Aug 01, 2023 Township Board

[1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER]

[00:02:34]

MIC] GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE AUGUST 1ST, 2023, REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWNSHIP BOARD OF MERIDIAN FOR MERIDIAN CHARTER TOWNSHIP. IF YOU WILL JOIN ME, PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

THANK YOU. THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS A ROLL CALL.

MR. SPURLOCK.

SUPERVISOR JACKSON.

HERE. CLERK GUTHRIE.

HERE. TREASURER DESCHAINE.

HERE. TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON.

HERE. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

HERE. TRUSTEE WILSON.

HERE. TRUSTEE WISINSKI.

HERE. ALL IN ATTENDANCE.

THANK YOU. ITEM FOUR ON OUR AGENDA DOES NOT HAVE AN ENTRY TONIGHT FOR PRESENTATIONS, BUT CLERK GUTHRIE HAS

[4. PRESENTATION]

ON MONDAY, WE HIRED OUR NEW ELECTION ADMINISTRATOR AND DEPUTY CLERK, EMILY GORDON.

THIS IS HER, AND SO WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE HER ON BOARD.

I'LL LET HER INTRODUCE HERSELF, AND SHE IS ALREADY HIT THE GROUND RUNNING, AND MAYBE YOU COULD MENTION A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN WORKING ON, NOT TO PUT YOU UNDER UNDER THE GUN OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT IT IS A PLEASURE TO HAVE EMILY ON BOARD.

SHE'S SHARING AN OFFICE WITH ME.

IT'S NICE TO HAVE A DEPUTY ON STAFF THAT I CAN COLLABORATE WITH AND SERVE OUR VOTERS HERE IN MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

SO. EMILY EXCUSE ME.

HELLO, EVERYBODY.

IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU ALL.

I'M SUPER EXCITED TO BE HERE.

IT'S BEEN A BUSY COUPLE OF DAYS, BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.

LIKE CLERK GUTHRIE SAID, WE'VE JUST BEEN WORKING ON A FEW THINGS IN RELATION TO PROP TWO AND THE CHANGES THAT ARE GOING TO BE COMING.

THERE'S A LOT OF THEM AND THEY'RE CONSTANTLY COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE.

SO AS THINGS ARE CHANGING AND EVOLVING, WE'RE READY TO TAKE IT ON AND REALLY EXCITED TO SEE WHERE WE GO FROM HERE.

[00:05:06]

THANK YOU, AND WELCOME.

THANK YOU. ITEM FIVE ON OUR AGENDA IS CITIZENS ADDRESSED

[5. CITIZENS ADDRESS AGENDA ITEMS AND NON-AGENDAITEMS]

IF THERE ARE CITIZENS PRESENT WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME.

SEEING NONE.

WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM 6, WHICH IS OUR TOWNSHIP MANAGER'S REPORT.

[6. TOWNSHIP MANAGER REPORT]

GOOD EVENING, MADAM SUPERVISOR AND BOARD.

I'D LIKE TO, BEFORE I START MY PRESENTATION, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO PAUSE FOR A MOMENT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE PASSING OF STEVEN GEBES' MOTHER IN LAW.

IT'S A SAD TIME FOR STEVEN AND HIS FAMILY AND JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE ALL HIS WONDERFUL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TOWNSHIP, AND WE'RE THINKING OF YOU, STEVEN.

YES. THE BUILDING RENOVATIONS.

WELL, WE THOUGHT WE WERE HEADING IN A GREAT DIRECTION, AND AS OF LATE THIS AFTERNOON, WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE FABRIC THAT IS GOING INTO THE CUBICLES, IF YOU'VE LOOKED IN THE DOWNSTAIRS, LIKE THE ORANGE FABRIC IN THERE, IS A BACKLOG.

AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE PROBABLY THE END OF SEPTEMBER BEFORE WE'RE READY TO REOPEN THE CUBICLES UPSTAIRS.

THIS IS AS OF 4:00 THIS AFTERNOON.

SO NEW NEWS.

IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME REAL THOUGHT ABOUT NOW, HOW WE MOVE FORWARD.

MY INITIAL THOUGHT ON ALL THIS IS WE WERE GOING TO DO WE DID THIS AS A TEAM, WE DID IT ALL TOGETHER AND WE'RE GOING TO ALL MOVE BACK IN TOGETHER, AND THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN IN OCTOBER, BUT THE DOWNSTAIRS AND I WANT TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH MR. GEBES BEFORE WE MAKE ANY KIND OF DECISIONS AND STUFF, BUT MY THOUGHT IS BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE TREASURER'S OFFICE, PREDOMINANTLY WITH TAX COLLECTION, OF COURSE IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS OF SEPTEMBER, AND THEN THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO START EVENTUALLY WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE.

MY INITIAL THOUGHT RIGHT NOW IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO KEEP OUR AUGUST 30TH DATE AND MOVE IN DOWNSTAIRS AND GET SETTLED AND ALSO THE OFFICES UP, AND I DON'T WANT TO BE LEAVE ANYONE UNDER ANY CONFUSING IS MORE CONFUSING THAN I AM, BUT UPSTAIRS WHERE THE OFFICES YOU CAN'T THE OFFICES DON'T HAVE THAT FABRIC MATERIAL SO THE OFFICES WILL BE READY UPSTAIRS. SO IT'S OUR TEAM MEMBERS WHO ARE IN THE CUBICLES UPSTAIRS.

AND THEN WE'VE GOT THE ISSUE OF, WELL, AS YOU CAN THINK, WE'VE GOT PEOPLE AT THE TWO FOR TWO BUILDING.

WE CAN GET OUT OF THERE EARLY, SAVE SOME FUNDS, BUT DO WE BORE YOU WITH ALL THE DETAILS? BUT THESE ARE ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE MOVING PIECES, RIGHT.

SO DO WE WANT TO MOVE THEM, MOVE THE PEOPLE OVER THERE INTO DIFFERENT SPACES THAT ARE GOING TO BECOME VACANT BECAUSE SOME OF US ARE GOING TO MOVE BACK IN DOWNSTAIRS.

WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF TWO FOR TWO BUILDING, BUT THEN DO WE REALLY WANT TO MOVE PEOPLE TWICE AND DO WE JUST STAY IN THERE FOR ANOTHER? SO THOSE ARE ALL THE MOVING PIECES THAT ARE GOING ON RIGHT NOW, AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S ONLY BEEN ABOUT TWO HOURS SINCE WE'VE KNOWN THIS.

WE'LL SIT DOWN AS A TEAM AND FIGURE IT ALL OUT, BUT RIGHT NOW, THE TARGET DATE IS AUGUST 30TH, A WEDNESDAY, 9:00 IN THE MORNING TO REDEDICATE THE BUILDING AND START GETTING OUR TEAM MEMBERS BACK INTO AT LEAST THE LOWER LEVEL AND THE OFFICES UPSTAIRS.

SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THE BUILDING PROJECT.

THE POLICE CHIEF SEARCH IS UNDERWAY.

WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE RECRUITMENT PERIOD TIME.

SOME INTERESTING APPLICATIONS COMING IN AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO RECRUIT FOR THAT POSITION.

IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE THIS A VERY INCLUSIVE PROCESS THAT WE DON'T JUST MAKE THIS 1 OR 2 PEOPLE MAKING THE DECISION ABOUT WHO'S GOING TO LEAD A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT DEPARTMENT IN THIS COMMUNITY WITH A VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE.

I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE SERGEANT KING OVER HERE IN THE CORNER, WHO'S A SERGEANT AS OF ABOUT JUST A MONTH AND A HALF AGO, OUR NEWEST SERGEANT TO JOIN OUR TEAM.

SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SERVE WILLIAMSTOWN TOWNSHIP.

AS THERE IS SOME INVOLVEMENT WITH THEIR ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS GROUP THAT WE HAVE THAT SHOW UP EVERY QUARTER WHAT INVOLVEMENT.

THE BOARD, A COMMUNITY MEMBER STAFF SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE WANT TO MAKE IT A VERY IT'S GOING TO BE A SLOW PROCESS.

WE WILL NOT HAVE A NEW POLICE CHIEF NAMED IN 3 OR 4 OR FIVE WEEKS.

IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME.

NEXT WEEK I'LL BE MAKING A DECISION AND INFORMING THE DEPARTMENT ABOUT WHO WILL BE THE INTERIM CHIEF.

WE STILL HAVE ABOUT THREE WEEKS BEFORE CHIEF MOVES ON, BUT THE ONE THING I CAN TELL YOU, TWO THINGS I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT THE PROCESS, IT WILL BE INCLUSIVE

[00:10:04]

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OUR TIME AND GET IT RIGHT.

NEXT THING I WANT TO TALK ABOUT ARE THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUILDING THE LOCKER ROOMS. REMEMBER, MALE AND FEMALE, HIS HER THEY WHATEVER PRONOUN YOU WANT TO USE, THEY ARE IN ALL THE LOCKERS ARE NOW INSTALLED.

THE SECURITY SYSTEM IS NOW IN.

SO THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE IN PLACE.

THE 2024 BUDGET.

I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT A GREAT JOB BERNADETTE, OUR INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR, IS DOING.

SHE'S REALLY KNOCKING IT OUT OF THE PARK AND REALLY PLEASED WITH HER WORK, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF MEETINGS.

WE'VE INVOLVED OUR INTERN WILL CHRISTIE, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARDS THE BUDGET.

WE ARE PROBABLY 3 OR 4 DAYS AHEAD RIGHT NOW WHERE WE'VE BEEN AT THE PAST AT THIS POINT.

I CAN TELL YOU THIS, THAT THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE TO THIS POINT AND THE RESEARCH THAT'S BEEN DONE BY THIS POINT BY INTERIM DIRECTOR BLONDE IS REALLY, REALLY OUTSTANDING.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT, BECAUSE REMEMBER, I WAS THE ONE WHO WANTED TO GO OUT AND HIRE SOMEONE TO COME IN AND OVERSEE THIS AND LISTEN TO OTHER FOLKS WHO SAID, I THINK IT WAS THE TREASURER WHO SAID GIVE IT A TRY, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, SHE'S DONE A GREAT JOB.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT.

ROTARY HERO LUNCHEON.

I HOPE ALL OF YOU WILL SUPPORT THE ROTARY HERO LUNCHEON.

IT'S SEPTEMBER 12TH.

IT'S RIGHT OUT DOWN AT THE MARKETPLACE.

THIS IS A THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE EVENTS OF THE YEAR.

IT'S PROBABLY TO ME, IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR GOLF OUTING.

THE MONEY THAT'S RAISED FROM THIS HERO LUNCH GOES BACK TO THE SCHOOLS.

IT SUPPORTS STUDENTS WHO CAN'T AFFORD A PROM DRESS, STUDENTS WHO MAY BE GOING THROUGH A TRANSPORTATION ISSUE AT HOME FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. LOTS OF STUFF, FOOD, OTHER THINGS, AND EACH YEAR THE PRINCIPALS COME BACK TO THE ROTARY CLUB AND TELL US HOW THAT MONEY WAS REINVESTED INTO THE COMMUNITY.

SO IT'S $25 AND ROTARIANS WILL BE SELLING TICKETS FOR THAT, AND I KNOW TREASURER DESCHAINE IS KIND OF CHEERING ON THAT EVENT.

DEI TRAINING YOU CAN EXPECT.

WELL, WE'VE GOTTEN THROUGH A NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT WE HAVE AND WE'VE GOT THROUGH OUR CYBER PHISHING TRAINING.

NOW IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON TO THE DEI TRAINING, AND THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN SEPTEMBER.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS.

THOSE OF YOU WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE'S ON THE BOARD, BUT GOING BACK 7 OR 8 YEARS AGO, I NOTICED THAT OUR EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK AND CLERK WELL, CLERK GUTHRIE WOULD REMEMBER THIS. OUR EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK WAS 21 OR 22 YEARS OLD, AND HADN'T BEEN TOUCHED, AND SO BACK IN 2015, WE UPDATED OUR POLICY AND PROCEDURE BOOK, WHICH IS GOING TO BE UPDATED HERE AGAIN SOON, BUT WHEN I ASKED FOR THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE POLICE CHIEF, I WAS GIVEN TWO AND I SEE IT'S 21 YEARS OLD.

SO WE HAVE SOME WORK TO DO WITH OUR JOB DESCRIPTIONS, AND SO THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG PROJECT THAT I'M GOING TO BE ASSIGNING HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS TO A DIRECTOR TO BEGIN WORKING ON THAT, AND I EXPECT THAT TO TAKE 2 OR 3 MONTHS.

BUT TO COME BACK AND HAVE ALL NEW JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR THE TOWNSHIP, A LOT OF COMMUNITIES HIRE A COMPANY TO DO THAT.

WE DON'T NEED TO DO THAT. WE HAVE THE STAFFING ON BOARD TO DO THAT.

PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR PROCESS.

WE ARE NOT I'M COMMITTED TO NOT START THAT PROCESS UNTIL AFTER THE BUDGET IS OVER, UNTIL AFTER THE RECRUITMENT PERIOD FOR THE POLICE CHIEF.

IS NOT THAT NOT THAT WE'VE HIRED A POLICE CHIEF, BUT THE RECRUITMENT PERIOD IS OVER.

I DON'T WANT TO BE RECRUITING THEM.

AT THE SAME TIME, AS YOU KNOW, THE POLICE CHIEF'S RETIRING WAS A COMPLETE SHOCK TO ME.

WE HAD LINED IT UP WITH THE PARKS AND REC'S DIRECTOR TO BE SEPARATE FROM, BUT DIDN'T TURN OUT TO BE THAT WAY.

SO WE'RE KIND OF WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH THIS RIGHT NOW.

I WANT TO THANK SUPERVISOR JACKSON, WHO AUTHORED A LETTER TO BE SENT TO THE MSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES IN SUPPORT OF TERESA WOODRUFF AND HER CANDIDACY TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF OUR GREAT UNIVERSITY, AND SPEAKING OF DR.

WOODRUFF, I HAD THE DISTINCT HONOR TO INTRODUCE HER TO OUR STATE ASSOCIATION LAST WEDNESDAY.

WILL CHRISTIE ATTENDED THAT SESSION, AND I CAN'T TELL YOU THE IMPRESSION THAT SHE MADE ON OUR 200 ATTENDEES AT THE CONFERENCE FROM ALL OVER THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, AND THEY LEARNED A LOT ABOUT MSU THAT DAY, ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING AND SUPPLY CHAIN AND THEIR ROLE AND BLACK BEANS AND ALL SORTS OF THINGS THAT THEY REALLY ACCOMPLISHED.

BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE TOWNSHIP FROM FILLING POSITIONS TO WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN THE FUTURE TO HANDLING THE BUILDING RENOVATIONS AND GETTING THE BUDGET UNDERWAY AND ALL OF THAT. SO AND I KNOW THERE'S SOME OTHER THINGS WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON, LIKE THE SENIOR CENTER COMMUNITY CENTER, BUT I KNOW THE BOARD IS GOING TO TAKE THOSE UP TONIGHT, SO I'LL RESERVE COMMENT ON THOSE ISSUES.

THANK YOU. UNLESS THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS.

MADAM SUPERVISOR OKAY.

[00:15:02]

THANK YOU MR. WALSH. ITEM SEVEN IS BOARD MEMBER REPORTS OF ACTIVITIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.

[7. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS OF ACTIVITIES ANDANNOUNCEMENTS]

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

AS LIAISON TO THE CRC, WHICH IS THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE COMMISSION, I WANT TO TELL YOU A NEW PROJECT THAT WE'RE DOING ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AND THAT IS THAT THE KIWANIS HAS OFFERED US $2,500 TO DO A BACKPACK PROGRAM AGAIN FOR HASLETT AND OKEMOS SCHOOLS.

LAST YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN $5,000 FROM THEM AND DID 320 BACKPACKS TO LOW INCOME KIDS, KIDS WHO ARE ON FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH AT BOTH DISTRICTS. THIS YEAR THEY OFFERED US 2500, WHICH WE ABSOLUTELY TOOK, AND OUR HUMAN RESOURCE SPECIALIST, KATIE LOVE, THE MIRACLE WORKER THAT SHE IS, SPUN THAT INTO BACKPACKS AND THE CONTENTS, HIGH QUALITY NAME BRAND STUFF TO 240 BACKPACKS.

SO I WILL INVITE YOU ALL IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO TOMORROW, ON TUESDAY MORNING, NEXT WEEK.

THAT IS THE 8TH OF AUGUST AT 9 A.M.

WE ARE GOING TO BE IN THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION PACKING THOSE PACKS.

SO AND THEN WE'LL DELIVER THEM.

WE'LL ARRANGE TO HAVE THEM DELIVERED.

SO I'M VERY EXCITED TO DO THIS THING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT KIDS GO TO SCHOOL AND A MULTICOLORED BACKPACK THAT HAS ALL THE GEAR THAT THEY WOULD NEED AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, AND I WOULD SPEAK FOR THE BOARD AND THANK YOU AND THE CRC FOR INCLUDING US IN THE PLANS.

ARE THERE OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS, MR. DESCHAINE? THANK YOU.

FIRST OF ALL, TONIGHT IS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT.

WE HAVE OVER 30 NEIGHBORHOODS MEETING ALL OVER THE TOWNSHIP TONIGHT.

SO AS MUCH AS WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU WATCH THE MEETING TONIGHT, PLEASE CONSIDER GOING OUT SAYING HELLO TO YOUR NEIGHBORS AND TO OUR POLICE OFFICERS THAT HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY'RE GOING TO VISIT ALL 30 NEIGHBORHOOD GATHERINGS BETWEEN 6 AND 8 P.M.

TONIGHT. IT'S A GREAT EVENT.

SO WE GOT TO MAKE SURE NEXT YEAR WE DON'T SCHEDULE BOARD MEETINGS ON THE SAME NIGHT BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT CHANCE FOR US TO GO OUT AND SAY HI TO OUR NEIGHBORS AS WELL.

ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 19TH I ATTENDED THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE EAST LANSING MERIDIAN WATER PLANT ON BERTRAM ROAD.

THERE'S A NEW DIRECTOR THERE AND SOME NEW STAFF.

YET THEY CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SOME OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY WATER FOR OUR RESIDENTS.

IT MEETS ALL AND EXCEEDS ALL THE WATER STANDARDS AND AT THE LOWEST RATES IN THE REGION.

SO WE GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS WITH OUR EAST LANSING MERIDIAN WATER PLANT.

DEPUTY MANAGER OPSOMMER WAS REELECTED AS THE CHAIR OF THE ELMWSA FOR ANOTHER YEAR AND WE'LL LEAD IT WELL.

ALSO, ON JULY 19TH, I ATTENDED THE CATA BOARD MEETING FOR JULY.

ONE OF THE EXCITING THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THIS MEETING IS THAT CATA IS MOVING FORWARD WITH A ON DEMAND MICRO TRANSIT SERVICE.

THIS WILL BE A HYBRID BETWEEN THE CURRENT REDI-RIDE AND UBER OR LYFT TYPE EXPERIENCE, SO I'LL KEEP THE BOARD POSTED WHEN IT'S GOING TO BE AVAILABLE IN THIS REGION, BUT CATA IS TRYING TO ADAPT TO THE FUTURE AND ONE OF THE NEEDS IS FOR ON DEMAND MICRO TRANSIT.

THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE THE PUBLIC AN UPDATE ON PROP TWO, JUST ONE OF THE SECTIONS OF PROP TWO REGARDING BALLOT BOXES.

WITH THE PASSAGE OF THAT, IT REQUIRES MUNICIPALITIES TO HAVE, IT REQUIRES MUNICIPALITIES FOR EVERY 15,000 VOTERS TO HAVE A DROP BOX. SO WE HAVE 33,000 VOTERS.

SO WE NEED THREE DROP BOXES AND THOSE DROP BOXES NEED TO BE PLACED EQUITABLY AROUND THE TOWNSHIP, AND SO MY TEAM MET WITH DEPUTY TOWNSHIP MANAGER DAN OPSOMMER AND HIS TEAM AND LOOKED AT THOSE LOCATIONS TO ENSURE THAT THE SPOTS THAT WE ARE CHOOSING MEETS THE CRITERIA THAT THE STATE IS ASKING US TO MEET, INCLUDING VIDEO SURVEILLANCE.

IT'S WELL LIT, IT'S IN A PROMINENT SPOT.

IT'S ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL RESIDENTS IN THE TOWNSHIP, AND SO WE WORKED WITH DAN AND THE MR . OPSOMMER IN THE HASLETT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND CADL TO HAVE ONE BOX PLACED AT THE OKEMOS LIBRARY AND ONE PLACED AT THE HASLETT LIBRARY AND WE STAKED OUT THOSE LOCATIONS.

IN ADDITION, I ALSO WENT ONLINE AND ORDERED THE BOXES.

SO WE WILL HAVE FOUR NEW BOXES.

[00:20:01]

THEY'RE VERY PROMINENTLY, THEY HAVE A VERY PROMINENT BALLOT INFORMATION ON IT THAT IT'S A BALLOT DROP BOX SO ANYWAYS, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE AN UPDATE THAT'S ONE OF THE SECTIONS OF PROP TWO THAT WE ARE WORKING ON IN OUR DEPARTMENT AND WHERE THOSE DROP BOX LOCATIONS WILL BE.

THE THIRD ONE WILL OBVIOUSLY BE HERE AT THE MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP BUILDING AND WE WILL REPLACE THE ONE INSIDE WITH A NEW ONE.

SO IT LOOKS THE SAME AS ALL THE OTHER DROP BOXES.

OKAY. COULD I ASK A QUESTION? ARE ALL OF THEM INSIDE? NO. THERE ARE THREE OUTSIDE AND THE ONLY INSIDE ONE IS HERE AT THE TOWNSHIP.

OKAY, AND THE STATE PAYS FOR THE DROP BOXES THAT MEET THE CRITERIA.

SO WE WILL NEED TO PAY FOR THE ONE THAT'S REPLACED INSIDE THE TOWNSHIP, AND THEY ALSO PAY FOR PROBABLY THROUGH A REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS FOR PUTTING THE CEMENT IN AND SECURING IT TO THE CEMENT AS WELL.

ARE THERE OTHER BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS OR ANNOUNCEMENTS? WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM EIGHT, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF THE NEW [INAUDIBLE] MEMBER.

[8. APPROVAL OF AGENDA]

SUPPORT. SUPPORTED BY TRUSTEE WILSON.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION.

PLEASE SAY YES.

YES. YES. OPPOSED, NO, AND THE CHAIR VOTES YES.

THE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

WE MOVE NOW TO ITEM NINE, WHICH IS THE CONSENT AGENDA.

[9. CONSENT AGENDA]

THE MANAGER'S BILLS AND THE SECOND QUARTER TREASURER'S REPORT WHICH ARE INCLUDED THERE.

ARE THERE? MR. HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I MOVE THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS TO THE MINUTES OF JULY 11TH ON PAGE NINE, STRIKE ROLL CALL VOTE AND THE YAYS NAYS AND MOTION CARRIED FOR AGENDA ITEM 13.

THERE WAS 13 A I SHOULD SAY THERE WAS NO VOTE TAKEN ON THAT ITEM.

OKAY. SUPPORT.

OTHER COMMENTS.

THEN, MR. SPURLOCK, WE NEED A ROLL CALL VOTE FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA.

YES. YES.

YES. YES.

TRUSTEE SUNDLAND. YES.

TRUSTEE WILSON. YES, AND TRUSTEE WISINSKI.

YES. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

ITEM TEN IS QUESTIONS FOR THE ATTORNEY FOR WHICH WE HAVE NONE TONIGHT, AS WELL AS NO PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED.

WE MOVE ON TO ITEM 12 A 12 OUR ACTION ITEMS.

[12.A. Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (MERS) Defined Contribution Administration]

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR TITHOF WILL PREPARE US FOR THIS ACTION.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

GOOD EVENING, BOARD.

THIS IS JUST A CONTINUED CONVERSATION FROM THE LAST MEETING WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT THE CONSIDERATION FOR MIGRATION FROM THE MISSION SQUARE ACCOUNTS FOR THE DC PLANS 401 A, 457 AND RETIREE HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS THAT WE ARE REQUESTING THE MOVE TO MERS, WHO DOES ALREADY ADMINISTER OUR DEFINED BENEFIT PROGRAM.

I GUESS I CAN START WITH ANY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR ME.

I THINK WE DID HAVE SOME DISCUSSION ON IT LAST MEETING, SO IF THERE'S STILL INFORMATION HANGING OUT THERE, I'D LOVE TO HELP.

OKAY. SO WHAT YOU PRESENTED US WITH IS THE CURRENT MERS PROGRAM FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE IN FACT A PART OF THAT PROGRAM AND WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING FOR US, WHAT YOU'RE ASKING US TO DO TONIGHT IS TO SUPPORT CHANGING ANOTHER GROUP OF EMPLOYEES TO THE MERS PROGRAM FROM ANOTHER PROGRAM? CORRECT, YES.

THANK YOU. SO THE MISSION SQUARE CURRENTLY HANDLES SOME OF OUR DEFINED CONTRIBUTION.

[00:25:04]

SO THEY'RE HANDLING THEIR DEFINED CONTRIBUTION, BUT THE REMAINING FOLKS WHO PARTICIPATE IN DC PLANS ARE THROUGH MISSION SQUARE.

SO WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IS JUST THE ONES HANDLED BY MISSION SQUARE WOULD MOVE OVER TO MERS, AND TO THE ALREADY ADOPTED PROGRAM.

YES. THE MERS EXACTLY. SO BOARD MEMBERS, DO YOU HAVE? TRUSTEE WILSON, YES.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO, DIRECTOR TITHOF, SAY YOUR NAME WRONG.

ABBY. [LAUGHTER] IS THERE SOME EXPEDIENCY TO MAKING THIS CHANGE? AND WHY IS THAT? THANK YOU FOR ASKING. YES, THERE IS.

WE FEEL THAT WE'VE GIVEN AMPLE TIME.

I THINK WE MAY HAVE DISCUSSED BRIEFLY THAT LAST YEAR, LATER IN THE YEAR, ALMOST HALFWAY THROUGH.

MISSION SQUARE, WENT THROUGH SOME SYSTEM CHANGES.

SO THEY MADE UPDATES THAT PRESUMABLY WOULD MAKE ACCESS BETTER AND EASIER AND MORE EFFICIENT.

HOWEVER, IMMEDIATELY WE KNEW ON THE PAYROLL SIDE THAT WE WERE HAVING ISSUES.

SO THERE WERE DELAYS IN PROCESSING, AND AS WE KNOW, THOSE DEDUCTIONS NEED TO HAPPEN.

THEY NEED TO BE PROCESSED.

WE NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE DONE AND THAT THEY'RE ACCURATE NOW.

SO THERE WERE DELAYS, AND THEN IN WORKING WITH MISSION SQUARE, IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME TIMES WHERE THEY WERE THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE CHANGED.

THE CUSTOMER SERVICE WASN'T WHAT IT WAS, AND SO THEY WEREN'T AS RESPONSIVE, AND WHEN WE DID TALK TO THEM, WE WEREN'T GETTING THE RESULTS THAT WE NEEDED.

SO IN THE EXAMPLE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PAYROLL ISSUE AND THE DELAYS, OUR HR ADMINISTRATOR WOULD TALK TO THEM AND SOMEHOW THEY WOULD FRAME IT THAT, WELL, WE NEED AN EMAIL FROM YOU, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE NEVER HAD TO DO BEFORE.

WE NEED AN EMAIL TO YOU OR FROM YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE TRANSACTION AND SENDING THE COMMUNICATIONS BACK TO YOU, WHICH IS A NO.

THAT IS THAT'S NOT HOW THIS THIS PLAN NEEDS TO OPERATE.

IT WAS FINE BEFORE.

SO FOR THEM TO HAVE A SYSTEM UPGRADE AND THEN TO HAVE THE QUALITY AND THE RESPONSE TIME AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE GO WAY DOWN WAS A REALLY SERIOUS RED FLAG. WE WERE TRYING TO BEAR WITH IT AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT WITH A NEW SYSTEM AND A NEW SOFTWARE, WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY'RE WORKING THROUGH, WE WERE TRYING TO BE PATIENT WITH IT AND JUST LET THEM WORK OUT THE BUGS, AND EVEN AFTER THAT PERIOD OF TIME, THINGS WERE GETTING WORSE.

WE'VE HAD EMPLOYEES WHO WERE RIGHTFULLY TRYING TO ACCESS THEIR ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND WERE GETTING STUCK IN A LOOP PASSWORD LOOP THAT WOULD TELL YOU, YOU NEED TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD.

THEY RESET THEIR PASSWORD, THEY GO BACK IN AND IT SAYS YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD AT THIS TIME AND AGGRAVATION UPON AGGRAVATION, AND YOU KNOW, ANYBODY WHO HAS WORKING WITH THE ACCOUNTS OR WHO HAS PLANS THAT THEY'RE PARTICIPANTS IN SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW, AND SO FOR THAT TO HAVE GONE ON REPEATEDLY AND FINALLY HAVING WE HAD ANOTHER EMPLOYEE NOTIFY US IN EARLY THIS YEAR, 2023, WHERE THEY HAD GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS, DOING SOME SPECIAL THINGS THAT THEY WANTED TO TAKE CARE OF IN 2022, WE HAD THE CONFIRMATION ON THE PAYROLL SIDE THAT THE TRANSACTION WAS DONE.

WE HAD IT DOCUMENTED.

ALL THE PROCESSING WAS COMPLETED BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.

THE EMPLOYEE FINDS OUT LATER THAT IT DIDN'T SHOW UNTIL THE NEXT YEAR.

THERE WAS NO CUSTOMER SERVICE TO EXPLAIN HOW OR WHY THAT HAPPENED.

THEY WEREN'T NOTIFIED AND THEN THEY JUST HAPPENED TO LOOK AT IT WHEN THEY WERE DOING THEIR TAXES AND THEY CAME TO US ASKING ABOUT IT.

SO WE REALLY HAD TO WORK FOR IT, AND I FEEL THAT IS NOT THE KIND OF SERVICE THAT OUR TOWNSHIP STAFF DESERVE IN THEIR ACCOUNTS.

THEY DESERVE TO HAVE THE PEACE OF MIND IN KNOWING ITS RELIABLE, STABLE AND ACCESSIBLE.

OKAY. MR. HENDRICKSON, I THINK YOU HAD SOME QUESTIONS THE LAST TIME WE DISCUSSED THIS.

HAVE YOUR QUESTIONS BEEN ADDRESSED IN THE MATERIAL WE'VE GOTTEN? THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

CERTAINLY IT'S HELPFUL TO HAVE THE BROCHURE, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT WAS PROVIDED TO US WITH ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VARIOUS EXPENSES AND BENEFITS, AND I THINK THAT MERS SEEMS TO ME LIKE A GOOD SELECTION.

THAT BEING SAID, THIS IS JUST ONE OPTION THAT'S BEING PRESENTED TO US.

MY ISSUE LAST MEETING AND MY ISSUE TODAY IS THAT WE HAVE A VERY GOOD CASE, IT SOUNDS LIKE, TO MAKE A CHANGE FROM OUR CURRENT

[00:30:07]

HOWEVER, I CAN'T SAY WITH ANY AUTHORITY WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS THE BEST OPTION FOR THE TOWNSHIP TO MOVE FORWARD WITH BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY OPTION THAT WE'RE BEING PRESENTED WITH.

MY CONCERN THEN AND MY CONCERN NOW IS THAT THIS SHOULD BE PUT OUT TO BID SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE ARE GETTING THE MOST COMPETITIVE FEE STRUCTURE AND THE BEST PERFORMANCE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES HISTORICALLY.

SO YES AND NO.

IT DOES PROVIDE A LOT MORE INFORMATION THAN WE HAD LAST TIME, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.

CERTAINLY HAPPY TO SEE ALL OF THE OFFERINGS THAT MERS HAS TO OFFER.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE OTHER OPTIONS, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT'S POSSIBLE ON THE TIMELINE THAT IS BEING SUGGESTED.

OKAY. BOARD MEMBERS.

MR. DESCHAINE.

THANK YOU. DIRECTOR TITHOFF. IN THE COMPARISON I'M REFERRING TO PAGE 60 OF THE COMPARISON OF RATES.

THEY HAVE ICMA-RC.

IS THAT THE OLD MISSION SQUARE? IT IS. THAT'S ALL.

I'D LIKE THE COMPARISON THEY MADE IN TERMS OF COSTS THAT THERE WAS A 0.25 OR A QUARTER OF A PERCENT DIFFERENCE.

YET IN THE LIFE WORKING LIFE OF THE EMPLOYEE THAT WOULD RESULT IN A 5% INCREASE IN THE RETURN JUST BASED ON THE ONE QUARTER OF A PERCENT AT THE START.

THERE'S UPFRONT COSTS THAT MANY OF THESE MUTUAL FUND COMPANIES AND INVESTMENT COMPANIES WILL TAKE TO COVER THEIR EXPENSES OFTEN THEY'RE HIDDEN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU COMPOUND THAT OVER ONE, FIVE AND 20 YEARS.

THIS IS A BIG OPERATION.

OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE OUR PENSION FUNDS THERE I THINK THEIR SIZE HELPS THEM TO KEEP THOSE COSTS LOW.

DOESN'T MEAN A SMALLER COMPANY COULDN'T ALSO OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE AND TRUSTEE HENRICKSON'S CONCERNS ABOUT NOT PUT ANYTHING OUT TO BID, BUT AGAIN, AS I SAID LAST MEETING, WE'RE DOING THAT RIGHT NOW WITH BANKING SERVICES AND TO DO IT PROPERLY COULD EASILY TAKE SIX MONTHS TIME TO EVALUATE ALL THE DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES OUT THERE.

THERE IS A SENSE OF URGENCY.

I'VE BEEN CAUGHT IN THAT PASSWORD CHANGE LOOP AS WELL AS AN EMPLOYEE AND IT'S JUST THROW MY HANDS UP AND SAY, I'LL TRY AGAIN TOMORROW.

I'LL TRY AGAIN. I'M SORRY.

YEAH. ON THE EMPLOYER SIDE, I'VE JUST BEEN THROUGH THAT ALSO AND HAD TO PUSH FOR AN ESCALATION AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM THEM.

SO I JUST HAVE TO KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED THAT EVERYTHING'S OKAY BEHIND THE SCENES THERE AT MISSION SQUARE AND HOPE WE CAN MAKE THE CHANGE SOON, BUT I DO LIKE THIS OPTION. I THINK TIME IS CRITICAL AND I THINK THAT THE BOARD SHOULD TAKE ACTION TONIGHT.

I THANK YOU FOR BRINGING US THIS INFORMATION TONIGHT.

THANK YOU, TREASURER DESCHAINE. THANK YOU.

TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

YEAH, I THINK I AGREE WITH TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON THAT I THINK THAT WE NEED TO TAKE THAT SIX MONTHS.

I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS CONTRACT HAS BEEN IN PLACE, BUT I'M GUESSING IT'S BEEN IN PLACE FOR YEARS.

I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD JUMP TO ANY CONCLUSIONS TOO, THIS IS A BIG DECISION.

THIS IS OUR RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND THEY'RE NOT MINE PERSONALLY, BUT YEAH, THE CITIZENS RETIREMENT SYSTEMS. AND I THINK WE DO NEED TO TAKE THAT SIX MONTHS AND THAT'S NOT THAT MUCH TIME.

I KNOW THAT WE'RE FUMBLING ALONG RIGHT NOW AND WE'RE JUST REALLY FRUSTRATED WITH THIS MISSION SYSTEM BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE JUST AT THE EDGE OF YOUR TOLERANCE, BUT I'M JUST THINKING WE NEED TO DO IT RIGHT.

IT'S I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS AN END DATE TO THIS TRANSITION OR CONTRACT OR I DON'T SEE ANY END DATES INVOLVED.

I DON'T I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S JUST AN ONGOING YOU HAVE THE CONTRACT AND YOU HAVE IT PRETTY MUCH FOREVER OR SO.

I'M STILL GOT SOME QUESTIONS ON THE SYSTEM.

I THINK WE JUST NEED TO BE VERY THOUGHTFUL.

THIS IS A BIG DECISION.

TRUSTEE WISINSKI.

THANK YOU SUPERVISOR.

DIRECTOR TITHOFF. I'M IN THE WHOLE GLASSES THING AGAIN.

CAN I ASK A FEW QUESTIONS? SO THE SO WE DO HAVE EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE CURRENTLY HAVE DEFINED CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGH MERS.

[00:35:07]

THEY HAVE A PENSION PLAN THROUGH MERS.

THROUGH MERS. SO THERE'S ONLY A PORTION OF OUR STAFF THAT IS NOT.

CORRECT. IT'S IN DIFFERENT.

DIFFERENT UNIONS WHO HAVE AT DIFFERENT BASED ON YOUR HIRE DATE THAT DETERMINES WHERE YOU ARE, WHETHER YOU HAVE THE DEFINED BENEFIT, DEFINED CONTRIBUTION OR BOTH. GOT IT.

OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT.

SO WITH THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE THAT DOES EITHER HAVE CONTRIBUTION OR BENEFIT THROUGH MERS, HAVE WE WHAT'S OUR SUCCESS RATE THERE? WE HAD ANY COMPLAINTS? HAVE YOU HAD TO RESOLVE ANY ISSUES WITH MERS? FOR THE DEFINED BENEFIT? NOT SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE FOR THREE YEARS AS OF THE 10TH.

CONGRATS. ALL RIGHTY, AND THEN DEFINED BENEFIT.

HAVE WE HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT? IN MY EXPERIENCE, THE DEFINED CONTRIBUTION THROUGH MISSION SQUARE IS THE ONLY ADMINISTRATOR THAT WE HAVE HAD SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH, AND IT'S BEEN ONGOING AND GETTING MORE SERIOUS AS WE GO.

SO I TEND TO LEAN TOWARDS TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON AND SUNDLAND IN THAT I ALSO AGREE THAT THE BEST APPROACH IS TO HAVE IT PUT TO BID, BUT I'M WONDERING IF WE'VE GOT SOME PRECEDENTS SHOWING THAT THIS IS WORKING FOR OUR TOWNSHIP RIGHT NOW.

WE HAVE SOME CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITY AND THEIR PRODUCT.

GIVEN OUR TIMELINE, I COULD SEE WHERE THIS COULD BE A BENEFIT.

SIMILAR NOT THE SAME, BUT SIMILAR TO OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT WHEN WE MOVED THESE DIFFERENT COMPANIES TO ONE COMPANY TO MONITOR ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT.

IT SEEMS TO ME FROM A MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE THAT IT WOULD BE IN THE BEST BENEFIT OF THE ENTIRE STAFF FOR US ALL TO BE UNDER ONE WITH THE GIVEN THAT I THINK IT'S THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S DIFFERENT.

CORRECT. SO I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR OPINION ON THEIR CURRENT STATUS ON HOW THEY ARE SERVING THE.

TOWNSHIP, MERS THAT IS.

WELL, AND SINCE I ARRIVED, WE'VE BEEN WORKING STEADILY WITH MERS.

I CAN TELL YOU IN MY EXPERIENCE, IT'S BEEN STEADY, RELIABLE.

THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS EXCEPTIONAL.

I THINK LAST MEETING YOU MET LEAH BANKY.

SHE WAS HERE TO TALK ABOUT IT.

THEY TAKE MY CALLS ON WEEKENDS SOMETHING COMES UP, SOMEONE HAS A QUESTION, SOMEONE HAS AN ISSUE.

THEY ARE RESPONSIVE AND THEY'RE PRESENT FOR US AT ALL TIMES AND THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

THEY ARE ABLE TO ARTICULATE ANYTHING THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY NEED OR WANT, AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE RELIABLE AND CONSISTENT AND ACCESSIBLE IS EVERYTHING, AND THEY HAVE A TREMENDOUS TRACK RECORD.

I MEAN, MANAGING ALL OF OUR DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS, I MEAN, THIS IS IT'S LARGE.

THEY WORK WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES THAT THEY'RE MASTERS OF THAT CRAFT WE'VE HAD IT'S JUST IT'S HARD FOR ME. I'M TRYING TO BE AS NEUTRAL AS I CAN, BUT MY EXPERIENCE WITH THEM HAS BEEN SPOT ON.

WHATEVER WE NEED, THEY WILL BEND OVER BACKWARDS TO MEET US OR DO WHATEVER THEY CAN TO HELP.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, JUST WHEN WE WERE ASKING ABOUT SOME OF THIS INFORMATION, THEY CAME TO US AND MET WITH US IN PERSON TO TALK THROUGH ALL OF THEIR PLANS, HOW THEY WORK AND TO TELL US HOW THEY ARE RELIABLE AND TO TELL US THAT THEY DO IN-PERSON TRAININGS.

I MEAN, SINCE I GOT HERE, THEY'VE BEEN WANTING TO COME IN EVEN DURING PANDEMIC, WHEN WE WEREN'T REALLY ALLOWED TO GET TOGETHER, THEY WERE TRYING TO FIGURE HOW CAN WE REACH YOUR STAFF AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS? SO IT'S KIND OF BEEN RELYING ON ONE ON ONES AND THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE, BUT THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO ROLLING OUT BIGGER GROUP GET TOGETHER, TALKING, MEETING AND STAYING CONNECTED.

AND LAST QUESTION DID I READ 84% OF MUNICIPALITIES IN MICHIGAN ARE USING MERS.

THAT LEAH WOULD HAVE TO VERIFY FOR YOU? I THINK IT'S IN THE INFORMATION.

IT'S IN THE MAJORITY.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR.

CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I HAVE THE I SHARE IN TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON AND TRUSTEE SUNDLUND'S DESIRE TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION THAT THERE IS A LACK OF INFORMATION PRESENTED TO US TONIGHT, AND I HAD THE SAME ISSUE AT THE LAST MEETING, WHICH I THINK WAS JULY 11TH, THREE WEEKS AGO, TWO WEEKS, THREE WEEKS AGO.

[00:40:05]

UNDERSTOOD. NOT BEEN GIVEN A COMPARISON.

TONIGHT, WE WERE GIVEN THE MERS PLAN THAT EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE MERS RECEIVE, BUT WE WERE NOT GIVEN THE MISSION SQUARE PLAN, AND I KNOW UNDER RECORD RETENTION SCHEDULE REQUIRED BY THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, THAT MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP MUST HAVE THAT PLAN ON FILE. SO AND IN RECORD RETENTION.

SO TO NOT HAVE THE MISSION SQUARE RETIREMENT PLAN BEFORE US TONIGHT AND ONLY HAVING MERS BEFORE US TONIGHT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE NEUTRALLY PRESENTING INFORMATION.

WE ARE NOT NEUTRALLY PRESENTING INFORMATION BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE ONE SIDE OF THE STORY.

WE ONLY HAVE ONE BENEFIT PLAN BEFORE US.

WE DO NOT HAVE TWO.

WE DO NOT HAVE THREE.

WHEN WE IMMEDIATELY KNEW THIS, YOUR STATEMENT, WE IMMEDIATELY KNEW WE WERE HAVING ISSUES.

YOU KNEW SOMETHING NEEDED TO BE DONE.

WE COULD HAVE STARTED LOOKING AT THIS AT THAT TIME, WE COULD HAVE STARTED BIDDING AT THAT TIME.

WE COULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN ACTION AT THAT TIME.

YOU STATED THERE A NUMBER OF RED FLAGS THAT HAVE COME UP.

WHAT ARE THOSE RED FLAGS? YOU'VE STATED THAT, BUT IT'S NOT PRESENTED IN INFORMATION TO US, AND THE SAME ISSUE THAT I HAD AT THE LAST MEETING THAT I HAVE AT THIS MEETING, I WAS READY TO VOTE ALL IN YES, FOR MERS.

I HAVE MISSION SQUARE.

IT'S TERRIBLE.

IT SUCKS.

I DON'T LIKE IT. I DON'T WANT TO BE PART OF MISSION SQUARE, BUT AS A VOTING MEMBER OF THIS BOARD WHO'S MAKING THIS DECISION COLLECTIVELY FOR A GROUP OF EMPLOYEES, I'M NOT A DICTATOR FOR ALL THE OTHER EMPLOYEES AND SAYING, YEAH, WE NEED TO MOVE.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY THINK.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THEM AND I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO COMPARE IT TO.

SO I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED TONIGHT THAT WE DID NOT GET THE REQUESTED INFORMATION THAT THE BOARD ASKED AT THE LAST MEETING SO THAT WE COULD MAKE AN EDUCATED DECISION AT TONIGHT'S MEETING. I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A BETTER SYSTEM OUT THERE, AND I WISH THAT WE WOULD HAVE GIVEN BEEN GIVEN A COMPARISON TONIGHT SO THAT WE COULD MAKE AN EDUCATED DECISION OF THE RETIREMENT PLAN FOR ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES FOR MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, MINUS THE ONES WHO ALREADY HAVE THE OTHER ONES THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT.

THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK.

MR. WALSH, DO YOU HAVE COMMENTS TO ADD? YEAH. SO WHERE DO I START? WE DID SEND AN EMAIL TO ALL THE EMPLOYEES, AND THE RESPONSES THAT WE GOT BACK WERE, THANK YOU.

WE APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION.

IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THEY ALL KNEW WHAT WE WERE DOING BECAUSE SOME OF THEM HAVE HAD THE IRAS THAT THEY'VE PAID THAT HAVE NOT GOT CREDITED AND HAVE GONE INTO THE NEXT YEAR.

SOME OF US HAVE BEEN LOCKED OUT OF OUR ACCOUNT FOR 6 MONTHS, AND I'M ALL FOR BIDDING.

BIDDING OCCURS IN MOST INSTANCES.

TO ME, THIS IS DIFFERENT.

WE ASK, I THINK ONE THING THAT HASN'T BEEN SAID TONIGHT THAT NEEDS TO BE SHARED RIGHT NOW IS THAT WE IMMEDIATELY, THE NEXT DAY ASKED MISSION SQUARE FOR A COMPARISON.

WE ASK THEM FIVE MORE TIMES, AND IN THOSE SIX TIMES THEY NEVER RESPONDED.

THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT OUR BUSINESS.

SO TO TAKE AND USUALLY TRUSTEE SUNDLAND I ARE VERY MUCH ALIGNED, BUT WE'RE NOT TONIGHT.

I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH BIDDING THIS PROCESS OUT.

THIS IS LIKE AN EMERGENCY AND WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN.

I DON'T WANT. I'M HEAVILY INVESTED IN MISSION SQUARE.

THIS IS WHERE MY RETIREMENT IS AT, AND FOR 30 SOME YEARS I STARTED PUTTING INTO ICMA IN 1991.

I DON'T WANT IT GOING TO ANOTHER COMPANY.

IF YOU DO A BID PROCESS AND IT COMES OUT THAT WILLY NILLY OUT OF NORTH CAROLINA IS THE BEST WAY TO GO.

I DON'T WANT IT GOING THERE.

I DON'T CARE ABOUT SO MUCH THE COST.

IF I CAN SAVE $500 OVER TEN YEARS BY GOING WITH COMPANY X, I DON'T CARE.

I WANT A TRUE TESTED PROCESS AND MODEL AND COMPANY, AND THAT'S WHAT MERS IS, AND OUR EMPLOYEES KNOW THAT, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE NOT GETTING PUSHBACK FROM THEM ABOUT MAKING THIS CHANGE.

WHAT WE ARE GETTING PUSHBACK ON ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATED, MISALIGNED, MISTREATED BY MISSION SQUARE, AND THEY NO LONGER THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE OUR BUSINESS YESTERDAY AND THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE IT TOMORROW, AND THIS IS NO REFLECTION ON ANYONE ON OUR STAFF, BUT WE DID TRY TO GET THE INFORMATION FROM MISSION SQUARE AND WE'RE FLATLY TURNED DOWN.

NOW, IF YOU WANT US TO GO OUT AND TRY TO FIND OUT, 84% OF THE COMMUNITIES IN MICHIGAN ARE WITH MERS, AND THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT,

[00:45:09]

WE WANT IT WITH A TRUE TESTED TEAM, AND THAT'S MERS AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.

THERE'S NO BENEFIT TO ANY OF US FOR WE'RE NOT TRYING TO SKIRT ANYTHING.

WE'RE NOT TRYING TO WORK AROUND ANYTHING.

WE'RE TRYING TO DO WHAT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR TEAM, AND I CAN TELL YOU, I HOPE FOUR OF YOU TONIGHT SEE THE URGENCY OF THIS, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T AND WE WAIT 4 OR 5, SIX MONTHS, IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO SOMEBODY'S INVESTMENT, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE GOOD FOR ANY OF US.

SO I WOULD URGE YOU TONIGHT, IT'S NOT AGAINST THE BIDDING PROCESS.

IT'S MOVING IN THE DIRECTION THAT WE NEED TO MOVE TO PROTECT OUR TEAM MEMBERS INVESTMENTS , AND IT'S IN THE MILLIONS.

THEY HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

THANK YOU, CLERK GUTHRIE.

THANK YOU. IF I COULD FOLLOW UP WITH MANAGER WALSH.

SURE.

I WAS READY AT THE LAST MEETING.

I JUST WANT TO REITERATE, TO MOVE TO MERS.

I KNOW HOW TERRIBLE MISSION SQUARE IS, AND I'VE BEEN ICMA SINCE 1998, SO NOT AS LONG AS YOU SO I KNOW HOW TERRIBLE IT'S WITH MISSION SQUARE.

IT'S JUST CRASHED AND BURNED.

THE DISAPPOINTMENT I HAVE, AND I DON'T NEED IT TO GO OUT TO BID.

THE DISAPPOINTMENT I HAVE IS THAT THIS BOARD ASKED FOR MORE INFORMATION IN A COMPARISON, AND THAT WASN'T PRESENTED TONIGHT, AND I'M DISAPPOINTED IN THE LACK OF INFORMATION THAT WAS GIVEN TO THIS BOARD TO MAKE THIS DECISION.

I THOROUGHLY AGREED THAT WE SHOULD HAVE MOVED TO MERS LAST YEAR, LIKE IMMEDIATELY WHEN ALL THESE RED FLAGS HAPPENED, AND I APOLOGIZE. I AGREE, BUT I DON'T NEED IT TO GO OUT TO BID.

I JUST NEED IT, AND.

OKAY, AND I APOLOGIZE, I THOUGHT THE INFORMATION IN MY DIRECTION AND THIS IS ON ME.

IT'S NOT ON DIRECTOR TITHOF BECAUSE I WAS GIVEN THE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS AND MY INTERPRETATION OF WHAT WAS GOING ON.

MAYBE I WAS WRONG WAS YOU WANTED INFORMATION FROM MISSION POINT ON WHAT THEIR COSTS ARE AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING AS A COMPARISON TO MERS, I DIDN'T THINK YOU WANTED US TO GO OUT THERE AND TRY TO FIND THESE COMPANIES THAT DON'T HAVE THE PROBABLY HAVE HARDLY ANY INVESTING EXPERIENCE IN MICHIGAN AND BRING THOSE IN BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GO TO OUR EMPLOYEES AND SAY WE'RE REALLY WE'RE SCREWED UP RIGHT NOW WITH MISSION POINT AND WE KNOW WE HAVE MERS AND THEY'RE THE COMPANY IN MICHIGAN, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THIS COMPANY IN NORTH CAROLINA BECAUSE THEY'RE A LITTLE LESS.

I DIDN'T THINK YOU WANTED ALL THOSE COMPARISONS.

I THOUGHT YOU WANTED MISSION POINT AND MERS, AND WE HAVE MISSION POINT ON FILE WITH THE TOWNSHIP.

WE HAVE TO BY STATE LAW, AND THAT WASN'T GIVEN TO US TONIGHT.

THAT PLAN WASN'T GIVEN TO US TONIGHT, IS WHAT I'M SAYING.

RIGHT, BUT WE WENT TO THEM.

I'M DISAPPOINTED IN THAT.

I RESPECT THAT. WE WENT FOR THEM AND ASKED FOR UPDATED INFORMATION BECAUSE THEIR PLAN OF RECORD A WHILE AGO I DIDN'T THINK WAS PERTINENT TO WHAT IS IT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, AND WHAT WE REALLY ASKED THEM FOR WAS WHEN YOU SCREWED UP, BUT MERS IS 2019 IN THIS PACKET, AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAD.

IF I MAY. IF I MAY.

THAT'S WHAT WE HAD FOR MISSION SQUARE.

I HAVE BEEN WORKING STEADILY SINCE OKAY, BUT NOT FOR MISSION SQUARE.

THAT'S THE BEST WE HAVE FOR MISSION SQUARE.

COMPARISON. THAT'S WHAT WE HAD TO COMPARE THE TWO OF THEM, WHICH IS WHAT WE PROMISED, AND AS MENTIONED, RIGHT AFTER WE HAD THAT BOARD MEETING, WE WENT OUT TO THE WEBSITE, TO THE MISSION SQUARE.

ON THE ADMINISTRATOR SIDE, THERE'S SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT ABOUT THE WAY IT'S LAID OUT.

SO EVEN IF YOU WANTED TO DO APPLES TO APPLES, THEY'RE NOT ACCESSIBLE THAT WAY.

I'M LOOKING FOR A SO TYPICALLY A DIRECTOR WRITES UP A SUMMARY AND GIVES A COMPARISON AND THEN MAKES A RECOMMENDATION AND A MOTION SO THAT THE BOARD COULD LOOK FOR THOSE COMPARISONS THAT YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY POINTING OUT TO IN THE INFORMATION THAT'S PROVIDED.

THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT.

SO THAT IS WHERE I'M DISAPPOINTED.

THANK YOU. COULD I JUST ADD FOR A MOMENT THAT THE ISSUE WITH MISSIONS SQUARE IS NOT THE QUALITY OR THE DEFINITION OF ITS PLAN, BUT THE SERVICE IT IS GIVEN TO THE EMPLOYEES RELATIVE TO THOSE PLANS, AND WHAT WE'RE AND THE REASON FOR ASKING FOR THIS CHANGE HAS TO DO TOTALLY WITH THE SERVICE THAT IS BEING OFFERED AS OPPOSED TO THE PLAN SPECIFICALLY THAT ARE BEING OFFERED.

WHEN THEY CAN'T HANDLE A SIMPLE YES, WHEN THEY CAN'T HANDLE A SIMPLE IRA FROM A MEMBER OF OUR TEAM AND GET IT IN THE RIGHT YEAR AND IT'S

[00:50:10]

YEAH, IT'S ALL ABOUT SERVICE AND IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PRODUCT, AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S ON ME.

WE SHOULD HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO MOVE 2 OR 3 MONTHS AGO BECAUSE THE COMPLAINTS ARE JUST PILING UP.

IT'S TIME TO MOVE BASED SOLELY ON CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND LET'S GO WITH A TRUE CHAMPION IN MICHIGAN, AND TO US, THAT'S MERS.

OKAY. BELIEVE I SAW TRUSTEE WILSON.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I DID A DEEP DIVE ON THIS DOCUMENT AND I DID FIND, STARTING WITH PAGE 58, THAT THERE IS THAT APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON IN THERE USING THE DATA.

THE ONLY DATA THAT WAS AVAILABLE FROM ICMA, WHICH WAS 2019.

SO THERE'S COMPARISONS OF INVESTMENTS, COSTS, HOW THEY FRONTLOAD AND SO ON, EXAMPLES OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO A PARTICULAR RETIREMENT FUND, AND FOR THAT REASON, MERS PERFORMED FOR US, WHEREAS ICMA DID NOT EVEN RESPOND TO US.

THAT'S A CONCERN.

I WAS MADE AWARE AT THE END OF JUNE THAT THERE WAS AN EMPLOYEE WHOSE IRA THAT I BELIEVE WAS BEING TRANSFERRED INTO MISSION SQUARE WASN'T THERE, AND IT WAS ON A WEEKEND AND SHE WAS VERY ALARMED, AS ANY ONE OF US WOULD BE, AND THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE COMPANY.

SO I THINK THAT MERS' REPUTATION PRECEDES IT.

84% OF THE MUNICIPALITIES IN MICHIGAN USE MERS.

THEY HAVE DONE WHAT WE REQUESTED AND DONE THIS COMPARISON BASED ON WHAT THEY COULD COMPARE WITH ICMA.

WE HAVE A HISTORY WITH THIS COMPANY THAT GOES BACK HOW LONG? HOW LONG HAVE WE HAD MERS? TWO DECADES TRYING TO THINK BACK TO THE OLD PENSION PLAN.

OKAY, SO THAT TELLS ME THAT IT'S A COMPANY THAT HAS A REPUTATION THAT HAS DONE THE SERVICE THAT PEOPLE EXPECT.

THERE SEEMS TO BE A SATISFACTION LEVEL AMONG THE EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE THAT DEFINED BENEFIT.

I THINK IT IS PLAN WITH THEM, AND THE THING THAT'S MOST CONCERNING TO ME WAS THE LAST STATEMENT THAT MANAGER WALSH MADE.

WE CANNOT AFFORD TO STAY WITH A COMPANY THAT IS NOT RESPONDING TO US AND TELLING US WHAT IS GOING ON.

THIS IS EMPLOYEE MONEY TO ME AS A FORMER ACCOUNTANT.

WE HAVE A FIDUCIARY DUTY TO PROTECT OUR EMPLOYEES IN EVERY WAY THAT WE CAN.

SAFETY ISSUES.

GOOD WORKING CONDITIONS, AND ALSO THE VALIDITY OF THEIR MONEY BEING WHERE IT IS, AND FRANKLY, I AM CONCERNED THAT IT WON'T BE THERE IF WE WASTE ANY MORE TIME. SO FOR THAT REASON, I WOULD VOTE IN FAVOR OF MAKING THE CHANGE TO MERS, AND THANK YOU.

WOULD YOU MAKE THE MOTION? DON'T HAVE A MOTION IN FRONT OF ME, AND WE'VE GOT MORE TO DO.

OKAY. IS IT A MOTION ON PAGE 81? NO, I HAVE IT. I HAVE IT NOW.

LET ME DEAL WITH THESE QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GET TO THAT.

YES. TRUSTEE SUNDLAND.

WELL, OKAY. THANK YOU.

SO I DON'T LIKE DOING ANYTHING BASED ON WHAT SOMEBODY ISN'T DOING.

I WANT TO SEE WHAT SOMEBODY CAN DO FOR US, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION WHATSOEVER AS TO WHAT ANY OTHER OPTIONS ARE OUT THERE AS FAR AS AN INVESTMENT TOOL.

I AGREE THAT THIS COMPANY WE'RE WORKING WITH SHOULD NOT EVEN BE IN THE POOL TO BE ABLE TO THEY COULD BE SCORED OUT AS NOT APPROPRIATE OR NOT MEETING OUR CRITERIA.

I THINK THAT WE NEED TO GET THAT OUT OF THERE IN OUR MINDS, BUT WHAT WE DO NEED TO DO IS THINK FORWARD AS TO WHAT IS THE BEST SYSTEM, AND I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT ANY OTHER OPTIONS ARE, AND MAYBE TREASURER DESCHAINE HE HIS BACKGROUND IS IN INVESTMENTS, SO HE PROBABLY KNOWS MORE AND I RESPECT THAT.

I JUST DON'T HAVE ANY CLUE AS TO WHAT ANY OTHER SYSTEM THAT WE SHOULD BE CONSIDERING IS OUT THERE, AND YES, THE LONGER WE WAIT AND TALK ABOUT THIS, EACH MEETING THAT GOES BY, WE COULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN OUT FOR FOUR WEEKS.

SO THIS IS A HUGE DECISION.

[00:55:05]

I DON'T KNOW WHAT AN END DATE WOULD BE IF WE HAD A CONTRACT OR DO WE JUST HAVE AN OPEN ENDED END DATE? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.

SO I REALLY FEEL LIKE I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION.

I KNOW MERS IS GOOD.

I THINK IT'S KIND OF IRONIC BECAUSE I THINK WE PAY INTO OUR PENSIONS.

THAT WE GET BILLED FOR IS ALL BEING PAID TWO YEARS.

SO I THINK I DON'T KNOW, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I THINK THAT THEY'VE GOT KIND OF A CORNER ON THE MARKET, AND I JUST WANT TO BE I DON'T WANT TO SAY SAFE.

I WANT TO BE OPEN TO THE BEST POSSIBILITIES FOR THIS TOWNSHIP, AND I DON'T THINK THAT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A COMPANY THAT WE JUST ABSOLUTELY HATE AND IS NOT FUNCTIONING, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD JUMP INTO MAKING YEARS LONG INVESTMENT DECISIONS, INVESTMENT DECISIONS JUST ON OKAY, LET'S JUST DO ONE VOTE TONIGHT AND WE'LL JUST GO FORWARD.

I THINK IT'S A AND AGAIN, IT'S MAYBE BECAUSE MY LACK OF INFORMATION.

SO JUST A.

HENDRICKSON I'M SORRY.

THANK YOU, TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I HEAR WHAT MY COLLEAGUE, TRUSTEE WILSON BROUGHT UP, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT ALL OF US TAKE THE ROLE OF FIDUCIARY OVER THIS, OVER THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT WE HAVE SERIOUSLY, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE HAVING A PROTRACTED DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC.

I THINK TRUSTEE SUNDLAND BRINGS UP AN INTERESTING POINT, WHICH RAISES A QUESTION, WHICH IS WHAT PENALTIES, IF ANY, WILL WE SUFFER IN TERMINATING THE CONTRACT WITH MISSION SQUARE? AT THIS POINT, IT'S OPEN.

THERE WOULD BE NO PENALTY.

IT IS, YES.

OKAY, AND WHAT LEVEL OF COMMITMENT DO WE HAVE IF WE ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH MERS? IS THERE A CONTRACT DATE? IS IT A LENGTH? IS IT A TERM DATE CONTRACT? IS THERE AN EXPIRATION? I DIDN'T SEE ANY TERM IN HERE.

IS IT JUST WE SIGN UP WITH MERS UNTIL WE UNTIL WE STOP? WELL, I THINK THAT'S ALWAYS UP FOR DISCUSSION.

IF THERE WAS ANY REASON THAT WOULD MOVE US NOT TO, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO TALK THAT THROUGH , BUT I MEAN, AT THIS POINT, WE'RE STILL IS THERE ANY IS THERE ANYTHING LEGALLY THAT WOULD STOP US FROM JOINING? TODAY AND LEAVING MARS IN SIX MONTHS.

NOT THAT I'M AWARE, NO.

LEAH. LEAH CAN TELL US FOR SURE.

I CAN. I CAN PROBABLY GET HER ON THE PHONE TODAY, SO I APPRECIATE ALSO WHAT MANAGER WALSH POINTED OUT, WHICH IS THAT PERHAPS THE EMPLOYEES WOULD FEEL LESS COMFORTABLE WITH A LOWER COST, NOT LOCAL PLAN ADMINISTRATOR.

I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE ALSO, IN ADDITION TO MERS, WHICH IS OF COURSE, THE BIG ONE HERE IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN.

OTHER NATIONAL PLAYERS THAT ARE OF SIMILAR OR LARGER SIZE THAT MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE SAME LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AT A LOWER COST.

NATIONWIDE EXISTS.

AFLAC EXISTS.

MERS EXISTS.

ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS EXIST, AND I CAN'T SAY WITH CERTAINTY WHAT THE BEST FIT WOULD BE FOR THE TOWNSHIP.

MAYBE WE CHOOSE TO GO WITH MERS EVEN IF THEY ARE SLIGHTLY HIGHER COST BECAUSE THEY TICK ALL OF THE OTHER BOXES THAT WE HAVE SET UP ON AN RFP TO DO SO.

NOW, I'VE HEARD EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE HAS SAID ABOUT THE URGENCY OF LEAVING MISSION SQUARE.

SO LET ME PROPOSE AN ALTERNATIVE AND SEE WHAT PEOPLE THINK.

SIGN UP WITH MERS TODAY.

DO IT AND INITIATE AN RFP PROCESS SO THAT SIX MONTHS FROM NOW WE CAN CONFIRM WHETHER MERS IS THE BEST OPTION.

THAT WAY WE AVOID THE POTENTIAL FOR CRITICAL ISSUES WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND WE CAN FULFILL OUR FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO THE EMPLOYEES OF THE TOWNSHIP.

THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION.

SAID MR. DESCHAINE. SEVERAL ISSUES HAVE BEEN RAISED HERE.

ONE OF THEM I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO COME BACK TO IS THAT WE'RE COMPARING COSTS IN THIS DOCUMENT IN FRONT OF US OF MISSION SQUARE.

ICMA TO MERS AND MERS COMES OUT ON TOP, BUT TO ME, THE LARGER CRITERIA OR COMPARISON SHOULD BE LEVELS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AND LEVEL OF COMFORT STAFF WOULD HAVE AND EMPLOYEES WOULD HAVE WITH THE NEW COMPANY.

WE KNOW MERS FROM OUR DEFINED BENEFIT PLAN.

[01:00:02]

THE TOWNSHIP USED TO HAVE ITS OWN PENSION PLAN, WHICH WE HAD ONE ACTIVE EMPLOYEE UNTIL MARK KIESELBACH RETIRED.

WE SHUT THAT DOWN BECAUSE WE WERE SATISFIED WITH THE PENSION OPTION WE GOT FOR MERS.

SO WE WERE MAKING A CHOICE TOWARDS MERS FOR DECADES HERE AND SHOW YOU THAT RUNDOWN.

I KNOW WITH OUR BANKING RFP, WE LISTED IT AT THE START OF IT.

THE THREE CRITERIA THAT WE WERE GOING TO EVALUATE BIDDERS ON.

THE FIRST WAS SECURITY.

HOW SECURE WAS THIS BANK? WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE MONEY WAS SAFE.

THE SECOND WAS THEIR REFERENCES.

WE WANTED TO KNOW WHO WAS USING THEM, WHAT SIZE ORGANIZATIONS AND HOW SATISFIED THEY WERE WITH THEM, AND THIRD WAS THE COST, AND WE MADE IT A POINT IN THE RFP TO SAY WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT COSTS FOR THE FIRST TWO CRITERIA ARE MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE COST.

I THINK THE SAME IS GOING TO SHOULD APPLY HERE.

IT'S THE INTANGIBLES THAT ARE GOING TO MATTER TO OUR EMPLOYEES, NOT AS MUCH THE ABSOLUTE RETURN.

NOW, WE CAN SEE FROM MERS' NUMBERS THE RETURN NUMBERS ARE ALSO ABOVE MISSION SQUARE, BUT THE RELATIONSHIP WE'RE GOING TO HAVE WITH THEM IS IMPORTANT.

WE HAVE AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH MERS WE HAVE FOR DECADES.

WE AREN'T JUMPING INTO AN UNKNOWN RETIREMENT PLAN HERE.

MERS IS VERY WELL KNOWN.

WE USE THEM FOR OUR FIXED BENEFIT.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO USE THEM FOR SUGGESTING WE USE THEM FOR OUR DEFINED BENEFIT.

TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON'S IDEA OF STARTING AN RFP PROCESS THAT TAKES A LOT OF STAFF TIME AND WE DON'T HAVE AN EXTRA 2 OR 3 PEOPLE OR ONE PERSON IN HR TO RUN THAT RFP PROCESS.

IT'S VERY TIME CONSUMING TO DO THAT PROCESS, AND I THINK IF WE DO IT, WE'RE GOING TO END UP JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS AND CONFIRMING OUR FIRST CHOICE BECAUSE IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT TO DO IT AND TO DO IT RIGHT.

WE HAVE A GOOD ALTERNATIVE HERE, A VERY GOOD ALTERNATIVE, WHICH IS MERS.

WE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THEM.

WE HAVE INFORMATION FROM THEM, AND WE HAVE A PLACE TO TURN, A VERY SOLID PLACE TO TURN AFTER OUR DISAPPOINTMENT WITH MISSION SQUARE, AND I THINK IT'S TIME TO DO THAT. THAT IS ALL I HAVE.

ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? THEN WE NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ON BECAUSE OF THE TIMELINESS OF THIS ISSUE, AND SO I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION.

TRUSTEE WILSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I MOVE TO MIGRATE MISSION SQUARE DEFINED CONTRIBUTION 401A 457 AND RETIREE HEALTH SAVINGS PLANS TO MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM (MERS).

MR. DESCHAINE? I SUPPORT THAT MOTION. TRUSTEE WILSON, DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? I WILL JUST REITERATE ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING, AND THAT IS THAT 84% OF MICHIGAN MUNICIPALITIES PUT THEIR TRUST IN THE MERS SYSTEM, AND THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES TO ME THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF MUNICIPALITIES USE THIS SYSTEM.

SO I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT THEY WILL DO THE JOB FOR US.

OKAY. MR. DESCHAINE. JUST THE FACT THAT WE DON'T KNOW OTHER NAMES IS BECAUSE MERS IS THE DOMINANT PLAYER IN MICHIGAN.

IF THEY WERE A BULLY OF A PLAYER, WE WOULD BE HEARING THAT BACK FROM THEM, BUT WE DON'T GET A SENSE THAT THEY'RE A BULLYING ORGANIZATION.

THEY ARE. THEY'VE GOT THE MARKET AND THEY TREAT IT WELL.

84% MERS, MAYBE MICHIGAN SQUARE HAS 10% OF THE BALANCE.

SO THAT MEANS 6% OF THE MARKET IS UNDEFINED, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVEN'T HEARD THEM ANYONE COVERING THAT SMALLER PERCENT JUST ISN'T A SIGNIFICANT PLAYER.

SOME MIGHT OFFER A CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE, BUT IT WOULD MAKE ME VERY NERVOUS TO TAKE THE LOWEST BIDDER IN SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS THIS.

OTHER COMMENTS. MR. HENDRICKSON. SO I AGAIN THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR BRINGING THE MOTION.

I DO FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THERE BEING AT LEAST SOME RFP COMPONENT TO THIS.

EVEN IF WE ADDRESS THE EMERGENT NEED OF GETTING OFF OF THE MISSION SQUARE PLAN RIGHT NOW, AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE TO AMEND THE MOTION TO ADD THE FOLLOWING TO THE END OF TRUSTEE WILSON'S MOTION AND CONCURRENTLY BEGIN THE RFP PROCESS TO BE

[01:05:01]

FEBRUARY 8TH? 28TH. OKAY, SO I NEED A SECOND FOR THE AMENDMENT.

I WILL SECOND THE PROPOSAL.

SECOND. SO WE WILL VOTE ON THE AMENDMENT FIRST.

THE AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION IS THAT WE ADD A REQUIREMENT FOR AN RFP PROCESS, STUDY, ETCETERA, TO BE DONE BETWEEN NOW AND FEBRUARY 28TH OF 2024.

ROLL CALL. OKAY. ROLL CALL VOTE FOR ON THE AMENDMENT.

CALL VOTE] I'M SO SORRY.

CAN WE PLEASE GO THROUGH THAT ONE MORE TIME? YEAH. SURE. THANK YOU.

CALL VOTE] THAT IS IN FAVOR.

YES, IT PASSES, ADDING THAT AMENDMENT.

ALL RIGHT. SO NOW WE GO THROUGH THE ORIGINAL MOTION.

YES. WHICH IS TO PERMIT THE MIGRATION OF DEFINED CONTRIBUTION AND RETIREE HEALTH SAVINGS PLANS FROM MISSION SQUARE TO MERS FOR ADMINISTRATION AND NO FURTHER COMMENTS.

WE NEED TO AMEND.

WITH THE AMENDMENT. WITH THE AMENDMENT NOW.

OKAY. I JUST HAVE ONE FOR COMMENT, IF I MAY.

OKAY. WOULD THAT BE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY IF THE MOTION PASSES? WE DON'T NEED TO ADD THAT.

YEAH, BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE SHOT OURSELF IN THE FOOT, SO, BUT THAT'S OKAY.

WE'LL DO THE BEST WE CAN WITH IT BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY COMMUNITIES THAT ARE LEAVING MISSION SQUARE THAT WE HAVE TO GET IN LINE, AND THERE'S LIKE BEEN 30 OR 40 THAT HAVE MOVED ALREADY AND WE'RE ALREADY BECAUSE OF OUR DELAY, WE'RE ALREADY A WAYS AWAY AND WHAT I'M CONCERNED NOW IS THAT WITH MERS, KNOWING THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO AN RFP AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE JUST USING THEM AS A TEMPORARY STOPGAP.

PERHAPS OUR PLACE IN LINE MAY BE VERY DEEP.

WE MAY NOT EVEN BE MOVED NOW UNTIL FEBRUARY, BUT IF THIS WERE TO PASS TONIGHT, YOU WOULD MOVE IMMEDIATELY TOMORROW IS MY QUESTION ON THIS.

I UNDERSTAND IT AND I JUST TRIED TO ANSWER THAT.

WE WOULD, BUT WE HAVE TO GET IN LINE BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY COMMUNITIES DOING OKAY.

THEN IT IS AN ANSWER.

OKAY, WE HAVE TO GET IN LINE, AND WE ARE ALREADY SEVERAL DEEP, AND NOW MERS IS GOING TO REALIZE THAT WE'RE BIDDING THIS OUT AT THE SAME TIME, AND SO I REALIZE OUR PLACE IN LINE IS GOING TO BE PROBABLY BACK FURTHER, AND WE MAY NOT MIGRATE NOW FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.

THAT'S MY CONCERN.

OKAY. WHERE WE ARE IS A VOTE ON THE ORIGINAL MOTION.

CORRECT, AND WE NEED AS AMENDED, WE NEED A ROLL CALL VOTE AGAIN.

MR. SPURLOCK. TREASURER DESCHAINE? YES. CAN SOMEBODY READ THE MOTION I'M GETTING? I'D BE HAPPY TO. WELL, I THINK YOU WROTE IT DOWN.

THE ORIGINAL MOTION IS TO PERMIT THE MIGRATION FROM MISSION SQUARE TO MERS FOR ADMINISTRATION, AND THE AMENDMENT IS THAT AT THE SAME TIME, ENTER INTO AN RFP STUDY PROPOSAL.

PROPOSAL STUDY TO BE COMPLETED BY FEBRUARY 28TH, 2024.

SO IF I VOTE IN FAVOR, AM I VOTING FOR THE AMENDMENT ALSO? YES. OKAY, GOOD.

ALL RIGHT. THAT'S THE POINT [INAUDIBLE].

[01:10:04]

THANK YOU. WE MOVE NOW TO ITEM 12B SECOND QUARTER BUDGET AMENDMENTS, AND TONIGHT

[12.B. 2nd Quarter Budget Amendments]

THANK YOU.

I'M HERE TO PRESENT THE SECOND QUARTER 2023 BUDGET AMENDMENTS.

THEY'RE DETAILED IN YOUR PACKET.

TO TOUCH ON A COUPLE OF THINGS.

WE'RE INCREASING OUR REVENUES DUE TO THE TAX AND INTEREST REVENUE HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED.

WE ALSO RECEIVED A COUPLE FEDERAL GRANTS AND WE RECEIVED HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED COST RECOVERY MONIES FROM OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT.

A COUPLE OF THE EXPENSES WERE DECREASING OUR TEMPORARY SALARIES LINE AND OUR ASSESSING DEPARTMENT DUE TO NOT HAVING ANY INTERNS BECAUSE OF THE RENOVATIONS. WE ALSO ADDED OUR EXPENSE FOR OUR NEW EVENT, THE HEALTH AND SAFETY EXPO.

SO AT THE END OF THE SECOND QUARTER, OUR PROJECTED USE OF FUND BALANCE WILL BE AROUND 6.9 MILLION, AND THAT RESULTS IN A PROJECTED FUND BALANCE AT THE END OF 2023 TO BE AROUND 8.3 MILLION.

I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

BOARD MEMBERS. MR. HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I GUESS I'LL START THINGS OFF BY MOVING TO APPROVE THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2023 BUDGET AMENDMENTS WITH AN INCREASE IN BUDGETED FUND BALANCE FOR THE GENERAL FUND IN THE AMOUNT OF $697,480, WHICH PROJECTS A USE OF FUND BALANCE OF $6,895,906. BASED ON THE 2022 RESULTS, THE PROJECTED FUND BALANCE AT DECEMBER 31ST, 2023 WILL BE $8,374,000. SUPPORT.

SUPPORTED BY WAS THAT TRUSTEE WISINSKI? TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO THIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING WHEN WE END UP USING LESS FUND BALANCE THAN WE THOUGHT WE WOULD.

SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT TO US.

THAT'S ALWAYS HAPPY.

I WILL POINT OUT A REQUEST THAT I HAD MADE PREVIOUSLY THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IN THESE AMENDMENTS MOVING FORWARD AND THIS WAS NOT TO YOU, OBVIOUSLY, BUT TO YOUR PREDECESSOR, WAS TO SORT OF ADD IN THE CALCULATION AT THE TOP OF THE WHAT IS IN THE PENSION STABILIZATION FUND AND THE PROJECT FUND CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDS SO THAT WE CAN SEE THE FULL SCOPE OF IT.

NOW THAT IS PRESENT DOWN HERE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE, BUT IN THE MATH SECTION WOULD BE HELPFUL.

OKAY, I'VE DONE IT.

IT'S $14,234,000, [LAUGHTER].

SO JUST SO THAT I COULD SEE IT MYSELF THERE, AND I THINK THAT IT'S THE AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURES THAT WERE UN-BUDGETED IS VERY LOW AND FAR IT'S FAR OUTPACED, OBVIOUSLY, AS WE SEE HERE, BY THE AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL REVENUE THAT WE BRING IN, AND SO I'M VERY PLEASED AT THE FINANCIAL PRUDENCE OF THE MANAGER AND FOR YOU AND YOUR PREDECESSOR AS WELL FOR THE TIME PERIOD THAT SHE WAS HERE IN MAKING SURE THAT THE TOWNSHIP'S MONEY IS WELL SPENT AND WELL WATCHED. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

[INAUDIBLE] TRUSTEE WISINSKI? [INAUDIBLE] JUST MERGING THEM. [CHUCKLING] I WOULD ECHO WHAT TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON SAID IN THAT THIS IS GREAT NEWS, AND THANK YOU, MANAGER WALSH AND DIRECTOR BLONDIE FOR ENSURING THE MAINTENANCE OF THIS.

ARE THERE OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? THEN MR. SPURLOCK I THINK YOU NEED ANOTHER ROLL CALL VOTE.

OH, I'M SORRY, MR. WALSH. YEAH, I JUST THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE IF YOU'RE LISTENING TO THIS OR IF YOU READ THIS AND WHAT YOU JUST HEARD IS USING $6.9 MILLION OF FUND BALANCE.

I MYSELF EVEN STOOD OVER THERE AND SAID, WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? [CHUCKLING] SO I JUST WANT TO REITERATE TO EVERYONE THAT THE 6.9 MILLION ISN'T AN OVER EXPENSE.

WE MOVED $2 MILLION INTO THE PENSION STABILIZATION FUND.

WE MOVED THREE AND ONE HALF MILLION INTO THE PROJECT FUND.

SO THAT'S $5.5 MILLION, AND THEN THERE'S $1.2 MILLION THAT'S IN THERE FOR THE MERIDIAN REDEVELOPMENT FUND.

THAT'S A ONE TIME COST.

SO THAT'S TWO, FIVE AND A HALF AND 6.7.

SO IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THIS, THE BUDGET IS BALANCED.

IT'S JUST WE MOVED SOME FUNDS INTO RESERVE FUNDS AND WE HAVE THIS ONE TIME EXPENSE IN THE BUDGET.

[01:15:02]

I KNOW YOU ALL KNOW THAT, BUT IF ANYBODY HEARS THEY'RE ONLY USING 6.9 MILLION OVER WHAT THEY BUDGETED AND THEY THINK THAT'S GOOD? [CHUCKLING] SO WE'RE CATCHING ON.

THANK YOU. WE'RE CATCHING ON.

MR. SPURLOCK.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

ITEM 13A AND OUR NEXT SESSION UNDER BOARD DISCUSSION IS A SPECIAL USE PERMIT NUMBER 23-012-DW

[13.A. Special Use Permit #23-012 –The W. Investment Holdings– 1614 West Grand River Avenue – Medical Marihuana Provisioning Center]

MISTER SCHMITT, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

THE REQUEST IN FRONT OF YOU THIS EVENING IS ONE OF THE THREE SPECIAL USE PERMITS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE PROCESSING THROUGH FOR THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA LICENSING.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA LICENSING THAT WAS ADOPTED.

THIS IS STILL TECHNICALLY THIS IS ACTUALLY STILL UNDER THE OLD ORDINANCE, EVEN GIVEN WHEN IT WAS SUBMITTED AND REVIEWED.

THIS IS THE SAME.

SO JUST BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, AS A RESULT OF COVID, THE SUPS FOR ALL OF THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA LICENSES EXPIRED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR.

THEY ALL REAPPLIED FOR THEIR LICENSES.

WE DID NOT HAVE TO DO A LOTTERY BECAUSE ONLY THE APPLICANTS WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY LOCKED UP THE LICENSES IN THE FIVE DISTRICTS APPLIED.

ONE OF THEM HAD PROCEEDED SUBSTANTIALLY WITH CONSTRUCTION AND THEREFORE DID NOT NEED A NEW SUP.

THE REMAINING THREE DID NOT, AND SO THEY NEEDED TO COME BACK THROUGH THE PROCESS.

THE REMAINING FOUR DID NOT NEEDED TO COME BACK THROUGH AND APPLY FOR AN SUP WITHIN THE TIMELINE PROVIDED FOR IN THE ORDINANCE.

THREE OF THEM DID.

ONE OF THEM DID NOT AND HAS NOW DROPPED OFF ESSENTIALLY FROM A MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE.

WE OUR INTENTION ORIGINALLY WAS THAT WE WOULD HAVE ALL THREE OF THEM IN FRONT OF YOU THIS EVENING FOR DISCUSSION.

SOME SCHEDULING ISSUES HAPPENED WITH TWO OF THE THREE, BUT WE WANTED TO BRING THIS ONE FORWARD TO START THE PROCESS AND HAVE ANY DISCUSSION THE BOARD MIGHT MIGHT WANT. THIS IS THE PROVISIONING CENTER ON WEST GRAND RIVER BETWEEN THE OLD PANERA SITE AND THE SPARROW HOSPITAL SITE 1614 WEST GRAND RIVER. I WILL NOTE IT IS LITERALLY THE EXACT SAME SET OF PLANS THAT WERE APPROVED BY THE BOARD IN 2020 TO THE POINT WHERE THE PLANS, YOU'LL NOTE, AREN'T EVEN UPDATED FROM A DATE PERSPECTIVE.

WHAT WE DID ASK THEM TO UPDATE WAS THE NATURAL FEATURES REPORT THAT'S REQUIRED AND THE TRAFFIC STUDY.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THIS AS A SIDE NOTE THAT THIS PROJECT SHOWED US WAS THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE INTERESTING TRAFFIC STUDIES FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS BECAUSE TRAFFIC COUNTS ARE ACTUALLY DOWN, AND SO ALMOST EVERY PROJECT THAT WE SEEK A TRAFFIC STUDY FOR RIGHT NOW IS GOING TO SHOW THE TRAFFIC IS GOING TO BE REDUCED AS A RESULT OF THE PROJECT.

SO WE HAVE SOME INTERESTING THINGS TO DEAL WITH OUTSIDE OF THIS PROJECT GOING FORWARD, BUT THE FOR THIS PROJECT, IT IS WITHIN THE OVERLAY AREA THAT WAS PERMITTED FOR A POTENTIAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA LICENSE, AND IT IS IN THE FUTURE.

THE RECENTLY READOPTED ORDINANCE OVERLAY DISTRICT THAT THE TOWNSHIP BOARD APPROVED TWO MEETINGS AGO.

PLANNING COMMISSION HELD A PUBLIC HEARING ON JUNE 12TH AND VOTED TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO THE BOARD AT THE JUNE 26TH MEETING.

AGAIN, THIS IS IDENTICAL TO THE ONE THAT WAS APPROVED ON APRIL 14TH, 2020, AND ALL THIS DOES IS GET THEM THE SUP FOR THIS SPECIFIC USE. THEY STILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH SITE PLAN FOR CONSTRUCTION.

THEY STILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH SUP AND SITE PLAN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SITE FOR ANY CONSTRUCTION THAT THEY WANT TO DO AND PENDING WHATEVER THE BOARD CHOOSES TO DO WITH RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA GOING FORWARD, THEY WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK FOR THAT AS WELL IF THAT WAS AN OPTION FOR THIS SITE.

SO THIS IS REALLY NOT TO PUT TOO FINE A POINT ON IT, BUT IT'S A REAUTHORIZATION OF A PREVIOUSLY APPROVED SUP.

I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND I KNOW THE APPLICANT IS HERE THIS EVENING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AS WELL.

OKAY, MR. HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO YOU ASKED YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU HAD ASKED THEM TO UPDATE THE NATURAL FEATURES ASSESSMENT.

CORRECT. IT IS IN YOUR PACKET ON PAGE 129, I BELIEVE.

YES, SIR. SO I WANTED TO CONFIRM BECAUSE IN THE UPDATED NATURAL FEATURES ASSESSMENT ON PAGE 129, THERE IS AN IMAGE, THERE'S AN IMAGE OF A PLAN AND THAT IMAGE OF THAT PLAN DOES NOT MATCH, DOES NOT MATCH THE PLANS THAT WERE PROVIDED.

[01:20:08]

IT IS THE PLAN FROM TWO YEARS AGO.

YOU'LL ACTUALLY NOTE IF YOU ZOOM IN ON THAT NATURAL FEATURE STUDY, THAT IS ACTUALLY THE ONE THAT WAS THAT IS THE DRAWING THAT WAS SUBMITTED PRIOR TO THE BOARD'S ACTION IN 2020. THAT'S A 2019 DRAWING THAT HAS THE PARKING IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION.

THE PLANS THAT ARE UNDER REVIEW FOR SUP ARE THE ONES THAT ARE THE 24 BY 36 PLANS IN YOUR PACKET.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

THOSE WERE MY PREFERRED PLANS, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I WASN'T READING SOMETHING INCORRECT.

THE APPLICANT IS HERE, YOU SAID? YES, SIR. I DO HAVE A QUESTION, IF I COULD.

UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME INFORMATION THAT WAS PROVIDED EARLIER.

I WAS NOT ON THE BOARD IN 2020, AND SO I WAS NOT A PART OF THAT ORIGINAL AUTHORIZATION.

MY QUESTION IS THIS.

THERE'S A PARKING LOT THAT APPEARS TO BE IN FRONT OF THE PROPOSED BUILDING WITH WHAT LOOKS LIKE A DUMPSTER BEHIND MAYBE A PROPOSED SERVICE DRIVE, A FUTURE ROAD.

MY QUESTION IS, DID YOU GIVE ANY CONSIDERATION TO FLIPPING THOSE SO THAT THE PARKING WAS IN THE REAR BEHIND THE BUILDING? AND WHAT WAS THE RATIONALE FOR CHOOSING TO PUT THE PARKING IN THE FRONT? SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME.

I'M SORRY, AND BEFORE YOU GO ON, WOULD YOU PLEASE GIVE US AT LEAST YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS? SURE. MY NAME IS AMAR ALKHAFAJI ON BEHALF OF W INVESTMENT HOLDINGS ADDRESSES 29580 NORTHWESTERN HIGHWAY SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN.

OKAY. THANK YOU TO THE TOWNSHIP BOARD FOR TAKING THE TIME TODAY TO HEAR US OUT ON OUR REAUTHORIZATION OF OUR SPECIAL USE PERMIT. WE DID GIVE TREMENDOUS TIME INTO THINKING ABOUT YOUR SUGGESTION.

THE ISSUE WITH THE SITE IS THE CURRENT GRADING OF THE SITE, THE WAY THE SITE CURRENTLY SLOPES.

IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PLACE THE BUILDING ON THE FRONT OF THE PROPERTY.

OUR ENGINEERS WENT THROUGH IT AND THIS WAS THE EXACT PLACE WHERE THE BUILDING SEEMED TO FIT, GIVEN THE CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE GRADING OF THE PROPERTY.

IN TERMS OF THE SERVICE DRIVE, THAT IS A DRIVE THAT WE HAVE SPOKEN TO THE TOWNSHIP ABOUT AND SAT DOWN WITH THE PLANNER.

THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY ARE REQUESTING AND THAT IS BEING HOPED TO CONNECT IT TO THE OLD PANERA SHOPPING CENTER NEXT DOOR.

SO THAT IS WHY THAT PROPOSED SERVICE DRIVE IS THERE.

IT'S AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE TOWNSHIP AND WE THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND HOPE THAT THIS KIND OF INTERCONNECTS THAT CORRIDOR OVER THERE.

THANK YOU. OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? SO I'M PRESUMING THAT THE BOARD IS AT THIS POINT PREPARED TO LOOK AT THIS AGAIN AT THE NEXT MEETING AND TO VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT TO APPROVE THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT. WE WILL HAVE IT BACK AT THE NEXT MEETING, ALONG WITH HOPEFULLY THE OTHER TWO FOR AN INITIAL DISCUSSION.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. ITEM 13B SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTER.

[13.B. Senior/Community Center]

SO I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR ME, IF YOU DON'T MIND, MADAM SUPERVISOR, TO TURN IT OVER TO TRUSTEE WILSON, WHO'S CHAIRING THE COMMITTEE.

I HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE MOVE FORWARD TONIGHT, BUT I'D WANT TO HEAR FROM THE BOARD FIRST AND THEN SEE WHERE WE GO FROM HERE.

OKAY. HAVE A SAFE TRIP HOME.

RIGHT. ALL RIGHT.

TRUSTEE WILSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO, AS YOU RECALL, ON JUNE 20TH, AT OUR MEETING, WE BROUGHT YOU A FOUR PAGE REPORT OF WHAT THE COMMITTEE HAD DONE FROM FEBRUARY UNTIL JUNE, AND WE LOOKED AT THE FEASIBILITY OF BUILDING A COMMUNITY CENTER, WHAT WOULD BE INVOLVED IN IT, THE AMENITIES, THE LOCATION AND FUNDING.

[01:25:02]

WE GOT VERY FAR ON THE LOCATION AND IDENTIFYING THE AMENITIES.

WE GOT NOWHERE ON THE FUNDING, SO WE THOUGHT AT THIS POINT IT WASN'T RIGHT.

WE WERE PUTTING THE PROJECT TO BED FOR A WHILE AND THEN A MIRACULOUS THING HAPPENED.

THE STATE LEGISLATURE DECIDED TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY CENTERS THROUGHOUT MICHIGAN AND BETWEEN OUR TWO STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND OUR STATE SENATOR.

THEY GAVE US $5 MILLION TO BUILD A CENTER.

SO NOW WE HAVE THE SEED MONEY TO REALLY MOVE AHEAD WITH GOING FURTHER IN OUR PROCESS.

SO AT THIS TIME, WHAT WE ARE DOING IS THE COMMITTEE HAS RECONSTITUTED ITSELF.

WE MET TODAY AT 1:00 AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS GET THE BOARD'S INPUT ON MOVING AHEAD, DOING RENDERINGS OF THE PROPERTY.

THAT WOULD BE THE OUTSIDE VIEW OF THE PROPERTY.

I DON'T THINK WE'RE READY TO DO THE INTERIOR AMENITIES YET, BUT WE KNOW WHAT WE WANT TO DO IN THERE, BUT WE COULD GET STARTED WITH AN ARCHITECTURE FIRM TO DO DRAWINGS FROM THE MONEY STANDPOINT.

WE WERE GIVEN A BUDGET OF $200,000.

WE SPENT $3,000 ON A WETLANDS SURVEY OF THE PROPERTY WHICH IS LOCATED BETWEEN THE RIGHT HERE ON CENTRAL PARK DRIVE, BETWEEN THE OKEMOS POST OFFICE AND THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION.

IT'S A FOUR ACRE PARCEL.

SO WE DID THE WETLANDS ASSESSMENT.

THERE ARE NOT THERE'S A MINOR WETLAND IN ONE CORNER, BUT IT'S ABSOLUTELY BUILDABLE.

SO WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE AHEAD WITH THE RENDERINGS WITH THE $197,000 THAT WE HAVE APPROPRIATED IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S GOING TO COST, BUT WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE SOME FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THAT.

OUR PROCESS WOULD LIKELY BE THAT WE WOULD ENGAGE WITH THREE MAJOR ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS THAT ARE IN THE AREA AND DO ESSENTIALLY NOT AN RFP, BUT WE DO AN INQUIRY, MAYBE AN RFP.

WE AREN'T WE'RE NOT QUITE DECIDED YET AND SEE WHAT THEY COULD COME UP WITH WITHOUT OVERBUILDING SO THAT IT COSTS TOO MUCH MONEY AND IT WILL NEVER BE FEASIBLE, BUT ALSO GIVING US SOMETHING THAT IS THAT WE CAN GIVE TO THE PUBLIC, PARTICULARLY TO DONORS THAT MAY BE OUT THERE THAT WE COULD IDENTIFY THAT MIGHT BE A MAJOR DONOR.

SO THAT IS WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS TONIGHT WITH YOU MOVING AHEAD ON THE PROCESS.

OKAY. OKAY.

MR. WALSH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING AT THIS POINT? WHAT SHE SAID WHAT SHE SAID.

ALL RIGHT. WE DO. JUST AS A REMINDER, WE HAD, SOME OF YOU MAY NOT, I'M SURE YOU ALL RECALL, BUT WE HAD A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN ARP FUNDING SET ASIDE FOR THIS PROJECT, BUT THEN THE ISSUE OF POLICE, POLICE AND FIRE WAGES CAME UP, AND SO THE.

BOARD DECIDED TO PUT $300,000 IN AND MOVE THAT FROM ARP TO THE GENERAL FUND THIS YEAR TO HELP OFFSET THAT.

SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE $200,000 BUDGET IS STILL THERE, AND KEEP IN MIND, JUST AS A REMINDER, YOU HAVE $300,000 SET ASIDE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT DOESN'T GET USED, AND I THINK THE BOARD PUT A A TOLL GATE ON THAT.

I THINK IT WAS IN 25, 2025 THAT IF THAT'S NOT USED, THAT WOULD CONVERT TO ROADS.

SO YEAH, WE'RE READY TO ENGAGE AND MOVE FORWARD, AND AS TRUSTEE WILSON SAID, MAKE A COUPLE MORE SITE VISITS.

MR. DESCHAINE? AS A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE, I WANT TO SAY THAT THE NUMBER THROWN AROUND HERE OR GIVEN HERE BETWEEN 13 AND $15 MILLION IS REALLY JUST AN ESTIMATE.

WE DON'T KNOW.

ALL THE PRICES WE'VE LOOKED AT HAVE BEEN PRE-COVID PRICES AND NO ONE HAS BUILT ONE OR TRIED TO BUILD ONE SINCE COVID.

SO THE FACILITY THAT I LIKED A LOT WAS THE SENIOR CENTER IN PORTAGE, WHICH IS A $12 MILLION FACILITY, 36,000FT², BEAUTIFUL FACILITY BUT $12 MILLION IN 2020 IS NOT THE SAME BUILDING YOU WOULD GET TODAY.

SO WE MEETING WITH THE ARCHITECTS, WILL ALSO GET SOME IDEA OF PRICING AND BEGIN TO GET A MORE ACCURATE NUMBER AS TO WHAT THIS NEW SENIOR CENTER COMMUNITY CENTER IS GOING TO BUILD.

SO, I MEAN, IT COULD BE 15 MILLION, IT COULD BE 18 MILLION, IT COULD BE 12, AND WE DON'T KNOW THE FACILITY.

WE SAW THE COMMITTEE SAW IN OSCEOLA TOWNSHIP NEAR HOWELL WAS A LESSER PRICE FACILITY, BUT IT'S MORE OF A GYMNASIUM OR LARGE BUILDING WITH HIGH CEILINGS AND VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE PORTAGE FACILITY, WHICH IS A SMALLER MULTI-LEVEL FACILITY.

[01:30:09]

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND REC, LUANN MEISNER, HAS CONNECTIONS ALL OVER THE STATE FOR COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE BUILT COMMUNITY CENTERS, AND SHE'S GOING TO USE THAT NETWORK ALSO TO GIVE US FEEDBACK.

OKAY. MR. HENDRICKSON. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

SO IF THE QUESTION IS, SHOULD WE MOVE FORWARD WITH RENDERINGS, THE ANSWER, I THINK, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE IS ABSOLUTELY YES.

I THINK THERE MAY BE VALUE IN CONSIDERING INTERIOR RENDERINGS ALSO, EVEN IF WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FULL FEATURES WOULD BE, BUT IT WILL OFFER A SORT OF AND THAT WILL RATCHET THE PRICE A LITTLE BIT, I'M SURE BUT SOME THINGS, IF WE HAVE A SENSE THAT THEY MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY MIGHT LOOK FOR MAY BE WORTHWHILE DEPENDING ON THE TIMEFRAME IN WHICH WE GET THIS DONE, PERHAPS WE WILL HAVE HAD TIME TO GET THE COMMUNITY'S INPUT AS WELL AT OUR LISTENING SESSIONS.

WE'LL SEE. WHILE WE'RE ON THE TOPIC OF THE SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTER, I WILL ASK, SINCE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAME UP A LITTLE BIT WHEN THE REPORT WAS INITIALLY PRESENTED AND I'VE HAD SOME TIME TO MARINATE ON IT AND ASK AND LED ME TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTION DID THE COMMITTEE CONSIDER LOOKING TO IN A SIMILAR WAY THAT WE PARTNERED WITH THE MERIDIAN MALL FOR THE FARMER'S MARKET PROPERTY? LOOK AT SOME OF THE EXCESS PARKING LOT SPACE.

I'M LOOKING DIRECTLY TO THE EAST OF THE FARMER'S MARKET.

THERE'S THAT BIG PARKING LOT BY HIGH-CALIBER KARTING.

DID WE CONSIDER THAT SPACE SO THAT WE'RE NOT IMPACTING SORT OF THE GREEN PRESERVE AREA THAT WE'VE GOT NEXT TO THE FIRE STATION? THE COMMITTEE ABSOLUTELY DID LOOK INTO THAT, AND TO THE SOUTH THERE IS GREEN SPACE BECAUSE THAT IS NOT BUILDABLE.

IT'S WETLANDS. IT WAS USED AS FILL AREA FOR THE CONSTRUCTION ON GRAND RIVER.

SO THAT PIECE IS GOING TO BE OPEN.

SO THERE NEEDS TO BE PARKING NEAR THE BUILDING, BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE WE DON'T WANT IT TO BE ONE BIG SLAB OF ASPHALT.

SO THERE HAS BEEN A DISCUSSION ABOUT BUILDING A ROADWAY THAT WOULD GO FROM THE BACK OF THE CENTER ACROSS THE BEHIND THE POST OFFICE AND THEN GO OUT TO RING ROAD WHERE THERE IS PARKING AT MERIDIAN MALL.

WE HAVE NOT YET HAD THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE MALL, HOWEVER.

RIGHT. I'M SORRY.

I THINK MY QUESTION WAS MAYBE MISCONSTRUED.

THE WAS THERE ANY DISCUSSION WITH THE MALL ABOUT USE OF THEIR PROPERTY, THE PARKING LOT TO BUILD, TO BUILD, TO BUILD DIRECTLY TO THE EAST OF THE FARMER'S MARKET.

SO BETWEEN THE FARMER'S MARKET AND THIS BUILDING, THERE HAS NOT BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT OPTION.

OKAY. NOT ON THE COMMITTEE.

IT SEEMS TO ME TO BE IN LINE WITH SOME OF OUR GOALS TO MAINTAIN AS MUCH GREEN SPACE AS WE CAN, AND IF THERE IS IF THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF PARKING, AS WE ALL KNOW THERE IS IN THE MERIDIAN MALL, IT MIGHT BE WORTH SEEING IF EXPLORING THAT OPTION AS THE COMMITTEE MOVES FORWARD WITH THEIR WORK.

ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES TO THE PROPERTY WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THE TOWNSHIP OWNS IT.

YES. SO THERE IS NO COST TO ACCESSING THE LAND WE WOULD OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT AS AN EXPENSE, BUT THAT IS A POINT WELL TAKEN.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU TO OUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES WHO WORKED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS INITIAL ALLOCATION WAS INCLUDED IN THE STATE BUDGET.

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

MR. DESCHAINE? GOOD QUESTION. TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON BRINGS UP, WE HAVE HAD DISCUSSIONS IN THE MALL ABOUT BUYING PROPERTY, AND THEY ACTUALLY HAVE VERY STRICT COVENANTS, EVEN THOUGH IT'S WAY OVER.

PARK. THEY CAN'T SELL US 100 SPOTS WITHOUT AMENDING THEIR LEASE WITH MACY'S AND LENDING THEIR LEASE WITH PENNY'S.

THEY ARE OVER, PARKED AND LOCKED INTO THESE LONG-TERM LEASES THAT DON'T ALLOW THEM TO CONVERT THAT IT WOULD TAKE A MAJOR MALL RENOVATION REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT WHERE THEY GO IN AND RE-NEGOTIATE THEIR LEASES BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL LIVING IN THE 70S IN TERMS OF THESE LEASES THAT THEY NEED EVERY AVAILABLE PARKING SPOT.

WE ALL KNOW THAT'S ABSURD.

THAT MALL PARKING LOT IS 90% VACANT 95% OF THE TIME, BUT THAT'S STILL THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT THEY'RE IN RIGHT NOW.

[01:35:08]

THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK AND NEGOTIATE WITH THEIR TENANTS TO GIVE US PARKING, THAT TO CONVERT PARKING THAT'S NOT BEING USED TO THIS NEED.

NOT SAYING IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, BUT THE DISCUSSIONS HAVE BEEN HAD WITH THE MALL BEFORE AND THEY'RE REALLY, REALLY PROTECTIVE OF THOSE UNUSED PARKING SPACES.

IT'S ODD BUT TRUE.

TRUSTEE WISINSKI? THANK YOU. SUPERVISOR TO TREASURER DESCHENES POINT WHEN PLANNING FOR THE MARKETPLACE.

DIRECTOR MAISNER HAS HAD A LOT OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS, SO SHE WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD RESOURCE ON NAVIGATING THAT.

I DO KNOW THAT WAS THAT WAS A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION FOR MANY MEETINGS ON HOW TO PARTNER WITH THE MALL, AND IT WASN'T THE MALL DIDN'T WANT TO.

IT WAS THESE CONTRACTS IN PLACE THAT THEN ALLOWED THEM TO, BUT CERTAINLY WORTH, I THINK, REVISITING PROBABLY AN IGNORANT QUESTION, BUT TRUSTEE WILSON, CAN YOU TELL ME THE $5 MILLION THAT'S BEEN EARMARKED BY OUR LEGISLATORS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO IF WE DO THESE RENDERINGS AND THEN WE CAN'T RAISE THE OTHER, LET'S SAY, $10 MILLION, WHAT HAPPENS TO THIS $5M? THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.

WE ARE IN THE PROCESS AS OF OUR MEETING THIS AFTERNOON OF DEFINING EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN THAT $5 MILLION IS ALLOCATED FOR FISCAL 24, WHICH STARTS OCTOBER 1ST OF 2023 AND THEN SEPTEMBER 30TH OF 2024.

THAT IS THE STATE CALENDAR AND WE NEED TO KNOW WHETHER THOSE FUNDS WILL BE AVAILABLE SUBSEQUENT TO THAT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO BUILD THIS BY SEPTEMBER 30TH OF 2024.

THEY ARE.

SO WE HAVE TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S A WORK PROJECT OR WHETHER IT CAN BE ENCUMBERED AND WE CAN GET ACCESS TO IT IN ADVANCE.

WE ALSO NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE FACT THAT THERE ARPA FUNDS, SO ARPA FUNDS MUST BE ENCUMBERED BY DECEMBER 31ST OF 2024 AND MUST BE SPENT BY DECEMBER 31ST OF 2026.

SO WE HAVE THAT WINDOW IN WHICH WE HAVE TO MOVE WITHIN THE ARPA SCHEDULE.

ALSO. SO THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE UNDER DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW.

THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

MR. HENDRICKSON. SO ACTUALLY, OUT OF CURIOSITY, I PULLED UP THE SECTION IN THE BUDGET, WHICH IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE, THANK GOODNESS AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL COVENANTS THAT ARE INCLUDED ON THAT, INCLUDING UTILIZING STATE EMPLOYEES OR CONTRACTS WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS OR BOTH, AND THE TENTATIVE COMPLETION DATE IS SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2026.

SO WE ARE ON A CLOCK.

YES, WE ARE, AS WE'VE SAID, AND SO THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW.

OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? CLERK GUTHRIE. I JUST WANT TO ECHO TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON AND TRUSTEE WISE'S QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS AND LOOKING INTO THAT AND THANK TRUSTEE WILSON FOR HER LEADERSHIP ON THIS COMMITTEE AND TREASURER DESCHAINE, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION.

TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON MENTIONED RECEIVING INPUT DURING THE LISTENING SESSIONS.

ARE THERE OTHER INPUT SESSIONS OUTSIDE OF THAT OR A SURVEY OF WHAT PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE? IS THAT SOMETHING THE COMMITTEE HAS TALKED ABOUT OR IS IT SOMEBODY HAS TALKED ABOUT THAT? WE DEFINITELY WANT TO BRING THIS FORWARD DURING OUR LISTENING SESSIONS BECAUSE THIS IS THE TIME TO BE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS THE INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC. WE HAVE ALSO DISCUSSED DOING A SURVEY, SO WE HAVE NOT COME TO A FINAL CONCLUSION OF WHAT WE SHOULD DO, BUT WE KNOW THAT WE WILL NOT BUILD THIS IF THE COMMUNITY DOES NOT WANT IT.

WE PERCEIVE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD ENHANCE OUR COMMUNITY, THAT WILL BE WELL RECEIVED, AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WE NEED SOME FACTS, THOUGH, TO GO WITH THAT.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK, I'M ALSO APPRECIATIVE OF IT. THANK YOU.

MR. WALSH. YEAH, JUST TWO THINGS.

I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE, IMPORTANTLY, THAT SUPERVISOR JACKSON IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE AS ARE A NUMBER OF STAFF PEOPLE WHO ARE PUTTING IN A LOT OF TIME ON THIS.

ONE THING I WOULD CAUTION YOU ON IS WE REWIND THE TAPE AND GO BACK TEN YEARS AGO IS THE ARCHITECTURAL WORK THAT WAS DONE ON THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION.

[01:40:05]

I MEAN, OUR TWO FIRE STATIONS, NORTH AND SOUTH ARE 7200FT², AND THIS ONE WAS BUILT TO 14,900.

IT WAS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE SIZE OF THE TWO ADDED TOGETHER.

THE BIDS CAME IN, THE LOWEST WAS AND THEY KNEW THAT OUR MILLAGE, THAT WAS THE MILLAGE THAT OCCURRED, THE MILLAGE BOND THAT OCCURRED IN NOVEMBER.

OF 12TH NOVEMBER 2012 RESULTED IN NET PROCEEDS OF $3.2 MILLION AND THE LOW BID WHEN WE BID THAT OUT IN 14, GOING THROUGH THE LAWSUIT WITH THE NEIGHBORS CAME IN AT $4.9.

SO WE WERE $1.7 OVER BUDGET.

IT WAS FIVE BAYS.

IT WAS A TRAINING BUNCH OF STUFF THAT WAS ADDED IN THERE.

THAT FIRE STATION IS JUST UNDER 10,000FT² STILL 20 TO 25% HIGHER OR LARGER THAN THE OTHER TWO STATIONS.

MY POINT BEING THAT WE'VE GOT TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHO WE ENGAGE WITH, THAT THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR AND WHAT THE FUNDS ARE.

SO WE DON'T AS AS YOU'VE MENTIONED HERE, WE'RE UNDER A TIME, A SHOT CLOCK, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T ENGAGE SOMEONE WHO DESIGNS THIS WHEN WE CAN AFFORD THIS. SO WE'VE GOT TO BE VERY CONSCIOUS OF THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

SO MOVING FORWARD, THE COMMITTEE IS MEETING EVERY BI WEEKLY, BI WEEKLY, EVERY TWO WEEKS, EVERY TWO WEEKS ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT 1:00, AND SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER REPORTS BASED ON THE DISCUSSION WE'VE HAD HERE TONIGHT.

ITEM 13C, MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP RENEWABLE ENERGY PLAN OVERVIEW TO BE PRESENTED BY

[13.C. Meridian Township Renewable Energy Plan Overview]

GOOD EVENING, SUPERVISOR JACKSON AND BOARD MEMBERS.

SO THIS EVENING BEFORE YOU, WE HAVE THE RENEWABLE ENERGY PLAN THAT IS PART OF THE 2013 OR SORRY, 2023 GOALS AND ACTION PLAN.

SO AS ADOPTED, WE HAD A GOAL OF DEVELOPING A PLAN FOR ACHIEVING THE GOAL THAT WE HAVE IN THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN, WHICH IS TO HAVE 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2035 FOR TOWNSHIP FACILITIES, AND SO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ABSOLUTE SOLAR, THE ENERGY TEAM AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, WE HAVE DEVELOPED THE PLAN THAT IS IN YOUR PACKET THIS EVENING.

THE PLAN FOCUSES ON THE SEVEN FACILITIES HIGHLIGHTED HERE IN YOUR IN THE COVER MEMORANDUM THAT I PUT IN THE PACKET, AND THEN I DO HIGHLIGHT TWO ADDITIONAL FACILITIES WHICH WE HAVE ESSENTIALLY ALREADY CREATED A 100% OFFSET.

THE SERVICE CENTER AND THE CELL FIRE STATION.

SO THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO LISTS.

EACH OF THE SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF ALTERNATIVE PLANS FOR SOME OF THE FACILITIES, BUT I'LL JUST WALK YOU THROUGH EACH OF THEM.

SO THIS IS OPTION A FOR THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION.

THIS WOULD BE A GREEN BELT SOLAR ARRAY INSTALLED NEAR THE COMPENSATING CUT THAT WAS MADE FOR THE GRAND RIVER AVENUE PROJECT AND THE RAISING OF THE ELEVATION OF GRAND RIVER AVENUE.

THERE ARE SOME PLANTINGS UP ON THIS HILL NOW, SO THE SATELLITE IMAGERY HERE DOES NOT REFLECT THE CURRENT CONDITION.

SO WE WOULD HAVE TO RELOCATE SOME PLANTINGS, BUT THEY'RE YOUNG ENOUGH THAT WE COULD RELOCATE THEM AND THEN WE WOULD BORE THE ELECTRICAL CONDUIT TO THE FACILITY TO SUPPLY THAT ENERGY TO THE FACILITY, AND IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER, YOU'LL SEE THAT THIS WOULD PRODUCE A 101% OFFSET. SO THAT'S A 101% OFFSET ON AVERAGE IN THE WINTER MONTHS.

SO IN THE SUMMER MONTHS, WE WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE EXCESS ENERGY THAT WOULD GO BACK INTO THE GRID, AND IF STATE LAW CHANGES, WE COULD GET MORE REVENUE OUT OF THAT ENERGY THAT GOES BACK TO THE GRID, AND THEN FOR EACH ONE OF THESE PROJECTS THAT'S INCLUDED IN YOUR BOARD PACKET, THERE'S A PROJECT COST.

SO THE ESTIMATED COST IN TODAY'S DOLLARS OF THIS PROJECT WOULD BE JUST UNDER 236,000.

IT'S A 84 KILOWATT SYSTEM AND IT WOULD PRODUCE ABOUT 110,000 KILOWATT HOURS PER YEAR. WE DO HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION.

THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE CARPORT PARKING IN THESE AREAS.

SO THE SOUTH PORTION OF THE PARKING LOT, THE NORTH AREA JUST NORTH OF THE BAYS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BUILDING, AND THERE'S JUST A DIFFERENT LOOK, KIND OF AN ANGLE LOOK DOWN AT THE FACILITY FOR THAT OPTION.

WE WOULD PREFER THE GREEN BELT INSTALLATION JUST FOR THE LONG TERM MAINTENANCE OF THE FACILITY.

[01:45:04]

MR. OPSOMMER COULD I ASK YOU A QUESTION? YES, ABSOLUTELY.

SO IF THE SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTER IS BUILT IN, THIS AREA COULD ADDITIONAL CAPACITY BE ADDED AT THIS LOCATION? NO, NOT THE PARKING, BUT FOR THE SOLAR.

FOR THE SOLAR POWER.

YEAH, IT WOULD PROBABLY MAKE MORE SENSE JUST BECAUSE YOU PAY BY LINEAR FOOT FOR DIRECTIONAL BORING.

SO TO PUT THAT CONDUIT IN THE GROUND, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A PRICE PER LINEAR FOOT OF CONDUIT.

SO IT WOULD PROBABLY MAKE MORE SENSE TO HAVE A SOLAR ARRAY CLOSER TO THE FACILITY ITSELF , BUT YES, ANYWHERE WHERE YOU HAVE UPLAND THAT ISN'T WET, YOU COULD DO A GREEN BELT SOLAR INSTALLATION JUST LIKE WE DID HERE AT THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING ON THE CORNER OF CENTRAL PARK AND MARSH ROAD.

OKAY. [INAUDIBLE]. WHICH LEADS ME TO ANOTHER QUESTION.

SO THIS FIELD THAT AREA IS NOT GOING TO GET WET.

CORRECT. THIS IS ACTUALLY KIND OF A HILL HERE.

OH, YEAH. SO THIS IS THIS MOUND WAS CREATED WHEN THEY DID THE COMPENSATING CUT TO ALLOW FOR THE STORMWATER.

[INAUDIBLE]. OKAY, SO WHICH IS ACTUALLY GOOD BECAUSE THAT WAY, ANY ADJACENT TREE CANOPY, THERE ISN'T REALLY ANY ADJACENT TREE CANOPY.

HAVING A MOUND DOESN'T HURT JUST BECAUSE IT ELEVATES THE PANELS AND REDUCES THE LIKELIHOOD THAT FUTURE TREE CANOPY WOULD OBSTRUCT THE SOLAR PANELS.

OKAY, AND ONE MORE.

WHY NO ROOFTOP PANELS IN THIS LOCATION? WE'RE TRYING TO AVOID ROOFTOP, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, ON ALL THE FACILITIES.

JUST BECAUSE ANYTIME YOU'RE REDOING THE ROOF, YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE PANELS AND IT JUST ADDS COST.

OKAY. I'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PROS AND CONS OF CARPORT VERSUS GREEN BELT VERSUS ROOF AS WE MOVE THROUGH, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME WE WOULD PREFER CARPORTS OVER ROOF INSTALLATIONS AS WELL.

BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT MSU'S CARPORTS, THEY'RE TALLER, AND I BELIEVE WE HAVEN'T CONFIRMED YET, BUT I BELIEVE THEY SET THAT HEIGHT SO THAT YOU COULD GET EQUIPMENT UNDER IT WHEN YOU'RE REDOING YOUR PARKING LOT.

SO IF WE'RE RESURFACING OUR PARKING LOT, I'M PRETTY SURE THEY SET THE ELEVATION SO THAT THEY CAN GET THE MILL TO PASS UNDER THEM SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO REMOVE THOSE SOLAR PANELS EVERY TIME THEY'RE WORKING ON THEIR PARKING LOT VERSUS A ROOF.

WE WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE THEM.

I SEE ONE MORE THIS THIS GRAPHIC WHERE YOU TALK ABOUT 101% OF THE ELECTRICITY USED BY THIS ONE FACILITY.

OKAY. CORRECT.

THIS SOLAR ARRAY RIGHT HERE WOULD ONLY BE WIRED AND ONLY BE SUPPLYING ENERGY TO THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION.

IT WOULD BE SPECIFIC TO THAT FACILITY.

OKAY. OKAY.

SO THOSE WERE OPTIONS A AND B FOR CENTRAL FIRE.

HERE WE HAVE THE LONE OPTION FOR THE NORTH FIRE STATION.

IT'S A RELATIVELY SMALL, CONFINED PARCEL, SO THERE'S LIMITED OPTIONS HERE.

WE WOULD HAVE TO DO SOME ROOFTOP, BUT HERE AT LEAST IT'S MINIMAL.

SO YOUR COST TO REMOVE THE PANELS WOULD BE RELATIVELY MINIMAL BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PANELS.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY COUNT THE PANELS THERE.

IT'S NOT EXTENSIVE, AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE A SMALL CARPORT INSTALLATION RIGHT THERE AT THE NORTH END OF THE PROPERTY, WHICH WOULD ALSO ACT AS A CARPORT FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS AND PARAMEDICS THAT WORK OUT OF THE NORTH STATION.

THAT'S JUST A DIFFERENT ANGLE OF THE SAME THING.

THIS PLAN WOULD PRODUCE A 103% OFFSET.

IT'S A 29 KILOWATT SYSTEM.

JUST FOR REFERENCE, THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE OUTSIDE OF THIS FACILITY AT THE CORNER OF CENTRAL PARK AND MARSH IS A 20 KILOWATT, AND THE SYSTEM THAT WE INSTALLED ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY CARPORTS IS A 40 KILOWATT SYSTEM.

ANOTHER QUESTION, PLEASE.

ABSOLUTELY. THE COST ESTIMATE IS THAT JUST FOR THE INSTALLATION OF THE SOLAR PANELS, DOES IT INCLUDE THE SITE PREPARATION THAT INCLUDES THE ENTIRE PROJECT? SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE CARPORT, INSTALLATION AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

THIS IS BASED ON ABSOLUTE SOLAR'S PRICING.

LARGER ELECTRICAL COMPANIES TEND TO BE THE OTHER BIDDER ON OUR PACKAGES, AND THEIR PRICES DO TEND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER.

OKAY. ABSOLUTE SOLAR IS LOCAL AND THEY'VE DONE ALL OF OUR SOLAR ARRAYS.

[01:50:03]

SO THIS IS OPTION A FOR THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING, IT WOULD PRODUCE A 100% OFFSET.

ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION COST IS $552,000.

SO OPTION A HERE WOULD BE ROOFTOP ON THE CENTRAL PARK PAVILION AND CARPORT PARKING IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE PARKING LOT. SO THE CARPORT ARRAYS AND THEN SOME ROOFTOP, AND HERE'S A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE FROM AN AERIAL PERSPECTIVE.

OPTION B WOULD STRICTLY BE CARPORTS.

THIS WOULD BE THE LOWEST COST LONG TERM BECAUSE AGAIN, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO REMOVE ANY SOLAR PANELS DURING ROOFING PROJECTS AND WE COULD DESIGN THE CARPORTS AT AN ELEVATION WHERE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAINTENANCE OUR PARKING LOT WITHOUT HAVING TO REMOVE PANELS DURING THAT WORK.

SO THIS WOULD BE OUR PREFERRED OPTION JUST IN TERMS OF THE LONG TERM MAINTENANCE AND UPKEEP OF THE SYSTEM AND THE OTHER SURROUNDING FACILITIES , AND THEN OPTION THREE, WHICH IS OUR LEAST PREFERRED OPTION, WOULD INCLUDE A LARGE ROOFTOP SOLAR ARRAY.

THIS LITTLE GAP RIGHT HERE IS ACTUALLY BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE HVAC EQUIPMENT WAS LOWERED INTO THE ATTIC OF THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING FOR THE HVAC PROJECT.

SO THAT WOULD BE LEFT IN CASE THERE WERE EVER A NEED TO ACCESS THE HVAC EQUIPMENT THROUGH THE ROOF.

ALL OF THOSE PRODUCE A [INAUDIBLE] OUT, BUT ALL THREE OF THOSE PLANS PRODUCE A 100% OFFSET.

THE ROOFTOP IS ACTUALLY THE MOST EXPENSIVE, WHICH KIND OF SURPRISED ME.

SO JUST ANOTHER DETERRENT TO ROOFTOP INSTALLATIONS.

JUST THE I THINK IT'S JUST THE SHEER LABOR INVOLVED IN GETTING ALL THE PANELS UP.

SO A LOT OF MAN HOURS TO GET ALL THE PANELS ON THE ROOF.

THE CHEAPEST OPTION IS ACTUALLY THE CARPORT OPTION.

OPTION B, THEN MOVING ON TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING, SOMEWHAT CONSTRAINED AND LIMITED IN OPTIONS HERE.

SO THIS IS THE FIRST OPTION.

AGAIN, 103% OFFSET ABOUT A $550,000 INSTALLATION.

IT WOULD INCLUDE CARPORT SOLAR AT THE PARKING LOT ON THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING ADJACENT TO THE HISTORICAL VILLAGE , AND THEN IT WOULD INCLUDE SOME ADDITIONAL BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WE DIDN'T FILL OUT THE ENTIRE SURFACE AREA OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY CARPORTS WITH THAT SOLAR PROJECT.

SO WE WOULD FILL OUT THE REMAINDER OF THAT AND THEN WE WOULD GO TO A ROOFTOP, BUT THIS IS OPTION A, WE WOULD ACTUALLY PREFER OPTION B, WHICH INSTEAD OF HAVING ROOFTOP ON THE EAST FACING ROOF, WHICH IS NOT A VERY GOOD YOU WANT SOUTH FACING ROOFS FOR THESE PROJECTS.

SO IT'S ACTUALLY LESS PREFERRED TO HAVE IT ON THIS ROOF LINE BECAUSE OF THE DIRECTION THAT IT FACES.

SO I ASKED ABSOLUTE TO DO AN ALTERNATIVE WITH A GREEN BELT INSTALLATION THERE BEHIND THE CARPORTS.

WE HAVE NO UTILITIES IN THE WAY, SO THAT WOULD BE VIABLE TO PUT A GREEN BELT THERE, AND REALLY NO ONE WOULD KNOW THAT THEY'RE THERE.

THEY WOULD BE KIND OF THEY WOULD BE CONCEALED BY THE BERM, THE TREE LINE AND THE CARPORTS.

SO THEY WOULD BE VERY DISCREET BACK THERE, AND THEN THIS IS THE HISTORICAL VILLAGE.

I GOT THE NAME WRONG ON THAT ONE.

I'LL HAVE TO HAVE THEM CORRECT THAT, BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY FOR THE HISTORICAL VILLAGE.

IT'S KIND OF HARD TO SEE HERE IF YOU GO DOWN TO THIS ONE.

SO IT'S A GREENBELT SOLAR ARRAY.

IT COULD REALLY BE POSITIONED JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE.

SO THAT'S THEY KIND OF JUST PLUNKED IT DOWN THERE, BUT THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE SCALE OF THE ARRAY THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY.

OBVIOUSLY, WE WOULD WANT TO KEEP IT AT A DISTANCE FROM THE HISTORICAL VILLAGE JUST BECAUSE ESTHETICALLY IT DOESN'T FIT, BUT A VERY SMALL ARRAY, 16KW SO SMALLER THAN WHAT'S ON THE CORNER OF MARSH AND CENTRAL PARK DRIVE, WOULD SUPPLY ALL THE ENERGY NEEDS FOR THE HISTORICAL VILLAGE.

SECOND TO LAST FACILITY ON OUR LIST IS THE HARRIS NATURE CENTER.

HERE AGAIN, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF ALTERNATIVES.

THIS ONE'S KIND OF SIMILAR TO THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION IN TERMS OF THE OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE AT OUR DISPOSAL.

SO WE DO HAVE THE GREENBELT ARRAY THAT'S KIND OF CONTAINED AND AWAY FROM THE FACILITY ITSELF, WHICH WE WOULD PREFER BOTH ON A COST BASIS AND JUST A MAINTENANCE BASIS, SAME AS THE CENTRAL PARK WHEN THEY'RE GROUND MOUNTED.

[01:55:01]

SO WE WOULD PROBABLY BORE UNDER THE SERVICE DRIVE HERE INTO THE FACILITY.

SO WE WOULD WRAP AROUND HERE TO GET THAT TO THE ACTUAL FACILITY AND IT WOULD MAINTAIN THE ESTHETICS OF THE FACILITY BEING RURAL IN CHARACTER.

THE OTHER OPTION WOULD BE ROOFTOP INSTALLATIONS, BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE ROOF LINES THAT ARE FACING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

WE HAVE A LOT OF TREE CANOPY, AND ALSO I JUST DON'T THINK IT FITS WITH THE ESTHETICS OF THE FACILITY.

THERE'S A CLOSE UP OF THE ROOFTOP INSTALLATION AND THEN IT HAS THE SMALL CARPORT THERE JUST TO SUPPLY ENOUGH SOLAR PANELS TO ACHIEVE THE 100% OFFSET. SO AGAIN, FROM A STAFF PERSPECTIVE, WE WOULD PREFER THE GREENBELT INSTALLATION KIND OF CONTAINED AWAY FROM THE FACILITY.

ALL THE PANELS ARE FACING SOUTH SO THAT THEY GET GOOD SUNLIGHT THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE OUR LIFT STATION THAT CONSUMES THE MOST ENERGY IN PUMPING SEWER UPHILL, AND SO THIS IS OUR MAIN LIFT STATION.

IT'S ACTUALLY LOCATED RIGHT HERE JUST EAST OF THE SERVICE CENTER, BUT WE DO HAVE TOWNSHIP OWNED PROPERTY HERE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF GAYLORD C.

SMITH COURT.

THE GRADE DROPS OFF HERE.

SO THE SOLAR PANELS WOULD BE EVEN WITH THE ROAD OR SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE ROAD, DEPENDING ON WHERE EXACTLY WE LOCATED THEM, BUT THERE'S A LARGE GREENBELT HERE AND THERE'S JUST A LITTLE BIT OF SANITARY SEWER THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO WORK AROUND.

SO THIS IS A VERY EASY, VIABLE INSTALLATION.

IT IS A COSTLY PROJECT, EVEN THOUGH IT'S GREEN BELT, JUST DUE TO THE SIZE AND THE ENERGY NEEDS FOR THE FACILITY.

SO THAT WOULD PRODUCE A 100% OFFSET FOR THE LIFT STATION THERE, AND SO THIS PLAN FOCUSES ON OUR HIGHEST NEED FACILITIES.

THE OTHER FACILITIES THAT AREN'T ENCOMPASSED IN THIS PLAN WOULD BE SMALL PARK RESTROOM FACILITIES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, AND THEN OUR OTHER LIFT STATIONS, WHICH IN ALL LIKELIHOOD WE HAVEN'T TAKEN A CLOSE LOOK AT THOSE, BUT IN ALMOST EVERY INSTANCE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A VIABLE LOCATION TO PUT SOLAR. IT'S USUALLY A SMALL LITTLE EASEMENT.

THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF LANDSCAPING AROUND IT TO CONCEAL IT, AND THAT'S WHY MOST PEOPLE DON'T SEE THEM.

SO WE DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO PUT SOLAR IN ALMOST EVERY INSTANCE.

THIS ONLY WORKS BECAUSE IT'S ON OUR PROPERTY AND AT ONE OF OUR MAIN FACILITIES.

WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD HAS.

TRUSTEE WISINSKI? THANK YOU, MR. OPSOMMER, FOR THIS PRESENTATION.

IT'S VERY, VERY HELPFUL.

I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS OR ONE, JUST COMMENT ON CENTRAL PARK PAVILION.

I BELIEVE DIRECTOR MAISNER HAD INDICATED THAT THERE WILL BE SOME RENOVATION, SO A ROOFTOP FOR THAT.

JUST BE A CONSIDERATION IF WE PUT IN HAD TO REDO.

THE OTHER QUESTION IS AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DID, BUT HAVE YOU CONSULTED THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION REGARDING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ARRAYS LIKE YOU MENTIONED, ROOFTOP GREENBELT ARRAY AND OR CARPORT ON OVERALL AND ON EACH PROJECT? OR ARE WE JUST NOT THERE YET? ACTUALLY, JOHN SARVER AND LEROY WILL BE TALKING TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION TOMORROW NIGHT.

SO JOHN'S BEEN IN ON ALL THE MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HELD WITH ABSOLUTE SOLAR, GOING THROUGH THE PLANS AND DOING SOME SLIGHT REVISIONS.

SO EXCELLENT.

HE IS AN EXPERT, NO DOUBT.

LAST QUESTION IS, I BELIEVE AND I COULD BE VERY WRONG LAST YEAR WE DID NOT APPROPRIATE ANY FUNDING TO THE SOLAR PROJECT SO THAT WE COULD WORK ON SOME OTHER PROJECTS AND GET THOSE FINISHED.

SO I'M ASSUMING THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING BUDGET FOR FY 24 FOR THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS.

WE ARE WORKING ON THE BUDGET, BUT I'LL TELL YOU THAT THE BUDGET IS TIGHT THIS YEAR AND I'LL LOOK TO SEE IF MANAGER WALSH HAS ANY COMMENTS ON THAT, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE THE BUDGET FINALIZED. SO I SAW THOSE EMAILS, SO THAT WAS MY ASKING, [CHUCKLING] BUT THANK YOU.

THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. THE BUDGET IS TIGHT AFTER A LOT OF SPENDING IN 2023.

CLERK GUTHRIE? THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

HOW DEEP DO YOU HAVE TO BORE FOR THESE? ACTUALLY, ELECTRICAL CONDUIT SHOULD BE BORED, RELATIVELY SHALLOW, LIKE 18 TO 24 INCHES.

OKAY. SO REQUIRES THAT IT BE BORED AT LEAST 12 OR 14 INCHES DEEP I BELIEVE.

OKAY, AND YOU DON'T THERE'S NO YOU DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANY WETLAND ISSUES OR ANYTHING WITH WHERE YOU'RE BORING OR WHERE THESE PANELS ARE GOING.

[02:00:04]

SO WE WOULD LOOK FOR UPLAND.

WE LOOK FOR UPLAND.

YEP. OKAY. ALL RIGHT, AND I TOO, ALONG WITH TRUSTEE WISINSKI, WOULD PREFER NOT TO HAVE PANELS ON THE ROOFTOP OF THAT CENTRAL PARK PAVILION AND I WOULD PREFER THAT IN THE STREET.

I MEAN IN THE PARKING LOT.

SORRY. THAT WAS ALL I HAD.

OKAY. TRUSTEE HENDRICKSON.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR, AND THANK YOU TO DEPUTY MANAGER OPSOMMER FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD TO US.

THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I TOOK A LOOK THROUGH WHEN I JOINED THE BOARD LAST YEAR AND HAD SOME SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT WHETHER THE GOAL OF REACHING 100% RENEWABLE WAS ACHIEVABLE IN THE TIMEFRAME THAT WAS PUT FORWARD AND YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WHAT WE WERE HOPING FOR WAS, WELL, THE UTILITY COMPANIES WILL BE GENERATING SOME PORTION OF THEIR ENERGY FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES AND THEREFORE WE CAN COUNT THAT AS A WHOLE LOT OF MATHEMATICAL MUMBO JUMBO.

THAT DIDN'T MAKE ME DIDN'T SIT RIGHT WITH ME IN TERMS OF FULFILLING OUR GOALS PERSPECTIVE , BUT THIS DOES GIVE US A PRETTY CONCRETE ROADMAP TOWARD ACTUALLY ACHIEVING A SUSTAINABLE, AT LEAST TOWNSHIP FACILITIES SUSTAINABLE THROUGH RENEWABLE ENERGY.

SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT FORWARD.

I AGREE WITH STAFF'S ASSESSMENT THAT GENERALLY IF WE CAN AVOID THE COST OF HAVING TO REMOVE THEM FROM THE ROOFTOPS, THIS IS A GOOD THING I'VE NOW BEEN BACK AND FORTH PAST THE CARPORT ARRAYS AT MICHIGAN STATE, AND YOU BARELY EVEN NOTICE THEM AFTER AFTER A LITTLE WHILE, TAKES A SECOND TO GET USED TO, BUT BUT AFTER AFTER A LITTLE WHILE, YOU BARELY EVEN NOTICE THEM, AND IT DOES HAVE THE ADDITIONAL BENEFIT OF PROVIDING A SERVICE TO VISITORS AND EMPLOYEES FOR HAVING THEIR CARS COVERED WHERE THEY WEREN'T OTHERWISE, WHICH AS WE KNOW IN MICHIGAN, WINTERS CAN BE A REAL TIME INCONVENIENCE SAVINGS.

SO I UNDERSTAND THE BUDGET IS TIGHT AND WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT.

I'M SURE, OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MEETINGS AFTER THE BUDGET IS PRESENTED TO US I WOULD AND WILL BE EXCITED TO SEE HOW THESE PROJECTS ARE IMPLEMENTED IN, I PRESUME, THE CAPITAL BUDGET OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, AND YOU KNOW, THE ADDED BENEFIT OF STARTING EARLY ON THIS IS WE'RE SAVING MONEY IN UTILITIES.

IT'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE COME CLOSE TO THE COST OF THIS IN THE SHORT TERM, BUT WE CAN START TO ROLL SOME OF THAT MONEY OVER INTO FUNDING THE NEXT PROJECT, AND SO EVEN IF THERE'S SOME THE SMALLEST PROJECT ON HERE THAT WE CAN LOOK TO MOVE ON IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, IF WE CAN FIND A WAY TO PAY FOR IT, THAT'S WHAT STARTS TO PAY FOR ALL THE OTHER PROJECTS AND SO THERE'S A SNOWBALL EFFECT, AND THE SOONER WE GET ON IT, THE SOONER WE CAN START TO TACKLE SOME OF THE BIGGER ONES DOWN THE ROAD.

SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS UP.

I THINK THAT THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO MOVE FORWARD AND IT'S FULFILLING THE COMMITMENTS THAT WERE MADE TO BRING US TO A 100% RENEWABLE STANDARD.

TRUSTEE WISINSKI.

THANK YOU. OKAY.

GOOD QUESTION. SO IN THE MTA MEETING THAT WE WENT TO OR THE CONFERENCE, THERE WAS A SESSION WELL ATTENDED SESSION REGARDING SOLAR ORDINANCES, AND GIVEN THAT MORE AND MORE COMMUNITIES ARE WORKING ON THIS TYPE OF WORK WITHOUT ORDINANCES, WE COULD END UP IN SOME LONG TERM CONCERNS THAT WE WANT TO MAYBE ADDRESS.

SO I PUT THIS OUT THERE JUST TO SAY WE MAY WANT TO CONSIDER IF WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE AND MAKE OUR GOAL 2035 A SOLAR ORDINANCE TO ACCOMMODATE, FOR EXAMPLE, SOME OF THE THINGS I HEARD SOLAR PANELS LAST ABOUT 22 YEARS.

AFTER THAT, THEY NEED TO BE DECOMMISSIONED.

THEY CAN'T BE RECYCLED.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU HAVE TO HAVE DECOMMISSION PLAN.

SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP ARE LIKE THE GREENBELT ARRAYS, LIKE HOW FAR DO THEY HAVE TO BE FROM OTHER PLACES AND JUST OTHER COMMUNITY CONCERNS

[02:05:01]

I DID REACH OUT TO MR. SARVER AND HE HAD SOME FEEDBACK ON THAT SO I CAN TALK WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, BUT GIVEN THAT I LOVE THIS AND I THINK WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD HOWEVER FAST WE CAN, IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WE WANT TO CONSIDER AS WELL.

ABSOLUTELY. MR. DESCHAINE. THANK YOU, TRUSTEE WISINSKI AND I ATTEND THOSE SAME SOLAR SESSIONS AT THE MTA CONFERENCE.

INTERESTING FACT THAT I LEARNED IS THAT A SOLAR ARRAY IN MICHIGAN GETS 70% OF THE ENERGY OF A SOLAR ARRAY IN ARIZONA.

SO PEOPLE THINK WHEN THERE'S NORTHERN CLIMATE, YOU MIGHT GUESS WE GET 25%.

NO, WE GET 70%.

SO THEY'RE FAIRLY EFFICIENT EVEN THIS FAR NORTH AND THE CLOUD BELT OF MICHIGAN EVEN.

SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS.

I THINK THIS PLAN IS EXCELLENT.

THANKS FOR PUTTING IT TOGETHER. WE HAVE A ROADMAP.

IT FITS OUR VALUES OF THE BOARD AND IT FITS THE VALUES OF OUR RESIDENTS.

SO AS WE CAN FIND MONEY, MAKE MONEY AVAILABLE IN THE BUDGET, I'M SURE THIS IS A PLAN WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT OVER THE YEARS AHEAD.

THANK YOU, AND TREASURER DESCHAINE, TO YOUR POINT THERE, GENERALLY SPEAKING, IF YOU SCALE THE PROJECT DOWN BY ABOUT 70%, THEN IT WOULD BE 100% OFFSET IN THE SUMMER.

SO IN THE SUMMER MONTHS WE WOULD BE GENERATING 100% OF OUR ENERGY SUPPLY AND IN THE WINTER MONTHS WE WOULD BE GENERATING 60 TO 70% DEPENDING ON THE CLOUD COVER THAT WINTER.

WE DO HAVE DASHBOARDS ON OUR WEBSITE, BY THE WAY, IN CASE WHERE IT BREAKS IT DOWN BY MONTH BY YEAR.

YOU CAN LOOK AT EACH ARRAY BECAUSE EACH ARRAY HAS ITS OWN DASHBOARD, ETCETERA, BUT YOU CAN KIND OF LOOK AT THAT DATA, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, IF YOU TAKE THIS PROJECT AND WE CUT THE 84KW AND CUT THAT SYSTEM DOWN TO ABOUT 70% OF THAT SIZE, SO THAT WOULD BE LIKE 64KW, THAT WOULD BE ROUGHLY 100% OFFSET IN THE SUMMER, AND WE WOULD BE SUPPLYING ABOUT 70% OF OUR ENERGY IN THE WINTER.

SO THAT WAY WE ARE NOT SENDING ENERGY BACK TO THE GRID BECAUSE IN MICHIGAN YOU DON'T GET MUCH OF A FINANCIAL BENEFIT, AND I DON'T SEE THAT CHANGING EVEN WITH DEMOCRATIC CONTROL IN THE LEGISLATURE RIGHT NOW.

SO IT'S FAR MORE VALUABLE FOR US TO USE THAT ENERGY TO NOT GET THE BILL FROM CONSUMERS THAN IT IS TO GIVE THAT ENERGY BACK TO THE GRID, UNFORTUNATELY.

JUST AS A FOLLOW UP, AND IF WE WERE TO BUY BATTERY STORAGE UNITS, WE COULD ACTUALLY STORE SOME OF THAT FOR OTHER TIMES, CORRECT? CORRECT. THE PROBLEM IS THE COST OF BATTERIES.

SO THESE PROJECTS ARE NOT NOT PRICED.

SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CONSTRUCTION COST, THERE ARE NO BATTERIES THERE.

YEAH, THERE ARE NO BATTERIES THERE, AND WITH THE EV MARKET, WITH LITHIUM MINES ARE IN HIGH DEMAND, THE BATTERY STORAGE IS STILL VERY PRICEY. I DON'T HAVE ANY NUMBERS THAT I CAN GIVE YOU SPECIFICALLY, BUT IT IS PRICEY AND IT IS KIND OF COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.

IT'S ALMOST BETTER JUST TO SEND IT BACK TO THE GRID, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE NOT GETTING MARKET VALUE FOR YOUR ENERGY THAT YOU SUPPLY TO THE GRID.

CLERK GUTHRIE. THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

ONE LAST QUESTION. ON PAGE 214, THE PLACEMENT OF THOSE PANELS IN THE MUNICIPAL PARKING LOT TO GET THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING TO 100%, 101% EXCUSE ME, RENEWABLE ENERGY DO THEY JUST PLACE THIS IN THE PICTURE OR IS THIS SET IN STONE? I'M JUST WONDERING WHY IT'S SO FAR FROM THE BUILDING, WHY IT'S NOT IN CLOSER PARKING SPACES THAN WHERE IT IS.

IT'S NOT SET IN STONE.

THAT'S JUST TO GIVE US AN IDEA OF THE SCALE AND THE COVERAGE THAT WE WOULD HAVE.

OKAY I THINK WE'D WANT TO GRAVITATE THEM TO THE MIDDLE OF THE PARKING LOT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, JUST SO THAT THE PARK FEELS MORE OPEN AND SO THAT WHEN YOU FIRST WALK OUT OF THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING WHERE THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING, IT ALSO FEELS OPEN.

SO I THINK FILLING OUT THE MIDDLE WOULD BE, BUT THAT'S FLEXIBLE AND THAT'S NOT HARD AND FAST.

IT JUST GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE NUMBER OF PANELS THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED AND THE SURFACE THAT IT CONSUMES IN TERMS OF THE PARKING LOT.

THANK YOU. I WOULD JUST NOTE THAT WHAT IS THAT, 2035 IS 12 YEARS AWAY AND LIKE OTHERS, I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS PLAN.

THIS PROPOSAL IT IS I THINK, VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT AND PRESENTED.

MY NEXT QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS PLAN? DOES THIS PLAN BECOME A PART OF OUR MASTER PLAN? DOES THE BOARD NEED TO ADOPT IT AS A PART OF THE MASTER PLAN OR WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE? WELL, I WOULD PROPOSE THAT WE USE IT FOR THE CAPITAL OUTLAY WHERE WE KIND OF PROJECT AND FORECAST FUTURE PROJECTS.

[02:10:03]

SURE. I THINK THERE IS AN EFFORT UNDERWAY TO UPDATE THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.

I THINK THESE PLANS COULD BE ADOPTED INTO THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.

LEROY HAS ALL THE DOCUMENTS AND IS WORKING ON THE DRAFTS WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, THE UPDATE THERE, AND THEN OF COURSE, THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN IS ADOPTED BY REFERENCE IN THE MASTER PLAN.

SO IT IS ESSENTIALLY A COMPONENT OF THE MASTER PLAN AT THAT POINT.

SO I THINK GENERALLY SPEAKING, I THINK THAT WOULD BE THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION.

THANK YOU. NO FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU. WE MOVE NOW TO ITEM 13D LISTENING SESSIONS.

[13.D. Listening Sessions Itinerary]

MR. WALSH, WILL YOU BEGIN? THANK YOU. IF I MAY, BEFORE I GET INTO THE LISTENING SESSIONS, TRUSTEE WISINSKI BROUGHT UP THE SOLAR PROJECT AND THE BUDGET.

WOULD YOU MIND IF I HAD A LITTLE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE BUDGET, PLEASE? OKAY, SO THE BUDGET PROCESS IN THE LAST TEN YEARS HAS WORKED REALLY WELL, I THINK FOR THE TOWNSHIP.

IF YOU LOOK AROUND AND YOU SEE ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AND THE DEBT THAT'S BEEN PAID OFF IN THIS TOWNSHIP, ALTHOUGH NOT GLOSSY FOR MANY, GETTING THIS TOWNSHIP IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION WITH ITS DEBT HAS REALLY IMPROVED THE TOWNSHIP GOING FORWARD FOR WHOEVER COMES NEXT, BUT THE QUESTION CAME UP TO ME MAYBE 90 DAYS AGO FROM SOMEONE WHO SAID WHEN IS THE BOARD GOING TO GIVE THEIR INPUT AND SET THIS KIND OF SET THE STAGE FOR THE BUDGET, AND IT WAS AN INTERESTING QUESTION BECAUSE WITH EACH NEW BOARD, WITH EACH NEW BOARD MEMBER COMES MAYBE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY SINCE TRUSTEE WISINSKI RAISED THE POINT.

IT IS REALLY DIFFICULT.

AT ANY TIME THE BOARD COULD SAY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO [INAUDIBLE], WE'RE NOT GOING TO 5.8 OR 5.0* RATE OF RETURN, WE ARE NOT GOING TO ADHERE TO THAT ANYMORE.

WE'LL GO BACK TO THE RIGHT NOW, THE ARC, THE ANNUAL REQUIRED CONTRIBUTION FROM MERS IS 3.4.

WE HAVE TO PUT THE 1.5 ON IT BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT THE VOTERS GAVE US.

SO NOW WE'RE AT 4.9 MILLION, BUT WE'RE PUTTING IN 5.7 THIS YEAR.

SO WE'RE PUTTING IN ADDITIONAL 800,000 AND IT'S WORKED WELL. WE'VE GONE FROM 54% TO 72, SO IT'S WORKED WELL FOR US.

WE'RE MAKING STRIDES, BUT THERE'S THINGS THAT THE BOARD CAN DO IF THEY WANT TO CHANGE THEIR STANCE ON THINGS.

THAT'S TOTALLY UP TO THE BOARD, BUT I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE THE REASON AND THIS IS THE WAY I'VE HANDLED A BUDGET NOW FOR I THINK THIS IS MY 33RD BUDGET THAT I'M WORKING ON, AND THE REASON THAT I LIKE TO SEE IT DONE THIS WAY IS BECAUSE IF EACH BOARD MEMBER OR 2 OR 3 OF YOU TALK AND DECIDE THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO DO, YOU CONTACT ME.

AT THIS POINT, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT THE BUDGET TOGETHER BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE BOARD'S GOING TO APPROVE, AND IF I START PUTTING IN [INAUDIBLE] PROJECTS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO SEE IN THE BUDGET, THAT MAYBE 2 OR 3 PEOPLE WANT TO SEE, MAYBE IT'S NOT A MAJORITY.

THE WAY WE DO IT IS WE SHAPE THE BUDGET.

WE ALWAYS TRY TO KEEP THE PRIORITIES OF THE BUDGET, THE PRIORITIES OF THE BOARD IN THE BUDGET.

THAT'S WHY WE HAVE HAD SOLAR FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.

THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A NEW MARKETPLACE.

THAT'S WHY WE HAVE PAID DOWN DEBT, OUR ROADS, OUR NEW SIGNS, THE WHOLE BIT, BUT YEAH, WE REALIZE THE ENVIRONMENT, THE SOLAR, ALL OF THAT IS IMPORTANT TO THE BOARD, BUT KEEP IN MIND AN INTERESTING FACT, AN INTERESTING FACT THAT I THINK WOULD SHOCK MOST PEOPLE, AND THAT IS OUR TOTAL REVENUE FOR THE GENERAL FUND IS 27.7 MILLION THIS YEAR AND THAT'S WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB, NAILING IT DOWN RIGHT TO THE PENNY ALMOST, AND THE POLICE AND FIRE BUDGET AT 7.4 AND 7.7 MILLION RESPECTIVELY, AND OUR MERS PAYMENT OF 5.7 IS $20.7 MILLION.

SO ONCE YOU PAY FOR POLICE AND FIRE AND MERS, YOU HAVE 7 MILLION LEFT TO FUND THE REST OF EVERYTHING ELSE, AND I THINK THAT THIS BOARD AND THE BOARD'S PRECEDING THIS BOARD HAVE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB OF MANAGING WHAT'S LEFT.

LOOK AROUND, LOOK AROUND TO WHERE THIS COMMUNITY IS AT RIGHT NOW AND THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE AND THE AMBIANCE OF THIS COMMUNITY VERSUS MAYBE WHAT IT WAS A FEW YEARS AGO. PEOPLE ARE DRIVING ON BETTER ROADS AND ON AND ON AND ON.

SO I SAY THIS BECAUSE THIS IS THE BUDGET PROCESS WE USE.

[02:15:01]

FOR SOME OF YOU, THIS IS YOUR SIXTH OR SEVENTH BUDGET.

FOR SOME OF YOU, THIS MAY BE YOUR SECOND IN THE TOWNSHIP.

I REALIZE YOU HAVE A LOT OF BUDGETING EXPERIENCE IN OTHER PLACES, BUT THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT, BUT I JUST BRING THAT UP TONIGHT BECAUSE HOPEFULLY THE BUDGET THAT WE PRESENT YOU AS IT HAS IN THE PAST, ADHERES TO YOUR GOALS AND WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE ACCOMPLISHED , AND IF IT DOESN'T, THAT'S WHAT THE TIME IN SEPTEMBER IS FOR.

THAT'S WHAT THE FIRST MEETING IN SEPTEMBER IS FOR, AND ADDITIONAL TIME.

WE HAVE NOT EVER NEEDED A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGET, BUT IF WE DO, WE DO, BUT I WANT TO JUST KIND OF GO OVER OUR PROCESS AND WHAT WE DO, AND WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME ON IT, AND I THINK I THINK WITH WHAT WE HAVE, I THINK YOU'D BE VERY PLEASED WITH WHAT WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD.

SO THE TOWNSHIP...

IF YOU USE DEDICATION AND DISCIPLINE, THIS TOWNSHIP IS IN EXCELLENT FINANCIAL CONDITION.

EXCELLENT FINANCIAL CONDITION.

SO, AGAIN, I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THAT FEW MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS .

LISTENING SESSIONS. ALL I WANTED TO GO OVER TONIGHT WAS WE HAVE SIX PLANNED AND THEY START SEPTEMBER 12TH.

SO WE'RE JUST ABOUT 5 OR 6 WEEKS AWAY, AND PLANNING IS REALLY A GOOD THING, AND WALKING IN AND [INAUDIBLE] PLAN FOR EVEN IF THERE'S FIVE RESIDENTS OR THERE'S 25 RESIDENTS TO HAVE A PLAN IS REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE DO THIS AND THIS AGAIN GETS BACK TO OUR GOAL NUMBER THREE, OUR TOP THREE GOALS.

NUMBER THREE WAS TO ENHANCE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION, AND THIS IS HOW THE BOARD CAME UP WITH THE IDEA TO ENHANCE IT.

SO SUPERVISOR JACKSON, I HAVE TALKED ABOUT APPRECIATE YOU STEPPING IN, BY THE WAY.

SUPERVISOR JACKSON I HAVE TALKED ABOUT HOW TO GO FORWARD, AND WHAT WE CAME UP WITH IS INSTEAD OF WALKING IN AND KIND OF STARING AT EACH OTHER AND NOT REALLY KNOWING WHERE TO START BECAUSE OF BREAKING THE ICE, WE THOUGHT WE'D HAVE LIKE A 15 MINUTE PRESENTATION, A POWERPOINT OF WHAT THE BOARD, WHAT THE TEAM HAS ACCOMPLISHED AND ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.

I MEAN, WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE, BUT WE CAN ALSO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WHEN WE GET INTO THE [INAUDIBLE] AND ALL OF THAT.

SO 15 MINUTES OR SO AND THEN GET INTO LISTENING TO WHAT IS ON THE MIND OF THE RESIDENTS AND THEN HAVING THE BOARD HAVING A DISCUSSION WITH WITH THE RESIDENTS THAT ARE THERE, SIX DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, SIX MEETINGS.

SO EVERY TUESDAY THERE'S A MEETING STARTING IN SEPTEMBER TILL THE END OF NOVEMBER, PRETTY MUCH THERE'S 1 OR 2 OFF.

ALSO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF INSTEAD OF ME DOING THIS, WHY DON'T AND IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS AND IF NOT, IT'S UP TO YOU, BUT WHY NOT HAVE ONE BOARD MEMBER MAKE THAT PRESENTATION AND THERE'S ONLY SIX.

SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE THAT OUT, BUT WHY NOT HAVE A BOARD MEMBER LEAD THAT DISCUSSION AT ONE OF THE DIFFERENT SESSIONS? SO THAT'S WHAT WE CAME UP WITH AS A STARTING POINT.

YOU CAN FILL IN THE BLANKS TONIGHT.

I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO PUT THE PRESENTATION TOGETHER AND THEN PROVIDE IT TO YOU, BUT I THINK IT REALLY SHOULD BE LED BY THE BOARD BECAUSE THESE ARE YOUR LISTENING SESSIONS.

INSTEAD OF HAVING ME GO, I'M GOING TO ATTEND THEM AND I THINK I'M GOING TO ASK 2 OR 3 STAFF PEOPLE TO ATTEND THEM AS WELL.

THERE'S 2 OR 3 STAFF PEOPLE THAT 90% OF THE QUESTIONS GO TO.

SO I THINK THEY SHOULD BE THERE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO HAVE.

WE'LL GET BACK WITH YOU. WE'LL GET BACK WITH YOU.

WE'LL GET BACK. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS, SO I'M GOING TO STOP TALKING AND TURN IT OVER TO YOU AND TELL ME HOW YOU WANT TO DO IT, BECAUSE I THINK WE SHOULD START PLANNING RIGHT NOW. OKAY.

MR. DESCHAINE.

I THINK THE IDEA OF PUTTING TOGETHER AN ITINERARY AND A PRESENTATION IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA, AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD EVEN IN THE LETTER THAT GOES OUT TO THE RESIDENTS AHEAD OF TIME, LIST A FEW TOPICS THAT COULD BE DISCUSSED.

BECAUSE IF WE JUST CALL IT A LISTENING SESSION, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SAY, WHAT THE HECK IS THAT? WHAT DO I WANT TO TALK ABOUT? THEY WON'T KNOW, BUT IF WE GIVE THEM A FEW DISCUSSION TOPICS THEY MIGHT WANT TO BRING UP TO US SO THAT WE'RE GOING, AS YOU SAID, WHAT WE'VE DONE, WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO IN THE FUTURE THAT I THINK WILL GENERATE INTEREST FOR PEOPLE TO COME OUT AND DISCUSS THOSE WITH US.

IT GETS THE DISCUSSION GOING.

DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO COVER ALL LET'S SAY WE HAVE TEN DIFFERENT THINGS WE HAVE ON THERE.

I MEAN, WE CAN COVER ALL TEN AND SOME COMMUNITIES, NEIGHBORHOODS WILL FOCUS ON SOME OTHER ONES WILL FOCUS ON OTHERS, BUT IT GIVES US A BROAD OUTLINE OF TOPICS THAT PEOPLE CAN COME AND DISCUSS WITH US.

IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR THEM TO SAY, HEY, NUMBER SIX ON YOUR LIST HERE, THIS RENEWABLE ENERGY PLAN, WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT? SHOULD WE? YOU KNOW, SO IT ALLOWS PEOPLE A REAL SPECIFIC THING TO COME AND BRING BEFORE US KIND OF USE OUR TALKING POINTS TO GET THEM TALKING BACK TO US.

SO I LIKE THE IDEA OF ITINERARY, DISCUSSION OF TOPICS, AND THAT SHOULD BE IN THE LETTER, AND I THINK IT WILL SPUR A MUCH BETTER ATTENDANCE IF WE TELL THEM SOME TOPICS THAT MIGHT BE DISCUSSED AT THAT SESSION.

IS THERE A PLAN FOR A SECOND LETTER AS YOU GET TO EACH SECTION? OKAY. YES, AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE'LL ALSO WORK WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS THAT ARE IN THAT SPECIFIC BECAUSE WE HAVE LEADERS AND WE'LL WORK THROUGH THEM AND THROUGH THEIR EMAIL

[02:20:06]

WE'LL BROADCAST IT WIDELY LIKE THAT.

OTHER COMMENTS? YOU WERE SAYING? IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE TURNOUT TO DRIVE TURNOUT.

YES. YOU HAVE OTHER COMMENTS? YES. GO AHEAD.

THANK YOU, MADAM SUPERVISOR.

I AGREE. I THINK WE HAVE TO GO INTO THE ROOM WITH A PLAN.

I THINK THEY WANT AN INTRODUCTION.

WHAT'S BEEN DONE RECENTLY? WHAT'S COMING UP THESE? I THINK WE COULD TAILOR IT TO THAT PARTICULAR AREA IF THEY HAVE CONCERNS.

IF, FOR INSTANCE, YOU'RE TALKING TO SPRING LAKE AND THEY HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA BEING RIGHT THERE, THAT MAY BE A TOPIC THAT WE NEED TO BE PREPARED TO RESPOND TO.

OTHER AREAS MAY HAVE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON.

SO I'D LIKE TO SEE SOME KIND OF PLAN, AND I ALSO THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA IF EACH ONE OF US TAKE A SESSION.

I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT.

THANK YOU. TRUSTEE WISINSKI.

I JUST ALSO WANTED TO SAY I THINK THAT'S A FANTASTIC IDEA FOR THE BOARD TO DO THAT, AND IT'S NOT ONE PERSON TALKING AT PEOPLE, BUT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SOLICITING INPUT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW WE WOULD PREPARE.

I'D LOVE YOUR INPUT ON. HOW WOULD WE PREPARE ON TARGETED? YEAH. OR READY.

IT MAY NOT BE EVERYONE, BUT I THINK IN SOME AREAS THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SPECIFIC THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED RECENTLY IN THEIR AREA.

FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU'RE UP AT DONNELLY SCHOOL AND WE HAVE ALL THOSE NEW APARTMENTS GOING IN, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY AN AREA THEY'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT. CUT A SECTION OF THE LOCAL ROAD PROGRAM MAP AND SAY, HERE ARE THE ROADS THAT HAVE BEEN FIXED IN YOUR IN YOUR AREA.

YEAH, THAT'D BE A GOOD ONE, AND HERE ARE THE ONES THAT WE KNOW ABOUT THAT ARE COMING UP IF WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION OR EVEN IF WE DON'T.

YEAH, THAT'S THERE ARE MORE COMING TOO.

OTHER COMMENTS. MR. HENDRICKSON I APPRECIATE THE IDEAS.

I THINK THAT IT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR US EACH TO DO ONE.

IF WE CAN AGREE ON WHO DOES WHERE, WHEN, WHO DOESN'T GET ONE.

RIGHT. RIGHT, AND I THINK THAT TREASURER DESCHAINE IDEA OF INCLUDING THAT INFORMATION IN THE LETTER IS ESSENTIAL PEOPLE MIGHT GET A LETTER SAYING THERE'S A LISTENING SESSION COMING AND THEY EITHER WON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS OR THEY WILL HAVE SOME IDEA OF WHAT IT IS, BUT WITHOUT SOME SPECIFIC SPUR TO GET THEM OUT THE DOOR MAY NOT BE SOMETHING THEY'RE INTERESTED IN JOINING. I THINK THAT TALKING ABOUT IT COULD GIVE YOU A BROAD SCOPE OF WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IN OUR IN THE PRESENTATION, TOO.

RIGHT. WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING A SENIOR AND COMMUNITY CENTER.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT INTERESTS YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE FROM IT? YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PARKS IN YOUR AREA? DO YOU FEEL THAT THEY'RE MEETING YOUR NEEDS? YOU KNOW, HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION THAT'S GOING ON, SO ON AND SO FORTH? I THINK THESE ARE ALL GOOD TOPICS TO AT LEAST GET PEOPLE GET THE JUICES FLOWING AND GET PEOPLE INTERESTED.

SO I LIKE THE DIRECTION.

PERHAPS IF WE WANT TO SEND THOUGHTS SOMEWHERE MAYBE AS TO WHAT SPECIFIC TOPICS TO BRING UP OR IF WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEM HERE, WE COULD AGREE UPON THOSE THINGS AT THE NEXT MEETING.

I DON'T KNOW. I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.

I WOULD BE WILLING TO COLLECT THOSE FROM YOU.

EVEN IN THE CASE OF TARGETED SUBJECTS IN PARTICULAR LOCATIONS, IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO IF YOU LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE BECAUSE THERE ARE SIX OF THEM. IT IS A BUSY TIME OF THE YEAR.

IF YOU LOOK AT THEM AND NOTICE ONE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE OUT OF TOWN FOR.

IF YOU COULD LET THE SUPERVISOR OR ME KNOW, THAT WOULD HELP IN THE SCHEDULING AS WELL OF WHO'S GOING TO DO WHAT.

MR. DESCHAINE. WELL, IT IS A BOARD LISTENING SESSION.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE STAFF THERE.

WE ARE A CORPORATE GOVERNANCE BOARD.

WE'LL GET POLICY QUESTIONS AND WE'LL GET PRAGMATIC QUESTIONS LIKE WHEN'S MY ROAD GOING TO GET FIXED? OR WHAT ABOUT THIS? THIS WATER MAIN BREAK ON OKEMOS ROAD? YOU KNOW, REAL SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT WE NEED STAFF TO TALK ABOUT, BUT I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT.

THE PURPOSE IS FOR US TO ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC, BUT THERE WILL BE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE STAFF TO GIVE SPECIFIC ANSWERS FOR WHENEVER POSSIBLE.

YEAH. THANK YOU, AND THAT'S I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT BECAUSE WE HAVE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS AND WE HAVE OTHER MEETINGS AND HOW MANY NIGHTS I TAKE UP OF THAT WORK

[02:25:07]

ANY OTHER COMMENTS? SO WHAT WE HAVE CONCLUDED, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IS THAT WE LIKE THE GENERAL IDEA OF AN ITINERARY, ITINERARY, A PLAN, AND THAT I WILL COLLECT MR. WALSH AND I WILL COLLECT FROM EACH OF YOU YOUR SPECIFIC IDEAS FOR A PARTICULAR AREA AND MAYBE EVEN VOLUNTEERS OR THE LIKE FOR PARTICULAR SECTIONS.

SURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT.

ITEM 14 ON OUR AGENDA IS COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC.

I SEE NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, I WILL ASSUME.

NO, THERE ARE NO COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC, AND SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM 15 OTHER MATTERS AND BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS.

NONE. THEN I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN.

SO MOVED. SUPPORT.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SAY YES.

YES. OPPOSED? NO. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.