Files concerning the Gingellville Community Center (GCC), currently involved in a tax dispute with Orion Township, have been reported missing from the Orion Township Assessing Department’s office, according to GCC Director Pam Hutchison.
Hutchison said she was sitting in on a meeting at Orion Township Hall last week when a question regarding whether or not the missing files had been reported to the police was asked of supervisor Jerry Dywasuk.
Hutchison followed-up with an inquiry to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department on Sept. 10, and said she was told a report had been filed on Sept. 9, saying the files were ‘misplaced, stolen or lost.?
She said she was told the case was being investigated and was listed as ‘suspicious circumstances.?
The OCSD had no comment on the report or the investigation.
?(Dywasuk) has made the declaration that GCC files…the ones we have been trying to acquire…were stolen on April 20,? said Hutchison. ‘It was reported to the police on Sept. 9.?
Hutchison said GCC’s attorney Mark Crane had asked for the files as part of his discovery process for litigation the center is currently involved in with the township.
According to assessor John Attwell, the center owes property taxes to the township because its non-profit status does not cover that area. The GCC appealed to the Michigan Tax Tribunal and is still waiting for a date to be assigned for that hearing.
‘Our attorney filed a motion last week for (the township) to produce this file,? Hutchison said. ‘We feel this (incident) is quite large, and evidently there was a cover-up.
‘I was curious. It seems (supervisor Dywasuk’s) assistant (Jill Verros) made the statement…something about if a theft had been reported to the police.?
Hutchison said the file contains minutes from a meeting held in March between Attwell and the township Board of Review.
‘I find the circumstances suspicious,? she said.
Verros had no comment.
Clerk Jill Bastian also had no comment.
‘I don’t think any of the board members should be commenting,? she said, adding that it was part of the township’s ongoing litigation with the center.
Dywasuk said there wasn’t much he could say about the investigation.
‘We were able to retrieve copies from the attorney,? he said. ‘The board asked to have a police report filed. ?