[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] .

Cottrellville Township Board Mgt., Wed. Sept. 9, 2026

Transcript