Spring Arbor Township Board Minutes: March 27, 2003

A special budget hearing of the Spring Arbor Township Board was held Thursday, March 27, 2003, at 6:30 p.m., with the following members present: Supervisor Will DeGraaf, Clerk Randi DeVries, Treasurer Gloria Melchiori, Trustees Marston Fortress, Troy Ganton and Brent Williams. Trustee Patricia Short arrived at 6:51 p.m. The meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance.

The purpose of the meeting was to hold a public hearing for review of the budget for the 2003-04 fiscal year.

NEW BUSINESS:

A. Budget Amendments. Motion was made by Fortress and supported by Williams to approve the budget amendments presented, as follows:

                                                                              Increase       Decrease
Revenue, 101-000-675.050, School House Rest. Fund      $10,682.00
Expense, 101-803-975.003, School House Rest. Exp.       $10,682.00
Expense, 101-101-880.000, Leg., Comm. Promotion                            $1,000.00
Expense, 101-101-900.000, Leg., Printing/Pub.                                  $1,000.00
Expense, 101-171-704.002, Supervisor, Clerical                                 $10,000.00
Expense, 101-209-702.002, Assessor, Ass’t. Assessor       $5,000.00
Expense, 101-209-704.000, Assessor, Deputy Wages        $1,000.00
Expense, 101-215-704.000, Clerk, Deputy Wages             $2,000.00
Expense, 101-215-721.000, Clerk, Health Care                 $4,600.00
Expense, 101-215-722.000, Clerk, Pension                         $500.00
Expense, 101-215-981.000, Clerk, Equipment                     $900.00
Expense, 101-247-860.000, BOR, Expenses                        $100.00
Expense, 101-253-721.000, Treasurer, Health Care                            $4,200.00
Expense, 101-276-702.012, Cemetery, Foundation Fees     $1,000.00
Expense, 101-276-814.000, Cemetery, Grave Openings      $1,000.00
Expense, 101-301-702.000, Police, Salary (Chief)             $2,500.00
Expense, 101-301-722.000, Police, Pension                        $500.00
Expense, 101-301-801.000, Police, Prof. Svcs.                 $1,000.00
Expense, 101-343-900.000, Communications, Printing                         $2,000.00
Expense, 101-410-721.000, Plng. Comm., Health Care       $4,000.00
Expense, 101-890-989.000, Reserve for Contingencies                        $5,900.00
Revenue, 101-000-695.000, Use of Fund Balance          $200,000.00
Expense, 101-965-999.000, Transfer to Other Funds $200,000.00
Revenue, 245-000-699.000, Transfer from General Fund   $200,000.00
Expense, 245-756-974.000, Park Improvements              $200,000.00;
Roll Call: 5 yes, 1 no.

B. Salary Increases. A recommendation was made to increase the hourly rates and salaries for full-time and part-time employees by 2%. Motion was made by Fortress and supported by Williams to approve the 2% increase in hourly rates and salaries for all full- and part-time township employees. Roll Call: 6 yes, 1 no.

C. Health Insurance Policy. Motion was made by Short and supported by Williams to have the full time township employees eligible to receive single person health insurance, with the current plan offered by the township as the Blue Cross Blue Shield Point of Service plan, Option 3, or those qualifying employees may elect to not participate in the health insurance provided by the township and will receive a monthly stipend of $100.00, with the qualifying employees averaging 30 hours per week annually, with the authorized employees designated by the township board as Will DeGraaf, Randi DeVries, Gloria Melchiori, Richard Renner, Ruth Scott, Barbara Pohanka, Russell Ratkiewicz, Susan Adams, and Richard Greenslade; carried. One no vote was cast.

Motion was made by Short and supported by Williams to allow full-time employees who are currently signed up for and have their full-family health insurance paid for by the township, to continue to have that benefit at the township’s expense, with the township allocating funds into the employees premium-only plan expense activity account to cover the additional cost of full-family insurance under the the Blue Cross Blue Shield POS Plan 3, or to cover another health insurance carrier if the township already provides this benefit and if the employee refuses the single person health insurance coverage offered by the township; carried. One no vote was cast.

D. Premium only benefit plan. Motion was made by Short and supported by Fortress to establish a premium-only benefit plan so that the employees may purchase dental, vision, additional health care coverage, additional life insurance or any other benefit which is qualified unders Section 125 of the IRS code; carried.

E. Committee Pay for Trustees. Motion was made by Short and supported by Williams that the stipends paid for attendance at committee meetings to the trustees for township board meetings and to the officers and trustees for Standing Committee meetings be reduced by 10% for the 2003-04 budget year only; carried. Motion was then made by Short and supported by Fortress that the trustees shall be paid for no more than 14 meetings yearly of both the full township board meetings and no more than 14 meetings of any Standing Committee upon which they serve with the Standing Committees being Policy & Communications, Planning Commission, Budget, Park, Senior Center and Sewer & Water; carried.

F. Hours for Deputies. Motion was made by Short and supported by Fortress that the deputies will work 20-hour work weeks, and during the busy seasons of tax time, elections and sewer and water bill collections, the Clerk and Treasurer may bring to the board a request for additional hours; carried. One no vote was cast.

G. Budget Building Policy. The board members reviewed the proposed changes to the Budget Building Police. Motion was then made to adopt the amended policy by Short with support from Williams; carried.

H. Paving Hammond Road. The clerk suggested that the residents on Hammond Road be asked for their opinion as to whether they would like their road paved. Trustee Short suggested that a survey be done of the Hammond Road residents as to whether or not they would like the road paved, with the amount budgeted for the cost left in the budget for now pending the results of the survey. The board concurred.

I. Adoption of the 2003-04 Budget. The board members reviewed the proposed budget figures and recommended changes. Motion was then made by Short and supported by Fortress to authorize the transfer of $180,783.45 from the General Fund fund balance to balance the 2003-04 fiscal year budget and approves the amounts projected for the 2003-04 budget line items. Roll Call: 7 yes.

BOARD/PUBLIC COMMENT: 8:00 p.m.

Trustee Williams. Trustee Williams spoke regarding the recent public hearing that was held for the water expansion plan. He felt that the hearing went well and that the expansion plan would be approved by the township residents.
Supervisor DeGraaf. The supervisor reported that he had met with the developers of Village Crossing. They are moving ahead with their project with their plans showing a grocery store tenant and a medical center.

Adjournment. Motion was made by Ganton and supported by DeVries to adjourn at 8:07 p.m.