By Megan Kelley

Review Writer

A chapter may have ended but the book is still very much open after the Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors approved their 2021 budget, effectively denying Orion Township of their fire millage reimbursement request, for now.

The motion passed 7-2 during the May 11 DDA board meeting with Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett and DDA board Treasurer Matt Shell being the two nay votes.

Though the reimbursement was not approved, the board was reminded that the budget can be reviewed and changed at a later date, if necessary.

On April 13, Barnett, township Trustee Brian Birney (fire and police liaison for the township board), Fire Chief Rob Duke and Assistant Fire Chief John Pender gave a presentation to the DDA board requesting a reimbursement of roughly half of the DDA capture on the 2021 fire millage ($45,000) and the full capture for the remainder of the term of the millage.

Township documents showed that this year the DDA is expected to capture $94,419 from the millage that was approved by voters in August 2020.

During that same meeting, tensions flared between township officials and DDA board members over the way in which the request was being made, with many DDA board members saying they felt “bullied” and “intimidated” by the township.

The 2021 budget subsequently remained unpassed leading up to their recent meeting on May 11 – one day past the date the village council had needed to approve the DDA budget in order to set the tax rate.

Barnett, who sits on the DDA board was again accompanied by Birney.

However, also in attendance this time around were township board members Clerk Penny Shults and Treasurer Donni Steele, who had come to voice their support for Barnett and Birney and give their opinions on the reimbursement.

“The reason I’m here tonight is I really, as a board member, I want to show my support for Brian and Chris as they have presented before the DDA asking that the fire safety millage, a portion of that, be returned back to the fire department,” Shults said. “Over time, the capture has increased, which is evident that you’re putting it to good use in the village, but we also have a responsibility to the residents to provide that fire safety. So, I want to put a motion out there and I respectfully ask the DDA board to entertain a motion to refund to the fire department the excess taxes (the) DDA captured due to the 2020 increase for the fire safety millage.”

After questions and concerns were raised by community members about the DDA meeting on April 13, when it came time for the board to discuss the budget, Barnett started off by defending the township and his position on the DDA board.

“I apologize if it seemed like I was heated. I actually did watch the (April 13 DDA board) meeting back again recently, this weekend, from last meeting and I hope it goes without saying that I care a lot about our downtown,” Barnett said. “There’s been some discussion about, ‘Should the township have representation or should the supervisor be on the DDA board?’ Because so much money is captured from our millages, I think it’s important, and I hope that it’s clear that I’ve been a strong advocate for the nine years that I’ve been on this board for our downtown.”

Birney, who had said the DDA did not deserve the tax capture during the April 13 meeting, was noticeably quiet throughout the entire exchange between village and township officials.

As township officials and DDA board members continued to spar over “inaccuracies”, it became obvious that DDA board members were offended by the township officials’ stance.

After nearly an hour of back and forth between DDA board members and township officials, village Councilmember Michael Lamb logged into the meeting to support for the village and DDA.

Lamb also raised concerns about the number of township board members in attendance, that number being at least four and constituting a quorum of the board.

“I’m speaking up and I’m here tonight because I’m slightly disturbed of which the manner all of this is going about,” Lamb said. “I personally feel intimidated. Thank God my business isn’t in the village where I would feel intimidated just because of the sheer political presence at the DDA meeting. It is my opinion that the request by Chris Barnett should have been made differently. I believe there is a moderate, not illegal, but a moderate conflict of interest when a board member of one board actively promotes the interest of another board.”

Township officials insisted that they were not there to bully or intimidate, but that did not stop DDA board members from saying they felt so, with DDA Boardmember Monica Squarcia stating that it was “…the most I’ve ever felt pressured and bullied and intimidated” also mentioning that she believed a different agreement could have been achieved if the whole situation had been handled differently.

DDA board members who voted to pass the budget stated that their job on the board is to do what is best for the DDA and its business district.

“I’m definitely in support of the fire department, it’s just that obviously as a DDA board member, we have to also look toward what’s best for the DDA as well as the fire department, so we have to have some kind of common ground,” said Sam Caruso, secretary of the DDA board.