Brandon Twp.- Reformation of a recreation subcommittee will retain two of the current members, but add three new ones and will take a page or two from the fire authority.
‘It’s obvious things are not working in the best interest of the committee or recreation,? said Bob McArthur at the township board’s Oct. 6 meeting. ‘We’re concerned with recreation issues in the township. We think (the new) committee will send recreation in the direction the community wants it to go.?
McArthur, the former fire chief, recently sent a letter (also signed by Mary Kassuba and Karen McArthur) to the township board requesting an evaluation of the recreation committee following the township board’s Sept. 2 meeting, which lasted more than four hours and included Trustee Jayson Rumball reading aloud four pages of complaints against Recreation Director Fred Waybrant that included charges of mismanagement of the department, overspending of the budget, inappropriate use of flex time, overcompensation for cell phone usage, collusion with Thurman, and theft.
The McArthurs and Kassuba recommended in their letter that a committee or board be appointed for recreation similar to the fire authority, composed of the township supervisor, two township board members and the village manager, and charged with insuring that a proper budget is proposed and managed, insure appropriate expenditures by the department, and approve maintenance measures. The new committee would also keep recreation services at the current level and receive reports on new rec programs, which they would evaluate, as well as the director, giving reports to the township board. Complaints would be addressed first by the director, and if not solved, sent to the committee for resolution.
According to the letter, ‘Allowing complaints to go directly to the township board for their input is unfair to the program and the director, no department can survive under those conditions. It is also our recommendation that the committee or board would not have their primary mission to remove the director, but to insure recreation programs that are good for our community. using this type of group will allow them to properly evaluate all aspects of recreation, deal with issues as they arise, and provide support for the director.?
At Monday night’s meeting, Supervisor Kathy Thurman brought a motion regarding reformation of the parks and recreation subcommittee, prefacing the motion by noting that ‘a disconnect? exists between the recreation department, the current parks and recreation subcommittee, and the township board, resulting in ‘a considerable amount of confusion.?
She supported patterning a new subcommittee after the fire authority, saying it would make ‘perfect sense.? But while the other board members agreed with using fire authority guidelines, they differed on who should be on the new committee. Thurman’s motion would have put herself in the new group with Trustee Dana DePalma, Clerk Candee Allen, Village Manager John Lyons, and Bob McArthur.
However, Trustee Ron Lapp objected to the removal of Rumball. Thurman defended the move by saying first that Rumball had exceeded the amount budgeted for trustees? meeting pay (each trustee is paid $95 per meeting); next noted the meetings for the new subcommittee would be held during the day, saying it would be difficult to plan meetings including Rumball; and finally stating that the group needed board members who could work with Waybrant.
‘At the last meeting you accused him of collusion and what is tantamount to theft,? Thurman said. ‘These are false accusations and on Aug. 26, you made a statement you would not support baseball fields as long as Fred was director.?
Rumball denied making those statements.
Lapp beat Thurman to the punch on making an actual motion, and his motion was to dissolve the current parks and recreation subcommittee and replace it with a new subcommittee consisting of the township clerk, village manager, Trustee Dana DePalma, Trustee Jayson Rumball, and temporarily, Bob McArthur, until an operating agreement is approved by the board and he is replaced by a citizen. Terms will end Nov. 20, 2016.
The motion passed by a 5-2 vote, with Thurman and Trustee Bill DeWitt voting no.
‘I think having a group to bounce ideas off will be helpful and the new board will give more support to recreation and Fred,? said Allen, who was a recreation employee for 23 years. ‘I hope (the new subcommittee) will meet twice a month until it’s up and running, and then once a month. It won’t mimic exactly, but will be close. It has worked for many years and we may as well have the same program that works. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel (with recreation), just do things that were successful. Everything has its season.?
Waybrant said he is looking forward to working with the people nominated to be on the board and putting the Sept. 2 meeting behind him.
The recreation director will be present at the committee meetings, reporting on the department and giving input.
‘He will say things he wants do differently, run it by the subcommittee and hopefully get their support,? said McArthur. ‘It will take an open mind on his part and the committee’s part for all these issues. You can’t go in with predetermined attitudes.?