BRADY TOWNSHIP BOARD MEETING

April 4, 2006

Members Present: Supervisor Philport, Treasurer Allgaier, Clerk Vermeulen, and Trustee Guthrie. Absent:Trustee Vandre Kamp.

Others Present: 5 others.

Call to Order and Pledge: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. at the Brady Township Hall by Philport. The Invocation was given by Vermeulen. This was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

**        Agenda Approval: The Agenda was approved as printed, with the addition of Items E2, Roads, and F2, Mowing, by a motion from Philport and seconded by Vermeulen. Motion Carried.

. **      Approval of Consent Agenda: The consent agenda was approved as follows, by a motion from Vermeulen and seconded by Guthrie.

           a. Approval of the minutes of the 3/07/06 regular meeting.

           b. Approval of Treasurer’s report.c. Communications

Motion Carried.

Citizens Time: State Representative Lorence Wenke updated us on issues in Lansing, and invited anyone to visit his office there. He also gave out various handouts with information on current issues.

J. Hoffman and S. Grinder asked questions concerning the status of the old cemetery on YZ Avenue. They requested that it be cleaned up and refurbished. Philport said that we would check with the Historical Society and work thru them on this project.

PUBLIC HEARING AND BUDGET FOR 2006-2007

           Open Public Hearing: Philport opened the Public Hearing at 8:05 p.m.

           Present Proposed budget and Hear Comments on Proposed Budget:

           Philport and Vermeulen gave the highlights and changes to proposed budget.

**        Close Public Hearing: A motion was made by Vermeulen and seconded by Guthrie to close the Public Hearing at 8:13 p.m. Motion Carried.

           SCHEDULED AGENDA ITEMS:

**A.     Adopt Appropriations Act for 2006-2007: Vermeulen read the Appropriations Act. A motion was made by Vermeulen and seconded by Allgaier to adopt this Appropriations Act. A Roll Call vote brought YES votes from Guthrie, Allgaier, Philport, and Vermeulen. Absent Vander Kamp. Motion Carried.

**B.     Set Trustee Wages for 2006-2007: A motion was made by Guthrie and seconded by Vermeulen to set the Trustee wages for 2006-2007 at $95 per meeting attended. Motion Carried.

**C.     Set Office Staff Wages for 2006-2007: After discussion, a motion was made by Vermeulen and seconded by Guthrie to raise the office staff wages for 2006-2007 by 5% or $.50 per hour, whichever is higher. Motion Carried.

**D.     Set Holiday Office Closing Dates for 2006-2007: A motion was made by Guthrie and seconded by Allgaier to set the following dates for Holiday Office Closings: 4/14, 5/29, 7/03, 7/04, 9/04, 11/23, 11/24, 12/25, and 1/01/07. Motion carried.

**E.     Approve Fire Authority Budget: Philport presented the Budget and Audit reports for the Fire Authority. The budget is to be $359750. A motion was made by Philport and seconded by Vermeulen to approve this budget and audit report. Motion carried.

**E2.   Roads Contracts: Discussion was held on the road projects and costs. A motion was made by Vermeulen and seconded by Guthrie to approve the contracts for one time dust control at continuous application. Motion Carried.

**F.     Audit Agreement - Siegfried Crandall PC: After discussion, a motion was made by Vermeulen and seconded by Allgaier to contract with Siegfried Crandall PC to do our annual audit. Motion Carried 3-1.

**F2.   Mowing Bids: A motion was made by Guthrie and seconded by Vermeulen to have Philport post in the local newspaper a request for bids for mowing of the Township Hall lawn and the two cemeteries and to approve as needed. Motion Carried.

**G.     Ballot Issue to Abolish Annual Meeting: Discussion was held as to the Annual Meeting. A motion was made by Vermeulen and seconded by Allgaier to put a question on the August Primary Election to abolish the Annual Meeting. Motion carried.

**H.     Liability Limit for Township Insurance: Discussion was held as to Township Liability coverage. A motion was made by Guthrie and seconded by Allgaier to stay at the three million dollar coverage for this next year. Motion Carried.

I.         South County Sewer & Water Authority Update: Philport reported the Sprinkle Road project came in under budget, and the excess will go toward debt reduction.

J.        South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority Update: This was addressed in Item E. above.

Unfinished Business: None.

New Business: Philport reported that per a correspondence from our attorney, we may have to do a zoning update.

Report of Board Members: Allgaier reported that she is working on getting a sidewalk installed leading from the parking lot to the Veterans Memorial and moving the tree which sits in front of the tank. She also reported that she has received a scholarship from MMTA for her Treasurers Institute. Vermeulen reminded of the May 2, election.

**Adjournment: With there being no further business, a motion was made at 9:05 P.M. by Guthrie and seconded by Vermeulen to adjourn the meeting. Motion Carried.

Cande Vermeulen

Brady Township Clerk