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO STEP BACK AND TALK HERE FOR A MINUTE.

OK, SO THE SUPERVISOR BROUGHT UP, YOU KNOW, POLICY GOVERNANCE AND NOT DELVING IN BETWEEN AND BLURRING THESE LINES.

I THINK WE'RE HAVING UP TO THIS POINT.

WE'VE HAD A HEALTHY CONVERSATION WHERE WE'RE BLURRING THOSE LINES AND IT HAPPENS BOTH WAYS.

WE'VE HAD BOARD RETREATS WHERE WE TALK ABOUT THIS, OK, WHEN WE SET THE POLICE AND FIRE MILLAGE IN 2017 THE MANAGER HAD A LOT OF DIALOG ON THE MILLAGE RATE AND THAT'S PURELY A POLICY DECISION.

NOW THE BENEFIT OF HIM BLURRING THAT LINE TO A DEGREE, WAS HE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO HELP THE BOARD PROMOTE AND PASS THE MILLAGE AND MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL.

AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, HE NEEDED TO HAVE A SAY IN WHAT THAT MILLAGE RATE WAS.

CONVERSELY, WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT STAFF APPRECIATION AND WHAT IS GOOD FOR RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT AND ALL OF THAT.

THE BOARD'S ROLE FROM A POLICY GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE IS THE APPROPRIATION COMPONENT APPROPRIATING DOLLARS.

AND TO STIPULATE THE NUMBER OF FTES TO THE MANAGER'S POINT.

HE'S SAYING WE'RE GOING A LITTLE BIT BEYOND THAT BECAUSE ONE OF THE PROPOSALS GETS DOWN TO VERY SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT HOW THAT APPROPRIATION IS DOLED OUT, RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE PERHAPS TALKING PAST EACH OTHER, NOT ONLY BLURRING THE LINES BUT TALKING PAST EACH OTHER TO A DEGREE.

SO AND THE REALITY IS THAT IF THE BOARD WANTS TO PUSH THROUGH THE THOUSAND, HE'S GOING TO OFFSET IT.

I TAKE EXCEPTION WITH THE TOTAL MATH, BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER.

THE FACTOR WHAT REALLY WILL COME OUT IS THERE WILL BE A QUARTER ONE BUDGET AMENDMENT WHERE THE HARD AND FAST MATH IS PUT ON PAPER AND WE WILL HAVE TO APPROVE IT.

AND THAT'S WHAT WILL COME OUT OF THIS DISCUSSION.

ULTIMATELY, IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY OR MARCH IS A QUARTER ONE BUDGET AMENDMENT.

AND SO WHAT I THINK IS IN THIS BOARD'S BEST INTEREST AND THE MANAGEMENT'S BEST INTEREST AND THE STAFF AND THE TOWNSHIP AS A WHOLE IS THAT THE STAFF KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GETTING.

AND FOR ME.

SO FOR ME, I'M LEFT WITH PICKING ONE OF THE TWO PROPOSALS, AND I DO LIKE WHAT THE MANAGER HAS LAID OUT BECAUSE HE TOOK A MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH.

NOW I WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO CLERK GUTHRIE BECAUSE SHE DID BLUR THE LINES.

AND LIKE I SAID, SOMETIMES WHEN YOU BLUR THOSE LINES, GOOD THINGS COME OUT OF IT.

THE MANAGER WENT AND HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF, AND IS PROPOSING STUFF THAT HE WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH EITHER.

SO UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS DO CREATE GOOD RESULTS AT TIMES, BUT LET'S NOT TALK PAST EACH OTHER AND GO AND DO TWO THINGS THAT WILL BE IN CONFLICT WITH ONE ANOTHER ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, BECAUSE ONE ACTION WILL DILUTE THE OTHER ACTION.

LET'S TAKE THE MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH.

AND TO ME, THE BASE PAY INCREASE FITS WITH WHAT'S ALREADY IN THE BUDGET, RIGHT? WHAT'S ALREADY IN THE BUDGET IS THE LUMP SUM OF THE THOUSAND.

NOW IT'S RETENTION AT THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT THE BASE PAY COMPLEMENTS IT AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S SUSTAINABLE.

I DON'T THINK THIS BOARD WOULD LET THAT GO BY THE WAYSIDE IN THE FUTURE, AND I DON'T THINK THE MANAGER WOULD TAKE THAT AWAY.

SO AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME IS BASE PAY INCREASE BECAUSE IT IS SUSTAINABLE IN ALMOST ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.

IT'S VERY RARE TO TAKE SOMEONE DOWN FROM, YOU KNOW, THREE TO TWO OR TWO TO ONE IN TERMS OF BASE PAY INCREASE.

SO FOR ME, I WOULD VERY MUCH URGE THE BOARD TO TAKE ACTION ON ONE OF THE TWO AND NOT CREATE THIS DYNAMIC WHERE WE'RE GOING TO DILUTE THE OTHER.

AND I THINK FOR EQUITY SAKE, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE BASE PAY TO COMPLEMENT THE LUMP SUM THAT'S ALREADY IN THE BUDGET.

SO OR WE CAN COMPETE WITH ONE ANOTHER, BUT THAT'S MY TWO CENTS.

MS. GUTHRIE.

THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TRUSTEE OPSOMMER FOR THAT.

IN CONSIDERATION OF THAT, AND IF THE MANAGER COULD DO THIS AND PROVIDE INFORMATION AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING, AS TRUSTEE JACKSON SUGGESTED WRITTEN DOWN SO SHE COULD SEE IT ON PAPER, THEN I WOULD TAKE THE MOTION OFF THE TABLE IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE US WITH AT THE NEXT MEETING, SO WE CAN SEE THIS HOLISTIC APPROACH THAT YOU AND MS .

TITHOF HAVE BEEN WORKING ON.

SURE.

YEAH, IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE.

IT'S WHAT I WENT OVER, YOU KNOW, THREE TIMES TONIGHT AND THE NUMBERS ARE THE NUMBERS, THEY'RE NOT MY NUMBERS.

THE FINANCE DIRECTOR WENT THROUGH THE BUDGET PAINSTAKINGLY AND PULLED OUT.

I THINK MR. PERRY, YOU DID AS WELL PULLED OUT ALL THE SALARY LINES, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE ONE PERCENT IS ONE HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND.

[03:15:01]

IT WOULD BE A LITTLE LESS THAN THAT BECAUSE A LITTLE LESS THAN A HALF A PERCENT, BECAUSE THE POLICE AND FIRE DON'T MAKE UP HALF OF, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT BE AT ONE FORTY EIGHT ONE FIFTY TWO INSTEAD OF ONE SIXTY.

THING, AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE AT THIS POINT, I REALLY DON'T CARE WHAT DECISION YOU MAKE.

I REALLY DON'T.

I'VE DONE MY HOMEWORK.

WE WORKED REALLY HARD ON THIS.

IT'S YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO NOW, BUT TO I WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH.

THERE IS A HISTORY, AND THIS IS WHY I STARTED THE DISCUSSION AN HOUR AGO.

THERE'S A LONG HISTORY OF APPRECIATION FROM THIS ADMINISTRATION, AND SOME OF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN HERE.

AND IT'S A DEEP, DEEP APPRECIATION.

AND I'M NOT GOING TO WALK THROUGH IT AGAIN.

BUT THIS DISCUSSION STARTED.

IT'S NOT.

THIS DIDN'T COME OUT OF, OH, LET'S GIVE EVERYONE A THOUSAND DOLLARS.

OH NO, I'M GOING TO COME UP WITH A COMPETING PROPOSAL.

WE WERE TALKING AS A GROUP.

I MEAN ALL OF US KNOW THIS IN THIS ROOM TO MY RIGHT? WE HAD A MEETING FOUR MONTHS AGO ABOUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THE RISING INFLATION, AND WE'RE GIVING TWO PERCENT INCREASES.

WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS MONTHS AGO AT OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM MEETINGS.

AND SO THIS HAS BEEN IT'S TAKEN US A WHILE TO GET HERE, AND I'M THANKFUL THAT THE BOARD WANTS TO APPRECIATE EMPLOYEES.

THAT'S A GREAT THING.

WHERE WE DISAGREE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT IS THAT.

AND I GUESS I'D ASK THE QUESTION IF YOU WENT BACK TO EVERYONE MINUS POLICE AND FIRE WHO DIDN'T GET THE THOUSAND DOLLAR PAYMENTS AND YOU HAD TO WORK ALL THE TIME THAT YOU WERE GIVEN OFF? AND I'M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT YOUR TIME AT HOME, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT THE 80 HOURS ADDITIONAL AND ALL THAT THAT WE GAVE OFF.

WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE AND TIME OFF IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR TEAM, AT LEAST MOST OF OUR TEAM.

AND SO I JUST THINK WE'VE GOT TO MOVE FORWARD ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I CAN PUT ON PAPER FOR YOU, BUT I'LL WRITE DOWN WHAT WE'VE GONE OVER TONIGHT AND GET IT TO YOU.

I THINK IF YOU LOOK IN YOUR EMAILS, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE BROACHED THIS FLEX TIME IN AN EMAIL ABOUT A WEEK AGO.

BUT I'LL PUT IT ALL DOWN ON PAPER FOR YOU RIGHT DOWN TO THE PENNY ON WHAT'S BEFORE EVERYONE.

THOUSAND DOLLAR PROPOSAL IN FRONT OF YOU NOT COUNTING THE FLEX TIME.

THIS IS A SUBSTANTIAL AND BOLD MOVE ON THE PART OF THE TOWNSHIP, AND I HOPE NO ONE LEAVES THIS ROOM TONIGHT THINKING WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING MORE BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE DOING IS VERY BOLD.

AND IT SETS US APART FROM MOST COMMUNITIES.

THERE'S PEOPLE WHO LEFT THIS ORGANIZATION WHO ARE GOING TO TURN AROUND NOW AND LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SAY FOUR DAY WORK WEEK IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

GOSH, I WISH I WERE BACK THERE.

WE ARE CREATING A REALLY, REALLY TREMENDOUS WORKPLACE AND WE'RE DOING THINGS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO DO AS A TOWNSHIP FOR ALL OF OUR TEAM.

AND WE PUT EQUITY INTO THIS.

AND I'LL PUT IT ON PAPER FOR YOU TO HAVE IT AT THE NEXT MEETING, BUT WE'VE GOT TO START PLANNING AHEAD ON THIS THING.

WE CAN'T DELAY MUCH LONGER BECAUSE WE'VE GOT TO GET INTO THE COMMUNICATION TO THE RESIDENTS ABOUT OUR JANUARY AND FEBRUARY SCHEDULE.

THAT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO PLAY CHARLIE AND LUCY, CHARLIE BROWN AND LUCY WITH OUR TEAM.

I AM NOT GOING TO COME BACK AND TAKE AWAY THE FLEX TIME, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.

IF YOU PUT A VOTE UP, LET'S SAY THERE'S 70 PEOPLE IN ZACK'S POSITION THAT ARE NOT POLICE AND FIRE, AND YOU PUT A VOTE UP TOMORROW TO SAY, DO YOU WANT THE EXTRA HALF A PERCENT? DO YOU WANT THE ONE PERCENT OR DO YOU WANT THE FLEX TIME THAT'S BEEN LAID OUT? 90 PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE ARE GOING FOR THE FLEX TIME.

THEY'RE GETTING STUFF THEY NEVER EVEN EXPECTED TO GET.

I'LL STOP NOW.

WELL, OK.

YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO WITHDRAW YOUR MOTION.

BRING SOME INFORMATION AT THE MEETING AND THEN I'LL JUST WITHDRAW THIS MOTION SO WE CAN DISCUSS AND TAKE ACTION OR WHATEVER AT THE NEXT MEETING WHAT THE PROCESS IS.

WELL, YOU WANT TO WITHDRAW THE MOTION AND IS THE SECONDER WITHDRAWING THE MOTION.

DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE ON THE DISCUSSION ITEM? TWO THINGS.

FIRST OF ALL, THIS DISCUSSION OF EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION, YOU AND I ARE BOTH EMPLOYEES, BUT OUR COMPENSATION IS SET BY THE ELECTED EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION COMMISSION.

RIGHT [LAUGHTER] AND TO ADD TO THAT, TREASURER, I'M NOT A PART OF WHAT I'M PROPOSING AS WELL.

I WANT TO MAKE THAT VERY CLEAR.

I HAVE A CONTRACT WITH THE TOWNSHIP.

IT DOES NOT INCLUDE WHAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP TONIGHT AND I DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN IT.

THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP.

[03:20:01]

YOU'RE WELCOME.

I ALSO WANT TO THANK TRUSTEE OPSOMMER FOR POINTING OUT THAT WE REALLY DO HAVE TWO PROPOSALS HERE AND I AGREE WITH HIM.

THE ONE FOR THE MANAGER IS MORE ORGANIC AND I THINK MORE GENEROUS.

I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE CLERK FOR HER GRACIOUSNESS AND WITHDRAWING HER MOTION IN LIEU OF THE MANAGER'S MOTION.

I KNOW YOU WANT TO SEE IT WRITTEN OUT, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE COME TO THE AGREEMENT THAT THE MANAGERS MORE ORGANIC PROPOSAL MEETS THE GOALS THAT YOU HAD INTENDED WITH THE PROPOSAL THAT YOU AND TRUSTEE JACKSON HAVE MADE.

AND I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT.

I THINK IT'S THE RIGHT MOVE TO MAKE, BUT I WANT TO COMPLIMENT YOU ON YOUR GRACIOUSNESS IN WITHDRAWING THAT SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.

I JUST WANTED TO STATE, FOR THE RECORD, I THINK FISCAL IMPACT IS IMPORTANT JUST SO WE'RE UNDERSTANDING THIS.

I MISHEARD THE MANAGER.

AND WHEN YOU RE WENT OVER THE NUMBERS, NOW I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE SAYING A ONE PERCENT RAISE ON THE BASE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES IN THE TOWNSHIP IS ONE HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND CORRECT.

THAT'S CORRECT.

I WAS INTERPRETING YOU TO SAY ONLY THE EMPLOYEES UNDER YOUR PROPOSAL WHO WOULD RECEIVE THE ONE PERCENT, WHICH IS JUST OVER HALF OUR EMPLOYEES.

SO YEAH.

I KNOW KNOW THAT UNDERSTAND BECAUSE WE ARE MAKING THE APPROPRIATION ULTIMATELY AND LIVE WITH THE BUDGET CONSEQUENCE.

AND YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD NUMBER.

YEAH, YEAH, WE'RE BUT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WHEN EMOTIONS RUN HIGH, PEOPLE CAN MISHEAR AND MISUNDERSTAND EACH OTHER, AND THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE AND ACCEPTABLE.

BUT I THINK WE HAVE ARRIVED AT A GOOD CONCLUSION THROUGH ALL THIS, AND I KNOW IT WAS NOT A CLEAN PROCESS, PERHAPS.

BUT THANK YOU.

COURTNEY.

I JUST WANTED TO SAY TO TRUSTEE OPSOMMER AND AGAIN, THANK THE MANAGER FOR THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX.

I DO THINK OUR ENTIRE INTENTION IS TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP ALL THE GOOD EMPLOYEES WE HAVE AND WE CAN ATTRACT MORE EMPLOYEES.

AND SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT I DO APPRECIATE THE CLERKS.

YOU KNOW, YOU BROUGHT THIS TO OUR ATTENTION LIKE IT WAS SOMETHING WE COULD DO TO MAKE SURE OUR , YOU KNOW, OUR EMPLOYEES FELT APPRECIATED.

AND I'LL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, AND YOU'RE AROUND YOUR EMPLOYEES ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.

BUT I HAVE HAD A COUPLE REACH OUT WITH A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, VERY SMALL COMPONENT.

BUT SO ALSO WHY IT BECOMES NECESSARY FOR ME AS A BOARD MEMBER TO BRING UP THESE QUESTIONS.

SO NOT NECESSARILY QUESTIONING YOUR AUTHORITY, JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND AND MAKE GOOD DECISIONS BASED ON GOOD INFORMATION.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD OF YOUR PROPOSAL, GIVEN THAT YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR SO LONG AND SO TAKES SOME TIME TO PROCESS.

BUT I DO THINK IT'S A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH.

I THINK IT'S BEEN CLEARLY GIVEN A LOT OF THOUGHT.

AND YEAH, I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD DISCUSSION.

YEAH, AND I HOPE IF YOU GO BACK AND I KNOW YOU GET A LOT OF EMAILS FROM ME AND PROBABLY TOO MANY, BUT IF YOU GO BACK, THERE'S AN EMAIL ABOUT A WEEK AGO THAT TALKED ABOUT THE WHOLE FLEX TIME PLAN AND STUFF.

I MISSED THAT I APOLOGIZE.

NO, IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL.

I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT, THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES OUT.

MS. GUTHRIE.

I MISSED IT, TOO, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.

SO MY APOLOGIES.

BUT I DO WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT NO ONE ON THIS BOARD IS SAYING THAT YOU HAVE NOT SHOWN STAFF APPRECIATION.

THIS PROPOSAL WAS TO SHOW STAFF THAT THE BOARD APPRECIATED THEM.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT CLEAR THAT NO ONE HAS SAID THAT OR DISCUSSED THAT OR TALKED ABOUT THAT OR SAID ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

I'M NOT DEFENSIVE ABOUT THAT ISSUE AT ALL.

I JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR.

I'M JUST EMOTIONAL ABOUT THE ISSUE, BECAUSE WHEN YOU POUR SO MUCH INTO SOMETHING AND YOU DO SOMETHING FOR A LONG TIME AND IT CAN APPEAR LIKE YOU HAVEN'T DONE ENOUGH, THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH DONE, SO MUCH OUT OF MY OWN POCKET THAT I WON'T EVEN BRING UP AND GO THROUGH WITH EVERYONE.

BUT SHAR AND I'VE DONE A LOT.

LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY.

THERE'S, YOU KNOW, RETIREMENT PARTIES, ALL THAT STUFF.

IT GETS PAID BY A CERTAIN WAY.

SO I'M PROUD OF WHAT I'VE DONE.

I'M PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE DONE, AND I THINK THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY GOOD DISCUSSION.

I'M NOT DEFENSIVE ABOUT IT AT ALL.

I JUST WANT IT'S MY ROLE IF I DON'T LET YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE OLD SAYING GOES, IF YOU DON'T TELL THE STORY, NO ONE WILL.

IF I DON'T TELL THE STORY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENED IN THE LAST EIGHT OR NINE YEARS, BECAUSE LET'S FACE IT, ONLY ONE OF YOU, MR. SUPERVISOR, HAS BEEN ON THE BOARD GOING BACK TO THAT TIME.

I DON'T EXPECT TRUSTEE JACKSON, ALTHOUGH SHE WAS WELL SERVING ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION.

I DON'T EXPECT HER TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN 2013 WITH THE BUDGETS.

THAT'S WHY I WENT THROUGH AND WALK THROUGH THE WHOLE THING TONIGHT.

YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW WE GAVE ONE PERCENT PER YEAR TIE BARRED TO GROWTH.

[03:25:07]

MS. JACKSON.

I WOULD ADD AND IN FACT UP UNTIL A FEW MINUTES AGO I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT TIE BARRED MEANT.

[LAUGHTER] BUT I DID.

IN FACT, I DID, IN FACT, SEE YOUR EMAIL THAT WE WHERE YOU STARTED EXPLAINING THAT AND I DID NOT TIE THAT TO.

TIE BAR IT.

TIE BAR IT TO ANY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT APPRECIATION.

ANYBODY WHO WORKS WITH THE LEGISLATURE KNOWS WHAT TIE BAR MEANS RIGHT.

[INAUDIBLE] I NEVER DID.

I DIDN'T EITHER.

[INAUDIBLE] I DID.

TWO THINGS ARE USUALLY NOT RELATED IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM.

RIGHT? BUT THEY GET TIE BARRED.

I GUESS MY LAST COMMENT WOULD BE THAT ANOTHER THING ABOUT BEING SEVENTY FIVE IS I GET TO BE OFFICIALLY A CURMUDGEON AND I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING CURMUDGEONLY DURING THIS MEETING.

THANK YOU ALL.

SO THIS WILL BE ON FOR DISCUSSION AGAIN BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A MOTION AT THIS TIME, AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHETHER OR NOT WE GET ONE.

WE NOW WILL GO TO THE LAST ITEM ON DISCUSSION, WHICH IS POLICE CANDIDATE

[13E. Police Candidate Sponsorship ]

SPONSORSHIP.

WE MET THE CANDIDATE SPONSOR TO BE SPONSORED AND WE HAVE NOW IN FRONT OF US THE SPONSORSHIP PROPOSAL.

SOME PLACE HERE.

OH THERE YOU ARE.

I'M JUST HERE IN CASE THERE'S A QUESTION.

WOULD IT HELP FOR US TO VOTE ON THIS TONIGHT OR NOT? IT WOULD AND IT WOULD GET THE BALL ROLLING FOR US.

OK, I'LL CALL ON MR. DESCHAINE.

I MOVE WE SUSPEND THE RULES AND TAKE ACTION ON THIS ITEM TONIGHT.

OK? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

AYE.

AND WHO WANTS TO? WHO WAS SUPPORT FROM FOR THE RECORD? ABOUT THREE PEOPLE? [LAUGHTER] DID YOU GET THAT? ZACH.

WE'RE DOING IT TONIGHT.

IT'S TRUSTEE JACKSON IS THE SUPPORT.

WE NOW NEED A MOTION MR. DESCHAINE.

I MOVED TO SPONSOR CANDIDATE ISABELA ACKER TO THE MID-MICHIGAN POLICE ACADEMY SPRING SEMESTER 2022 AT LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

OK MOVED AND SUPPORTED BY MS. JACKSON AGAIN.

ALL RIGHT, ANY DISCUSSION? I DON'T THINK WE REALLY NEED ANY.

DO WE NEED TO DO THIS BY A FORMAL VOTE? YEAH, GO GO AHEAD AND CALL THE ROLL.

CLERK GUTHRIE VOTES YES.

TREASURER DESCHAINE.

MOTION CARRIES SEVEN ZERO.

WE HAVE NO PUBLIC COMMENTS BECAUSE THERE'S NO PUBLIC PRESENT.

OTHER MATTERS FROM BOARD MEMBERS.

[15. OTHER MATTERS AND BOARD MEMBERCOMMENTS ]

SO I'VE TOUCHED ON THIS ISSUE WITH THE SUPERVISOR.

BUT THE PINE VILLAGE PROJECT IN DOWNTOWN HASLETT WAS BROUGHT UP, WHICH IS RECEIVING A HEALTHY BROWNFIELD.

AND WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THAT BROWNFIELD IF WE'RE GOING TO REVISIT THE INTEREST RATES AND THOSE PERCENTAGES ADD UP OVER TIME.

ONE CONCEPT THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO THE SUPERVISOR ABOUT AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE AND WANT TO PUT IT OUT THERE FOR THE REST OF THE BOARD TO CONSIDER AND IF YOU SUPPORT IT, LET THE SUPERVISOR KNOW.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A COMMITMENT ON THE DEVELOPER'S PART TO HIRE LOCAL UNION LABOR FOR AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE PROJECT AS PART OF REVISITING THEIR INTEREST RATE.

SO OBVIOUSLY THEY BLEW PAST THEIR DEMOLITION DATES.

THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF REDUCING THE INTEREST RATE, WHICH IS AN IDEA THAT THE MANAGER BROUGHT TO US, IS TO TIE IT TO SOME KIND OF PUBLIC GOOD, RIGHT? AND SO SUPPORTING LOCAL UNION LABOR IS SUPPORTING GOOD WAGES NOT ONLY IN THE UNION SECTOR, BUT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR BECAUSE IT LIFTS THE NONUNION SECTOR UP.

SOME OF THE TRADES JUST DON'T REALLY WORK FOR PROJECTS LIKE THIS, BUT ANY PROJECT THAT YOU DRIVE BY THAT IS BUILT BY PAT GILLESPIE, WHETHER IT'S THE NEW MEIJER CAPITAL CITY MARKET WITH THE HOTEL IN IT ON MICHIGAN AVENUE OR THE OLD ORIGINAL MIXED USE THAT HE PUT IN ACROSS FROM THE STADIUM OR ANY OF THE COLORFUL ONES.

THOSE HAVE UNION PLUMBERS AND PIPEFITTERS ON EVERY SINGLE ONE.

SO TYPICALLY DEMOLITION, PLUMBING AND ELECTRICAL ARE TRADES THAT WILL PENCIL, MEANING THEY COME IN FAIRLY CLOSE TO NONUNION FIRMS, BUT THEY BRING VALUE ADD TO THE

[03:30:05]

PROJECT.

DOWNTOWN OKEMOS THOSE.

THEY SIGNED A PLA WITH PLUMBERS AND PIPEFITTERS UNION CONTRACTOR HERE IN THE REGION.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT PROJECT WILL EVER GET OFF THE GROUND, BUT SO THAT'S JUST ONE IDEA THAT I THINK WOULD BE A PUBLIC BENEFIT THAT THAT DEVELOPER COULD DO IN EXCHANGE FOR THE MONETARY VALUE THAT THEY WOULD GET OUT OF AN INTEREST RATE REDUCTION AGAIN.

GREAT COMMENTS.

JUST A CLARIFYING QUESTION.

TRUSTEE OPSOMMER, WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING IS HIRING UNION CONTRACTORS BUT NOT NECESSARILY.

THIS IS NOT TIED TO PREVAILING WAGE.

NO, I MEAN, IF IT'S A UNION CONTRACTOR, THEY'D PAY PREVAILING WAGE.

THERE'S LANGUAGE THAT YOU CAN PUT IN REQUIRING PLA'S FOR CERTAIN TRADES.

OR YOU COULD REQUIRE CONTRACTORS THAT HAVE U.S.

DOL, MEANING U.S.

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS. THERE'S PLENTY OF LANGUAGE THAT YOU COULD STIPULATE.

OK, THANK YOU.

SO BUT IT'S A WAY TO TIE IN A NEW PUBLIC INCENTIVE SINCE WE'VE EXHAUSTED THE QUICK, EXPEDITIOUS CONSTRUCTION IS OFF THE TABLE.

BUT THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT THEY COULD DO.

IT'S A PROJECT OF CONSEQUENCE, AND IT'S MONETARILY IT'S SIMILAR IN SCALE AND FISCAL IMPACT TO LIKE THE GILLESPIE PROJECT, JUST THE SQUARE FOOTAGE AND THE NATURE OF THE PROJECT BEING MIXED USE.

AND IT IS.

IT'S VERY SIMILAR.

OH, I WILL ASK THE MANAGER WHERE IS THIS IN TERMS OF THAT PROJECT? IN TERMS OF THE INTEREST RATE, ETC. DIRECTOR CLARK HAS HAD MEETINGS WITH THE DEVELOPERS OVER THE I THINK, DIRECTOR SCHMITT AS WELL OVER THE LAST MONTH.

AND WHY DON'T YOU? I WON'T SPEAK FOR YOU.

WHY DON'T YOU TAKE YOUR RED COAT OFF AND COME RIGHT UP? YOU COULD HAVE KEPT IT ON.

[INAUDIBLE].

[LAUGHTER] GOOD EVENING.

I'LL TAKE THIS OFF.

SORRY.

OK, SO THE INTEREST SCHEDULE STARTED SEPTEMBER 1ST.

SO IF THEY HAD HAD THE BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED AND DEBRIS REMOVED BY BY SEPTEMBER 1ST OF THIS YEAR, THEY WOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE FULL THREE PERCENT INTEREST, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY TWO THOUSAND SOME ODD DOLLARS.

THEY HAD UNTIL NOVEMBER 1ST FOR COMPLETE DEMOLITION AND DEBRIS FOR ANY PORTION OF THE INTEREST, SO THE ENTIRE SCHEDULE IS COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED.

IF I HAD A STRONG GUESS DISNEYLAND VERSION OF THE WORLD, EVERYTHING KEEPS GOING FORWARD.

THEY'VE REACHED OUT TO US WITH AN OPERATOR [INAUDIBLE] ACTUALLY FOR THE FACILITY ITSELF, AS WELL AS TALK TO TIM AND I ABOUT THEIR FURTHER CONSTRUCTION PLANS, SO THEY'RE GETTING CLOSE TO STARTING.

THE QUESTION IS GOING THROUGH THE APPROVAL PROCESSES, ARE WE GOING TO GET WHAT WE NEED OUT OF THEM WITH THE CHANGES TO THE BROWNFIELD PLAN AND THE AGREEMENT BY THE TIME THAT THEY WOULD START DEMO ANYWAY? ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE THEM INCENTIVIZE INTEREST TO DO WHAT THEY'RE ALREADY GETTING READY TO DO BY THE END OF JANUARY OR FEBRUARY? HOW DOES THAT REFLECT ON YOUR IDEA, MR.? WE COULD INVITE 1ST DEADLINE WAS FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SOME ODD THOUSAND DOLLARS.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S CERTAINLY A FISCAL IMPACT THERE THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE TO COME AND AT LEAST TALK TO THE TOWNSHIP ABOUT IT.

SO.

WE HAVE A MEETING WITH OUR CONSULTANT SME TOMORROW TO KIND OF BRING THEM ON THE FAST TRACK THAT, HEY, THIS PROJECT IS REALLY MOVING FORWARD.

BUT ALSO WHAT IS THE IMPACT TO THAT PLAN? I CAN GIVE YOU SOME MORE INFORMATION AFTER THAT.

THEN I HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE DEVELOPER AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS POSSIBLY WHAT IS THE MOST FEASIBLE STEPS MOVING FORWARD.

THERE TO PRESENT A SCHEDULE HERE TO US IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS AS WELL.

AND THEN WE CAN COMPARE IT AND SEE WHAT MAKES SENSE.

I MEAN, I'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE BRA AND THIS BODY, SO IT'D TAKE MAYBE TWO MONTHS TO GET THROUGH THE PROCESS, BUT I DON'T THINK THEY'RE BREAKING GROUND IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS ANYWAY.

BUT I MEAN, THERE ISN'T.

WELL, IF THIS IS ONLY FOR THE DISCUSSION ABOUT DEMOLITION, RIGHT? YEAH.

NOT THE VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION OF IT.

BUT IF THIS IS JUST THE INTEREST OF THEM GETTING THE BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED AND THE DEBRIS REMOVED, THEN THAT COULD BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR.

WELL, I BELIEVE IT'S THE INTEREST ON THE BROWNFIELD AS A TOTALITY.

SO IT'S JUST.

THAT'S OVER YEARS.

IT IS.

IT'S JUST A PERCENTAGE.

IT'S IT'S ONE TO FIVE.

I BELIEVE WE GAVE THEM ONLY ONE PERCENT INTEREST OR TWO PERCENT INTEREST WITH THAT SEPTEMBER DEADLINE.

WE GAVE THEM TIE BARRED INTEREST RATE.

DEADLINES IN THE PERCENTAGE.

THE PERCENTAGE WENT DOWN TRUSTEE OPSOMMER ON TIME.

BUT THE OTHER THING IS THAT THE INTEREST RATE IS TIED TO THE WHOLE PROJECT, BUT IT WAS TIED TO THE DEMOLITION BECAUSE TO GET THE PROJECT, THE IMPETUS TO GET GOING, THAT'S WHAT

[03:35:01]

THE BOARD DID.

WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE COULD PROPOSE THAT THEY ONLY DO FOUR OR THREE PERCENT INTEREST IF THEY WOULD DO PLA'S PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS WITH TRADES FOR DEMO ELECTRIC PLUMBING AS AN EXAMPLE.

SO THE DIFFERENTIAL.

SO THE INTEREST IS NO LONGER TIED TO THE DEMOLITION OF THE PROJECT.

YEAH THAT'D BE TIED TO A DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE ALREADY BLEW PAST THE DATES, WE DIDN'T GET WHAT WE WANTED.

I DID THINK OF THAT.

WHY MAKE AN INCENTIVE TO SAY IT'S OK TO GO BACK TO DO THAT.

YEAH THE PURPOSE OF THE INCENTIVE IS TO GET SOME GOOD PAID PEOPLE OUT THERE.

SO AND I MEAN, JUST FOR CONTEXT, AND IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY CLEAN MATH, LIKE WHEN WE DID THE STANDBY GENERATOR LAST YEAR, THE COST DIFFERENTIAL WAS LIKE FIVE PERCENT ON UNIONS TO NONUNION.

IT WAS ACTUALLY, I THINK, LESS THAN THAT WHEN IT ALL CAME OUT.

BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN WE BID IT WITHOUT PREVAILING WAGE, THE NONUNION FIRM BEAT LIKE BID ONE HUNDRED AND THEN THE UNION FIRM BID ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE.

SO THE COST DIFFERENTIAL IS LIKE FIVE PERCENT HERE JUST FOR THOSE TRADES.

SO WE'RE NOT TALKING HUGE DOLLARS BECAUSE SO IT'D BE WORTH SOMETHING.

I THINK IT'D BE WORTH THEIR TIME TO ENTERTAIN IF ONE PERCENT IS APPROXIMATELY ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.

SO.

DULY NOTED, I WILL TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM.

WELL, IT'S GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BOARD AGREES WITH IT.

WELL, WE'RE INTO JUST OTHER MATTERS AT THIS POINT, BUT DO OTHER PEOPLE ON THE BOARD UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT THAT DAN AND I AGREE WITH ON THIS AND ARE THEY'RE WILLING BY SHAKE OF HEAD, GIVE THE MANAGER KIND OF DIRECTION ALONG WITH MS. CLARK.

I'M SHAKING MY HEAD THAT I SEE YOU SHAKING YOUR HEAD.

OK? WE'VE GOT A LOT OF HEADSHAKES.

OK, WE'RE ON IT.

ANYTHING ELSE FROM THE BOARD? YES.

MS. GUTHRIE.

I WANT TO THANK DEPUTY MANAGER PERRY FOR FILLING IN IN MY STEAD NEXT WEEK TO BE ON THE SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR THE DIRECTOR OF INGHAM COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION.

IT'S A MUCH BETTER FIT ANYWAY, SO IT'S PROBABLY GOOD THAT I'M NOT ABLE TO ATTEND AND I APPRECIATE YOU DOING THAT.

AND SO I JUST WANTED TO PUBLICLY SAY THANK YOU AND LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT THAT OUTCOME WILL BE.

ANYTHING ELSE FROM BOARD.

I MOVE TO ADJOURN.

MOVED.