By Phyllis Rose
Schoolcraft Township residents may no longer be required to pay for recycling through their private trash pickup services. That’s because the Township is pursuing a revision to Ordinance 232 – the “Residential Waste Reduction Ordinance”– which required recycling to be part of all trash pickup.
The original ordinance stated that “customers will be charged for the service even if not utilized.” The proposed revision would take out the mandatory requirement, noted Township Clerk Eska Brown at the Township Board’s March 11 meeting.
Before the change can go into effect, the proposal must be submitted to the attorneys and then a public hearing will be held, she said.
The issue came to the Board’s attention at the January meeting when Treasurer Teresa Scott said she had gotten many calls from people complaining about the increased recycling fees. Clerk Brown said at that meeting that she gets calls from single people who don’t use the service because they don’t have much to recycle.
“A lot of people didn’t use it but had to pay for it,” said Supervisor Don Ulsh at the March meeting.
The Board then voted to proceed with the steps involved in making the ordinance change.
In other business, the Board heard from Attorney Keith Brown of Foster Swift Attorneys in Grand Rapids and from the Township’s Building Officer Justin Munn regarding two dangerous buildings. The buildings are located on properties on N. Barton Lake Drive and Portage Road.
The house and garage on Barton Lake Drive had been declared dangerous and were to have been repaired or demolished by November 11, 2024. The owner has not complied with the order and did not attend the requested meeting on March 11.
The issue has been going on for at least three years, noted Munn.
“There’s been no contact with the owner,” said Munn. “No one ever answers the door. The neighbors haven’t seen anybody there.”
The second property on Portage Road has a garage with a collapsed roof and has been determined to be unrepairable. The Dangerous Buildings Hearing Officer had ordered that the building be repaired or demolished by November 11, 2024.
The main building on the property is occupied, said Munn, but the issue is that the electrical service is attached to the garage which would require extra work if the structure is demolished.
When the owners had been cited for a blight issue, they moved everything into the garage, he said. That’s an issue because the owners will need to do something with those items.
“It’s not safe to go into the garage,” said Munn. “The entire roof is gone.”
The owners of the property were not at the hearing either to explain their reasons for noncompliance.
Attorney Brown advised the Board on their options regarding these dangerous buildings. The Board approved moving forward with whatever steps are necessary to implement the recommendations of the hearing officer regarding both properties.
In other business, the Board approved a resolution to amend the 218 Agreement so that all employees can participate in Social Security. The original agreement had excluded “elected officials, part-time employees, employees paid on a fee basis, agricultural labor, and students.” The revised agreement removes all the exclusions.
The Board discussed whether ZOOM video meetings are needed. Trustee Tamra Stafford said that the cost to the Township is low and it is a service to the public. The Board meetings can be accessed via ZOOM by going to the Township’s website, schoolcrafttownshipmi.gov.
In other business, the Board approved various items related to the beginning of the fiscal year on April 1, including meeting dates which are the second Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Schoolcraft Township Hall. The only exception is November 11 which is Veterans Day. The meeting will be on Monday, November 10 instead.
Salary increases for the Township supervisor, clerk and treasurer were approved. Supervisor Ulsh will receive $55,000; Treasurer Scott, $60,000, and Clerk Brown, $60,000. These increases represent a 4.7 percent increase for Ulsh and 9.7 percent for Scott and Brown.
The Board approved the insurance policy, 2024-2025 budget amendments, 2025-2026 budget, service providers, and financial firms.
Clerk Brown said she would be looking into scheduling a shredding day, possibly pairing it with an electronics recycling event as well. This may take place in June. She will text the information about the date and time on TextMyGov.
Treasurer Scott said the Township is currently without an assessor and is looking for someone to provide that service. Information can be found in a request for proposal on the Township’s website.
