The township board gave their final answer at the Aug. 4 board meeting when they voted ‘no? a second time in less than a month to taping special meetings.
The motioned failed on a split 3 to 3 vote. Clerk Shelagh VanderVeen along with trustees David Lohmeier and Neil Wallace voted in support of taping the special meetings, while trustee Mark Petterson, Treasurer Curt Carson and Supervisor Dave Wagner voted against it. Trustee Larry Rosso was absent.
VanderVeen was willing to put the issue back on the agenda after a request from Wallace, and finding out cost was not an issue. She was also concerned the ‘tone? of the regular board meetings would carry over into the special meetings, but since then she changed her mind.
‘There seems to be a little more congeniality in those meetings when the cameras aren’t on; however, since that time, there have been statements made that somehow in those meetings, we made decisions that were somehow sneaky or underhanded when all board members were present. There was some convenient lapses in memory of what happened at those meetings,? VanderVeen said. ‘I think we have to regain the trust of the citizens and that might be one step towards doing it.?
Wallace hoped board members would change their minds on the matter when they were told cost was not an issue, which was one of the main reasons the request was voted down at the July 7 board meeting.
‘There was a cost estimate of $80,000, which was really the agitation by our cable department head to get a full-time person,” he said. “What I found with talking to him directly was if we wanted him to send someone over here, a part-timer that he uses now, that would cost us $9 an hour with no benefits.”
Wallace said if they were going to sit at the back table and use a static camera, they wouldn’t need the part-timer.
Wagner disagreed.
‘I’m not going to debate the dollar amount, whatever Andy (Reish, Clarkston Public Access Center, director) said to you, he said to you. I don’t disagree with what he said to you,? Wagner said to Wallace. ‘I know he said to me, so maybe he is saying something different to you because you’re there and he is saying something different to me because he wants to hear what I think.?
According to Wagner, the cable station needs another full-time person because of extra programming and loss of interns/volunteers at the station. A full-time worker with benefits would cost $66,000. He also noted he’d rather see Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals taped instead of special board meetings.
‘I think there are more things that go on there versus a special board meeting than you can shake a stick at, that people don’t have a clue on in this community,? he said.
Treasurer Curt Carson wasn’t ‘convinced? they had official cost numbers.
‘When you talk about cost, cost can be measured in several ways. One is the physical green dollars as they’re coming out of our pocket, that we’re paying for or the taxpayers are paying for,? he said. ‘The other is the cost of the value of the work that gets done in these workshops and special meetings.?
Carson also noted he talked to 15 communities that don’t record special meetings, or workshops, and some don’t even record their regular board meetings.
‘I believe that under the program we currently have, we get much more accomplished than we do on a regular board night,? he said.
‘In addition, we’re much more comfortable. We talk back and fourth in a congenial way, which doesn’t often happen in a board meeting, that’s where I see business really getting done.?
Petterson said he was for taping special meetings if there was an ‘actionable item? on the agenda that the board was going to vote on, like discussion of the HR director, but most meetings have just been ‘budget workshops,? not special meetings.
‘We don’t really get anything accomplished anyways,? he said. ‘These are learning processes for all the board members to sit with department heads and learn about the departments. We’ve not doing anything money wise, or advised any department to cut anything yet, that will come when we do the budget in Sept. or Oct. All were doing is going through the departments.?
Petterson also recommended as he has before that trustees should not be paid for workshops because the board is almost over budget for trustee pay.
Trustees are paid $202.84 for regular meetings and $106.09 for special meetings
‘We are going to be recommending a budget adjustment to the board to increase, their line item for payroll because of the special meetings,? Finance Director Susan Hendricks said.
Hendricks noted $16,500 has already been spent out the allotted $24,000 for trustee payroll.
Lohmeier said he was ‘disappointed? by the turn out.
‘Either you believe in transparency and honesty and you support or you don’t,? he said. ‘They decided they don’t.?