After reflecting on the actions or lack of action by the
Mullett Township Board over the past year, a promised “report card” seems
inappropriate. It is impossible to grade work that was never started, left
incomplete, or conducted behind closed doors or in “secret” communications
between Board members and cronies.
Instead, a review of 2013, what we saw, what we heard, and
more important, what wasn’t done and the continued waste of your tax dollars
and Mullett Township assets.
The year got off to an early start when Supervisor elect
MaryAnne Gale requested the out-going Board schedule two “public input”
meetings, one in the ‘Bee and one on the
“other side” of the lake, ostensibly to gather input and prioritize needs. The
“raw” input from these November 2012 meetings is offered on this page Public Input.
It is probably worth mentioning that none, none, NONE of these public issues
have been resolved or brought to completion. Whether it was Babs Naylor's plea to
save the trees in Topinabee, Tom O’Hare’s statement the TDA had solicited a
firm to provided an estimate that the Township Hall could have a new facade meeting
TDA design standards for only $75,000, or an unnamed taxpayer on the “other
side” of the lake who wondered if the township could buy new toilet seats for
Boy Scout Park. Nothing has been finished in a year.
The December 4, 2012 regular Board meeting
started with a new seating plan for the Board. Supervisor MaryAnne Gale set up
a “U” shaped Board table, placing herself at the center and her minions, the
Clerk and a Trustee on one side and the Treasurer and the other Trustee on the
other side. The only thing missing was a throne and any willing participants. Supervisor
MaryAnne Gale laid down the law. Too many Board members attending too many
meetings at $70 per diem. A process was started to reduce costs. Supervisor
Gale then proposed a motion to allow each Board member $500 in discretionary
spending without Board approval. Don’t
spend it all on Mike Marks. This was unspoken, but apparently you can’t
rehire fired employees without incurring the “wrath”. Supervisor MaryAnne Gale speaks out on hiring Mike Marks.
Board business included approving
advertising to hire a “Facility Manager” to clean toilets, solicit bids for
snow-plowing, and giving Patty King a $100 a month “stipend” for renting Township
Hall. This was approved without any public comment allowed or any prior consultation
with Patty King. $100 a month, $1,200 a year, actually exceeds the typical
revenue from the hall rental for an entire year. Big oops.
The proposal of making East Mullett
Hall available for public “rental” was tabled. David Ogg was appointed to act
as “liaison” to the DNR. One very French definition of “liaison” is a relationship
between people who are not married to each other, especially when secret. That
is very apt definition of this sexless appointment, cloaked in secret
communications. The Trail Town service
grant application was also approved after the fact.
Supervisor
MaryAnne Gale gained the cooperation of and inconvenienced many people by
changing Board meetings to Monday nights to fit within her personal schedule. Supervisor
MaryAnne Gale said she would develop a list of Mullett “assets”. How’s that
coming MaryAnne?
The
January 8, 2013 Board Meeting offered entertainment courtesy of Mullett Township’s
Certified Public Accountant. The CPA, who conducts the state required biennial
audit of township books, provided an overview of Mullett’s finances. Yawn. David
Ogg, liaison for the park project presented a lengthy dissertation on a 20 foot
easement lease from the DNR allowing drainage under the Trail, boilerplate
language, etc. Yawn again. David Ogg finally succumbed to public pressure and
agreed to allow a small swing fixture in his new park. Snowplowing bids were
opened and because the two bidders had bid on different criteria due to poorly
specified requirements, the same relative of a Board member was awarded the
contract. As an aside, when the subject of snowplowing bids was raised this winter,
this had now become a 2 year contract. Will it become a three year contract
next winter?
The
February 4, 2012 Board Meeting discussed both private storage buildings and
blight. No action taken on private storage buildings, AKA pole barns. The Board
is advised a single blight enforcement action might require $60,000 to $70,000
in legal costs and years to resolve. Is MaryAnne Gale dissuaded? No. Approval
to hire a “facilities manager” to clean toilets for a starting wage of $14.50
an hour, guaranteed as $580 a week year round with a start date of 2/6/2013. The
“facilities manager” will have time off in lieu of overtime at the rate of 1.5
regular hours. Work 10 hours OT in April, enjoy 15 paid hours while sitting at
home come winter. Motion also made and approved to allow the “facilities manager”
to hire a part-time “facilities manager”, preferably a crony or relative for up
to 20 hours per week. Motion made and approved to immediately “fire” the four existing
Mullett Township employees, being “at will” employees, without valid reason or cause.
The TAC swings, too ugly for the TDA designed Park, having been previously gifted
to the Indian River Methodist Church, are now sold by high bid to a Trustee’s
father. David Ogg “liaison” for
the TDA Park, provides a lengthy update announcing advertising for bids. Big yawn.
Restrooms, one of those Mullett assets that Supervisor Gale is protecting will
be left unlocked for vagrants to use. Supervisor MaryAnne Gale will work on job
descriptions for Mullett Township elected officials, ignoring the fact they have statutory
duties, and also the nervous “at will” employees not already fired by this
regime.
The
Budget “Workshop” was held on February 11, 2013, otherwise known as the longest night of the year. Over 5, yes FIVE hours. Supervisor MaryAnne Gale questioned
if electors could really expect their local officials to dine on a meal allowance
of only $25 per day while traveling. They can’t expect us to eat at McDonalds,
can they? No bread? Let them eat cake. Sorry, wrong monarchy. A nice dinner can cost $75 or more before
wine. The meal allowance will now simply require receipts for reimbursement
with no daily dollar limit. The Supervisor and Trustees salary is held steady. The
$70 per diem meeting allowance, sometimes collected for attending more than 1
meeting in a day, is retained. Supervisor MaryAnne Gale demonstrates her
largesse to the taxpayers of Mullett Township by stating she will NOT charge a per diem to attend “local”
meetings. The Treasurer, taking on work and
compensation previously paid to a Deputy Treasurer has a base salary set at
$15,200. The Clerk, having sought office to earn money, secures another of what
has become an “annual” salary increase to a base of $15,200. How much will the clerk’s
raise be for 2014?
February
14, 2013 Special Meeting was the pre-bid conference for the TDA designed Topinabee Beach
Park. It was readily apparent all of those over-the-top design frou-frous approved
by the Mullett Township Board to meet the TDA expectations of a pretty park had
put the projected costs over-budget before the bids were ever submitted. The
contractors in attendance were told the information kiosks, the water feature,
the swing-set, the concrete stamping to simulate slate sidewalks, and the
shoreline rip-rap were now bid alternates, to be bid separate from the rest of the project as they might never be part of the project.
On
February 25, 2013 Special Meeting The park bids were opened. See March 12, 2013 Special Meeting for more.
The
March 4, 2013 Board and Budget meeting. Fleis and Vandenbrink and the DNR were
reviewing the park bids and there was a Special Meeting scheduled for 6PM
Monday to get the bids lower. Bill Morgan, acting as a proxy for Supervisor
MaryAnne Gale, attends a Cheboygan County Road Commission meeting on her
behalf. He is paid $70 and mileage to attend. Supervisor MaryAnne Gale’s doesn’t
charge or attend meetings, she instead OK’s paying former Supervisor Bill
Morgan. Would it not be simpler if Bill Morgan had just remained as Supervisor?
The consent items from the budget workshop were approved and an ad hoc meeting
schedule is approved for the Board members. The Woodruff St boat launch improvements
are approved as part of the 2013-2014 fiscal budget. What happened there?
March
11, 2013 Special Meeting- Motion to move $2,500.00 from
101447801 cost center to line item 101265702 in order to meet the payroll for
Stuart Hancock. Another Special Meeting is then scheduled for 7 PM March 12,
2013 to hear from Fleis and Vandenbrink. Spot quiz: How many Special Meetings
has Supervisor Gale held since taking office?
March 12, 2013 Special Meeting. Excluding
the alternate items identified at the pre-bid conference, the low bid of $398,250
for the park was submitted by Super M Excavating. That bid was invalidated because
Super M was not a “plan holder of record” and signatures were missing. Elmer’s
was awarded the contract at $410,331. This was a full $41,000 over the $369,000
“target” sought by “liaison” David Ogg less than two weeks earlier. With a project
cost of $400,000 comprised of a $280,000 approved MNRTF Grant and a now hypothetical
$120,000 match by Mullett Township taxpayers, where would money for the engineering
and other costs, plus the alternate items, come from? You? The taxpayer. Well, that is OK then. The “decorative concrete”
and “retaining walls” are identified as the two “big ticket” items. Were they modified or changed to reduce costs? No. The picnic
tables, benches, and grilles were removed to save $39,560. The playground
equipment is $75,000. I assume that includes “Dave’s digger”. It’s proposed to
seek a lower cost or more competitive bid on the playground saving $5,000 to
$10,000. The project moves ahead.
The next Board meeting was on April Fool’s Day 2013. How apropos
was that? Will the Park get built? Will
a white knight ride to the rescue? Will the closed and snow-fenced Topinabee
Beach Park be front page on the January 2, 2014 Straitsland Resorter?
