All the reasons township board members offered to explain their vote for a new hall weren’t enough for Neil Wallace, township resident and presumptive trustee.
‘The discussion tonight is not a substitute of what should have taken place,” he yelled to the board after the Oct. 7 meeting was adjourned. “There was no discussion of the merits of this decision and you are all still wrong.?
Wallace and about 50 other citizens filled Independence Township Library’s meeting room to voice their opinions.
‘I know this has been a very trying time. I do understand how this looked, there’s no doubt about it,? said Supervisor Dave Wagner. ‘I am the supervisor. It’s my responsibility to bring things to the board for them to be evaluated. I do take the heat for it.?
Township resident Henry Woloson said the meeting should be considered a violation of the state Open Meetings Act.
‘Michigan has a law that is supposed to allow individuals the opportunity to take part in the process,? he said.
Woloson suggested the board could have signed an ‘option to purchase.?
‘You could have optioned this property. You could have tied it up for certain period of time as permitted by Michigan law to allow 90 days to explain this great deal to the public,? he said. ‘If it is such a great deal, why don’t you share it with us and allow us to participate in the deal??
Trustee Charles Dunn agreed there were many avenues which could have been taken.
‘But your job up here is to weigh them and to act when you feel there is something in the best interest of the township,? said Dunn.
He said waiting wasn’t an option.
‘We are here to vote up or down and I chose to vote for the project.?
Mel Vaara, who’s been a resident of the community for 53 years, said he watched three previous supervisors who gave ‘a lot of talk, but nothing accomplished.?
‘Leaders have two qualities, risk takers and visionaries,? said Vaara. ‘I think this board has both of these qualities and need to be commended for their action.?
Richard Glenn said his friend, Vaara, left out the most important characteristic, trust.
‘What you’ve done is destroyed my trust in your leadership and therefore I distrust everything you say going in,? said Glenn. ‘You have a tough job and you may have done the right thing, but the way you did it has destroyed my trust.?
Resident Lu Hewko read one line from Wagner’s campaign literature, ‘You’re choice in this election is simple, a supervisor who puts the taxpayers of Independence Township first.?
‘In this case, I don’t believe the people were put first,? said Hewko. ‘I think people were the last ones to find out and that’s not all. In addition, they were completely deprived of their input in this situation.?
Joan McCrary, former township clerk, said Treasurer Jim Wenger and Trustee Larry Rosso taught government in the Clarkston Schools for a combined 60 years. She said they probably gave a civics test about ‘the difference between a democracy and a republic.?
‘The answer is the United States is a republic,? said McCrary. ‘A republic means we elect representatives to vote for us, to handle the business of the township, to be the administrators. We elect them to do what they consider to be the right action at the time with information they have.?
McCrary also said the township spends $26,800,000 each year for supervisor, clerk, and treasurer’s offices, building and assessing department, legal, fire and police department, park and recreation, library, safety path, as well as water and sewer, about which most people never voice an opinion.
Sam Moraco said he would have appreciated if the board talked to the public first, but understood why they didn’t.
‘If we would have went to the public, the building would have been 10,000 square feet, it would have looked like the White House and would have cost us $11 million. It would have taken five years of everybody running their mouths of opinions to get it there and it would have never been built,? said Moraco.
‘That’s why we don’t have one today and that’s why we didn’t have a senior center, because everybody wanted the grandest building for the least amount of money and that’s why nothing gets done. What these people have done is they have come up with a way to get it done without raising taxes. People need to appreciate what they do because it’s one hell of a thankless job.?
Trustee Dan Kelly said he also understood the public wanted more input.
‘I felt this was an appropriate project, I thought it was financially a smart move for the township,? said Kelly. ‘I’ve been a supporter of a new township hall for the entire eight years I’ve been on this board.?
Trustee Dan Travis, who left without voting during executive session Sept. 16, said he still disagrees.
‘Yes, we need a new township hall, no question about that. It’s the process that you aborted and you gave birth to an illegitimate child by doing so, and I’ve worked here for 28 years,? said Travis. ‘Lord knows I’ve sat on everyone of these study commissions, but my exit is totally dissatisfied by what this board has done and I’m not proud to serve with you anymore.?
Travis also disagreed with the decision due to decline of the financial market.
‘You’re making a decision as the wave is breaking 200 feet above our heads,? he said. ‘You were wrong to do so, absolutely wrong.?
Travis made a motion for the board ‘to abort the purchase agreement, invalidate the board’s actions in purchasing the Adler property and to invalidate the finance and borrowing for the water and sewer fund operating budget and pay the consequence and let the public become involved.?
The motion died because nobody seconded it.
Serving his final term, Wenger said he would never do anything to ‘jeopardize any possible respect or trust? he has with residents.
‘All I would say is I voted on information I was given, believing I was voting for the good of the township for the future and I will rest on that,? he said.
Rosso agreed.
‘I still believe we did the right thing. However, under the due diligence procedure, there are still a lot of steps that have to be fulfilled as was laid out by Mr. Carlisle and Mr. Joppich,? said Rosso. ‘Who knows, if those things do not meet the legal requirements, then it’s another ballgame. But if they do meet the legal requirements, which I expect, then I think we made one hell of a purchase here, a real good acquisition.?
Clerk Shelagh VanderVeen said she voted her conscious and that’s something nobody can take away from her.
‘I have always done the right thing, I take my job seriously and I will continue to do the best I can do ? I am giving you all a gift. You’re welcome,? she said. ‘I don’t know what else to say except we did the right thing and I will always stand by that.?
Prior to public comment, Richard Carlisle, township planner, said at least four studies were done in search of a township hall, 1974, 1980, 1990s, and 2001.
‘In 2001, the previous township board requested our firm do a very comprehensive study of what the township space needs were, as well as what the locational requirements were for a township facility,? said Carlisle.
After a workshop meeting with the board, they did ‘extensive interviews with various township departments to determine what their future needs would be,? he said.
‘It wasn’t just in this particular snapshot in time 2001,? he said. ‘It was to project it out over 20 years.?
Findings showed space needs for township administration and meetings were 23,000 square feet, which would have cost $3.7 million at that time to build. That would not have included site acquisition, which was around $5 million, noted Carlisle. They identified four areas for a location, by the district court off Main St., Dixie Highway, and along Sashabaw Road. A steering committee also came up with criteria for the location.
‘First, it needed to be convenient to the public. It needed to act as a community focal point. It needed to be located near the center of transportation of business activity. It should not include an extensive site development and should be large enough to allow for expansion and be capable of accommodating other civic uses,? said Carlisle.
He said sites along Sashabaw Road met criteria for location and accessibility.
In 2007, the current board adopted the township’s first, five-year ‘Capital Improvement Plan.? Projects were ranked from immediate, 1-2 years; mid range, 3-4 years; and long, 3-5 years.
The studies and 5-year plan laid the ground work for the new township hall, he said.
Dave Belcher, facility maintenance inspector and building director, explained the current building is difficult for many people to get in and out, and it doesn’t meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
‘The new facility is not quite as big as what the study had shown, but it’s more than adequate and will be fully handicap accessible,? said Belcher.
Maintenance costs are excessive, he said.
‘I know we budget as much as $30,000 a year to just maintain that building, for the inadequate furnaces and cooling systems,? said Belcher. ‘I know two departments, for sure, we don’t even have hot water except for one bathroom.?
Township attorney Steve Joppich said the purchase agreement includes six contingencies, which must be met before the transaction is a ‘done deal.?
Contingencies include no liens on the property title, environmental inspection within 30 days, building inspection by the township building department, and appraisal.
“If that property does not appraise up to $3,500,000 by a certified appraisal, then the township has the option to terminate the purchase agreement and receive its deposit back,? he said. “If it’s over $3,500,000, the owner of the property could request a tax donation benefit.?
The township can also examine utility bills and get written verification ensuring all tenants have left the building. Auditors and internal review show transferring money from water and sewer fund to the general fund will not cause a deficit or delay services, he said.
‘These are all things the board evaluated, staff and the auditors evaluated before making this move,? he said.