APPROVED
MINUTES OF DIMONDALE/WINDSOR SEWER BOARD REGULAR MEETING
October 19, 2006
7:03 p.m. Meeting called to order by Chairperson Chappell
Chappell presented the resignation of Dan McCabe noting that the Township has
appointed Murray Marsh to fill the vacancy. Chappell also reiterated his
statement regarding acceptable conduct during meetings.
Roll Call
Present: Blair, Chappell, Marsh, Reznick, Slucter
Absent: none
Also Present: Denise Parisian, Village Manager; Mike Spitler, WWTP Operator; Art
St. Clair, Township Supervisor; Richard Robinson, Attorney for Windsor Township;
Betsy Kelly, Recording Secretary
Treasurer’s Report/Bills
Motion by Blair, second Reznick, to accept the treasurer’s report for October
19, 2006 as presented. Motion carried. Motion by Reznick, second Blair,
to approve payment of $31,728.979 for October 19, 2006 bills and transfers.
Motion carried.
Minutes
Motion by Reznick, second Blair, to approve the minutes of the September 21, 2006
regular meeting as written. Motion carried.
Open to the Public
St. Clair introduced Richard Robinson, attorney for Windsor Township, noting his
attendance as a resource for discussions regarding the transfer of REU’s.
Old Business
1. Parisian provided a draft outline for the REU transfer and system expansion
processes and solicited member input. St. Clair provided background information
on current record keeping at the Township regarding previous REU transfers.
Robinson noted that proper record keeping should be a top priority and offered
to work with Tom Hitch, attorney for the Village, on development of a streamlined
process for the transfer of REU’s. Motion by Slucter, second Blair,
to engage Robinson and Hitch for the purpose of developing a plan for the transfer
of REUs, for review at the next meeting. Discussion followed regarding:
proposed standards for approval; the need for a clear process for potential developers;
the simplicity of the process proposed by staff; the potential cost to transfer
an REU; the importance of getting users onto the system; the legality of using
current extra capacity to fund capital improvements; and the lack of measurable
progress on the REU transfer issue. St. Clair recognized the Village representatives’
reluctance to make a commitment without Council approval and suggested that the
Township would be willing to direct Robinson to draft a process. Parisian
supported this since the transfer of REUs is primarily a Township issue.
Blair suggested the addition of language to include adjacent and contiguous properties
in existing districts along with the development of a process. Slucter removed
his motion from the table and Blair withdrew his support. St. Clair instructed
Robinson to draft a process for the transfer of REUs.
2. Chappell initiated discussion on the Ready-to-Serve Charge. Robinson
suggested using a cautious approach with respect to these charges and cited Bolt–vs-Lansing
as a case in point. Parisian stated that a recent conversation with Tom
Traciak also indicated the need to proceed carefully but that the option is not
totally without possibility. Parisian noted that if the board should be
opposed to the RTS charge, other funding mechanisms should be explored for the
long term financial health of the WWTP which is jeopardized by the need to maintain
an excessive amount of unused infrastructure. Parisian and Spitler will
continue to research options and proceed with quantifying the scope of the problem.
3. St. Clair requested permission to allow the Township to submit the 451
to the State for the McCabe proposal. A motion was offered by Slucter to
allow the Township to submit the 451 permit to the State for the McCabe development.
Seeing no support, the motion was temporarily withdrawn. Discussion followed
regarding the intention of the request and the limitations on the developer with
respect to the pending REU transfer issues. Motion by Blair, second Marsh,
to allow the Windsor Township Board to forward the 451 for the McCabe proposal
to the State with the full knowledge that no construction will begin until a process
for the transfer of REUs has been adopted. Motion carried.
New Business
1. Slucter suggested posting only officially approved minutes to the websites
to avoid any mis-communication if corrections are required. Discussion followed
regarding the availability of draft hard copies of minutes for public review provided
with the disclaimer that they are subject to approval. Motion by Blair,
second Marsh, to delay posting minutes to the websites until the Board has officially
approved the content, and to allow hard copies to be distributed in the interim
with the understanding that they are “unapproved”. Motion carried.
Motion by Reznick, second Slucter, to adjourn. Motion carried at 9:25 p.m.