A Quick Tour Of Mullett Township

Mullett Township News & Views-Promoting Open Government in Mullett Township

There is also the Mullett Township Party Line or you make drink the Kool-Aid from the Topinabee Development Association "Artesian" Well

Mullett Township is a general law township in Cheboygan County, Michigan. The population was 1312 in the 2010 US census. The township and Mullett Lake are named for John Mullett, who with William Burt, surveyed much of the area between 1840 and 1843.

The commercial center of the Township is the quiet unincorporated Village of Topinabee located on the west shore of Mullett Lake on M27 highway. The village is a trailhead for the DNR Trail with off-street parking and restrooms.

The village has a Post Office, Convenience Store with gas pumps, Public Library with 24 hour outdoor WiFi, an artisan-owned woodwork shop, a breakfast cafe and a bar and grille. Township owned buildings include the Library, Township Hall and Fire Hall, and an unused former school building on Lea St.

Recreation needs are served with a beachfront park and covered picnic area, free public boat launch at the north end of the village, a small public access to Mullett Lake across from the Nokia Cafe and tennis court, ball-field, and playground equipment at a public park located up the hill on Lea St.

The east side of Mullett Township is largely rural, with no commercial development. Township services include a Fire Hall and volunteer East Mullett Lake Fire Department.


Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Now You See It-Now You Don't-Greed vs Need

August 12, 2015 Special Meeting-

After some brief public comment, the Mullett Board voted to go to a closed session with legal counsel Tim MacArthur.  After a closed door deliberation, the Mullett Board reconvened to an open meeting.

Trustee John Brown introduced an agreed upon motion "To protect Mullett Township property interests ....". Unanimous Board approval.  Trustee Dennis Dombroski then moved to rescind his motion of June 9, 2013 "to give the Nissley's an easement" and Supervisor Mary Anne moved to rescind her second on that motion.   

After 2 years of encroachment, Mullett Township residents and visitors again have the entire park, including the area in green,  to use.  We do have some unrecoverable costs: $1,000 change order on ADA walk, $5,000 worth of cedar trees and unknown legal and survey fees because of the 2013 Board motions.

Mary Nissley needs to find a parking space on her own lot.  Most of us don't expect to be allowed to park our vehicles on our neighbors' property. Mary Nissley has lots of room available within her lot, out-lined in red on this sketch. She still has a privacy fence encroaching on public property, red arrow, and of course the infamous "boat hoist" that annually spends more time sitting in the Topinabee Park than in the water.


The definition of greed over need


(Annotated Meeting Minutes)

MULLETT TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES PROPOSED
SPECIAL MINUTES - AUGUST 12, 2015 - MULLETT
TOWNSHIP HALL - 7:00PM

The Mullett Township Board of Trustees met at the Mullett Township Hall on August 12, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.  All Board Members were present:  Mary Anne Gale, Rachel Osborn, Kathy Flory, Dennis Dombroski, and John Brown.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance.

Public Comment was opened at 7:01 p.m., with Carl Muscott offering advice to the township board on how to handle the Nissley property matter (the advice was taken) , (Mary Nissley's Attorney) Carl McPherson countered the advice , Mary Nissley petitioned the board to handle the matter before the board in a neighborly manner (stated she wanted additional free land as the proposed easement did not adequately protect her privacy from the park and trail ) .

Public Comment was closed at 7:13 p.m.

John Brown made a motion to go into closed session regarding the Nissley property issue with a second by Dennis Dombroski, on a roll call vote:

                       Yeas:    John Brown
                                    Dennis Dombroski
                                    Mary Anne Gale
                                    Kathy Flory
                                    Rachel Osborn
                       Nayes:  None

The closed session was commenced at 7:14 p.m. (Carl Muscott protested the closed session contravened the Open Meeting Act)

Motion by John brown to come out of the closed session at 7:39 p.m., seconded by Dennis Dombroski, motion passed.

On a motion by John Brown to give Tim MacArthur of MacArthur Law Firm permission to take the necessary legal steps to protect Mullett Township Property interests, seconded by Dennis Dombroski, motion passed unanimously.

On a new set of information, the following motion made at the June 9, 2015 special meeting is hereby rescinded:

           "Motion to give the Nissley's an easement tied to the
            parcel number of their property with a survey of the
            driveway and to draw up a legal description including
            the trees of same by Dennis Dombroski and seconded
            by Mary Anne Gale, motion carried".

Mary Anne Gale rescinded her support of the motion and Dennis Dombroski rescinded the making of the motion by withdrawing the motion to give easement to the Nissley's on a roll call vote to rescind the entire motion:

                 Yeas:    John Brown
                              Dennis Dombroski
                              Mary Anne Gale
                              Kathy Flory
                              Rachel Osborn
                 Nayes;   None
              Absent:    None

The supervisor declared the motion passed.

Mary Anne Gale made a motion to approve the additional amount of $847.00 to the amount of $1353.00 to complete the hooded gutters being proposed by "Bilt on Demand" for the Topinabee Public Library, seconded by Kathy Flory, motion passed with two opposing votes by John Brown and Rachel Osborn.

Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Rachel Osborn
Mullett Township Clerk