6-14-21

The regular meeting of the Davison Township Board of Trustees was held on June 14, 2021, at the Davison Township Municipal Center. The meeting addressed routine administrative matters, including the approval of previous meeting minutes and the adoption of the current agenda. Financial reports presented by the Treasurer indicated that the township was performing well against its budget for the fiscal year.

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the retirement of Police Chief Rick Freeman and the highly contested appointment of a new Clerk. The board underwent several rounds of voting regarding candidates Travis Howell and Mo Aboneaaj, but failed to pass any motion to appoint either individual. Consequently, the decision was deferred to a special meeting. Other business included the approval of large MERS pension payments for police and administrative staff, as well as the approval of the Senior Center's 2021/2022 budget.

• Personnel Changes: The board recognized the retirement of Police Chief Rick Freeman and noted the hiring of a new officer, Dexter.
• Clerk Appointment Deadlock: The board was unable to settle the vacancy for the Clerk position after three separate motions failed due to a split vote.
• Building Activity: The Building Official reported 28 building permits with a total construction cost of over $2.3 million. and 11 new homes.
• Senior Center: The Senior Center is set to be fully open as of July 1, 2021.

• Jim Slezak: Supervisor
• Tim Green: Treasurer
• Lori Tallman: Trustee
• Matthew Karr: Trustee
• Rick Freeman: Retiring Police Chief
• David Lattie: Attorney
• Matt Place: Building Official
• Casey Reed: Parks & Rec. Director
• Travis Howell: Candidate for Clerk
• Mo Aboneaaj: Candidate for Clerk

• Clerk Appointment: Following failed attempts to appoint either Travis Howell or Mo Aboneaaj, the board passed a motion to appoint a Clerk contingent upon all members being present at a future meeting.
• Retirement Resolution: The board passed a resolution honoring the service of retiring Police Chief Rick Freeman.
• Pension Approvals: The board approved MERS retirement pension payments for both the Police Department and Administrative Staff.
• Budget Approvals: The 2021/2022 budget for the Senior Center was approved.
• Tabled Items: The Supervisor’s Department budget amendment and the proposal to change the monthly meeting time from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. were both postponed for later discussion.

• Meeting Date: June 14, 2021
• Special Meeting Date: June 21, 2021, at 7:00 P.M. (to decide on the Clerk appointment)
• Clerk Appointment Deadline: July 14, 2021 (noted by Attorney Lattie)

• Davison Township Municipal Center: 1280 N. Irish Road, Davison, MI 48423

• May 2021 Revenue: $791,810.57 (representing 80.84% of the General Budget and 82.32% of the Water & Sewer Budget).
• Board Expenditures (May 7 – June 9, 2021): $1,997,936.45.
• Building Department Revenue: $25,723.00 from 28 permits.
• Police Retirement Pension (MERS): $218,000.00.
• Administrative Staff Retirement Pension (MERS): $729,000.00.

• Adopt Agenda: Motion by Tallman, Second by Green. Carried unanimously.
• Approve May 2021 Treasurer’s Report: Motion by Karr, Second by Slezak. Carried unanimously.
• Approve Board Expenditures: Motion by Karr, Second by Green. Carried (Roll call: Yes—Green, Karr, Tallman, Slezak).
• Appoint Travis Howell as Clerk (Attempt 1): Motion by Karr, Second by Tallman. Failed (Roll call: Yes—Tallman, Karr; No—Green, Slezak).
• Appoint Mo Aboneaaj as Clerk: Motion by Green, Second by Slezak. Failed (Roll call: Yes—Green, Slezak; No—Tallman, Karr).
• Appoint Travis Howell as Clerk (Attempt 2): Motion by Tallman, Second by Karr. Failed (Roll call: Yes—Tallman, Karr; No—Green, Slezak).
• Appoint Clerk (Contingent to all members present): Motion by Slezak, Second by Tallman. Carried.
• Approve Police MERS Payment: Motion by Slezak, Second by Green. Carried unanimously.
• Approve Administrative MERS Payment: Motion by Slezak, Second by Karr. Carried unanimously.
• Approve Senior Center Budget 2021/2022: Motion by Karr, Second by Slezak. Carried unanimously.

• Laura Bobowski: Expressed concerns regarding a zoning approval for a pole barn on E Atherton Road that she believes will be extremely loud and lacks proper notification.
• Ross Martello, Lee Lavictor, and Jamie Hartwell: Spoke in support of Travis Howell for the position of Clerk.

• Special Meeting: The board will reconvene on June 21, 2021, at 7:00 P.M. to finalize the Clerk appointment.
• Budget Revisit: The Supervisor's Department budget amendment must be revisited at a later date with corrected figures.
• Meeting Time Discussion: A discussion regarding changing the regular meeting time to 6:00 p.m. is set for the July regular board meeting.