[0:00] This program was
[0:02] created by CTV Community
[0:03] Television. And
[0:04] I declare the meeting
[0:06] open at 6:30. Please
[0:08] rise to take
[0:09] the oath of allegiance.
[0:13] I pledge
[0:14] allegiance to the flag of the
[0:15] United States of
[0:16] America and to the republic for which it
[0:17] stands,
[0:18] one nation under
[0:19] God, indivisible,
[0:20] with liberty and
[0:21] justice for
[0:22] all. Roll call. Oh,
[0:31] it's me. Sorry. Greg is
[0:34] here.
[0:35] Angela is gone.
[0:36] Absent for a valid
[0:37] reason.
[0:40] I. Sarah here. Greg
[0:42] Basel is
[0:43] here.
[0:44] And Chris is
[0:45] here. OK. Uh,
[0:49] agenda.
[0:50] Let's move on to
[0:51] approving the
[0:52] agenda. I have
[0:53] no additions or
[0:55] exclusions. Are there any
[0:57] questions about the
[0:58] agenda or does
[1:00] anyone want to
[1:00] add or remove something?
[1:03] If not, I will put to
[1:04] a vote
[1:04] a motion
[1:05] to approve the
[1:06] agenda as
[1:06] presented
[1:07] .
[1:08] I am making this proposal
[1:09] .
[1:09] I support.
[1:10] I ask everyone who is "in favor" to
[1:12] say "yes."
[1:13] Yes. Everyone is "against".
[1:15] The proposal is accepted.
[1:16] Item C, invited
[1:18] speakers.
[1:19] We have no guest
[1:20] speakers today, so
[1:20] we will move on to item
[1:21] D, the agenda, which is
[1:22] adopted without
[1:23] discussion. Item
[1:24] number one,
[1:25] approval of
[1:26] the minutes of the
[1:27] Township Council meeting held on
[1:28] Wednesday, August 26,
[1:29] 2026 at 6:30 p.m.
[1:30] Approval of
[1:31] the treasurer's report. We
[1:32] don't have a
[1:33] treasurer's report this
[1:33] month. I think we'll
[1:34] get it at the
[1:35] next meeting
[1:36] .
[1:36] Mhm. Item number three,
[1:38] approval of the
[1:39] secretary's reports. Report of
[1:40] income and expenses for
[1:42] August 2026,
[1:43] approval of
[1:44] salary payments for August
[1:46] 2026 for a total
[1:47] amount of $28,672.1.
[1:49] Approval of accounts payable of
[1:54] $337,555.7 already paid.
[1:57] $350,661.15
[2:02] in tax
[2:04] payments for a total of
[2:06] $688,216.72.
[2:10] We have monthly
[2:11] correspondence regarding
[2:13] Marin City Fire Department outings. The
[2:14] Marin City Fire Department
[2:16] conducted
[2:17] a total of 78 calls, 17 of which were in
[2:18] Kutcherville. 10 of these
[2:20] were medical
[2:20] emergencies
[2:22] , two due to
[2:22] fire
[2:23] alarms, one
[2:24] gas leak, three road accidents and
[2:25] one broken wire. Uh, is
[2:28] there a question on the
[2:29] agenda that
[2:30] is accepted without
[2:31] discussion? Are there any
[2:33] discussions? If not,
[2:34] I will put
[2:36] the motion to vote
[2:36] to approve this
[2:37] agenda.
[2:38] I am making this proposal
[2:40] . Is there anyone
[2:40] willing
[2:41] to support?
[2:42] I support.
[2:43] Please vote
[2:44] by name, please.
[2:46] Greg,
[2:47] yes. Sarah, yes. Greg
[2:50] Basel,
[2:51] yes.
[2:51] Chris Wrights,
[2:52] yes. The proposal
[2:54] was accepted. I'll move on to
[2:55] point E, which is
[2:56] public comments. Anyone
[2:58] who wishes to address the
[2:59] council regarding agenda items
[3:01] can do so
[3:02] now.
[3:04] I'll open it
[3:05] and I'll open it at 6:34.
[3:08] If
[3:11] there are no comments on the agenda, I will close this
[3:12] matter at 6:34. And I
[3:15] will move on to the reports of the
[3:16] council's committees and departments. Uh
[3:19] ,
[3:20] this month's construction department report
[3:21] . We have a total of 36
[3:25] permits totaling
[3:26] $9,900. 9930
[3:28] dollars. Ahem. So yes,
[3:33] everything is according to plan. You
[3:36] know, we were talking about
[3:38] this the other day: for the first time in a
[3:39] long time, the
[3:40] construction department is
[3:41] really paying for itself the way it
[3:42] should. So,
[3:46] you know, we seem to be in
[3:47] good shape. Are there
[3:49] any questions about the
[3:51] construction
[3:52] department report? If not, I
[3:54] will read my
[3:55] manager's report. As
[3:58] we enter
[3:59] September, much of
[4:01] the village's work is focused
[4:02] on projects
[4:02] moving forward behind
[4:03] the scenes while we
[4:04] await decisions
[4:05] and approvals. While there is
[4:07] little new
[4:08] information this month, several
[4:09] important initiatives
[4:10] continue to move
[4:11] forward. We are currently in a
[4:12] waiting state
[4:13] while we await a
[4:14] response regarding
[4:17] our township's Michigan DNR Trust Fund grant applications. This
[4:18] grant is a significant
[4:19] opportunity for
[4:20] the Village of Cacho, and we
[4:21] remain
[4:22] optimistic as the
[4:23] review process
[4:24] continues. We will provide
[4:25] updated information
[4:26] as soon as
[4:27] additional data becomes available.
[4:28] Work
[4:30] on the final
[4:30] paving of
[4:31] Shortcut Road is expected
[4:32] to begin in
[4:32] the middle of the month. This
[4:34] project is the
[4:34] final stage of
[4:35] road improvements, and
[4:36] we appreciate the patience
[4:38] of residents during the
[4:38] construction process
[4:40] . Preparations are underway
[4:41] for the annual
[4:43] Hoods Tunes and Brews event on September 19th and
[4:44] 20th. Volunteers
[4:46] , sponsors,
[4:46] village staff, and community
[4:47] partners
[4:49] are working hard to make
[4:50] this year's event
[4:50] another success.
[4:51] We hope
[4:52] residents will come and
[4:53] enjoy a
[4:54] weekend of
[4:55] entertainment, food and
[4:56] fun. New
[4:57] restrooms at
[4:58] Shortcut Road Park
[4:59] are nearing
[5:00] completion and are
[5:01] expected to be
[5:02] open in time for the
[5:03] event. These improvements
[5:05] will be a welcome
[5:05] addition for
[5:06] park visitors
[5:07] and event participants and
[5:08] are another investment
[5:10] in our village park system
[5:11] . Our
[5:11] partnership with the
[5:12] Friends of the
[5:13] St. Clair River
[5:14] continues at
[5:15] Shoreline Park. The park
[5:16] remains a
[5:16] testing
[5:17] ground for an
[5:18] innovative
[5:20] herbicide-free reed removal project,
[5:20] funded by a
[5:21] recently
[5:22] awarded grant.
[5:23] Educational events and
[5:24] volunteer opportunities will
[5:25] continue while
[5:26] researchers and
[5:27] conservation partners
[5:28] evaluate
[5:29] the effectiveness of this
[5:30] approach. If
[5:30] successful, the methods
[5:31] developed at Shoreline
[5:32] Park could
[5:33] help combat
[5:34] invasive
[5:35] reeds throughout
[5:36] our region. As
[5:37] always, I encourage
[5:38] residents to stay
[5:39] active,
[5:40] attend
[5:41] village meetings, and
[5:41] participate in our
[5:42] community events.
[5:44] The progress we have
[5:45] made as a town
[5:46] is a direct result of the
[5:47] engagement and
[5:48] support of our
[5:49] residents,
[5:49] volunteers, businesses,
[5:50] and community
[5:51] organizations. Uh,
[5:53] thank you for your
[5:54] continued support of the
[5:55] town of Couchville. Are
[5:56] there any questions
[5:57] about my report? Is there
[5:59] anything anyone wants
[6:00] to know? I
[6:01] mean, new information has come to light since
[6:02] the report was written
[6:04] .
[6:04] I know you were looking for a
[6:05] lot of volunteers.
[6:07] How many of you...
[6:08] Uh, I think
[6:09] we
[6:10] got seven
[6:11] or eight more
[6:12] volunteers this week. So, I
[6:13] mean, we're
[6:14] bringing in quite a
[6:15] few people to
[6:16] help with "Hood, Tunes,
[6:17] and Brews." Um, you know,
[6:20] usually at
[6:21] Shoreline Park cleanup events
[6:22] we have three to seven
[6:24] people.
[6:26] Good.
[6:27] Um, so we're making
[6:28] some progress there.
[6:30] Also, if any of
[6:32] you know of any NJHS students
[6:33] who need hours,
[6:35] I will sign this up for them. So
[6:36] send your
[6:37] high school students to
[6:38] us if they want to
[6:39] volunteer for the
[6:40] weekend. So, this is where
[6:43] we are at. We are
[6:44] getting volunteers
[6:45] .
[6:46] Yes.
[6:46] Right now. Any more
[6:47] questions?
[6:49] No.
[6:49] It seems to me that
[6:51] you are so far away, Chris,
[6:52] because there is no one between us
[6:53] . Uh, okay.
[6:55] Well, then I'll finish the
[6:56] department reports and
[6:58] move on now to the
[6:59] completed cases,
[7:00] which are not there. So, we
[7:02] will start with new
[7:03] things. Uh, item
[7:05] number one: request for
[7:06] approval of payment of
[7:07] the following invoices. Eh
[7:09] , item A: 637508-638811 and
[7:14] 640289,
[7:15] payable to Yo and Yo
[7:16] for consulting and
[7:18] auditing services
[7:19] totaling
[7:21] $45,000. And, uh, item
[7:24] B uh, invoice
[7:26] number 640,
[7:27] payable to Austin Construction in
[7:28] connection with the 2nd phase of the
[7:31] Shortcut construction project, for a total of
[7:32] $76,575. Um,
[7:34] I want to touch on
[7:36] one point. Ahem. There is, there is, there is an anonymous person
[7:44] in the public
[7:45] who seems to believe
[7:46] —I guess I should say: an
[7:48] anonymous group of people
[7:49] in the public
[7:50] who seem to
[7:51] believe that the amount of
[7:53] this year's audit
[7:54] is completely
[7:55] inadequate. Like,
[7:58] why are we spending
[7:59] so much money?
[8:00] Because you mean
[8:01] audit? Well, an audit,
[8:03] because our contract with Yo and
[8:05] Yo, I think, was for
[8:07] $25,000 for that year.
[8:08] Yes. The
[8:10] reason we
[8:12] switched from UHY to Yo and Yo is that
[8:15] typically audits
[8:16] cost
[8:17] $55,000 per year
[8:18] because UHY
[8:19] did all the
[8:20] paperwork that
[8:25] technically we could have
[8:26] done ourselves, which would have
[8:27] saved us
[8:28] money, but we didn't
[8:29] take that
[8:30] option. Of course. The
[8:31] previous
[8:32] administration did not
[8:33] keep records.
[8:34] They paid others for it
[8:36] .
[8:36] 50 thousand is standard
[8:38] procedure.
[8:41] We are asked why
[8:42] we don't have the knowledge and
[8:43] why we can't do
[8:45] this work ourselves. And why are
[8:47] we paying this money?
[8:49] Well, first of all, we've
[8:50] only been in business for two
[8:52] years. We realize
[8:54] that we could have saved
[8:55] this money last year, when
[8:56] we were charged an amount
[8:58] above what was in the
[8:59] contract. Without
[9:01] any warning
[9:02] : "Hey, we're going to
[9:03] charge you for this." I am
[9:06] offended that some members of
[9:08] the public think they
[9:09] know better, and I
[9:10] invite them to
[9:11] board meetings.
[9:14] I invite them to
[9:15] run and
[9:15] take on this job,
[9:17] because not everyone understands
[9:18] what we do when we
[9:19] take on this
[9:20] position. Any
[9:21] resident of the community can
[9:22] run for office,
[9:23] take on this job,
[9:24] and they will face the
[9:26] same problems as
[9:27] us. We are actually
[9:28] saving the
[9:29] town money because of the
[9:30] progress we
[9:31] are making. So
[9:34] I remember, a couple of
[9:35] months ago we were
[9:36] training...they were
[9:37] training our people.
[9:38] They teach us how to
[9:40] save money in the
[9:41] long
[9:42] run, right? So
[9:43] who...why are they
[9:43] complaining?
[9:44] Well, what do they say?
[9:46] We're working on this
[9:47] because
[9:48] I've
[9:50] been told many times today that I'm
[9:51] ineffective at my
[9:52] job because
[9:53] Yes.
[9:54] because of this. But this is
[9:55] more like an
[9:56] attack on me, because we
[9:57] supposedly don't know what we're
[9:58] doing. But the thing is, an
[10:00] audit is an audit.
[10:01] The audit has not yet been
[10:02] completed. People
[10:03] said we
[10:04] failed the audit.
[10:05] wasn't even
[10:06] ready yet. These were
[10:07] papers that had to be
[10:08] filled out, and that the
[10:10] audit firm
[10:11] expected us to do,
[10:12] even though we didn't know we
[10:13] had to do it because the
[10:14] previous board had never
[10:16] done it.
[10:18] They paid for it,
[10:19] they paid
[10:20] Plat Moran to
[10:22] do it.
[10:23] Right. So we
[10:25] bring that knowledge back
[10:27] to our office, and it
[10:28] actually takes away the
[10:29] number one thing from
[10:30] our list of
[10:31] shortcomings over the past
[10:33] year and the previous 15 or
[10:34] 20 years, which is
[10:38] having a firm
[10:39] do these
[10:40] audit forms
[10:41] for us because we're too
[10:42] small and maybe not
[10:43] trained to do
[10:44] it. We don't have a
[10:45] large office
[10:46] staff. So we
[10:47] rely on
[10:47] our elected
[10:48] officials to
[10:49] do this job.
[10:51] So, teaching people how
[10:52] to fill out these
[10:53] reports at the end of
[10:54] the year will save
[10:55] the village money in the
[10:56] long
[10:57] run, because if
[10:58] there is a change of
[10:59] government and
[11:00] other people are elected to these positions,
[11:02] I will have no problem teaching
[11:03] someone everything I
[11:04] know if I don't get
[11:05] re-elected. And I'm
[11:07] sure Sarah and
[11:08] Angela feel the same way
[11:09] . They will teach
[11:10] this person how to
[11:12] fill out these forms correctly
[11:13] so that it saves the
[11:14] village money. Point.
[11:16] The discussion is closed. We
[11:17] actually saved
[11:18] $10,000
[11:19] compared to last
[11:20] year and received
[11:21] training to
[11:21] do this work
[11:23] next year. So
[11:24] next year it
[11:25] will be about 275
[11:27] instead of 45,000. But I don't
[11:30] approve of some in
[11:31] the public
[11:32] making such
[11:33] accusations or
[11:34] claiming that
[11:35] something is being done wrong,
[11:36] even though it is a standard
[11:37] operating procedure that has
[11:39] been done this way for the
[11:40] last 15-20 years. We
[11:42] are changing our approach to
[11:43] save the
[11:45] village money. Does anyone really
[11:46] think we want
[11:47] to spend
[11:48] $45,000 a year on an
[11:49] audit? Of course not. Our
[11:51] operating tax
[11:52] only brings in
[11:53] $127,000 a year. This is
[11:54] almost half of
[11:55] our operating
[11:56] budget.
[11:56] No, we don't want to
[11:57] spend.
[11:58] I was looking at the same thing and
[11:59] thinking: wow, that's a
[11:59] serious amount. I
[12:00] was going to ask
[12:01] you, but I knew we were
[12:02] going through this
[12:03] training. So I
[12:04] guess in
[12:05] a few months it will
[12:06] be a pretty significant
[12:07] amount, you know, for our
[12:08] training. But
[12:09] it is still less than it
[12:10] was last year.
[12:11] That's why we got rid of
[12:13] , uh
[12:13] So, can I
[12:14] ask you? Yes.
[12:15] These people who came and
[12:17] asked you
[12:17] questions.
[12:19] Well, no.
[12:19] I'm trying
[12:20] to establish the facts
[12:21] right now.
[12:22] They say they
[12:23] want to conduct a
[12:24] forensic economic
[12:24] examination. I welcome the
[12:25] forensic economic
[12:26] examination. Are
[12:27] they...are they reliable,
[12:28] these people?
[12:28] No. If you want to
[12:29] pay...If you
[12:30] want to pay for a
[12:31] forensic economic
[12:32] examination,
[12:33] you don't...I won't let
[12:34] you check just the
[12:35] last two years. I
[12:36] want to check the
[12:37] last 15 years. Do you
[12:39] want to pay for this
[12:40] audit, sir? Please
[12:41] . Bring the check.
[12:43] Pay the auditor and
[12:44] pay everything, because I
[12:45] want to know where the
[12:46] money went over the
[12:47] last 10 years and how it
[12:48] turns out that I
[12:50] spend the money I
[12:51] spend now and have
[12:52] more than I did when I
[12:53] started. Explain it to
[12:55] me, but
[12:56] I'm still a fraud. That's where
[12:58] I stand. Here is my
[12:59] position. If you want
[13:00] to pay for the audit,
[13:01] pay. It costs
[13:03] about $350,000.
[13:05] Take action. I'm just for it.
[13:06] So, everything, every
[13:07] penny we
[13:08] spend, we
[13:09] discuss at this
[13:10] table. This is
[13:11] being discussed. We
[13:12] were here. We
[13:14] discussed it.
[13:14] That's why, you know, I
[13:16] responded on Facebook. I
[13:17] said I would like
[13:18] them to come to the
[13:19] meeting
[13:20] so they can see that
[13:21] we are transparent. They
[13:22] could
[13:22] get to know us.
[13:23] They could see
[13:24] what we do, this
[13:25] enthusiasm, all the things
[13:26] we do.
[13:27] I mean, you've
[13:28] created a great
[13:29] dynamic here. I'm not
[13:29] trying to
[13:30] praise you or anything
[13:31] , but actually,
[13:32] you know, that's why I wanted to
[13:33] get on the council, because
[13:33] it's interesting.
[13:34] This, this is about...
[13:35] and I don't understand this.
[13:36] I think there are just a few
[13:38] people who are simply
[13:39] ignorant.
[13:40] They...well, I don't want to
[13:41] say they're
[13:42] ignorant. They
[13:43] simply don't receive
[13:44] the services they used
[13:45] to. So, let's
[13:46] leave it at that.
[13:48] I...I won't, I won't
[13:50] , uh...uh, what word am I
[13:55] looking for? I will not
[13:55] compromise my
[13:57] morals for
[13:57] someone else. I
[13:59] have morals and principles,
[14:00] and that's how it will be. Um, so anyway
[14:03] , this is a bill for this
[14:05] and that. Um, the audit should
[14:06] be, I think the audit is
[14:07] almost complete.
[14:09] I think we'll do it...
[14:11] maybe before the first
[14:12] meeting in October
[14:13] so they can
[14:14] present it in
[14:15] October.
[14:15] Um, that's usually what they
[14:16] do. They
[14:17] present it
[14:18] at the first meeting,
[14:19] and we submit everything to the
[14:20] state by the end of October
[14:22] . Are
[14:22] there any questions about these
[14:23] two accounts?
[14:24] No. If not, then I will
[14:27] accept the offer
[14:28] to approve payment for
[14:29] these two bills.
[14:31] I am making a suggestion.
[14:32] Is there a second person who
[14:33] will support?
[14:34] I support.
[14:35] All "yes" by
[14:36] roll call
[14:36] vote.
[14:37] Greg,
[14:38] yes.
[14:38] Sarah, yes. Greg,
[14:40] yes.
[14:41] Chris,
[14:41] yes.
[14:42] The proposal is accepted.
[14:45] Oh, yes. What I don't
[14:46] like. Item
[14:48] number two, request for
[14:49] approval of
[14:50] resolution R-2026-22.
[14:54] A resolution
[14:54] authorizing the
[14:55] village head to
[14:56] provide services to
[14:57] comply with the
[14:58] law. Um...
[15:02] Nick didn't want to... Nick has
[15:03] other
[15:04] commitments right now. He
[15:08] wanted to step down
[15:09] from his compliance duties
[15:10] ,
[15:11] probably before
[15:13] I had my
[15:13] heart attack, but
[15:15] after the attack he
[15:15] waited a bit. So,
[15:20] you know, I agreed to
[15:22] take on these
[15:23] responsibilities as
[15:23] an additional one, because everyone
[15:25] comes to my
[15:26] office to file
[15:27] complaints anyway, so I could
[15:28] handle them right away.
[15:32] Um, and that's it. I
[15:37] take on
[15:37] the responsibilities of
[15:38] regulatory compliance for the
[15:40] same salary. No
[15:41] more, no less.
[15:43] Yes. I mean, you
[15:46] make so much of it. And they all
[15:48] end up in my
[15:49] office anyway, or
[15:50] call me on
[15:51] Sunday nights or
[15:52] holidays, you know. So yes
[15:54] , I don't mind.
[15:56] I think it would be
[15:57] easier that way, because you
[15:58] still have the right to
[16:00] issue fines and
[16:01] all that. I think it's
[16:03] just easier to...
[16:05] And the goal is not to issue
[16:06] fines, but...
[16:08] And the goal is not to
[16:09] issue fines,
[16:10] but I like that
[16:12] it's structured as a
[16:13] stipend, so when
[16:14] you leave, the next
[16:15] manager, if he comes in
[16:17] , it will follow
[16:18] the person who is performing
[16:19] the duties, right.
[16:21] Yes. So...
[16:22] And if not, they can
[16:23] choose to hire
[16:24] someone to do it.
[16:25] Yes. Are there any
[16:26] questions about this? Will
[16:28] you wish me
[16:29] luck in this?
[16:30] Good luck. Good luck,
[16:32] Greg.
[16:34] Yes, this is...
[16:35] We... We'll
[16:36] laugh.
[16:37] Yes, this is hysterically
[16:38] funny. If there is no
[16:40] further discussion
[16:42] , I move that
[16:43] Resolution
[16:45] R-2026-22 be approved.
[16:46] I am making this
[16:47] suggestion. Is there
[16:48] anyone who
[16:48] will support?
[16:49] I support.
[16:50] Please vote
[16:51] by name.
[16:53] Greg?
[16:53] Yes.
[16:55] Sara, yes. Greg?
[16:56] Yes.
[16:57] Chris?
[16:58] Yes.
[16:59] The proposal is accepted.
[17:00] Item three, request
[17:01] approval of
[17:02] adjustments to the
[17:04] 2026 Quill Township calendar to
[17:05] reflect the change in
[17:06] weekends
[17:06] due to the change in
[17:07] office hours. I
[17:09] guess I'll let you...
[17:11] Yeah. Regarding
[17:13] office hours, when we
[17:15] first decided to
[17:16] set them for the year,
[17:17] we hadn't paid
[17:18] employees yet. So we
[17:21] interviewed everyone in the office.
[17:22] Everyone agreed that
[17:23] everyone was hosting a
[17:25] Thanksgiving celebration. So they
[17:27] wanted a half day on the
[17:28] Wednesday before
[17:30] Thanksgiving, if you can
[17:31] say so. And it was
[17:34] one of the days before the
[17:36] work schedule changed.
[17:37] We used to be
[17:38] open until 5pm
[17:39] on Wednesdays. Now we
[17:42] only work until 1am anyway. And so we're
[17:44] just removing
[17:45] this day before
[17:46] Thanksgiving from the list of days
[17:47] when the office will be
[17:48] closed. So, we
[17:49] will be closed, or
[17:51] we will be open
[17:52] that day. In our
[17:54] usual mode,
[17:55] that is, from 8 to 1 that
[17:56] day. I will just say that
[18:02] due to the
[18:02] documents provided, there was
[18:03] some resistance from the
[18:04] ladies in the office, which I
[18:06] informed you about, and
[18:07] I also provided you with
[18:08] our policy on
[18:09] holiday pay.
[18:14] So, one of our
[18:15] employees wrote
[18:16] a request that we
[18:17] continue the practice
[18:19] and give them the
[18:20] day off before
[18:21] Thanksgiving with pay. So
[18:24] I printed out the
[18:26] holiday pay policy for you all. And it
[18:29] says right at the top that
[18:30] employees only receive
[18:31] holiday pay
[18:32] for those holidays when the
[18:33] village offices are
[18:34] officially closed.
[18:36] The day before
[18:37] Thanksgiving is not a holiday.
[18:38] So, um. I propose to
[18:43] do the following: I
[18:44] propose to
[18:48] remove the day before
[18:50] Thanksgiving from our
[18:53] Craveville Township calendar for 2025 so that
[18:54] we will operate a
[18:57] half-day.
[18:57] No, all day.
[18:59] Well, technically Wednesday
[19:00] is noon.
[19:01] Yes, it says "
[19:02] half a day" here, and that's the
[19:03] problem.
[19:04] So, during normal
[19:05] business hours.
[19:06] Normal business
[19:07] hours. Good.
[19:12] OK. Can I
[19:13] get an offer?
[19:16] I make this
[19:17] suggestion.
[19:18] I support.
[19:20] I ask everyone who is "in favor" to
[19:20] vote by name.
[19:22] Greg,
[19:23] yes.
[19:24] Sarah, yes. Greg,
[19:26] yes.
[19:27] Chris,
[19:28] yes. The proposal
[19:29] was accepted. Item number
[19:31] four: Request
[19:32] approval for
[19:34] Village Council members to attend the
[19:35] Fall Meeting of the
[19:38] Slayer County Village Association on October 8,
[19:40] 2026 at a cost of
[19:41] $15 per person. So,
[19:44] yes, we had a
[19:45] spring meeting.
[19:46] I think we were there—I don't
[19:48] know if you made it,
[19:49] but we still have fall.
[19:50] Is this the first time they've
[19:51] held an autumn party? Because
[19:53] I don't remember
[19:54] them doing that before
[19:55] .
[19:56] It used to be a bigger
[19:57] event, somewhere in Traverse
[19:59] City. Oh, yes. We were at the one where
[20:01] we were
[20:02] meeting in a hall in
[20:06] Marysville.
[20:07] Oh, you know what? Exactly.
[20:08] OK.
[20:09] So, this is the fall
[20:10] meeting.
[20:11] OK.
[20:12] Ahem. It looks like it'll be
[20:16] in, uh, it'll be in the
[20:19] village of Aira.
[20:21] Yes.
[20:21] OK. It seems
[20:23] this one will be in the village of Aira.
[20:24] The cost is $15 per
[20:25] person. Ahem. We
[20:28] need to confirm
[20:29] participation by October 1st.
[20:31] It will take place on
[20:33] October 8 at 11:30. If you
[20:36] want to go, we'll
[20:37] just make a
[20:38] list. This will be an
[20:39] afternoon event.
[20:41] So yes, this is just to
[20:42] approve a $15 payment
[20:44] for any
[20:45] of us who wish to leave.
[20:47] Is there a motion
[20:48] to approve a
[20:50] $15 per person cost coverage?
[20:51] I support this
[20:52] proposal.
[20:53] I support.
[20:54] Good. Good. Is there
[20:55] anyone who would support
[20:56] the proposal? I
[20:56] support.
[20:57] Please vote
[20:59] by name.
[21:00] Greg,
[21:01] yes.
[21:02] Sarah, yes. Greg,
[21:04] yes.
[21:04] Chris,
[21:05] yes.
[21:05] The proposal is accepted.
[21:07] This concludes the new questions
[21:08] . Well, we have
[21:09] 20 minutes. We're
[21:11] past the 16 mark.
[21:13] Um, moving on to, I'll
[21:14] open
[21:15] the discussion to
[21:16] the public at 6:52
[21:17] for anyone who wishes to
[21:18] address the council on
[21:20] any matter.
[21:22] Anyone who wants to address the
[21:23] council, come forward.
[21:24] Say your name and
[21:26] uh.
[21:28] Hello everyone. My
[21:30] name is Jamie
[21:31] Sunnyburger. I am a trustee of the
[21:33] Anchor Bay School Board
[21:34] . It's a little strange
[21:36] sitting on this side of
[21:37] the stand, so be
[21:38] kind, please. I'm
[21:40] here to
[21:41] introduce myself and
[21:42] let you know that I'm
[21:43] running to be your
[21:44] representative in
[21:45] Lansing for the 63rd
[21:46] District. Em. I will not
[21:49] make a
[21:50] political speech. I'm
[21:51] not...I'll be brief. There are
[21:53] two things I
[21:54] want to mention. As I
[21:55] studied the situation in
[21:56] Catrolville, I know
[21:57] you have
[21:58] been doing some
[21:59] strategic
[21:59] planning recently. And two
[22:02] things that I've
[22:03] come across that I
[22:04] really respect are
[22:05] your efforts
[22:06] to keep the
[22:07] small town atmosphere the way
[22:08] it is, even with
[22:10] economic growth
[22:11] . You want development,
[22:14] but you also want to
[22:15] preserve the spirit of your
[22:16] town. And I really
[22:17] respect that. And one more
[22:20] thing I want to
[22:22] mention is your
[22:23] proactive steps
[22:24] you've taken to
[22:25] protect and
[22:26] preserve the lake, the
[22:27] shoreline
[22:28] along the river. Lake
[22:32] St. Clair, the wider
[22:33] Lake St.
[22:34] Clair watershed—it's such an important
[22:35] part of our
[22:36] region, and I thank you
[22:38] for what you do.
[22:41] If I have the honor of
[22:42] being your
[22:43] representative, I would be
[22:44] happy to support you
[22:45] in any way I can to make
[22:46] these things happen
[22:48] for you. Thank you.
[22:50] Perfectly.
[22:50] Thank you.
[22:52] Jamieforhouse.com. I wouldn't be a
[22:54] politician if I didn't
[22:55] say that.
[22:57] How is that? Jamie.
[22:59] Jamieforhouse.com.
[23:02] So you're on the council with uh
[23:03] Brian.
[23:05] Yes.
[23:06] I graduated from high
[23:07] school with Brian. Yes.
[23:09] Brian and I are talking
[23:10] , there's like
[23:11] five Brians out there. These are
[23:13] five Brians. Well, yes,
[23:15] there's Brian Powers, Brian
[23:17] Boubet, everyone around.
[23:18] But yeah, I grew up with
[23:19] those guys and uh
[23:21] yeah. So I wouldn't be surprised
[23:22] if he watches it
[23:23] , because one of his hobbies is
[23:24] watching
[23:26] council meetings.
[23:26] Yes. Yes. Yes. Um, if
[23:30] there are no other comments from the public,
[23:31] I'll close
[23:32] the discussion at 6:55. Um,
[23:37] and I'll move on to
[23:38] the comments or
[23:39] announcements of the board. Chris, do
[23:41] you have anything? I have
[23:43] nothing.
[23:44] No. Mr. Buzz,
[23:46] Not really. No, I
[23:48] know there's a lot
[23:49] going on at Hoods and
[23:52] Brews, but you know, I'm
[23:54] sure everything's
[23:55] fine. So,
[23:57] Sarah,
[23:58] um, "I
[23:59] Voted" stickers,
[24:00] kids contest. Um, I
[24:02] know Angela
[24:03] extended the
[24:04] um, deadline.
[24:06] I don't remember exactly
[24:07] what day it is, but
[24:08] I know that the reception is still
[24:09] ongoing. So if your
[24:10] kids made them,
[24:11] yes, it's just before
[24:12] the festival. So,
[24:13] if your kids
[24:14] made them, bring them
[24:15] . We, we still
[24:16] accept them. I know
[24:17] my child
[24:18] colored
[24:19] today and I
[24:20] need to enter it.
[24:21] Hmm, that seems to be it. I
[24:23] don't think I have anything
[24:24] else.
[24:25] Good. Um, of course,
[24:27] I'll remind everyone that
[24:28] tomorrow seems to be our
[24:29] last
[24:30] shoreline cleanup event
[24:32] of the year.
[24:34] Come. Um, Lana
[24:41] McFadden from Friends of the
[24:42] St. Clair River
[24:43] will be demonstrating a new
[24:46] herbicide-free reed removal technique for which
[24:47] they received a grant,
[24:48] and they chose our
[24:49] location as a test
[24:50] site. Um, so
[24:55] come help
[24:56] with this, help us
[24:57] get rid of this
[24:58] reed, help
[25:00] us finish
[25:00] cleaning up the shoreline for
[25:02] the last time this
[25:03] year. Um, so we have
[25:06] it tomorrow from 10 to 12
[25:08] . Um, and
[25:11] next weekend — Tunes
[25:12] and Brews. Um, you,
[25:14] the public,
[25:15] asked for a
[25:16] tractor show. So I
[25:17] organized a
[25:18] tractor show for Saturday.
[25:20] Bring your
[25:20] tractors, people. I don't care
[25:21] if it's a lawn
[25:23] mower. Bring her
[25:24] . Let's have some
[25:25] fun, you know?
[25:26] Just come and
[25:27] have fun on Saturday.
[25:28] On Sunday there is a
[25:29] car show. Um,
[25:30] lots of great
[25:31] bands. Um, lots of
[25:33] great sponsors. Not
[25:35] this
[25:36] coming weekend, but the
[25:37] next one. I
[25:38] still have a few
[25:39] yard signs left.
[25:40] If anyone wants to take
[25:41] one, put it in
[25:42] their yard. Even
[25:44] if you are not from our
[25:45] community,
[25:45] give us a call. We'll
[25:47] give you a plaque,
[25:48] you know, so people in
[25:49] other communities
[25:50] will know about this
[25:51] event. Um, these are two
[25:55] events that are, that are
[25:56] coming up. Um, I
[25:58] know there's a lot of
[26:00] controversy today about
[26:01] Shay Road
[26:02] being closed again. We just
[26:04] opened it after the
[26:05] roundabout was renovated
[26:06] . People
[26:07] say, “Well, why didn’t they
[26:08] do it at the same time?
[26:09] » It's a waste of
[26:10] money, a waste of
[26:11] time. "People
[26:12] have to take a
[26:13] detour twice." I
[26:15] just want to
[26:15] let everyone know that there
[26:17] is a business on one corner
[26:18] , and there are six families living between
[26:18] the drain where the
[26:19] bridge is being replaced and the
[26:20] roundabout
[26:22] .
[26:25] If you're demolishing a bridge that's
[26:28] impassable and blocking
[26:29] access to six
[26:30] houses, there's no
[26:31] point in closing them
[26:33] both at the same time. What should
[26:35] we do? Fly
[26:36] a helicopter over a
[26:37] ditch? Listen,
[26:40] let's stop
[26:41] complaining about the
[26:42] roadworks that
[26:43] are taking place and be
[26:44] glad that for the first time in
[26:45] many years they are
[26:46] even going ahead. You know
[26:52] , this is my main
[26:53] question today, because
[26:54] people tell me or
[26:55] comment that we're
[26:56] wasting taxpayer money
[26:58] or that the work isn't
[26:59] getting done
[27:00] fast enough.
[27:04] Well, that's enough for you.
[27:06] Nothing
[27:07] happened for ten years. We are currently
[27:09] repairing the roads. I'm
[27:10] pushing for
[27:11] Shortcut Road to be built
[27:13] a year early. A year
[27:14] earlier. We got a
[27:17] new
[27:18] roundabout. A lot is
[27:19] happening,
[27:20] a lot of
[27:21] grant money is coming in.
[27:23] People can
[27:23] complain all they
[27:24] want. I don't care
[27:25] . But no one is
[27:27] wasting your taxes. We have
[27:29] more
[27:30] money today than we did 20
[27:31] months ago.
[27:32] Literally more
[27:33] money. 880 thousand over a
[27:36] million. It's easy
[27:39] to calculate, and we
[27:40] achieved all of this.
[27:43] Someone else asked
[27:44] me to mention that since the
[27:46] contract with the sheriff was signed,
[27:48] last year we
[27:49] had seven fatal
[27:53] accidents, four or
[27:56] five of them at the
[27:57] intersection where the
[27:58] roundabout is now.
[28:01] We had about 13
[28:02] accidents with serious
[28:04] injuries where several
[28:05] people seem to still be
[28:06] in the hospital and some of
[28:08] them may
[28:09] never recover. But since
[28:11] we
[28:12] started
[28:13] police
[28:14] patrols, we have
[28:15] slowed traffic from an
[28:16] average speed of
[28:17] 73 miles per hour on
[28:18] every road in the
[28:19] community to 60 and below.
[28:21] We haven't had a single
[28:22] fatal accident in the
[28:24] community since
[28:25] police
[28:26] patrols began. And if we had even
[28:28] one
[28:29] accident with serious
[28:31] injuries, I would be
[28:31] surprised. According to the
[28:33] last report,
[28:34] we didn't have any at all.
[28:35] Yes, accidents
[28:36] will still happen. Yes,
[28:38] people will still
[28:39] speed. But people in
[28:40] our community are
[28:41] no longer dying. That's the
[28:43] benefit. So
[28:45] when someone tells me there is
[28:47] no benefit, I
[28:48] respond that the numbers
[28:49] show otherwise. Ahem.
[28:53] And that's it. That's all I
[28:54] wanted to
[28:55] say today. I
[28:56] mean, I'm not
[28:57] going to stop
[28:58] what I'm doing.
[28:59] Accuse me of
[29:00] crimes, I don't
[29:01] care.
[29:01] Accuse me of
[29:02] stealing money—
[29:03] prove it. Today
[29:05] I am poorer than I was at the
[29:06] beginning, because I invest my
[29:07] own
[29:09] money, my time, and my
[29:10] equipment in this town. I'm
[29:12] even here on Fridays. On
[29:14] my supposed day off,
[29:16] I'm laying straw over a
[29:17] new septic field
[29:18] over freshly
[29:19] sown seeds.
[29:21] Instead of
[29:22] paying a company to do
[29:24] this work, I do it
[29:25] myself. So, you know,
[29:27] just keep in mind
[29:28] : if you want to
[29:30] accuse me of something,
[29:31] say it to my face.
[29:32] I challenge you. Um
[29:36] , and have proof, because I have it
[29:37] . These are all
[29:40] my comments. With
[29:41] that in mind, I
[29:42] accept the motion
[29:43] to close the meeting at
[29:45] 7:01.
[29:45] I am making this proposal
[29:47] . Is there anyone
[29:47] willing
[29:48] to support?
[29:48] I support.
[29:49] Those who are "in favor", please
[29:50] say "yes".
[29:51] Yes. Yes.
[29:52] The proposal is accepted.
[29:53] The meeting is closed. The
[29:57] previous program
[29:58] was produced by
[29:59] public
[30:00] broadcaster CTV.
[30:03] Public Television
[30:04] is supported by
[30:05] the cities of Marin City and
[30:06] St. Clair, the townships of
[30:08] East China and
[30:09] Carterville, and the
[30:10] East China School District
[30:11] .