Waterloo Township Board Unapproved Meeting Minutes April 25, 2023 7:00 P.M.
Call to Order and Pledge: 7:00 p.m.
Present: Lance, Kitley, Walz, Beck, McAlister. Also present: 11 residents, Deputy Jim Moore, Brian Friddle, Superintendent of Stockbridge Schools.
Public Comment: Sharon Houck asked for a moment of prayer. Bill Richardson reported that the gravel bills are back with minor changes under new names of Senators. When more information becomes available, it will be provided for everyone to respond if they wish to. He will keep us posted.
Consent Agenda: Kitley motioned with support from Walz to accept the consent agenda as presented. Aye/all; no/none. Motion carried. Deputy Moore’s report for March was as follows: Deputy Moore and deputies assigned to Waterloo Township worked 175 hours and patrolled 2369 miles. Deputies responded to 21 calls for service. Deputies conducted 45 traffic stops and issued 19 citations. Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office responded to 14 calls for service. The Michigan State Police responded to 15 calls for service.
Correspondence: Lance read the obituary of Rodney V. Walz who was our representative on the Jackson County Commissioner’s Board for several years to present. Lance also stated that Green Road will reopen on July 1. Aggregate Industries fell a little behind in restoring it.
Old Business: Lance read the email from Jim Cole at MDOT regarding work on our roads. Work will be done this summer in the form of skip paving on Leeke, Hill, Hinkley and Reithmiller Roads. These are secondary roads that Waterloo Township pays 70% of the cost of these repairs. Cole has also mentioned that since 2017 they have rehabilitated approximately 50% of the primary road miles in Waterloo Township. The board will be requesting a report on exactly where these rehabilitations were done. McAlister motioned with support from Beck to accept the quote from Green Shades Lawn Mowing service for the 2023 season as presented.
New Business:
Parks & Recreation: Walz said the June 24 Artisan Market is looking to be very successful. Many vendors, a food truck and a coffee truck will be here. They are looking to get a grant to replace some of the playground equipment at the Munith Park. One of the Parks and Recreation Board members is assessing the equipment condition as well as the rock wall the fire place is in for safety. The Board is looking at all the flags and ordering more to replace the ones that are in bad shape. They are very busy.
Planning Commission: Beck reported that they looked at the new mapping system and discussed proposed mapping changes. Detailed discussion on “How to Reclassify Parcels” – specifically AG to R1 on under 5-acre parcels.
Ralph Schumacher was presented a check from ARPA for $10,000 to put into the Stockbridge Area Education Foundation to help recover some of the losses to their income during the COVID period. This money is used for scholarships for students who are entering college in the fall. Schumacher stated that they are already committing $9,000 in scholarships for seniors this year. Kitley motioned that we increase the stipend amount for all of the cemeteries to $1500 per year. Roll call vote: Yes, K, L, B, M, W. No/none. Motion carried. There was discussion on how to handle complaints and keep it uniform. We looked at a sample proposal from another township which seemed very involved. It was suggested that we use the MTA instead of our lawyer for guidance. Eventually it is hoped that people will fill out the form which is on our website and sign and get it to us. The Zoning Administrator could be the first to determine the severity of the complaint. We have an opening on the Extraction Committee and the opening will be posted on the Township Website. The date set for the budget workshop is June 6th at 6:30 p.m. here at the Township. Walz stated that in working on a report due to the government regarding ARPA money found out that the deadline is earlier than stated prior. The Board said to put the excess toward the fire barn on township hall property.
Any Other Business That Comes to the Board:
Public Comment: Cynthia Richardson suggested using Nextdoor website in advertising the Artisan Market on June 24th. Houck asked if Waterloo Munith Road would ever be worked on. He is not getting phone calls through to JDOT. Because it is a primary road, we don’t have responsibility for repair of it. Brian Friddle thanked the Township for their financial support for needed areas. They are working on a new program to help our students in literacy. Covid put many students behind during COVID. A health center is still being worked on. Cathy Upton thanked everyone for their support of the Clear Lake County Park fence replacement. She also asked if the county was still matching funds for the park. Walz told her to attend the Jackson County Parks meetings to see if she could get answers to her questions and pressure them to make improvements. Bill Richardson gave names of the Senators sponsoring the gravel pit bills, but those will be given along with email addresses so people can start voicing their concerns regarding gravel pits. Charity Steere spoke of Sue Shenk who was helping Grass Lake with their gravel pit issues. More information will be forthcoming.
Adjournment: Walz motioned with support from McAlister to adjourn at 7:51. Aye/all; no/none. Motion carried.
The next Planning Commission meeting will be Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. The next regular board meeting will be on May 23, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. The Budget Workshop meeting is set for June 6, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. Minutes will be published in the Stockbridge Community News at the end of each month, The Exponent, on our website waterlootwpmi.gov and on our Facebook page at: waterlootownshipmichigan.
Submitted by: Janice Kitley, Clerk
