Ortonville- The village has a new manager.
By a 4-2 vote Monday night, the village council approved the hiring of Bill Sprague. Councilmembers Harold Batten and Aileen Champion voted no.
‘He was the best of many well-qualified candidates,? said Council President Ken Quisenberry. ‘I’m optimistic that he understands what the needs of the village are going to be and has the ability to administrate responsibly.?
Sprague began work Wednesday as the full-time village manager and will earn a salary of $1,730 bi-weekly, or $44,980 annually. He receives no benefits, which Quisenberry said will save the village $30,000 annually.
Sprague, 54, is a 15-year Lapeer resident, has served as mayor of that city for the past three years and was a member of the Lapeer City Commission for eight years. He retired 18 months ago from Delphi, where he was employed 32 years? 20 as a human resources manager, and the last four years as a restructuring manager. Sprague received his bachelor’s degree in social science in 1977 from Western Michigan University and earned his master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University in 1989.
Through his experience with the city of Lapeer, Sprague has found he enjoys government work and he is looking forward to helping the village.
‘Hopefully, I can be of service to the people of Ortonville and improve the quality of their lives,? he said.
Sprague’s philosophy regarding municipal government is to focus on three areas? the health, safety, and education of residents; jobs; and affordable housing.
‘If you have a nice, safe, well-educated community, then you figure out what you can do to support them,? Sprague said. ‘If we want to create jobs, we need to look at what is prohibiting that. Right now, it’s difficult to have a large industry here, because there is no water and sewer.?
It will be necessary, he said, to figure out how to get a water and sewer system in the village or go after jobs that don’t require bringing in a wastewater treatment system. He favors pursuing water and sewer; however, not necessarily on a village-wide basis, saying that a targeted approach to, perhaps, just the business district could be effective.
Sprague is looking forward to meeting village residents and business owners.
‘I want to get out and meet as many as possible and see what they need, so we can move the village forward,? he said.
Sprague has been married to Debbie for 28 years and they have two children, Katie, 25, and George, 23.