9-13-21

The regular meeting of the Davison Township Board of Trustees was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Supervisor Jim Slezak. The meeting began with the routine approval of the agenda and previous minutes, followed by financial reports from the Treasurer and the Board regarding revenues and expenditures for August 2021.

A significant portion of the meeting involved departmental updates from the Police, Parks, and Building departments, as well as a period for public comment. During public comment, a resident expressed frustration over a denied solar panel variance, and a political nominee introduced herself to the board.

The meeting featured several contentious items, most notably a proposal regarding dental insurance changes, which led to a refusal to withdraw the motion and the subsequent scheduling of a workshop. The board also moved to change the regular township board meeting time from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. effective October 2021. The session concluded after a closed session was held to finalize employee wage increases and approve a new hourly union contract.

• Personnel Increases: Approved a $12,000 annual salary increase for Building Official Matt Place and a $2.50/hour increase for Lisa Minto, both retroactive to July 1, 2021.
• Zoning and Licensing: Approved the rezoning of two parcels on Main Gate Dr. from General Commercial to Residential Urban and approved a liquor license for Kirin Ramen Sushi.
• Meeting Schedule Change: The Township Board meeting time will move from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. starting in October 2021.
• Dental Insurance Dispute: The board failed to withdraw a motion regarding dental changes, resulting in a scheduled workshop to address employee and union concerns.
• Union Contract: The board approved the hourly union contract agreement with the Governmental Employees Labor Council.

• Jim Slezak: Supervisor
• Tim Green: Treasurer
• Lori Tallman: Trustee
• Matt Karr: Trustee
• David Lattie: Attorney
• Jay Rendon: Chief of Police
• Matt Place: Building Official
• Casey Reed: Parks & Rec. Director
• Jerry Harris: Deputy Chief
• Ross Martello: Resident (Public Comment)
• Morgan Jackson: Republican Nominee (Public Comment)

• Case #16-RZ-96: Rezoning of two parcels on Main Gate Dr. from GC to RU-1 (Approved).
• Kirin Ramen Sushi Liquor License: (Approved).
• Dental Plan Changes: A motion to withdraw the proposal for dental changes failed, prompting a workshop (Tabled/Sent to Workshop).
• Hourly Union Contract: Agreement between Davison Township and the Governmental Employees Labor Council (Approved). ​

• September 13, 2021: Date of the meeting.
• September 14, 2021: Deadline for summer taxes.
• September 28, 2021 (12:00 P.M.): Scheduled workshop for dental plan concerns.
• October 22, 2021: Scheduled Trunk or Treat event.
• October 2021: Effective date for the new 6:00 P.M. meeting time.
• July 1, 2021: Retroactive date for approved wage increases.

• Davison Township Municipal Center: 1280 N. Irish Road, Davison, MI 48423.

• Wage Increase (Lisa Minto): Based on her achievement of the Level 2 Michigan Certified Assessing Officer license.
• Meeting Time Change: To align with the 6:00 P.M. schedule of the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission.
• Dental Plan Debate: Driven by the goal to save the township over $90,000, though met with resistance regarding coverage quality and union negotiations.

• August 2021 Total Revenues: $2,417,765.74.
• General Expenditure YTD: $1,997,406.87 (23.47% of budget).
• Water and Sewer Expenditure YTD: $1,023,509.83 (14.39% of budget).
• Board Expenditures (Aug 5 – Sept 9): $3,206,877.77.
• Building Permits (September): 32 permits issued with a total construction value of $679,996.00 and permit costs of $8,873.00.
• Senior Center Budget Amendment: Total change of $52,500.00 (including a $26,250 increase in Senior mileage).
• Matt Place Salary Increase: $12,000 annually.

• Adopt Agenda: MOTION BY TALLMAN, SECOND BY GREEN. (Carried unanimously).
• Approve August 9 Minutes: MOTION BY KARR, SECOND BY SLEZAK. (Carried unanimously).
• Approve August Treasurer’s Report: MOTION BY KARR, SECOND BY TALLMAN. (Carried unanimously).
• Approve Board Expenditures: MOTION BY KARR, SECOND BY SLEZAK. (Roll Call: Green – yes; Karr – yes; Tallman – yes; Slezak – yes. Carried unanimously).
• Rezoning Case #16-RZ-96: MOTION BY GREEN, SECOND BY SLEZAK. (Roll Call: Green – yes; Slezak – yes; Karr – yes; Tallman – yes. Carried unanimously).
• Kirin Ramen Sushi Liquor License: MOTION BY GREEN, SECOND BY SLEZAK. (Carried unanimously).
• Senior Budget Amendment: MOTION BY SLEZAK, SECOND BY KARR. (Roll Call: Tallman – yes; Karr – yes; Slezak – yes; Green – yes. Carried unanimously).
• Withdraw Motion on Dental Change: MOTION BY TALLMAN, SECOND BY SLEZAK. (Roll Call: Green – yes; Slezak – yes; Karr – no; Tallman – no. Motion failed).
• Change Meeting Time to 6:00 P.M.: MOTION BY SLEZAK, SECOND BY GREEN. (Roll Call: Green – yes; Slezak – yes; Karr – no; Tallman – yes. Carried).
• Matt Place Salary Increase: MOTION BY KARR, SECOND BY SLEZAK. (Carried unanimously).
• Lisa Minto Wage Increase: MOTION BY SLEZAK, SECOND BY GREEN. (Carried unanimously).
• Hourly Union Contract: MOTION BY KARR, SECOND BY GREEN. (Roll Call: Green – yes; Slezak – yes; Karr – yes; Tallman – yes. Carried unanimously).

• Workshop: A special workshop is required for current employees regarding dental changes on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at 12:00 P.M.
• Legal/Administrative: Attorney Lattie requested a specific date be added to the record for when Lisa Minto’s hourly wage increase takes effect.