By Susan Bromley

Staff Writer

Ortonville– The village council is under fire by a former councilmember for their spending of tax dollars.

Melanie Nivelt, a village resident, addressed the council at their Aug. 22 meeting, questioning the number and type of meetings for which the council are charging fees that are ultimately paid by the taxpayers, as well as one councilmember’s trips up north to conferences, also funded by taxpayers.

“I can’t believe how unprofessional the council members act,” said Nivelt. “I have a big problem with how you’re spending tax dollars and how you’re charging.”

A former councilmember herself, Nivelt prefaced those comments by noting she had a conversation with Mike Lee, whose last day as village manager was Aug. 19, less than three months after he had accepted the position. Lee’s official comment as to

why he resigned was that he misjudged the commitment the job would take, with time away from his family also caused by a lengthy commute to the village from his home in DeWitt. However, Nivelt said Lee told her he also left because the councilmembers were disrespectful . In an e-mail she sent to the council and to The Citizen, she noted that at the council’s July 25 meeting, there was a lengthy discussion regarding approval of a DPW allowance of $750 for cold-weather boots and bibs/snowsuits for employees for the upcoming winter. The council ultimately approved the expenditure, by a 6-1 vote, with Councilwoman Coleen Skornicka dissenting. Four days later, Lee, who had made the request of council on behalf of the DPW employees, resigned.

“However, the Mackinac Island trip is not a hesitation on the taxpayer’s dime,” wrote Nivelt in her email. “This is alarming. This is a shame.”

Skornicka is planning to attend the Michigan Municipal League Convention, which will be held at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Sept. 14-16. Cost for full and associate MML members is $599 per person. According to the MML website, “For three days, hundreds of local officials from across the state will have an opportunity to connect, engage, and discover creative solutions to local challenges. You will hear from visionary keynote speakers on topics ranging from anchor institutions and citizen engagement to local businesses and civic crowdfunding. And breakout sessions will give you a chance to dive into strategic topics like retiree health care changes and Millennials as local government leaders.”

Skornicka, who also attended the 2015 convention in Traverse City, said attending the educational conferences are to the benefit of village residents and she is cognizant of village tax dollars. She noted her husband will not be accompanying her, and she will not be staying at the Grand Hotel, but choosing less expensive accommodations and paying for her own meals.

Within the village budget is a $1,000 line item for council education, from which the convention fee and mileage will be paid. Council President Wayne Wills said for many years, the council did not take advantage of the line item, and Skornicka was the only one of late who has expressed an interest in attending the conventions. There was no formal vote on the matter.

But the conventions were not the only expenditures Nivelt questioned. Also at issue are the number of meetings and kinds of meetings councilmembers, Wills and Skornicka in particular, are charging for.

The village council president receives $75 per meeting, while all other village councilmembers receive $55 per meeting, which includes not only regular council meetings, but special meetings, committee meetings, and, in at least one case, one-on-one meetings with village employees, including three times in one day.
Public records of timesheets obtained by both Nivelt and The Citizen from village files show that from February through July, Wills received $2,325 in compensation for 31 meetings. Skornicka was the next highest paid, attending 38 meetings from February through July, for a total of $2,090. Councilmember Courtney McClerren attended 18 meetings for the same time period, for $990; Councilmember Dan Eschmann had no meetings charged for July, but from February through June, attended 16 meetings, for $880; Councilmember Debbie Baker attended 15 meetings from February through July for $825; for the same time period, Councilmember Tonja Brice attended 13 meetings for $715; and Councilmember Keith Dylus clocked in with 9 meetings for $495.

Meetings for most councilmembers include the regular monthly meeting, but also special meetings, budget meetings, committee meetings, and whatever special boards they may be on, including the Fire Authority for McClerren and the Downtown Development Authority for Baker.

For Wills and Skornicka, there were numerous personnel meetings. At the Aug. 22 meeting, the council president noted it had been “a very trying summer.” Wills also said the $75 he receives per meeting doesn’t equate to even a third of what he makes at his insurance business and it shouldn’t be expected that the council will “do things for free.” He pointed out that when Nivelt was on the council several years ago, the council was holding two regular meetings per month.

“These are justifiable meetings,” said Wills. “Just because the prior board 10 or 15 years ago did things one way doesn’t mean the current board has to… From time to time we need to update the rules and regulations, whether it is done as a special meeting or regular meeting. It’s not like people are not using that money wisely… There are 14 businesses I frequent in the village… The money I am taking is woefully less than what I make in my real business and I put it back into the community. It’s not like I go down to big box stores.”

Skornicka also defended her compensation, saying she had done nothing inappropriate and had a higher number of meetings due to personnel issues and taking care of things while Wills was out of town. When questioned about three meetings, all on May 24 but individually charged as speaking with the village treasurer Beth Forys, speaking with John Lyons, and speaking with Mike Lee, she said, “I only charge when there is an appointed time set up, going through processes or policies. I was also asked by Wayne to attend meetings while he was out of state. Mine will be higher than others, I was the only person doing the business. They were different times of the day.”

Wills, however, said he was unaware of those charges and disagreed with them.

“I have not seen her timesheet, but that is not my definition of a meeting,” he said. “To go over every procedure, I didn’t know this councilmember was doing that. I kind of disagree with it. I have never stopped in for a clarification point, and called it a meeting.”

John Lyons, who has returned to the village as interim manager, doesn’t agree with it, either.

“Timesheets for meetings are typically approved by the village manager and/or the council president,” he said.

“It does not qualify for a meeting for councilmembers to come in to the office to speak personally to village employees, which they should not do anyway.”

According to village policy, “Neither the council nor the village president shall attempt to interfere in the management of the departments under the jurisdiction of the manager. Except for purpose of informational inquiry, the president and council and its members shall deal with departments under the jurisdiction of the village manager through the manager.”

The policy further states regarding compensation: “The village council members shall be entitled to compensation for each regular or special meeting of the village council attended and for each meeting attended as a designated representative of the village council… A trustee’s entitlement to compensation for attendance at non-council meetings in a representative capacity requires village council approval prior to the meeting.”

“Compensation for meeting attendance shall be based on a per meeting rate, without regard to the length or location of the meeting attended, which shall be established and may be amended from time to time by resolution of the village council… In addition to compensation for meeting attendance, the village council may, by resolution in specific cases, approve the payment of additional or different compensation to its members for performance of the duties of office, where it is determined that the personal expense to the member is performing the duty was or would be unreasonably burdensome.”

Meeting compensation for elected officials is common practice. Brandon Township trustees are compensated $97 per meeting.

Township Clerk Candee Allen provided the following breakdown for each township board trustee for the time period of Feb. 1, 2016 through July 31, 2016, during which there were six regular meetings, four election commission meetings, two parks and recreation committee meetings, two map committee meetings, and three retirement oversight committee meetings: Trustee Bill DeWitt attended a total of 15 meetings for $1,455; Trustee Dana DePalma attended 18 meetings for $1,746; Trustee Jayson Rumball attended 19 meetings for $1,843; and Trustee Liz Waters attended 12 meetings for $1,164.

The clerk, treasurer and supervisor are all salaried employees of the township and as thus, do not receive individual meeting compensation.

In Atlas Township, the two trustees each earn a salary of $5,908 per year. The Goodrich Village Council members receive $35 per meeting, with all meetings tallied and paid annually.

School board members in both Brandon and Goodrich are entitled to receive compensation as well, but both boards have declined to accept money for their public service for many years.

Brandon Board of Education member Chris Yuchasz recalls that when he was elected in 2000, board members received $300 per year.

“The idea was that $300 per year isn’t enough to encourage someone to do this, but it would compensate for daycare if someone had that issue (due to attending a meeting),” he said. “Most of us donated the money back to the district. But when we really started cutting around 2008, we decided not to take compensation anymore. It’s always been an easy no for us, we’ve been in cut mode for so long, it’s natural not to ask, but since I am leaving and not running again, I will be the one who says, ‘You should get it.’ It should be something, because we aren’t getting any candidates, no one is running for the board.”

Nivelt said she doesn’t want to eliminate the meeting pay, she just wants the village council members to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer money.

“Perhaps putting a cap on how many meetings you’re allowed to be paid for each month would be a frugal move,” she wrote in her email to council. “Instead of increasing the amount of committees, limit the amount. This was not meant to be a part-time or full-time job. And no, it will not pay as much as your day job……at least it shouldn’t. All of you should have been aware of that when you ran for a council seat. By not speaking up and doing due diligence, you are not being an effective council member.”

She added that she is in favor of the education/training line item, but believes each expenditure should be voted upon by the council.