Township Board Minutes

MINUTES OF THE CASCADE CHARTER TOWNSHIP
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
7:00 p.m.

Article 1. Supervisor Julien called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Present: Supervisor Julien, Trustees Beahan, Koessel, Fox, Goldberg, Interim Treasurer Dood and Clerk Goodyke.
Absent: None
Also Present: Manger Cousins, Assistant to the Manager Otey, Township Attorney John Huff and those listed on Supplement #1.

Article 2. Supervisor Julien led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Article 3. Motion was made by Trustee Koessel and supported by Trustee Goldberg to approve the Agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.

Article 4. Approval of Consent Agenda
a. Receive and File Various Meeting Minutes
1. Township Board Minutes of 07/23/2008.
2. Planning Commission Minutes of 07/07/08.
3. Kent County Road Commission Minutes of 06/10/08,06/24/08 and 07/08/08.
b. Receive and File Communications
1. Letters received re: - Fase Property
" Larry & Nancy Goff
" Cherry Talsma
" Joann King
" Ann Cunningham
" Abby Dilley & Jim Aidala
" MaryAne Olsen & Richard F. Gottlieb
" Peter Kramer
" Douglas Evans
" Paul Allie
" Richard Chambers
" Lynn & John O'Donnell
2. Letter received from Comcast re: - Channel Lineup.
3. Letter received from Charter Cable re: - Channel Lineup.
4. Letter received from Kent County Board of Public Works re: - Kent County Solid Waste Management Plan Amendment.
5. Letter received from Michigan Community Blood Centers re: - Blood Drive held on July 28, 2008.
6. Letter received from The Nature Conservancy re: - Application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.
7. Letter received from A.C.C.E.S.S. re: - Informational
8. Letter received from Parks & Recreation Department City of Wyoming re: - Update on Stepping-Stones Program.
9. Letter received from Lt. Keith Borreson/Grand Rapids Fire Dept. re: - Commendation for Firefighter Andy Albright.
c. Receive and File Various Reports
1. Treasurer's Department Report - re:
" June 2008 Bank Balances
" June 2008 Tax Accounts
" June 2008 Invested Funds Report
2. Building Departments July 2008 Monthly Report.
d. Education Request
1. Doug Poolman - Fire Inspector Conference, September 9-12, 2008, Lansing, MI.
2. Steve Peterson - Michigan Association of Planning Annual Conference, October 1-4, Kalamazoo, MI.
3. Denise M. Biegalle - MERS 62nd Annual Meeting, September 30 - October 2, 2008, Traverse City, MI.
4. Assessing Dept.
" Janet Sanders - Planning and Administration Finance, September 3-5, 2008, Novi, MI.
" Jeff Miller - Income Approach Course Part 1, September 24 - 26, 2008, Grand Rapids, MI
" Jeff Miller - Income Approach Course Part 2, October 8-10, 2008, Gaylord, MI
" Roger McCarty - USPAP, October 8-10, 2008, Gaylord, MI.
Motion was made by Trustee Goldberg and supported by Trustee Beahan to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion carried unanimously.

Article 5. Financial Actions
a. Consider Approval of July 2008 Payables, Payroll and Transfers.
Motion was made by Trustee Koessel and supported by Trustee Goldberg. Motion carried unanimously.
b. Consider Approval of 2008 Budget Adjustments.
Manager Cousins reviewed the following Budget Adjustments:
" General Fund
" Fire Fund
" Police Fund
" Pathway Fund
" Improvement Revolving Fund
" DDA Fund
" Building Fund
" Library Fund
" Maracaibo Shores-Road Fund
Discussion followed.
Motion was made by Trustee Koessel and supported by Trustee Beahan
to approve the 2008 Budget Adjustments as presented. Motion carried
unanimously by roll call vote.

Article 6. Public Actions (None)

Article 7. Public Comments
Kent County Commissioner Sandi Parrish was present to update the Board.

Article 8. Unfinished Business (None)

Article 9. New Business
064-2008 Consider Approval of Resolution to hold a Block Picnic on Thorncrest between Sheffield and Colchester Streets with a street closure on Thorncrest St.
Motion was made by Trustee Beahan and supported by Trustee Koessel to Approve the Resolution to hold a Block Picnic on Thorncrest between Sheffield and Colchester Streets with a street closure on Thorncrest St. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
065-2008 Consider Approval of Resolution to hold Cascade Christian Annual Church and Community Picnic with the closure of Hurley Street.
Motion was made by Trustee Fox and supported by Treasurer Dood to Approve the Resolution to hold Cascade Christian Annual Church and Community Picnic with the closure of Hurley Street. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.

066-2008 Consider Approval of Application for Outdoor Gathering Permit at the Centennial Country Club on August 22, 2008.
Motion by Trustee Koessel and supported by Trustee Beahan to recuse Trustee Goldberg as Pioneer Construction is a client of his. Motion carried. Trustee Goldberg left the room. Trustee Koessel questioned why this was coming before the Board. Assistant to the Manager Otey explained that the event will exceed 200 people and our ordinance states if anybody is going to hold an event that exceeds 200 people they do need to get an Outdoor Gathering Permit and it needs to be approved by the Township Board. She also reviewed the application. Motion was made by Trustee Koessel and supported by Treasurer Dood. Motion carried unanimously.

Trustee Goldberg re-entered the meeting.

067-2008 Consider Approval of Resolution for Transfer Ownership of Liquor License located at 4875 28th St., S.E. (Smoky Bones)
Motion was made by Trustee Goldberg and supported by Trustee Koessel to approve the Resolution for Transfer Ownership of Liquor License located at 4875 28th St., S.E. (Smoky Bones). Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.

068-2008 Consider Approval of Language for Millage to Purchase Natural Areas and Parkland.
Supervisor Julien stated that this was the last Township Board Meeting before the deadline to submit millage language to the County which is August 26th. The millage needs to be either approved at tonight's meeting or have a special meeting well before the 26th to approve it. Trustee Beahan reviewed the process that has been going on in the background for the past couple of weeks.
Supervisor Julien reviewed the ballot wording. Attorney John Huff stated that the wording submitted to the Board has changed slightly and reviewed the changes with the Board. Treasurer Dood also recommended some slight changes. Discussion followed.
Mr. Richard Gottlieb, 7100 Hidden Ridge Dr., addressed the Board with some remarks regarding the millage language. Discussion followed regarding the suggestions made by Mr. Gottlieb.
Mary Ann Olsen, 7100 Hidden Ridge Dr., commented on the language of the millage needs to stay generalized so that every citizen knows that they will know that they will be able to benefit from the Open Space Millage.
Treasurer Dood reviewed her ideas of some of the changes she would like to see on the wording.
Supervisor Julien reviewed all the wording changes by reading the proposed changes.
Motion was made by Trustee Goldberg and supported by Trustee Koessel to approve the ballot language be approved as read by Supervisor Julien. Motion carried by roll call vote.

Article 10. Manager Comments
Manager Cousins offered the following comments:
" Burton Street Sewer has been connected and is now operational. We have possible two or three homeowners that are interested in connecting. There had been talked about fees in the past, did the Utility Committee want to meet to discuss the fees for connection or are we OK moving forward. There had been a mention at other Board Meetings regarding an incentive. Mr. Cousins will schedule a meeting of the Utility Committee. A notice will be sent out to the property owners letting them know that the sewer is connected.
" A letter was received this week from Cascade Christian Church High School Youth Group and they are very endeared to the Township and the Firefighters for the 4th of July Event. They raised enough money to sent forty-one young people on a Mission Trip to Minnesota for a week. They work on repairing and re-roofing homes etc…
" The Mayor of the City of Grand Rapids has invited all of us to walk the bridge/bridges in Downtown Grand Rapids on Labor Day. Meet at 8:00a.m. at Ah-Nab-Awen Park.

Article 11. Board Member Comments
Trustee Beahan offered the following comments:
" We do have an agreement with the Nature Conservancy and they have reached an agreement with the Fase Property…that is in the works and is official.
" We also submitted our Grant Proposal to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund. A great deal of thanks need to go to both Steve Peterson our Planner and Tom McDonald who put an amazing effort into this project. The document was 4 lbs. 5 oz. It was hand delivered to the Lansing office by myself and Steve.
" Thursday is the last Cascade Community Foundation Concert in the Park. We will be having a corn-on-the-cob roast…compliments of the Wisner family and we will also have Fresh Market there with some cooked sausages and bratwurst.
Trustee Koessel offered the following comments:
" Thanks to Rob, Ron and Tom McDonald for the phenomenal job done on this Open Space, as has the Gottlieb family and a lot of other people associated with the Neighbors for Serenity.
" Congratulations to everyone on their re-election.
Treasurer Dood offered the following comments:
" As nice as it was to be hired by the Board to fill Mary Carpenter vacancy, it was even more wonderful to be hired by the residents of Cascade. I am really excited.
" Quick update…the former Budget Committee that has been re-named as the Investment Committee had met to work on the investment policy as well as to look for new strategies for cash management and fund investing. That is still in the works…nothing new to report today, still on the front burner.
Clerk Goodyke offered the following comments:
" For those of us who were fortunate enough to attend the unveiling of the new "Come Read With Me" statue over in the Library, if you haven't I would much encourage you to go to see that one and the sixty almost seventy others that are on display there and also for sale.

Trustee Goldberg offered the following comments:
" Would like to extend his congratulation to the folks that worked on the Grant.
Trustee Fox asked if she could have a couple of words after Supervisor Juliens comments.
Supervisor Julien offered the following comments:
" Clerk Goodyke reminded him that we have four instances of public art in Cascade Township.
" We need a new member of the Board as a liaison to the Neighbors of Serenity Group. We had a volunteer earlier…Trustee Fox has asked to be relieved of that responsibility. Trustee Beahan and Koessel volunteered to fill the spot.
" Publicly commend Tom MacDonald for the work done on the Open Space Project.
Trustee Fox offered the following comment:
" In the future, I am hoping that we can (the Board) work together to communicate more effectively and openly with one another. I look forward to improving upon that.

Article 12. Adjournment
Motion was made by Trustee Fox and supported by Trustee Beahan to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously.

Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Denise M. Biegalle
Deputy Clerk

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