With the November 2 General Election fast approaching, two members of the Orion Township Board of Trustees have expressed concern that taxpayer’s money was being used to promote the proposed millage for the township parks and recreation department.
Trustees Will Wilsher and Michael Gingell addressed the issue as an agenda item at the board’s Sept. 20 meeting. Wilsher said that due to an email he received recently, sent originally from the parks and recreation department, he thought a review was needed to see if proper procedures were being followed.
Wilsher and Gingell said the department should not be allowed to use taxpayer dollars to promote the millage, including the use of parks and rec staff on township time, township phones, emails, vehicles, computers, supplies and township hall.
Proposal ‘P,? a five-year millage for the parks and recreation department, is set to appear on the General Election ballot.
‘Whether the department is promoting this millage (or just informing the public) is a fine line,? said Wilsher. ‘I don’t care if they promote it, as long as they follow the laws…I just want to make sure we’re doing this right.?
Parks and recreation director Rock Blanchard said he didn’t believe he and his staff had done anything wrong.
‘This information is all unbiased and it helps the residents reach an informed decision on the parks proposal,? he said, adding that handouts created by the department contained only factual information about the millage.
‘These materials were reviewed by the (township) attorney to make sure they were only informing, not promoting…and taxpayer dollars were not spent to promote it,? Blanchard said.
‘The parks and recreation department and I have not spent any tax payer dollars to promote this millage.?
Gingell said he heard from a developer who was solicited for dollars to support the millage.
‘I don’t think it’s right to use tax payers? dollars to potentially increase taxpayers? taxes,? he said.
Gingell said some of the information being passed out by the parks and recreation department that he’d seen talked about a skate park, and some other things that were already in the plan for parks and recreation.
‘I think it’s a little misleading,? he said. ‘It appears if I voted for this, I’d get things I’d probably get anyway, without raising my taxes.?
Clerk Jill Bastian said she didn’t believe Blanchard needed to defend what was going on.
‘Mr. Blanchard said we’re not doing anything other than providing information,? agreed supervisor Jerry Dywasuk.
Blanchard said there was a citizens? group called People for Parks that was promoting support for the millage, but that they were not meeting at township facilities.
‘How will (residents) know what to vote on if they don’t know what’s part of the proposal?? asked Blanchard.
Trustee Richard Tomczak wanted to know who paid for the paper on which the parks and recreation informational handouts were printed.
‘The township did, but it’s information,? said Blanchard.
‘Then what’s the hurt to say ‘Not printed at taxpayers? expense??? asked Tomczak.
‘Because it was,? said Blanchard.
‘All the board members had to do was pick up the phone and call me,? he said.
‘Or we can bring it to the board…? said Gingell.
Wilsher said he had asked township attorney Kristin Kolb if she had seen the parks and recreation handout at the last board meeting.
‘She said she never saw it,? he said.
‘She didn’t see the email.,? Blanchard said.
Gingell said to reassure that taxpayer dollars were not being used, the board should receive and file the information, which the board agreed to do.